With her innovative approach to electronic music production — using live coding to create her sparkling blend of hyperpop, electronic pop and trance — New York City-based DJ_Dave is breaking through on SoundCloud, and joins SoundCloud’s 2026 Ascending class.
SoundCloud’s Ascending is a monthly series that puts a spotlight on rising artists from around the globe who are breaking through. Previous Ascending artists include DIY alternative rock artist crayon, rapper and producer slayr, indie pop sensation Erin LeCount and UK underground rapper YT, to name a few.
After dropping her 2023 album, ‘Intercell,’ on the platform, DJ_Dave found an audience of like-minded producers and fans on SoundCloud. Over the last two years, she’s been uploading experimental gems to her profile and inviting fans into her creative process, including hosting livestreams. For these broadcasts, DJ_Dave invites viewers to watch her build new tracks through live coding, which she creates through direct text-based programming and real-time sound synthesis.
“For the next wave of artists coming up on SoundCloud, I would say it’s important to find the thing that makes you you, that makes you unique, and chase that.” — DJ_Dave
DJ_Dave’s Ascending moment is the latest in her story on SoundCloud, after featuring on the First on SoundCloud program in 2023. Since then, she’s evolved her style of “creative coding” and leaned into storytelling about ethical digital practices, including focusing on how artists can best use evolving technologies while maintaining creative independence and ingenuity.
“I remember the exact moment I decided to put my music on SoundCloud,” DJ_Dave says. “I didn't care about streams or where it ended up in the world. I just wanted to share my work with people and use it almost as a sketchpad.”
“Those early uploads felt like I was using a sketchbook to me,” she continues. “I was experimenting with live coding, and was able to put things out as they came to mind, versus trying really hard to have a polished result and then sharing it with people.”
In bypassing more established digital and analog production interfaces, like MIDI, DJ_Dave is pushing the boundaries of electronic pop production and performance. For the latter, she generates all sound on stage, projecting a live feed of her code and bringing her live vocals into play.
“I do think harder about what I’m showing if it's for an audience of people who aren’t familiar with live coding in the first place, which is honestly a fun challenge for me,” she says.
“In 2025, when I started showing my process online a little bit more, that’s when it started to click that people were connecting with what I was doing: because instead of seeing it in a live performance, people were able to see it in their homes and focus on the code,” she continues. “And when I would go perform live after my online traction, I felt a lot more connected to the people that I was performing for.”
It’s all coming together on her latest single “Fail-safe,” her headline North American and European tour — which will hit cities like Paris, Miami (with rising electronic auteur Ninajirachi), Chicago, Seattle and more — and her UK and European tour support dates for horsegirrL, all happening throughout summer 2026.
“Being part of Ascending at this point in my career helps me remember how far I’ve come and much I’ve learned since the very first track that I uploaded on SoundCloud,” DJ_Dave says. “For the next wave of artists coming up on SoundCloud — especially the ones who maybe feel like they don’t fit in anywhere — I would say it’s important to find the thing that makes you you, that makes you unique, and chase that.”
LISTEN TO “FAIL-SAFE” BY DJ_DAVE ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
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