Sign-up for AVA Belfast 2027
Sign-up for AVA Belfast 2027
Sign-up for AVA Belfast 2027
Creators Forum Belfast 2026 – Meet The Participants
AVA Creators Forum Belfast 2026
This year, in partnership with PPL and AMPS Studio, AVA brought a cohort of DJs and producers together in Belfast for the Creators Forum.
Across a week of studio sessions, mentoring, workshops and feedback, the programme created space for artists to make, listen, exchange ideas and build meaningful connections. Producers brought works in progress, DJs brought their instincts and selections, and the room became a space for testing ideas, sharing approaches and developing work together.
The original plan was to select two DJs to open AVA Belfast. The strength, commitment and talent within the cohort made that impossible to limit, with four artists ultimately chosen to perform at the festival.
Belfast’s music community continues to thrive because artists share knowledge, support one another and create opportunities for what comes next. Programmes like Creators Forum are a reminder of the value of investing in that process, giving emerging artists the time, space and support to grow their practice.
Huge thanks to PPL and AMPS Studio for helping make this year’s Belfast edition happen, and for backing the cohort with the space, tools and support to develop their work.
Here are our nine talented emerging electronic musicians and producers selected from hundreds of applicants. Each brings their unique sound, vision, and passion to the programme – and we’re excited to support them on the next step of their creative journeys.
YARIS is a rising force in Belfast’s electronic music scene: a DJ who brings fun, boundary-pushing experiences into the spaces she steps.
With YARIS starting DJing in the summer of 2024 she has already made her mark at some of Belfast’s most important venues and festivals such as Emerge, The Telegraph Building, Thompsons, Lavery’s, Titanic Distillers, The Barge, Marcus Ward, Banana Block and Ulster Sports Club + more.
Beyond DJing, YARIS is the founder of @musicisnonverbal, a project designed to help neurodivergent and socially anxious individuals connect, express, and heal through the universal language of music.
Clerk is the DJ alias of Belfast based artist Niall Clerkin, an emerging name in the city’s fast moving electronic music scene.
Built around high energy selections and a no nonsense club sound, Clerk moves between hard house, house, techno and bounce, blending driving rhythms with euphoric, hands in the air energy. After being selected for AVA’s Creators Forum, Clerk went on to play AVA Festival mainstage, marking a major step in his rise through the local scene. Since then, he has continued to build momentum across Belfast’s underground circuit, playing for promoters and collectives including Clipped, Powerhouse and Network 404.
Rooted in the energy of Belfast dancefloors, Clerk’s sets are made for peak-time movement: fast, fun and direct, with a sound that connects hard edged club music with proper party atmosphere.
Through fractured electronics and genre-fluid production, Emo Debt builds sound worlds that balance chaos with emotion. Originating from Donegal, Ireland, his work exists somewhere between the club, the soundtrack, and the subconscious.
AIMEE is a multi-genre DJ from Belfast, bringing high-energy sets across hard dance, techno, tech trance and everything in between.
Working with a range of promoters and playing venues across the city and beyond, AIMEE delivers versatile sounds for every crowd.
A DJ and producer hailing from North Dublin, crafting a sound rooted in garage, house and groove-driven dance music.
Clar.key, a genre-fluid DJ based in Belfast. I love playing all sorts of dance music, from house to trance/dance music. My sound as of late has been reflected by the sounds of artists such as; The Trip, Luke Alessi, Demi Requisimo, Sam Alfred and DJ Heartstring.
Leabella is an emerging Irish DJ and producer whose sound blends hard techno and schranz.
She has supported some huge names on the scene and is quickly making a name for herself with high-energy, hard-hitting sets.
Oisín Mac Cann is a 22 year old singer, songwriter, producer, composer and DJ from Dublin, Ireland. Primarily operating under his solo alias Omniscient, he also is a member of Dublin bands Light Gallery and Bodyschema. There are no genres off limits to Oisín, and this is clear in his work. EDM, Shoegaze and Synth-pop are commonplace, but never certain. With several upcoming projects and releases, including bodies of work for all three artists named and a short film score – Oisín’s year is far from over.
Brought up in the belly of Belfasts club scene Matheson is the creative guise of electronic music producer and DJ, Lewis Mathieson.
