Don Diablo

Don Diablo is a future house DJ/producer who has scored numerous chart and club hits starting in the early 2000s. He issued his debut, the house- and hip-hop-flavored Life Is a Festival in 2008, and cracked the Top Ten of Billboard’s dance/electronic list with 2018′s Future. Along with playing sold-out live sets, he has released a steady flow of tracks like 2019′s “Survive” with Emeli Sandé and Gucci Mane, and 2020′s “Kill Me Better” with Imanbek and Trevor Daniel, both of which led up to the release of his third album, 2021′s Forever.
Born Don Pepijn Schipper in 1980 in Coevorden, Netherlands, Don Diablo got his start in music at the early age of 15, when he signed his first record deal. However, it wasn’t until his later years that his productions began to turn heads both within the industry and among electronic dance music lovers the world over. Tracks such as “On My Mind,” “Cutting Shapes,” and “AnyTime” became instant hits, and the producer soon found that he was in high demand to remix tracks by a vast array of high-profile songwriters and artists spanning a variety of genres. Diablo received frequent requests to bring his eclectic dance and house flavors to numerous chart hits by the likes of Madonna, Rihanna, Bastille, and Ed Sheeran.
While balancing remix work alongside his seemingly nonstop international touring schedule, he also found himself collaborating and working on original tracks with artists such as Tiësto, Tinie Tempah, and Kelis. He scored two mid-2000s chart hits with his side project Divided, and subsequent years saw Schipper collaborate with a further range of diverse artists under the Don Diablo moniker. He issued his official full-length debut, Life Is a Festival, in 2008. The set featured appearances by Shystie, Bizzey, J-Rock, Rhymefest, and others, climbing into the Dutch Top 40. The track “Hooligans,” which Diablo had produced with rapper Example, saw dominance on the U.K. dance chart in 2009, while the following year saw more success for the young producer with the track “Animale,” which featured Canadian electronic outfit Dragonette.
Don Diablo had more glowing moments in 2013 when house music titan Pete Tong spun six of his tracks on his BBC Radio 1 show. The year also saw Diablo take up a brief residency at the Las Vegas nightclub Light and embark on sold-out solo tours of both the U.S. and Asia. In 2015 he created his own record label, Hexagon, which saw instant success with the release of a collaborative remix of British tropical house DJ Alex Adair’s hit “Make Me Feel Better.” Subsequent releases on the label also dominated the higher end of the charts, particularly in the States and the U.K., and Hexagon was named Breakthrough EDM Label of 2015 by Beatport. Hexagon’s own radio show aired in over 35 countries, earning him an ever-growing fan base of listeners.
In 2015, Diablo worked with fellow Dutch DJ Tiësto on the track “Chemicals,” which also featured vocals from Danish singer/songwriter Thomas Troelsen. More sold-out tours and performances followed in 2016, with Don Diablo also claiming the number 15 spot on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs list, and ranking as number one Future House Artist of the Year by Beatport. The year also saw the DJ branch out into other creative avenues, creating the theme song to the widely acclaimed Batman: Arkham Origins video game. Once again, the track became a quick hit, racking up millions of plays online.
In 2017, the young producer continued touring and put out the compilation album Past.Present.Future on Hexagon, followed in early 2018 by his sophomore full-length Future. Featuring contributions by Nina Nesbitt, Calum Scott, Betty Who, and more, the album marked his first appearance on the Billboard charts, entering the dance/electronic list at number nine. Also that year he issued the non-album single “Survive” featuring Emeli Sandé and Gucci Mane. More singles followed, including 2020′s “Kill Me Better” with Imanbek and Trevor Daniel, and 2021′s “Into the Unknown.” Both songs were included on Diablo’s third full-length album, Forever, which arrived in September 2021. In 2022, he released several singles and remixes, including “Face to Face” (with WATTS), “Day & Nite,” and “No Piensa” (with PnB Rock and Boaz van de Beatz). ~ Rob Wacey