Layla Benitez may have been in DJ booths since she was barely old enough to walk, but her DJing and production reveal an artist who continues to evolve and grow with every gig and every experience. Her August 2021 Boiler Room set showcases an 80s synth-influenced sound she describes as ‘indie dance meets dark disco’, a flickering neon bridge between her New York roots and Miami home. Meanwhile, her long hours spent in the studio reveal a producer working within a melodic techno sound and a laid-back, heavy, soulful groove that, somehow, fits within the same sonic aesthetic. It’s not an accident. Layla has honed her understanding of both DJing and production weekly on the very front line, touring the world. 

In the last few years her career has been on a constant upward trajectory. Named 2022 Future Star by DJ Mag, Layla has played to huge crowds at events such as Coachella, EXIT, Afterlife, Circoloco, Loveland, OFF Sonar, EDC, Skyline, Brunch Electronic, Warehouse Project, Tomorrowland, CRSSD, Lightning In A Bottle, Mayan Warrior, Day Zero, Resistance, and in iconic venues such as DC10, Pacha, Hï, Koko, Nordstern, De Kromhouthal, Space, Red Rocks, Mute, Warung. Layla has released on leading labels such as Crosstown Rebels and All Day I Dream, and started her very own imprint, Sheep At Night. 

Her journey began when she started DJing in her early teens, but her first exposure to club culture came as a small child, accompanying her father, NY house pioneer John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez to his gigs. “I have memories of being in there from when I was five years old. I have no idea how it was all allowed!” 

The next pivotal moment came in 2019. Invited, after a chance meet in Ibiza, to play at the Suma Han club in Istanbul, she extended her trip to get to know the people and the scene and she secured a residency for eight months at Sommer Klein in Alacati - with just a week to return to New York and pack. 

It was the right decision. The residency and sets across Europe – at underground parties in Mykonos, London, Ibiza, Tel Aviv, Germany to name a few - built her a reputation as a DJ. It was the move to Miami, however, that would help Layla truly define her sound and continue to hone her skills as an artist and producer. There, she began her time as a Space resident, opening for the biggest DJs on the planet. It opened her eyes, and her ears… 

“It’s a little bit of a challenge but I’d do the homework. I’d sit there for hours and figure out what I can do to stay within the range without compromising my taste. I can open for any style of artist at this point and match their energy, within my own style”. 

The connection she’s formed with dancefloors at Space and across the world has clearly inform her productions. 

“There are so many different sounds and percussion that can define a genre and DJing helps you understand that. Also, what makes up a song: just from listening and playing I think you really learn what will make people excited in those moments when the crowd blows up at a drop. Keep producing, keep playing and just see what happens. I want to play all over the world and in front of as many people as possible.” 

It’s what she wants to do. Watch her do it.