Get to know Maher Daniel, the DJ and producer making alluring minimal techno

Like many before him, Maher Daniel has an older sibling to thank for his introduction to the world of dance music. The Canadian DJ grew up ping-ponging between Montreal and Dubai thanks to his dad’s work commitments, but it was when his brother settled in the Middle East while the rest of the family were still in Canada that Maher finally got the chance to properly delve into DJing.

“My brother was a DJ in Montreal and he taught me a few bits,” he says. “Then, when he went back to Dubai to work, I dug into his record collection. It was John Digweed and all of that proggy stuff. One day I recorded a mix, that got into the hands of the guy who ran the biggest club in town.”

That club was Stereo (which is renowned for having one of the best soundsystems in the whole of North America), and Maher soon became one of the main residents in the bar. Well-versed in the art of the warm up thanks to his brother’s mentoring, Maher earned his stripes playing in the bar and was eventually made the go-to resident in the main room, getting the chance to play before the likes of Sasha, Ricardo Villalobos and Richie Hawtin.