AFROJACK Talks Control, Kapuchon and His Evolution Beyond EDM As He Heads to Coachella
As he prepares for Coachella, the Dutch icon reflects on new music with David Guetta and Sia, his Black Book debut "Control," and why Kapuchon has reignited his love of DJing.
Still recovering from Ultra in Miami but already deep in preparation for his sets in the Southern California desert, Nick van de Wall is, as ever, looking to the future. “I’m not chilling so much,” he says with a laugh. “I’m preparing for Coachella.” It’s a statement that neatly captures the duality that has defined AFROJACK’s career for more than a decade: relentless forward momentum, balanced with a constant reinvention of what that momentum looks like.
This year, that reinvention will be playing out across a very diverse weekend. On April 11, he’ll step onto the Quasar Stage at Coachella for a back-to-back set with South African DJ and producer, Shimza, before heading into the desert night for another back-to-back, this time with Green Velvet. Two sets that will span generations and styles of dance music, but for AFROJACK, this kind of transition is instinctive rather than strategic.
The variety isn’t a contradiction, it’s the point. “As long as you are very familiar with what you’re getting into, it should be very simple,” he continues as we chat. “I’ve been listening to Green Velvet’s music for a very long time… I basically grew up with Green Velvet.”
“The way I always explain it is like, I love many forms of music, just like most people love many types of food,” he says. “Sometimes you want to go to a fancy restaurant… and sometimes you just want to go Shake Shack. It’s the same thing with music.”
That philosophy, fluid, unforced, rooted in genuine appreciation, has become central to how he approaches both DJing and production in 2026. Having spent over a decade performing at Coachella and even longer immersed in the sounds of artists like Green Velvet, the challenge isn’t about switching lanes, but about building something unique for each moment. “Instead of just preparing one set and doing that 10 times, you actually have to make one set for every occasion,” he explains. “But that’s what I love about music… it’s a fun challenge.”
The idea of evolution, of refusing to stand still, runs through everything AFROJACK is doing right now. Nowhere is that more apparent than in his long-running creative partnership with David Guetta, a relationship that continues to define major moments in electronic music. Fifteen years after first working together and more than a decade on from the global impact of Titanium, the pair are once again linking up with Sia on new single, Awake Tonight.
“We got a new record together,” he says casually, before reflecting on what it means to revisit that chemistry. “Being able to work with Sia’s vocals is always a privilege… she has such a characteristic voice. And with David, I work almost daily… he always has the best ideas, the best vision.” There’s a familiarity now, but no loss of appreciation. “Even though I got used to it, I still feel blessed I get to work with him.”
And yet, for all the scale and visibility of those collaborations, AFROJACK is quick to point out where his priorities still lie. “At the end of the day, I’m still a DJ,” he says. “I care more about having a Beatport Top 10 than a Spotify Top 10… because if you sell a lot of records on Beatport, that means a lot of DJs are playing your music. I have a lot of pride with that. So, I think not just for me, but also for David, like we really value the Beatport chart. And we’re all still buying our music there for when we play. It never changes.”
That mindset feeds directly into his latest release, "Control," a collaboration with Lucas & Steve landing on Chris Lake’s Black Book Records. It’s a move that signals not just a new chapter, but a deepening commitment to the underground space he’s been steadily carving out.
“For me to be able to show off my sound with him is a privilege,” he says of Chris Lake. “I’ve been playing his music for over 20 years. Being able to suddenly get in with someone like Chris is just great.”
The track itself is rooted in a sound that predates much of AFROJACK’s mainstream success, a detuned, organ-led aesthetic he first explored decades ago. “I was doing detuned organ stuff… 20 years ago,” he recalls. “And then Lucas & Steve came with a demo… and I was like, ‘damn, I haven’t done that in years.’”
It’s a full-circle moment, but one that also reflects how his creative identity is expanding rather than narrowing. Increasingly, that expansion is being driven by his Kapuchon alias, a project that began as an experimental outlet and has since become something far more integral.
“In the last few years, it was kind of a safety net to try out my more experimental stuff,” he says. “Ridiculous, weird, crazy stuff. Pure underground dance stuff.”
What started as separation has now become convergence. “It resonated so well it fell back into my AFROJACK alias,” he explains. “Now it’s like… we also do underground stuff with Afrojack.”
That blur between identities is, for him, ultimately liberating. “I really don’t care anymore,” he says. “I’m just happy I get to DJ.”
If AFROJACK is the global festival headliner, delivering the hits, the production, the spectacle, then Kapuchon is something altogether different. Longer sets, deeper selections and a focus on the craft of DJing itself. “With these sets I can play four or five hours,” he says. “It’s just nice to play for a crowd that just wants to dance… they don’t necessarily come for the hits. They just want to hear you as a DJ.”
It’s not just a creative outlet; it’s a necessity. “I need it for myself, for my sanity,” he admits. “I need to go to a place where people just want to hear music… as long as I just get to play cool music.”
That balance between scale and intimacy, between commercial success and underground credibility has become the foundation of his longevity. Ask him what the key is to sustain a career at this level, and his answer is as pragmatic as it is personal.
“There’s two things,” he says. “Keeping it fun for yourself… and then there’s financial longevity.”
On one hand, it’s about staying creatively fulfilled and pushing boundaries, exploring new sounds, avoiding stagnation. On the other, it’s about understanding the audience that built your career. “If 10,000 people buy a ticket to come see you play your songs and you don’t play any of your songs… next time there might only be 1,000 people.”
The solution isn’t choosing one path over the other, it’s doing both. Bigger AFROJACK shows, packed with recognisable moments, running alongside deeper, more experimental Kapuchon sets. Mainstage and underground, existing in parallel.
As Coachella approaches, that duality is set to play out in real time. Back-to-backs with Shimza and Green Velvet. New music with Guetta and Sia. A club-focused release on one of house music’s most respected labels with Control. It’s a schedule that spans the full spectrum of electronic music culture and one that AFROJACK seems more energised by than ever.
“I want to make sure there’s enough weird gigs,” he says, almost as a closing thought. “I don’t care about the fee; I just want to DJ.”
After more than a decade at the top, that instinct to keep searching, to keep playing, to keep finding new ways to connect with a dance floor, might be the most defining thing about him.
Read the full interview with AFROJACK at The Night Bazaar HERE.
