[From the community] Charly Dangelser from DJ Snake’s team

You may have met this smiley face backstage or in the middle of the crowd, camera in hand. For 10 years, Film & Art Director Charly Dangelser travelled the venues and festivals of the world to record every moment that matters for international DJs. In this sincere conversation, he reveals how everything started, what he thinks drives artists to success and obviously shares his latest finds.

Hey Charly! Tell us about your job

In my day to day life, I switch from one job to another depending of the project I’m on. But the top 3 hats I wear are Film Director, Video Editor & Artistic Director.

What’s your favorite part of it ?

My favorite part in those jobs is the creative aspect of it. I love using my imagination to tell stories, to bring ideas to life and sometimes also solve problems. Another thing I love is that I’m never bored as I don't restrict myself on the diversity of projects I take on - as long as I feel it’s going to be interesting, fun and fulfilling I go for it.

It's not an easy quest to make a living as a film director in such a small world that is music. How did that all start and what do you think made a difference?  

I used to make horror movies as a teenager using my little brothers as actors and we had so much fun. I never thought I would make a career out of it but here we are. There are 2 big encounters that sparked pretty much everything. On the film industry side it was my meeting with Lisa Azuelos that landed me my first job on a feature film. And it was Hugo Leclercq aka Madeon,  who I started touring with from the very start of his artist project, that opened many doors for me in music.

We've both seen the transition for artists from MySpace to Facebook, now to TikTok in such a short period of time. How do you imagine your job in 10 years ?

Storytellers and content creators will always be around. It is an important aspect of our society and what I find fascinating today is that they can be revolutionary, dangerous and disruptive on a scale never seen before.

You've worked with artists who had a real international break through. What in their personalities did you notice they have in common that contributed to this success?

They all had a clear vision of their projects & what they wanted to achieve. In their creative process, they all found a distinctive touch, an unmistakable colour of sound  that made them unique.I’ll add here : hardworking, imaginative, confident, independent & just the right amount of crazy to embark a journey like that.

What's your best tour memory, on stage and backstage ?

My best tour souvenirs… hard question, I have so many.  I’ll go for standing side by side with DJ SNAKE on stage in front of a sold out Bercy - right after he stopped the music in the middle of the show to tell the audience that I was back with the team after a long break. I wasn’t expected it and I never felt an adrenaline rush like that in my life. I was shaking and could barely stand on my legs haha.

"Off stage I’ll pick the memory of a dinner I had alone with DJ SNAKE when we were touring Australia together, just the 2 of us. He took the time to tell me his full life story. We stayed there for hours chatting about things we had never told each other. I particularly cherish this memory because the idea of the project I’m working on right now got planted in my mind that night almost 10 years ago."

What's your current favorite tracks ?

MENTHOL* - Jean Dawson & Mac DeMarco
Tiptoe (Reworked by Ansatz Der Maschine) - Sohnarr & Ansatz
Nucl3ar Pow3r - Panteros666

What artists would you put a bet on for this year?

 Jaëss who is a young Parisian techno/newtrance producer - I have seen him live many times and he literally blows my mind every time !