Disco Dom Brings The Funk

For Disco Dom, it all started with a rave in a French forest.

Prior to his life-altering night in the woods, Dom (born Quentin Dombres) had ditched his nearly 10-year drumming career to avoid the unstable career path that surely lay ahead. But that didn’t last very long — all it took was a few mixing boards in the middle of nowhere for Dom to devote his life to music once more. “I remember there were two lights on the [vinyl turntable], a green light and a red light,” the French performer tells NYLON. “I was like, ‘What is this? What is this?’ When I saw this guy playing, I realized that that would be my future for sure.” After that night, his DJ persona, Dombresky, was born.

Cut to 2025: Dombresky has brought his pulsating techno house sound to some of the biggest festival stages around the world, including Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Electric Daisy Carnival, but now he’s ready for something new. Enter Disco Dom, the disco-funk-leaning alter ego of Dombresky, and Dom’s newest musical endeavor. He’s still working out the character (during our chat, he answers each question in the first person, while Dom talks in the third person on Instagram), but trust, he’s got the music all figured out. After all, Universal wouldn’t trust just anyone to remix — or, as he likes to call it, refunk — “ABC” by the Jackson 5.

“ABC” is a true American classic in every sense of the word, so it’s understandable to be a little skeptical of the refunk. But Michael Jackson fans should fret not, because Dom’s reimagining, out July 17, is sure to please even the biggest MJ purists, as it blends the Motown classic into the 21st century while still keeping the integrity of the original song. “I cannot realize what is going on, but this is the best,” Dom says. “I do this refunk series [where] I [will] do a remix, but sometimes it’s very hard to clear the sample. For this one to just come on the table, it’s a gift. I believe when you do good things, good things come back to you, and this one is proof.”

Here, we caught up with the DJ ahead of the refunk’s release to chat about the career moments that led to this milestone, from his very first show to the wildest gig he’s ever played.

What was your first official DJ gig like?

It was at EDC Las Vegas 2021. I had five sets in a weekend, and the last one was on a beach. The day before the show, I was like, “I cannot do another house set. I need to do something else.” And since I had this background as a basic DJ, I already have this disco folder on my record box that was ready to go. The day before, I was like, “Yo, should I do a disco set?” It just came from nowhere. I didn’t really think about it.

I called a friend of mine; I told her to come to meet me. She was like, “Oh, I have a disco hat. You want me to bring the disco hat?” I was like, “That’s a good idea. Let’s do it.” Then I did this set, and it went crazy. People lost their minds.

How would you describe your sets?

It’s good-feeling music. I love to make people smile. I love to bring some good vibes during my set. It’s sexy. It’s glamour. It’s all about love and unifying people on the dance floor.

Do you cater your sets to the energy of the crowd, or do you stick to a setlist?

I don’t really prepare my sets anymore. I found out with time, the more you prepare, the less you vibe. That’s a fact. What I do is, I prepare one playlist with 50 to 80 tracks that I would like to play, and then I know the tracks when I see the vibe.

I read the faces always, that is the job of the DJ. You need to find a way to control the people but without pressuring them. They have to embrace your vibe. You need to be the guide, but you don’t have to feel more important than them. You’re like a brother that you embrace with your arms, and we try to create good memories together. That’s what I’m trying to do.

What’s the wildest gig you’ve ever played?

Coachella 2023: Disco Dom was supposed to close the Do LaB stage on a Sunday night, but I was supposed to play at the same time as Frank Ocean, who was closing Coachella. I was supposed to start at 11 p.m. At 10:30, I’m in my greenroom and my tour manager came back to my greenroom in a panic and he was like, “Brother, they asked you to start in 10 minutes because Frank Ocean didn’t show up.”

At this precise moment, there were, like, 50 people at Do LaB. It was empty. In five minutes, it went from 50 people to, I don’t know, 20,000. I couldn’t even see the end. They asked me to start 20 minutes early, and I played for the most insane 80 minutes of my life. The internet was saying “Disco Dom saved Coachella.” That was so funny. People still talk to me about this set today.

What’s been the most memorable part of your career so far?

Last year when I did the official first Disco Dom [“Inferno”] show at the Palladium in Los Angeles. Before I did this show in March 2025, I was like, “Yeah, Disco Dom is cool, but I feel like people don’t get it. I’m not sure I’m going to keep it going after the Palladium.” I reached this point.

I did this show at the Palladium with the dancers, the lights, with all the ideas that I had in my head. I started to post videos, and all this stuff went viral. That’s when Disco Dom started for the people. Before that, it was just small parties. I did it just for fun. But after the show, I was like, “Oh, that’s serious.” All the big DJs who never talked to me were talking to me, sending me DMs. “Oh, what is this style? What is this stuff?”

How do you fill your days when you’re not DJing?

Since I moved to Miami, I started to work out a little bit. I go to movies and make music, too. Making music takes a lot of time, and it’s never over. There’s no end to that.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.