How Darius Syrossian Turns Risky Track Picks into Peak Moments
Darius Syrossian has always treated DJing like a living, reactive craft.
You can hear that mindset all over his new Hot Creations release, a two-track EP built for packed rooms and sharp shifts in energy. Both cuts carry the hallmarks of his approach: direct, groove-first, and shaped for those moments when a crowd is ready for something bold. The title track with Cortez Walls already made its way around Ibiza this summer, turning into one of those records people hunt for long after the night ends.
His interviews often circle back to the same core idea. The room tells you everything. The crowd shows you when you can push, when you can twist the energy, and when a curveball might hit harder than anything planned. That instinct sits at the center of this release. It comes from decades spent in record shops, residencies, and clubs where instinct mattered more than trends. When he talks about risk, he talks like someone who has lived through countless shifts in the scene without losing his taste or his timing.
This interview steps deeper into that mindset as Darius breaks down how he reads a room, why he files music by emotion instead of genre, and how risky track selections often lead to the most memorable reactions. It’s the same philosophy that shaped this new EP. Direct, functional, and rooted in a clear sense of identity. For anyone who cares about how great DJs make decisions under the pressure of a crowded floor, his perspective hits with the same force as the music he’s releasing right now.
Darius Syrossian’s Socials: Instagram – Soundcloud – Spotify
What’s the last track you played that felt like a real gamble—and what made you do it anyway?
I dropped High Contrast’s ‘Racing Green’ once at the end of a set. I’d absolutely smashed it already, and the crowd were chanting for one more tune, even though I’d already given them two extra “one more tunes”, haha. I thought, right, let’s finish on a massive curveball. And it still went down great!
How do you decide when a track is worth risking the vibe of the room for?
You just need to be good at reading the crowd. I always say the biggest skill in being a good DJ is reading the crowd; seeing what the energy is, and what energy can be created from what’s already in front of you.
Someone messaged me on Instagram the other day asking when I’m next playing in his city, and said he last heard me at UNVRS Ibiza. His exact words were that the energy of the room changed as soon as I came on, and it was one of the best sets he’d ever heard. That’s a massive compliment.
But I’d been there a good 45 minutes before I went on, analysing the room and itching to get started because I knew exactly what I could do to take things up a level.
I didn’t even go in hard, quite the opposite. I went very garage-influenced but upped the tempo, mixed quickly, switched basslines, and threw acapellas over grooves. The set flew by because I was enjoying it so much, haha.
Do you ever feel like you have to earn the crowd’s trust before you can take that kind of risk?
I think if you’re playing the right party, somewhere the crowd are there for you, and know you’re not afraid to take risks or do something unexpected, then you’re fine. I’ve spent 15 years touring, and I’m well known for mixing genres and leaning into a more Balearic style. So if anything, if I didn’t do that, something would feel wrong, haha.
To me, there are only two types of music: good music and bad music. I don’t care for genre names. I don’t even file my USBs by genre, I file them by emotion. You can have a melancholy techno track, a funky techno track, a fierce techno track… it’s all about what fits the moment.
If I see a club or festival vibing to a more upbeat, funky energy, I’ll go in with funky techno, old Derrick May or Claude Young, for example, and happily throw in some Dub Syndicate garage or even some Carl Craig.
Has a “risky” track ever completely changed the energy of a set for the better?
Absolutely.
At DC10 last summer, I was deep into a slamming, tribal vibe and it was going great- but I wanted to push things. Out of nowhere I dropped MPH’s ‘One Sixty’. It takes a lot of guts to play that in DC10, haha, but wow… the room went absolutely berserk.
You can hear it here!
How do you balance playing something emotionally risky with keeping the dancefloor locked in?
This past summer, I was on the Beach Stage at Defected Croatia in Tisno.
The energy was maxed out, the set was driving, and then I changed gear completely and played Pachanga Boys’ ‘Time’ and an old Chris Malinchak track. You can hear the crowd loving it in the breakdown in this mix below. But then I came out of Pachanga Boys with X-Press 2, and it shifted gear back into an upbeat groove perfectly—and again, you can hear the crowd respond on the recording.
Do you think those moments of unpredictability are part of what makes a DJ unforgettable?
Absolutely.
In fact, mid-set at Defected Croatia someone held up a sign saying, “This is what it’s about—making memories like these!”
Is there a track in your crate right now that you want to play—but haven’t yet found the right moment?
Laurence from Inland Knights gave me a rare Ben Gomori remix of Róisín Murphy’s ‘Incapable’ the other week.
It took me a couple of gigs to find the right moment to play it, but not long, haha. And wow… the acid line floating under the vocals with those deep, trippy stabs will send anyone sideways, even stone cold sober. It’s a great record, but only real music heads will truly get it. It’s a proper house record. It literally twists your mind, it’s hard to describe it in words.
