Born Eliot Leigh, DJ Infuze’s futuristic electronica is highly accessible and danceable, fusing house, dubstep, drum and bass and trap, tinged with lyrical pop and hip-hop. The amalgam of styles makes sense when you realize that Infuze has been making all kinds of music since he was a child—first in a boy’s choir in Belgium, then as a teenager who made CD mixes for an underground scene in D.C., and later as a recording engineer for various pop acts. He talks about how living in Belgium led him to create dance music, his inspirations, and what he does when he’s not making music.

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Current residence: Lived in Brooklyn since college.

How did you start liking EDM?

I discovered dance music because my dad's job took our family to live in Belgium for a bunch of years when I was really young. Dance music has obviously been big in Europe for a long time, so it was there that I discovered the Prodigy, which blew my mind.  

Did you play instruments as a child?

I grew up playing classical instruments—piano, voice and violin. When I was living in Belgium, I was an opera singer in the national opera in Brussels. It was a real trip working as a professional singer at age 12 with whole casts full of highly professional, and sometimes famous adult opera singers. Then my voice changed and I basically never sang again! (Laughs.)

That’s a trip. Was there a moment when you realized you wanted to be a DJ and make music your whole life?

There was never really a real moment like that because I have done music almost exclusively pretty much my whole life. That said, when I was deciding where to go to college, I was choosing between schools where I would study computer science and a school where I would study audio engineering/music composition. I think you know the rest of the story.

What’s the story behind the name Infuze, then?

When I was around 16 or 17, I started DJing and I made my first mix CD to give out at raves in D.C. I needed a name to put on it because at that point, I still hadn't even come up with one. One day I thought that word had a cool ring to it, so I went with it. The rest is history. There have been a few moments where I have thought about changing the name, but I feel like the name is very representative of how many different styles I mash together in my music. I have been running with it for more than a decade now, so why not make it a decade more, right?

What are you listening to right now for inspiration and otherwise?

Oh man, that list is so long and ever-changing.  Apparat, Gold Panda, Hudson Mohawke, Baauer, Kendrick Lamar, Genesis, Isaiah Rashad, Janet Jackson, Joris Voorn, Kiasmos, Machinedrum, Nils Frahm, Rival Consoles. And this list would not be complete without Mr. Carmack, who inspired me to flip my sound on its head about a year ago.

What about collaborating? Who would you love to work with?

I would love to collaborate with Liam Howlett of the Prodigy, Baauer, Hudson Mohawke, Timbaland, and many other amazingly talented futuristic producers.  

How do you choose the songs you remix?

I love remixing any song that I know I can mold into my vibe. I am not super picky about what it is as long as I can catch a vibe on it quickly. Usually, though, I need vocals to really do my thing, so remixes of instrumental tracks often don't work for me.

What's your favorite city in the world to play in?

I have had so many awesome gigs in the last year, it's hard to pick one, but I have to say that when I played in Montreal about six months ago, I couldn't believe the reception and the energy of the crowd there.  Amazing vibes. Big up to the Big Tooth MTL crew for having me out.  

What do you do when you're not producing?

I am basically either in the studio or playing shows all the time these days, but I love checking out new restaurants in NYC. My favorite thing to do in the world aside from music is to travel. I tend to take pretty long trips overseas to kind of unplug and reset. I find it really helps with the creative process, plus it's always a blast to be in a new place with a new language and to just immerse yourself in a sea of new, new, new.

What fun things do you do in New York?

I love riding my bike around NYC.  I never get tired of this city.  I also try to enjoy working out because it's good for me. In my small amount of spare time, I try to keep it pretty low-key and do things to keep the inspiration flowing like eat good food, read books, watch movies, binge on TV shows on Netflix and HBO.  

In the summertime, though, there is a magical daytime party called Mr Sunday. You can find me there every single week as long as I'm in town.  Classic house vibes all day long from vinyl-only DJs, and an outdoor dance floor where the bouncers' only job is not to allow you to pull out your cell phone. How can you go wrong with that formula?

If you were trapped on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

Assuming that my girl isn't a "thing" and that she's with me, I think an iPod/speaker crammed with music, my Dave Smith Prophet 12 (because I can't live without that synth), and a lifetime supply of Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream (my one true vice).