Beltran DJs Moments to Remember

Introducing... Spinning Out, a recurring series in which NYLON spotlights the most exciting DJs working the circuit right now. Get to know promising upstarts and subgenre superstars — before they hit the big leagues.

By all accounts — except maybe his own — Brazilian DJ and producer Juliano Beltran has made it. In a past life, he would rush from playing underground gigs to his job as an IT security specialist, but after releasing his runaway hit “Smack Yo’” in 2022, he’s taken the stage at Circoloco and Coachella, and even befriended his idol Michael Bibi. Ahead of his headlining set at The North Face’s Climb Festival on Aug. 24 in collaboration with the pop-up group Renegade, Beltran sat down with NYLON to talk about his aversion to hotels, DJing at a water park, and meeting your heroes (and liking them).

How would you describe your sets?

I really don't know. I have some minimal references, some indie, some house. That's why I'm very proud of my sound — because you can't really [define] it. I remember when Michael Bibi was listening to some tracks, and he replied, "This track is too Beltran." So he described that like a genre and I was like, "Holy sh*t.” I really like the word “trippy,” and I really like the word “weird” when you try to describe my stuff. I remember in the past when record labels were refusing my tracks, they were like, "Yeah, we can't sign it. Your sound is too weird." And I was like, "Thank you."

What was the nightlife scene in Brazil growing up?

We didn't have any on our city, but there was a very, very small city [nearby] with 5,000 inhabitants, probably. And they have a club. Because I was 15, 16 at the time, we had to use fake IDs to enter. They play super dope underground stuff. That's where I learned like 80% of what I know. I remember listening to a Swayzak track and a guy called Mau Maioli. I still play there, and I still go to parties with my friends when I'm in town.

What was your first official gig as a DJ like?

It was a party called Basement in Porto Alegre. Probably all my mix-downs and track selections weren't that good at the time, but I remember it as the best set I ever did. It's funny because I remember that I played the party, and on that specific Sunday, I had to go straight from the gig to my job to finish some infrastructure server stuff. I was sweaty, looked dead. [But] I remember fixing stuff with the biggest smile on my face. And I was like, "Damn, that gig was fire." I remember friends and people from that day telling me, "Yo, you're going to be big." And I was like, "Ah, I don't know. Let's see." And today, some of them come to me and say, "Yo, you remember that party in Brazil?" And I’m like, "Hell yeah, I remember that."

What moments in your career made you feel like you had made it as a DJ?

I still want to do a lot of things, but I had that moment on the first day of this year when I played Circoloco in DC10 because that was my main goal in life. I was like, “OK, now what?” But as a producer, it was when I released for Solid Grooves. Since I started making music, Bibi was one of my biggest references. Now we’re good friends, but when he started playing my stuff, I was super scared to speak with him. Sometimes I still feel weird when we are talking about something random, and I'm like, “What the f*ck? I'm speaking with Michael Bibi about this?” But I never forget who he was for me five years ago. And I'm always thankful when I speak to him, to Dennis Cruz, to Pawsa. I'm like, "You guys changed my life. Thank you for everything." And they are so nice. You can really see why they are where they are now, because they love it.

What’s the wildest gig you've ever played?

Kappa in Turin, Italy. The first time [Bibi] played “Smack Yo’” was in Kappa, and there was a crazy reaction video of the crowd going super nuts. I was having goosebumps all of a sudden looking at the crowd, and I was like, "Oh my God, six years ago this is where I wanted to be, and now I'm here." I was super thankful. There was also [another gig] once where I played a water park in Brazil. That was lit. People were just going all in on the water.

What’s your perfect night out?

Normally I try to hang out before the gig with friends, with the promoters, grab some food. We normally do a pregame. I love mojitos, but, normally, we are doing that in houses, so I go with tequila. Go to the club. I always try to [catch] the local DJs playing or meet new artists. That's actually a powerful tool I have to discover new music, going to clubs early. Afterparties, for sure. I try to avoid hotels at any cost. I try to go to hotels just to shower, and that's it.