In the ever-shifting landscape of electronic music, few names have carved out their own lane quite like Ely Oaks. Originally from Austria and now based in Berlin, Germany, this burgeoning artist is redefining what it means to blend underground credibility with commercial power.
Ely Oaks has emerged as an artistic visionary with a knack for curating moods, moments and movement across the global dancefloor. His fearless and fresh sound, which bridges immersive club textures and hook-heavy dance-pop, has afforded him the opportunity to work with icons like Alok and Timmy Trumpet to name a few.
In 2024, TikTok crowned him the biggest DJ in Germany. With nearly 1 million cumulative followers on TikTok and Instagram, as well as 14 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, Ely and his team have built a loyal audience with each release. 
As a fixture on the festival and club circuit, Ely has performed at Ushuaïa, Ibiza and Ultra Australia, while he’s also set to perform at EDC Orlando in November. What makes him stand out is a lot more than metrics, it’s the instinct to disrupt. In a scene often driven by formulas, he continues to dismantle them.
In our interview with Ely Oaks, we discuss the pivotal role social media has played in his career so far, the connection with his fans, his move to Berlin, and what the next three months will look like. Ely also shares an exclusive 1 hour mix below!
Your tracks often blend underground and commercial styles – what’s your creative process when developing a new sound?
I love to dig into sounds that you haven‘t heard so much before. Basically, I just listen to a lot of underground genres and try to understand what makes those work, and then try to apply these principles into my own work. My drive is always to shape something you haven‘t heard a 1000x times before.
What’s your preparation process like for your Summer Peak festival performance?
Honestly, it‘s really step by step. I have my main set that I try to improve with every show. I like to tweak a few things depending on which country I play. European music has so many facets, and I love to play songs that are big in a certain language, to appreciate the venues I‘m booked for. My main goal is to have one new Edit for each set I play, which keeps my tracklist fresh. I also love to dig into Soundcloud before a show and see if there‘s something I can sneak in for the show later.
Can you walk us through how a track like ‘K.O.’ or ‘Running Around’ came together from concept to release?
Both records you mentioned weren‘t traditionally released. We posted them on TikTok before releasing, and they both did really well on the platform. With ‘K.O.’, we had like 2 weeks to prepare for the release, with ‘Running Around’, it was not a single day; we pushed it out to DSPs on the same day as we had the final master. In the end, it was a really hectic but enjoyable process. The people on social media decided they wanted the record, so we did everything to give it to them as quickly as possible.
Stream ‘Running Around’ below:
Which DAWs, plugins, or production tools are essential to your sound right now?
My go to DAW is, and always has been Ableton Live. The connection I have with this software almost feels emotional. I love (almost) everything about it, like a healthy relationship, we spend a lot of time together. My go to synths are Serum and I use a lot of Ableton synth racks. I love to keep my process as simple as possible. When I have an idea, I just want to get results as fast as possible.
How has your new management deal with UTA & JINX Music influenced your recent projects?
UTA has been one of our most recent new partnerships, and they handle everything for booking and live in the US, which we have some really exciting things coming up that I can talk about very soon. Jinx Music has been with the Ely Oaks project basically from the start, and it feels like we shaped it together. Compared to a major label, we are quite a small team which I love, it feels like a very healthy family.
You’ve cited Skrillex as a turning point in your musical journey. What other artists or genres have deeply shaped your sound?
I came from Metal to Electronic music around 15 years ago. Skrillex had a remix on one of the first Bring Me The Horizon LPs. I was so fascinated by that sound, which got me into early UKF Dubstep and DnB sound. I always loved Bass Music and I think it‘s the main source that shaped my style of music.
Growing up in Austria and now based in Berlin – how have these different cultures influenced your music?
Austria is obviously the place where it all started. I have so many places that inspire me. Mostly, the nature there gives me an insane amount of creative juice. I love my home country a lot. The main reason why I moved to Berlin is that it‘s a hot spot for electronic music in Europe. A huge part of the industry sits there, and it feels like you‘re at the core of everything new that comes up. The city gave me an important piece of drive and energy that got me to live the life I always wanted to have. It‘s my new, second home.
You’re one of the biggest DJs on TikTok in Germany – how has social media changed your relationship with fans?
Social media honestly is one of the main reasons I have fans, haha! This is how they first heard of me, and then obviously, I get to connect even more when I meet them at shows. Social Media has changed everything for me. All of my successful records came from there.
How did it feel to be included in Spotify’s 2025 Songs of Summer predictions?
Absolutely unreal. It‘s those things you always dream of being part of. And Spotify has been supporting my music a lot recently, which I am very grateful for.
Can you give us a hint at what you have coming up within the next 3 months?
I get that question many times, and it‘s honestly one of the trickiest to answer, because if we go back to the third question, you might now already know how fast we release things and how often we change our schedule. I have some rough release dates for the next 4 weeks, but it might be switched tomorrow haha! What I know for sure is, though, that I’ve got to be in a lot of countries and meet a lot of new people in the next few months. There are so many shows coming up and I‘m excited about every single one.
Stream Ely Oaks exclusive YourEDM mix below:
Tracklist:
Heads Will Roll (2HOT2PLAY x Paul Meier Remix)
Eminem – Shake That (Ely Oaks Remix)
Road Jack (Ely Oaks Remix)
Music Is The Answer (Ely Oaks Remix)
In Parallel – Now It’s Gone (Ely Oaks Remix)
Drake – Rich Baby Daddy (Ely Oaks Remix)
Pegassi – Flashback
Florence + The Machine – Say My Name (Ely Oaks Remix)
We Are Your Friends (Ely Oaks Edit)
ANDATA x 2HOT2PLAY vs Breach – Never Gonna Stop vs Jack
Thank You (Not So Bad) (Odymel Remix)
HUMAN ERROR – QUE PASA
Black Eyed Peas – Shut Up (Ely Oaks Remix)
DJ TALLBOY, Paul Meier, Paracek – Where Have You Been
Elle King, Ely Oaks – Ex’s And Oh’s
Part Time Killer, Cara Elizabeth – Phonk Me
Pegassi vs Eminem – yoyoyo vs. Without Me
Me Gustas Stu (Ely Oaks Remix)
HIGH SENSE – Mannschaft 4000
Glenwest – Beat Em Down
Ely Oaks, LAVINIA – Borderline
Ferrand – Sexy And I Know It
Odymel – Gucci vs Perfect (Exceeder)
Delerium, Tiesto, Sarah McLachlan – Silence (Ely Oaks Remix)
Stephanie (Ely Oaks Remix)
Diffrent – A Little Closer (Bad Boombox Remix)
Charli XCX – Guess (KIRK Remix)
APRD – Crazy Kikker
Careless Whisper (Symmetrik Remix)
Ely Oaks – Running Around
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