Dance Music’s Best DJ Rebrands

Last week, we took a deep dive into DJ aliases—how artists use side names to explore different sounds, experiment creatively, or target specific audiences. This week, we’re building on that concept by looking at rebrands, which are similar but often carry bigger stakes. While an alias might coexist alongside a main project, a rebrand is about reinvention: changing a name, sound, or visual identity in a way that can redefine a career, open new opportunities, or reach entirely new audiences. In dance music, rebrands aren’t just cosmetic—they’re strategic moves that signal evolution, focus, and sometimes even a complete reset. From SIDEPIECE to Mau P, today we’re exploring the DJs who have executed some of the most successful transformations in recent years.

SIDEPIECE: Turning a side project into a headliner

When Dylan Ragland (Party Favor) and Ricky Mears (Nitti Gritti) launched SIDEPIECE in 2019, they weren’t just teaming up—they were creating an alias that would let them fully dive into house music. Both producers were known for heavy bass and trap, but SIDEPIECE was deliberately streamlined: groove-led, vocal-driven house for clubs and festivals. Their breakout hit “On My Mind” with Diplo exploded, setting the tone for a project that has since earned Grammy nominations and its own dedicated fanbase. What started as a side hustle quickly became a main stage identity.

Mau P: A career reborn overnight

Dutch producer Maurits Westveen was carving out a space in big-room EDM as Maurice West, but it wasn’t until he rebranded as Mau P in 2022 that things truly took off. His debut single, “Drugs From Amsterdam,” stormed Beatport’s charts and lit up dance floors worldwide, immediately setting the alias’ DNA as dark, punchy tech-house. With just one track, Mau P reframed his career, proving how one well-executed rebrand can change everything. Since then, he’s doubled down with records on respected house labels and tours that solidify Mau P as one of the scene’s hottest rising names.

Carnage → Gordo: From trap king to house tastemaker

Few rebrands have been as radical as Carnage’s transformation into Gordo. Once synonymous with festival trap and EDM bangers, Carnage retired the name in 2021 to pursue house and techno under a new identity. With Gordo, he’s appeared on underground lineups, collaborated with Latin artists, and openly tied his work to honoring house music’s Black and Latin roots. It’s a bold rebrand that has earned him both fresh credibility and new communities of fans.

Oliver Heldens → HI-LO: Dual identities done right

Oliver Heldens didn’t need a rebrand—he was already a global star of future house. But with HI-LO, he created a parallel outlet to explore deeper, harder techno and bass-driven grooves. The alias now stands on its own, with Beatport-topping tracks and support from legends like Adam Beyer. HI-LO works because it’s clearly defined and fully separated, allowing Heldens to serve two audiences without confusing either.

David Guetta → Jack Back: Back to the underground

At the peak of his pop-dance fame, David Guetta launched Jack Back as a way to reconnect with his underground house roots. The alias has delivered stripped-down, DJ-focused tracks designed for Ibiza dancefloors, giving Guetta the creative freedom to explore beyond radio hits. For many fans, Jack Back revealed a side of Guetta they’d never seen before—one that resonated with the underground community while still benefiting from his global reach.

Dotcom → Marshmello: A full-scale identity reset

Perhaps the most famous rebrand in modern dance music, Christopher Comstock’s shift from Dotcom to Marshmello is a masterclass in reinvention. While Dotcom was a smaller bass-heavy alias, Marshmello became a cultural phenomenon, combining catchy, crossover EDM with a masked persona that appealed to a global audience. The rebrand turned Comstock into one of the most recognizable DJs in the world, proving the power of branding as much as sound.

Eric Prydz → Pryda & Cirez D: Multiplying identities

Eric Prydz has long been known for his mastery of aliases. As Pryda, he delivers euphoric, progressive house with soaring melodies. As Cirez D, he explores darker, minimal techno. Each alias comes with its own artwork, release strategy, and performance aesthetic, allowing Prydz to command multiple spaces in the scene at once. This model has influenced countless artists since.

Porter Robinson → Virtual Self: Conceptual reimagining

In 2017, Porter Robinson unveiled Virtual Self, a conceptual alias inspired by early-2000s trance, hard dance, and cyber aesthetics. While his main work leaned emotional and melodic, Virtual Self was futuristic and experimental, complete with a new visual identity and lore. It wasn’t a career reset but an artistic rebrand that showcased his range and deepened his reputation as a boundary-pusher.

Other notable examples

• Armand Van Helden → Duck Sauce (with A-Trak): A playful disco-house alias that gave us the viral hit “Barbra Streisand.”
• Sonny Moore → Skrillex: From emo frontman in From First to Last to redefining electronic music as Skrillex—a rebrand that became one of the most iconic in music history.
• Claude VonStroke → Barclay Crenshaw: A left-field rebrand that let him explore hip-hop and bass outside the quirky house sound of Dirtybird.

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The Rebrand Playbook

What ties these stories together? The most successful rebrands share key traits:

1. Clarity of sound – each alias has a defined lane.
2. Separate ecosystems – visuals, socials, and release strategies stay distinct.
3. Debuts with intent – from Mau P’s “Drugs From Amsterdam” to SIDEPIECE’s “On My Mind,” the first impression is everything.
4. Authenticity – the alias isn’t just a gimmick, it’s a real creative outlet.

Bottom Line

Whether it’s SIDEPIECE’s playful house grooves, Mau P’s overnight takeover, or legends like Prydz and Guetta carving out multiple lives, rebrands are one of the most powerful tools in dance music. They allow artists to reinvent, refocus, and reintroduce themselves to the world—proving that sometimes, the smartest move isn’t to start over, but to start fresh.