Ivan Smagghe belongs to that elite group of DJs that journalists lazily label as “The DJ’s DJ.” He has a rare ability to channel music like a raw conduit between famously obscure records, never losing sight of the strobe-lit bodies on the dancefloor—seamlessly injecting something of himself into the mix along the way. His genre-defying (and defining) productions, from Black Strobe and It’s A Fine Line to Smagghe & Cross and now Ivan & Johnny, have connected him with and earned praise from the likes of Craig Richards, Vladimir Ivkovic, Paranoid London, Solar, and, of course, his long-time friend Andrew Weatherall. These are all fellow crusaders in the fight to prove that electronic music is so much more than a one-dimensional soundtrack for a night out or an Instagram account. In January 2020, Smagghe & Cross released their second LP, 1819, on Offen Music, and they are now working on a new album for the end of 2025. Ivan & Johnny, his project with Quinn from Paranoid London, is designed to cater exclusively to the furthest corners of the dancefloor. After co-running the legendary French label and parties Kill The DJ, Ivan launched his own imprint, Les Disques De La Mort—a platform for his uniquely eclectic taste in music. The label features releases and remixes from long-time collaborators (Manfredas, Cosmo Vitelli, Marco Passarani, I-Cube, Red Axes, Roman Flügel) and exciting newcomers (Elles, Sworn Virgins, Zillas on Acid). Les Disques De La Mort remains faithful to an instinctively recognizable “style of no style,” refusing to be pigeonholed. COVID reshaped the way music is made and shared. While considering how to reactivate his label activities, Ivan launched Amor Fati with Niv Arzi from Red Axes—a counterintuitive blog offering free edits to anyone who wants them. Their collaboration may soon take shape in Customs & Faces, a new outlet that includes an Axes x Smagghe 12”. Dresden, the party and DJ duo Ivan shares with Lithuanian legend Manfredas, embodies his ethos and has expanded from residencies in London and Vilnius to global touring. Look out for their all-nighters (and their recordings), their t-shirt collaborations with Magic Castles, and soon, their not-so-functional club music. Ivan has also been a fixture on NTS, London’s ultra-cool radio station. His long-running show Channeling, co-hosted with Nathan Gregory Wilkins, has kept strange music aficionados on their toes for over a decade. You can catch Ivan subverting the masses any given weekend in clubs and festivals like Lux (Lisbon), Nitsa (Barcelona), Rex (Paris), In Between (Los Angeles), Corsica Studios (London), DC10 (Ibiza), Nuits Sonores (Lyon), Love International (Croatia), Waking Life (Crato), Houghton (Norfolk), and many other dens of iniquity worldwide.