Netsky

Netsky is the Belgian answer to the question of whether drum and bass can fill an arena. Boris Daenen, the Antwerp producer behind the name, signed to London's Hospital Records in 2009, went to No. 1 on the Belgian albums chart in 2012, and in 2017 headlined the Sportpaleis in his home city with a live band. By most measures he is the best-known Belgian act in the genre, and one of the Belgian names that people searching for famous DJs from the country keep coming back to.

Boris Daenen and the Name

Wikipedia gives his real name as Boris Daenen and his birth date as 22 March 1989, which makes him 37 as of November 2026. Its infobox places his birth in Ganshoren in Brussels, while its categories and text point to Edegem and Antwerp, which it calls his hometown, so we describe him as an Antwerp artist. He began releasing music in 2008. The name comes from the Netsky computer worm, according to Wikipedia, and is pronounced "net-SKYE".

In an NME feature published on 1 September 2016, he said he left university in his second year, with his parents' blessing, after writing an album during class.

Hospital Records and the First Albums

He signed to Hospital Records in late 2009, according to Wikipedia, and was nominated for Best Upcoming Producer at the 2010 Drum & Bass Arena Awards. His self-titled debut album came out on Hospital in May 2010 (Wikipedia's discography gives 30 May, its text 31 May) and reached No. 24 in Flanders.

The second album, 2, followed on 25 June 2012 and reached No. 1 in Flanders, No. 13 in New Zealand and No. 29 in the UK. Wikipedia says Netsky Live!, a full band with himself on keyboards and synths, debuted in April 2012 at Brixton Academy. A live band was an unusual format for a drum and bass headliner.

Running Low and the Belgian Charts

His biggest Belgian single is "Running Low" with Beth Ditto. Ultratop shows it entering the Flanders singles chart on 28 June 2014 at No. 1, spending a week at the top and 17 weeks on the chart in total. "Rio" with Digital Farm Animals followed in 2015 and reached No. 4 in Belgium; Wikipedia says it was widely used in Olympic coverage, and NME reports it became the theme of the BBC's Olympics highlights round-up. Netsky became Belgium's musical ambassador for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Other Belgian chart entries listed by Wikipedia include "Come Alive" (No. 10 in 2012), "Work It Out" with Digital Farm Animals (No. 5 in 2016) and "Here with You", a 2017 collaboration with Lost Frequencies that reached No. 2.

Sony, Pop and the Drum and Bass Question

In 2014 he signed to Epic Records and Sony Music under Ultra, with an arrangement that kept ties to Hospital, according to Wikipedia. He told NME in 2016 that he went to Sony because he wanted to work across genres and with other musicians. The third album, 3, was released on 3 June 2016 and reached No. 1 in Flanders. It features Emeli Sandé, Jauz and Chromeo, and he acknowledged to NME that it drew criticism from drum and bass purists.

The move paid off at home. In 2015 he received the Flemish annual Culture Prize for music, the first time it went to a DJ and producer, per Wikipedia. He headlined the Sportpaleis arena in Antwerp in February 2017, closing the tour for 3. Wikipedia says he signed to Republic Records in 2018 (its infobox gives 2016 to 2020) and released the Abbot Kinney EP on 14 December 2018.

Second Nature and Helix

Second Nature, released on Hospital on 30 October 2020, marked a return to the label that launched him and reached No. 8 in Flanders. In 2021 his Glasshouse show premiered with two sold-out nights at Spark Arena in Auckland, according to Wikipedia, and in 2022 he signed to Helix Records and took Glasshouse to Printworks in London and Lotto Arena in Antwerp. Wikipedia also lists a 2022 collaboration with Rita Ora, "Barricades", and a 2023 track with Dillon Francis called "Nobody Likes the Records That I Play".

He has played festivals including Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Coachella, Glastonbury and Pukkelpop, per Wikipedia.

Where Netsky Fits in Belgian Dance Music

Netsky belongs to the same Belgian system as Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Lost Frequencies: producers who found large audiences at home as well as abroad. He is also the clearest example of drum and bass crossing into the mainstream from Belgium. If you want the wider history that sits behind the current scene, our guide to Belgian techno, DJs and the scene covers the lineage from new beat to the arena era, and the Roni Size profile is the place to start for the UK drum and bass heritage Netsky grew out of.

FAQ

What is Netsky's real name?

Boris Daenen. Wikipedia says the name Netsky comes from the Netsky computer worm.

How old is Netsky?

Wikipedia gives his birth date as 22 March 1989, so he is 37 as of November 2026.

Where is Netsky from?

He is a Belgian producer from the Antwerp area. Wikipedia's infobox lists Ganshoren in Brussels as his birthplace, but its text calls Antwerp his hometown.

Is Netsky Belgian?

Yes. He is a Belgian drum and bass producer, DJ and bandleader who won the Flemish Culture Prize for music in 2015, per Wikipedia.

How do you pronounce Netsky?

Wikipedia gives the pronunciation as "net-SKYE".

What is Netsky's biggest song?

In Belgium it is "Running Low" with Beth Ditto, which entered the Flanders chart at No. 1 on 28 June 2014, per Ultratop. "Rio" was his most widely heard international single.

What albums has Netsky released?

Netsky (2010), 2 (2012), 3 (2016) and Second Nature (30 October 2020), according to Wikipedia. The first two and the fourth were released on Hospital Records.

What label is Netsky on?

Wikipedia lists Helix Records from 2022. Earlier he was on Hospital Records, Sony and Republic Records.

Did Netsky headline the Sportpaleis?

Yes. Wikipedia says the tour for 3 ended with a show at the Sportpaleis Arena in Antwerp in February 2017.

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