Creamfields News
Ben Nicky on Emotional Havoc, Misfits, and the Magic of Connecting with Fans
In an exclusive conversation with EDMHouseNetwork, Ben Nicky reflects on his genre-defying set at Transmission Bangkok, his evolution as an artist, and the emotional core of his music. Known for seamlessly blending trance, psytrance, and hard dance, Ben Nicky shares insights into his unique approach, the inspiration behind his Emotional Havoc set, and his unwavering commitment to creating unforgettable moments for fans worldwide. Whether it’s a packed festival arena or a local club, Ben Nicky’s rollercoaster sets continue to redefine the live music experience.
It’s so good to have you here on behalf of Bangkok fans and EDM House Network and love how you brought your Emotional Havoc set to Transmission. How do you feel about that?
It was great. I’ve been to Bangkok DJing many times and I’ve played for Transmission many times but it’s like tonight wasn’t full trance but also not hard. I wanted to play to the crowd here because you’ve got a lot of trance and edm fans so I didn’t want to go too underground. It was kind of like a normal Ben Nicky set where there are lots of genres in one but still on the edge of trance and keeping to my Emotional Havoc set. But it wasn’t 100 percent Emotional Havoc because if you watch ASOT or my UK sets they’re a lot more trance. I play to the crowd and they went mad. I play for the crowd, that’s my job so I want to make people happy. I kinda go with how the reactions are and it worked.
Speaking of Emotional Havoc, what inspired you to create this set which is vastly different from your Misfits set?
My original brand back in 2015 was called Headfuck and it was about taking emotional music and giving it a crazy hard drop and mixing genres like uplifting trance with dirty techno drops. If I’m honest, Misfits is the same. Emotional Havoc is just a nicer word than Headfuck, and a more brandable and PG word. Nothing has changed, it’s just the mixing up of a couple of genres.
Some of your sets resonate with fans not because of the commercial music but because it invokes emotions. How does that make you feel when you see fans resonating?
I’ve been doing this for a long time. People don’t say this a lot. We’ve been on aeroplanes our whole life so sometimes you’re jetlagged and you’re just doing it very often, playing similar tunes so when you see people react that’s what really makes you realize why it’s so important and why it’s so worth doing. Sometimes when you’re tired and you see someone sing along and connecting with someone in the crowd makes it so much more worth it. The crowds are always so reactive during my sets, so it makes it so much more worthwhile and I would never change that, I love it.
You blend elements of trance, psytrance, hard dance like you did tonight at Transmission Bangkok, so how do you approach fusing all these together?~
To be honest I have a certain formula in my sets and I don’t tell anyone how I do it. It’s not that I wrangle all the tunes together and it kind of comes out. I hyperfocus on my sets so I spend a lot of time on intro and outro moments and I never put it online, but I do make edits in a certain way that flow in a certain key and it resonates with emotions. I have this kind of intuitive way of making my music and I never ever give away how I do it because you might hear I’ll go from a very hard track then back to slow and it’s quite hard to do that because you have to give it a lot of reverb and sometimes you have to cut and make edits from one bmp to another. Normally djs do that, they start at a slow bpm and as the set goes on it gets harder and harder but for me it’s a bit of a rollercoaster. So my brand is very much a journey but something I’m very protective of because I’m the only DJ doing it like a rollercoaster.
Next, I would like to know what you think about Asia in terms of its crowd seeing as you’ve performed across the content multiple times?
The Asian market is very different. Some DJs are only big in certain markets but I feel I’m really privileged to be able to play big shows around the whole world and have a big fan base. But when it comes to Asia, you really have to understand the Asian market. For example, in Indonesia, it’s all table clubs so you don’t really have a dance floor so everyone sits and watches you DJ. My friends who are new to it don’t really understand it, they think they’re terrible because no one danced, but it’s normal. You have to understand that Asia is very different. Take Jakarta for example, which has an amazing scene right now. Kuala Lumpur too, which is probably one of the top cities in terms of fan engagement and how they’re on another level. Marquee Singapore is one of my favourite clubs in the world. Asia is good but you have to understand the market and the needs. I consider myself very lucky to be able to play here and get the reactions that I do.
Looking ahead, what’s next for Emotional Havoc, Misfits and your whole journey?
I don’t know right now, but we’re taking Misfits to another level so we’re now doing major arenas. Creamfields UK for example this year had one of the biggest arenas and I was able to host my Misfits brand there. We’re now hosting a lot of festival arenas via Misfits and I think we’ll start doing a lot more of those. Everything else will definitely be bigger.
Do you have any final messages for your fans and thoughts about Transmission tonight?
I’ve been doing this a long time and I really appreciate everyone. My music isn’t about having commercial hits in the charts but when it comes to DJing, I will never let people down. If you go to a festival and know a Ben Nicky set, you know it will never let you down and I guess that’s why I’m sitting here right now.
Thank you so much for your time today and your set.
Creamfields News
Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, Amelie Lens & Ewan McVicar Announced for Creamfields 2026
Rockstar Energy presents Creamfields continues to raise the bar for its 20th Daresbury anniversary in 2026, unveiling Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, Amelie Lens, and Ewan McVicar in its latest lineup reveal.
Rockstar Energy presents Creamfields continue to raise the bar for their landmark 2026 edition, celebrating 20 years at Daresbury, with two more huge announcements revealed today. Chart-topping duo Disclosure will bring their acclaimed live show to Creamfields for the first time, delivering a UK festival exclusive performance, headlining the Arc Stage on Friday 28th August. Excitement is building as the full Creamfields 2026 lineup is gradually unveiled, promising an unforgettable experience.
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Cream HQ have also just revealed that global dance icons Swedish House Mafia will take over the APEX Stage on Sunday 30th August, rounding off an incredible day of announcements.
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Adding to the excitement, Ewan McVicar will make his APEX Stage debut with one of his trademark high-energy sets, on Sunday 30th August. A firm fan favourite, Ewan’s Creamfields journey has been nothing short of meteoric.
Techno powerhouse Amelie Lens has also been confirmed for a UK festival exclusive, set to debut her brand-new AURA show inside the legendary Steel Yard on Saturday 29th August.
These latest announcements follow last month’s headline reveals – Calvin Harris, Sonny Fodera, Armin van Buuren and Underworld – and cements Creamfields 2026 as one of the most anticipated dance events of the year.
With more acts still to be announced, and over 80,000 fans expected to make their annual pilgrimage to the fields of Cheshire from Thursday 27th to Sunday 30th August 2026, Creamfields’ 20-years-at-Daresbury celebration is shaping up to be one of the most unforgettable editions in the festival’s storied history.
Rockstar Energy presents Creamfields 2026 celebrate 20 years at Daresbury with Calvin Harris as the first headliner on the Arc Stage.
Following a record-breaking edition last month, Rockstar Energy presents Creamfields is already looking ahead to a landmark year in 2026, when one of the world’s biggest electronic music festivals celebrates 20 unforgettable years at its iconic home in Daresbury.
To kick off the celebrations, Cream HQ has just announced its first headliner – GRAMMY Award Winning DJ & Producer Calvin Harris. A firm Creamfields favourite, Calvin makes his highly anticipated return to the festival, headlining the legendary Arc Stage on Saturday 29th August Bank Holiday weekend.
Since his 2009 debut, Calvin Harris has risen to become one of the biggest names in electronic music, most recently dominating the charts with his Track of the Summer hit ‘Blessings’ and over the years, he has delivered some of the most iconic and talked about performances in Creamfields history, making his return for this milestone edition even more fitting.
Taking over the August Bank Holiday weekend from Thursday 27th – Sunday 30th August 2026, Creamfields is set to once again welcome 80,000 fans from across the globe for four days of groundbreaking production, a world class line up and the electric atmosphere that has cemented its position as the highlight of the dance music calendar.
With unbeatable lineups, legendary moments, and 20 years of Creamfields magic at Daresbury, Rockstar Energy presents Creamfields 2026 is set to be a celebration like no other.
Tickets on sale now www.creamfields.com
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For their 19th edition this year, Creamfields expanded upon their improvements from last year with 2 new stages as well as the all-new Downtown area.
From the moment you entered the arena it was a jaw dropping experience with the new Halo stage towering over you. 360 degrees, and 45 meters wide, Halo made for a stunning replacement to what was originally the Runway stage. Not only was the scale of it impressive, but the visuals produced from it were excellent. Thanks to the clever way in which it was built, Halo created a great visual and auditory experience both in and outside of its structure. The open design paired with the 360 visuals allowed for the immersive feeling of an indoor stage as well as the sunlight and breeze of an outdoor stage.
Further across the arena towards the Arc stage was another new stage for this year, Forest. It offered yet another unique new design featuring colourful drapes over the top and some beautifully crafted sculptures. With delightfully sunny weather across the whole festival, Forest offered some much-welcomed shade. The artistry put into the making of the stage was truly special and was matched by the artistry on stage from the likes of Boris Brejcha, Franky Wah, and Luke Dean.
For those that wanted to step away from the arena for a slightly calmer time or just for something different, the new Downtown area had them covered. Made up of 5 different areas (The Ball Park, Sunrise Strip, The Boulevard, Electric Avenue and Pamper Street), you could easily spend hours there without getting bored. It featured a smorgasbord of activities including 5 a side football, yoga, a gym, mini golf, and much more. Along with this you could take the time to refresh yourself in luxury with the hot tubs, sauna, and chill out areas. 4 days at a festival can be a tiring affair so the Downtown area was a genius idea that’s sure to remain a popular feature in the future.
The new features and general improvements made for this year were yet another great success for Creamfields. After this year’s smooth implementation of Halo, Forest, and Downtown, Creamfields have set themselves up nicely for next year. The highly anticipated 20th anniversary.
To read more about Creamfields, click the link below:
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