Electronic dance music is back with a vengeance. No longer just a symbol of the early aughts, EDM is seeing a massive resurgence, with steady growth and an expected revenue of $17 billion globally by 2032, according to recent reports from Booking Agent Info and EDM.com. It dominates the Billboard charts and bookings for music festivals, like Coachella, Lollapalooza, Governors Ball and countless other major music festivals internationally.
In this high-octane world of EDM, few artists and DJs have managed to bridge the gap between the authenticity of underground club culture and global pop hits as surely as Juan Manuel Surian Garrido, known to the world as DJ Suri. With a career spanning over 18 years, Suri has evolved from a teenager spinning tracks in his hometown of Valencia Spain, into a leading figure of the international LGBTQ+ dance circuit and is a sought-after producer for music’s biggest stars, from P!nk to Paris Hilton.
While Suri’s journey began in his youth, he identifies the period between 2014 and 2016 as the true crystallization of his music career. The catalyst was his original track, “Looking For Love,” from 2016, which transcended regional boundaries to hit music charts as No. 1 in Spain and Brazil.
“The song started being played by well-known international DJs,” Surian Garrido explains. “That exposure marked a shift from local recognition to global visibility, and from there, I started receiving bookings for major international events and festivals, which helped establish me as a consistent presence on the global circuit.”
With a combined global social media following approaching 225,000, DJ Suri has consistently played at renowned music festivals in over 60 cities across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, including Sydney, Bangkok, Shanghai, São Paulo, and London. He has been featured at WorldPride in multiple editions. WorldPride, which is licensed by InterPride and started in 2000, is a global phenomenon promoting LGBTQ+ visibility, human rights, and culture through over 400 chapters of festivals in over 70 countries.
Surian Garrido’s journey in the music industry quickly gained recognition as he secured the “Best Song” and “Best International DJ and Producer” titles at the CircuitX Awards for his track “Papa’s World” in 2016, and has over 200,000 streams on Spotify and 180,000 on YouTube. The song served as the anthem for the global “Papa Party” brand founded by Eliad Cohen, an entrepreneur and DJ with over a million followers on Instagram. At the time, the Papa Party was still in its infancy, and Surian Garrido’s track helped provide the synergy necessary to boost the party into the global mainstream, and uplift the party brand’s identity.
“My song initially stood out for its strong identity, high production quality, and its connection with the dance floor,” he says. “It combined powerful tribal elements with a memorable vocal hook, creating an emotional yet high-energy experience, which is still memorable today and in wide circulation in several Dj sets. Its success was not only technical, but also cultural within the EDM circuit scene and the LGBTQ+ community.”
That same year, Surian Garrido was honored with the FOTUR Award in his hometown of Valencia, Spain—a recognition from the governmental sector of the Federation of Leisure, Tourism, Gaming and Recreational Industries. For Surian Garrido, it was a major career milestone. The award recognized his role in representing Valencia on the global stage, accelerated by his groundbreaking work as the first Spanish artist to officially remix Lady Gaga for her song Till It Happens To You in 2015. The media coverage surrounding that achievement solidified his status as a national cultural ambassador for music and culture. “Creating remixes for global artists like Lady Gaga marked a defining milestone and reinforced my international presence; it reflects both my artistic reach and my ability to perform at the highest level for large-scale audiences,” he said.
What sets DJ Suri apart in a saturated market is his philosophy on the DJ set. He rejects the idea of a set as a mere playlist, viewing it instead as a narrative journey. “I combine technical precision and emotional storytelling by treating each set as a structured journey,” he notes. “On the technical side, I focus on harmonic mixing, precise timing, clean transitions, and detailed energy control. However, what truly defines my work, and what people remember most, is the storytelling.”
His sets are meticulously crafted for progression, build-ups, and release moments. This ability to manipulate the emotional temperature of a room has allowed him to connect with massive, diverse audiences, bringing his unique blend of Spanish rhythm and Mediterranean percussion into a global electronic framework.
Suri’s path has led him to some of the largest stages in the world. His CV includes headlining sets for over 23,000 people at Sydney WorldPride, as well as massive performances at White Party Bangkok and WorldPride Madrid.
This global reach caught the attention of music’s elite. Surian Garrido has become a go-to remixer and producer for global titans such as Lady Gaga, P!nk, Paris Hilton, and Beyoncé. When asked how he gained entry into these inner circles, Suri cites the organic momentum of his career. “Working with major, A-List, Grammy Award-winning artists came as a result of my growing presence in the industry; as my tracks gained visibility, I began building relationships with labels and teams,” he said.
Over the past decade, Surian Garrido has not only been key to the transformation of the LGBTQ+ music scene, but he has had a front-row seat to the explosion of the LGBTQ+ event industry over the past decade. What were once grassroots events have matured into professional, large-scale international productions. “LGBTQ+ events have expanded in size, production value, and global reach, attracting thousands of attendees from around the world,” he observes.
This growth is mirrored in Surian Garrido’s own career trajectory, which has expanded beyond the DJ booth. He currently serves as the Artistic Director for the Gay Games Valencia 2026, where he is responsible for shaping the artistic vision and large-scale experiences for the culture programming of the leading LGBTQ+ sporting and cultural event.
As the electronic music industry continues to evolve, so too does DJ Suri’s sound. His schedule for summer 2026 is emblematic of his enduring demand, featuring headlining slots at Madrid’s “We Pride” Festival, alongside major appearances in Montreal, Vancouver, and Taipei.
“The goal is to maintain a balance between identity and universality, allowing the music to resonate across different markets and settings,” he said. “This subtle influence helps shape my sound while ensuring it remains accessible and effective on diverse dancefloors worldwide.”
Words Nadja Sayej
Published April 22, 2026
Photos Joan Crisol
