Chernoble

Set list

Influences and inspiration

I’m influenced by DJs who know how to control a room. Not the biggest name or the most recognizable tracks—just artists who put the dancefloor first and can guide a crowd through a real journey. I’m especially drawn to DJs who don’t make it about themselves. That’s why Carl Cox has always been a north star for me—his energy is unmatched, he’s completely authentic, and it still feels like the focus is on the crowd and the moment you’re all sharing.

I didn’t grow up on electronic music. I grew up on my parents’ records—classic rock and a lot of 60s, 70s, and 80s music. And while I grew up around Memphis hip hop, I gravitated more toward 90s and 2000s East and West Coast—music with real swing and soul. I’ve also always loved alternative and pop-rock too—Third Eye Blind, Goo Goo Dolls, and Coldplay. Looking back, I’ve always been obsessed with music—I just didn’t have an active outlet for it yet. I was a listener first, soaking everything up.

Electronic music was a slower burn at first. I got introduced in college through SiriusXM Chill and that deep, melodic lane. From 2019 to 2021 I started listening more at home here and there, but I still wasn’t going to shows yet.

That changed in July 2021, when my friend Tom took me to see Eli & Fur at Mala Santa (RealMusic Events). That night was my first real entry point into the rave scene. When Concourse Project opened in Austin not long after, I was there constantly—discovering new artists almost every week, with a lot of Anjunadeep and melodic music early on. Concourse is a state-of-the-art room, and getting that as my early club experience shaped my taste fast. Hot Since 82 was my first Concourse show and he’s stayed a major influence ever since. Around the same time, Tom and I were at Native Hostel every Thursday for Elemental Sounds, which helped me understand the local scene and the way different DJs build a room.

I didn’t start DJing until summer 2022, when my friend Kenny showed me the basics on his beginner controller. We lived at a busy East Side apartment complex with a party pool that stayed packed on weekends, so it became the perfect place to learn—real people, real energy, and instant feedback. It taught me early how to keep a vibe moving and how to hold a crowd without overthinking it.

From there, I started getting booked more consistently and learning the craft in real rooms. A Christmas DJ party with Capital Cruises in December 2023 was one of my first bigger event-style gigs. Then in 2024 I landed a six-month residency at Industry (April–October 2024), which became my training ground—long sets, real crowds, and the weekly reps it takes to get better fast.

That’s also what pushed me into doing my own events. I saw a real market opportunity to leave my imprint and evangelize the sounds I love—deeper, moodier house and techno with that underground European edge. Hypnotyc isn’t about throwing random lineups; it’s about curating nights that make sense. I’m focused on cohesive bills, pacing, and flow, so the whole event feels like a journey from open to close.

That foundation turned into real momentum. I sold out Groove Cruise Vol. 1 in August 2024 (Capital Cruises on Lady Bird Lake), and that same month I headlined an ARC afterparty in Chicago, B2B with Kenbo at Fulton Market Kitchen. From there it kept building—more club bookings around Austin, out-of-state shows, and a run of curated events in 2025 like selling out Groove Cruise Vol. 2 in March 2025 and Vol. 3 in August 2025.

That path is also what shaped my sound. My first love within dance music is the deeper, darker side—melodic and progressive house and techno with hints of trance—but I’m not locked into one lane. I love the full spectrum: breaks, electronica, trance, house, techno. Four-on-the-floor will always be home base for me too. There’s something about that steady pulse that just feels natural when a room locks in.

I’m constantly around the music—this isn’t a casual hobby for me. I go to a lot of shows and festivals and I’m always chasing new rooms, new artists, and new sounds. Locally that means events like Seismic and nights around Austin, and beyond that it’s trips built around the scene: ARC in Chicago (2023 and 2024), Anjunadeep Explorations in Albania (2023 and 2024), ADE in Amsterdam, London, and Tulum (2024 and 2025)—plus Drumcode Mallorca coming up. Between being out in crowds and digging online every day, I’m always learning, always collecting, and always refining my taste.

My DJ approach is built around preparation and freedom. If I’m booked for a three-hour set, I’ll prep four to five times that amount of music. I build sub-playlists for different moods so I can pivot quickly without losing the thread. I don’t plan sets track-for-track—I come in with a direction and let the room tell me where to go. I’m always reading the room, but I’m still the one driving. The crowd gives you signals—my job is to interpret them and take the night where it needs to go. When your library is organized and you know your tracks, you can stay present, read the floor, and make it feel effortless.

That’s also where my motto comes from: I build portals, not playlists. I want every set to feel like you stepped into a world.

Influence-wise, it’s a mix of a few bigger names and a lot of underground DJs and producers I’m constantly digging for. Names like Carl Cox, Dosem, Joris Voorn, Hot Since 82, Cristoph, Yotto, Eli & Fur, HANA, My Friend, Franky Rizardo, Marco Carola, Mason Collective, Jamie Jones, and Luke & Max Dean have all shaped my ear for groove, pacing, and room control. But a huge part of my inspiration comes from lesser-known producers and underground records you won’t see on big flyers—the kind of tracks you only find if you’re always digging. Three sets that stayed with me from 2025 were Adam Ten & Mita Gami b2b at ADE, Marco Carola’s Music On at ADE, and Charlotte de Witte at Seismic—Charlotte’s acid-infused, rolling techno had me in a different world.

I also run Hypnotyc Productions, my music-first house and techno promotion project in Austin, rooted in a deep appreciation for underground European sounds. It’s an extension of how I DJ: build the room, set the tone, and put the music first. Long-term, I want Hypnotyc to grow into a collective—more artists, more collaboration—and eventually a label that releases the music we believe in.

At the end of the day, I’m here to entertain. I’m trying to create a real moment—pull people in, keep the energy moving, and make the room feel connected. If people can switch their brain off for a couple hours and leave feeling better than when they walked in, I did my job.

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