Ariane V

Ariane V is a selector hitting her stride. Over recent years she’s bolstered a reputation for igniting dancefloors, and with it, her sound has become ever more assured. Equally comfortable playing eclectic Balearic sets and dialing it up at peak time with breaks and acid cuts, Ariane’s selections are rooted in a deep sense of groove. She’ll pull for emotive house cuts that give way to driving 808s, punctuating things with leftfield disco, glistening Italo, and big piano moments. It’s all laid down with a joyful appreciation of and profound connection to the music.

As host of the weekly Balamii Club Show on the beloved Peckham institution, Ariane is a lynchpin of South London’s dance music community. A resident on the station since 2019, she has become one of its most integral hosts, regularly spotlighting grassroots DJs and promoters from the local scene as well as welcoming guests such as Sean Johnston (ALFOS), Moxie, Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy, Mr. Ho, Kirollus, and more.

Formed over a decade-long infatuation with dance music, the South London-based DJ has carved a unique perspective on the sounds that have shaped her. First becoming a vinyl obsessive at university, she would often find herself deep in YouTube rabbit holes at the back of lectures. She quickly landed on a taste that has gone on to underpin her sound in the ten years since. Productions by the likes of Moodymann, Matthew Herbert, and Pépé Bradock were among the first records of her nascent collection - a sure sign of her superb ear for the timeless qualities of house music. Classic 90s rave, digger gems and Detroit techno staples like Carl Craig soon followed, finding their way into her early record bag. A three-year stint behind the counter at Phonica Records upon her arrival in London helped to broaden her taste, building an enviable collection in the process. Here she was exposed to jazz, soul, Balearic, and classic disco, as well as music from the wider reaches of the globe. The thread running through all of these sounds was beauty, melody, and emotion: all foundational to what you can expect to hear Ariane V expressing in the club or on the airwaves.

Her versatility as a selector has seen her notch appearances at festivals across Europe, whether it’s digging deep in the Love International sunshine, getting French crowds moving while warming up for Orpheu The Wizard at Septem Festival, or letting loose in the English countryside at We Out Here, Field Maneuvers, and Lost Village. 2024 also saw Ariane play her debut sets at Fabric, Ministry of Sound, and Wire Leeds after a busy 2023, when she warmed up for Kerri Chandler at his KOKO residency and Danilo Plessow (MCDE) at Nitsa Barcelona. All of this alongside regular shows at The Cause, Corsica Studios, frequent visits to play on the thriving scene in her native Prague, and guest shows on the Lot Radio, Hör Berlin, Rinse FM, and Worldwide FM.