Gayance

Montréal-born and now based in Lisbon, Gayance is a producer, DJ, and multidisciplinary artist whose work sits at the intersection of high-art sensibility and dancefloor instinct. Her path is unconventional: she began as a documentary filmmaker and archivist, capturing the raw emergence of Montréal’s beat scene (circa 2010-2015) before evolving into a globally recognized voice in electronic music. This background in documentation still informs her music today, providing a structural depth to her work that goes beyond the standard club aesthetic. Her 2023 debut, Mascarade (Bradley Zero's Rhythm Section International), served as a major catalyst. The album earned a Polaris Music Prize shortlist nomination and drew heavy support from tastemakers like Gilles Peterson, Jamz Supernova, and Laurent Garnier. As a self-described “dancer-first” DJ, Gayance commands the booth with a physical, intuitive energy. Her sets function as a fluid dialogue between eras and geographies, weaving together '00s Neptunes-inspired bounce and Dirty South textures with West London broken beat and soulful house. This hybrid approach has translated to some of the world’s most respected stages, from Panorama Bar and Fabric to DEKMANTEL and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Deeply informed by her Haitian heritage and years spent navigating Brazil, Belgium, and the Netherlands, Gayance’s work is an ongoing exploration of identity and the diaspora.