Nicky Romero

"Toulouse" turned Nicky Romero's progressive house into a festival standard: sharp synth riffs, a Pryda-style snare, and a hook that stayed in the Beatport Top Ten for weeks in 2012. Since then, he has directed Protocol Recordings and Protocol Radio.

Toulouse, Ibiza and the leap to DJ Mag

Raised in Amerongen, in the province of Utrecht, he spent a year in Kingston (Canada) and finished his studies in France before signing "Privilege" and "Qwerty" to Once Records. The remix of "Get on the Floor" and a bootleg of "When Love Takes Over" opened the doors to Ministry of Sound for him. In 2010, "My Friend"—on Spinnin' Records, based on Groove Armada—reached number 4 on Beatport, with the backing of Tiësto, Axwell, and Fedde le Grand.

2012 was the breakthrough: MTV named him an EDM artist to watch, he shared an Ibiza residency with Guetta, and "Toulouse" became his first viral anthem. On May 8th, he founded Protocol Recordings; the first release was "WTF!?", with ZROQ. In October, DJ Mag gave him the Highest New Entry award by entering the Top 100 at number 17.

Avicii, the British number one and pop co-productions

"I Could Be the One", with Avicii, debuted on February 17, 2013, at number one on the UK Singles Chart—the first for both in the United Kingdom—and topped the UK Dance Chart. It was followed by "Symphonica" and "Legacy" (with Krewella), a number one on Beatport, and "S.O.T.U." with Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano on Size Records. "Like Home", with NERVO, was the label's most visible international single. That year he reached number 7 in DJ Mag, held a residency at The Light (Las Vegas), and played at Ultra, Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, Sensation White, and Tomorrowland; at TomorrowWorld he performed with Google Glass.

He co-produced "Right Now" for Rihanna's Unapologetic, "It Should Be Easy" for Britney Spears' Britney Jean, and, on Guetta's Listen, "Bang My Head" (with Sia). In 2014, he released "Feet On The Ground" with Anouk. In 2015, anxiety forced him to cut back on touring and studio time; that year he appeared as himself in We Are Your Friends.

Protocol Radio, a Weekly podcast since 2013, remains the showcase for the label, which has released tracks by Blasterjaxx, Don Diablo, R3hab, Vicetone, and Stadiumx. He signed the sidechain plugin Kickstart with Cableguys and, in 2025, FASTER MASTER with Guetta and Mastering The Mix.

Nightvision, Monocule and the circuit that doesn't stop

In 2020, he debuted Monocule, an alias for a darker progressive sound, with the EP Monocule Volume 1. In December 2023, he sold out AFAS Live (Amsterdam) with Nightvision, a solo show with live instruments; a year later he released the two-hour liveset. In 2025, DJ Mag placed him at 29—more than a decade in the Top 100—and he released "Fade Away" (with Barmuda) and "Rave Music" (with Gabry Ponte). Management is by Artist Division; bookings are handled by United Talent Agency (America, Asia, and Australia) and David Lewis Productions (Europe, UAE, and Africa). In 2026, he plays Ultra Miami, Tomorrowland, and the Ziggo Dome, and releases "Follow You" with FORS.