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.

Maher now lives in Barcelona, after moving to the Catalan capital five years ago. Having spent seven years as a resident at Stereo, he thought the change would help him get more gigs.

“When you’re in North America, sometimes it’s hard to get booked because of the cost of flights,” he explains today. “There’s four times as many clubs in Europe. Once I made the move, I started to get booked loads more.”

As well as a stint helping run No 19 Music – the label helmed by Jonny White of Art Department – Maher has increased his focus on production since moving to Barcelona, returning to the minimal, stripped-back style he originally fell in love with after seeing DJs such as Ricardo play at Stereo.

“A little while back I felt like I was chasing what was going on in music a little bit,” he reveals. “Now I’ve gone back to a very raw aesthetic, and I’m trying to keep my sound more organic. Sometimes you can try too hard to put too much into a record, and lose the energy by trying to make it sound super-big.”