Since launching REBRN at the end of 2021, Israeli DJ and producer Idan Rahamim has been steadily shaping a sound built for the dancefloor – energetic, warm, and constantly evolving.

His rise came quickly. In 2023, REBRN reached No. 1 in Beatport’s Indie Dance artist rankings, while ‘Contigo,’ released through Warner Music Central Europe, went on to become his biggest record to date, surpassing 10 million streams on Spotify. His music has also earned support from some of electronic music’s most influential names, including Solomun, CamelPhat, Vintage Culture, Mau P, Max Styler, Chris Avantgarde, BLOND:ISH, John Summit, and many more.

That momentum has continued into a defining period for the project. Following releases with CamelPhat’s When Stars Align, an official remix of John Summit’s ‘SHADOWS,’ and with ‘Heart Moves’ set for an upcoming release on Diynamic, REBRN is entering a new chapter – one built through years of late nights in the studio, a growing international audience and a determination to create music that is unmistakably his own.

We caught up with REBRN to talk about where the project began, the records that changed things for him, balancing music with fatherhood, and why he feels ready to take the next step onto bigger stages around the world.

WWD: For those discovering REBRN for the first time, how did the project begin?

I started making music when I was around 17, and over the years I experimented with a lot of different genres and styles. I was constantly producing, but a lot of what I was making back then wasn’t necessarily original music – I was doing remixes and different versions of records that already existed.

As I started playing more shows and standing behind the decks in clubs, I realized I wanted to bring something more to the table. I didn’t want people to know me only as a DJ playing other people’s music or my own remixes of familiar tracks. I wanted to build an identity around music that was completely mine, from start to finish.

That realization was really the beginning of REBRN. The project gave me a fresh start and the opportunity to focus completely on my own sound and show people who I am through my original music.

WWD: How has the REBRN sound evolved since you first started the project?

When I started REBRN, my music was at a lower BPM and leaned more into indie dance, groove and even some disco influences.

I’ve always been drawn to music that really works on the dancefloor – music that moves people and can create those peak-time moments in a set. Over time, I naturally felt like I wanted to push the BPM and the energy higher.

That brought me closer to the world of tech house, while still keeping the melodic and indie dance elements that have always been part of my sound. Today, I think my music is a mix of all those influences. I try not to think too much about fitting into one specific genre. I just take everything I love and make whatever comes naturally from my head and heart when I’m in the studio.

WWD: You reached No. 1 in Beatport’s Indie Dance artist rankings relatively early in the REBRN project. What did that achievement mean to you?

Reaching No. 1 happened relatively quickly after I started the REBRN project, so it was a huge moment of pride for me. It showed me that I could express myself through my own music and that people were actually connecting with it – not only the listeners, but also DJs who were playing and supporting my records around the world.

For me, it just made me want to keep pushing – to make better music, release consistently and keep aiming higher. Hopefully, I can keep seeing REBRN at the top for many years to come.

WWD: Your music has been supported by some of the biggest names in electronic music. Was there a particular moment when you realized something bigger was starting to happen with REBRN?

I think ‘For Your Head’ was that moment for me.

When I was working on the track, I had a feeling it could really fit the Diynamic sound, so I sent it over. Solomun started playing it constantly in his sets on some of the biggest stages around the world, and as the release got closer, the support around the record just kept growing.

Artists like Vintage Culture, CamelPhat, Chris Avantgarde, Mau P, Max Styler, BLOND:ISH and many others started playing it, and I was receiving a level of feedback and support that I had never experienced with one of my records before.

That was when I really felt that something was happening. But it also created a new kind of pressure in a good way. Once you make a record that connects on that level, you want to prove to yourself that you can do it again. For me, that became motivation to work even harder and keep pushing the quality of everything I make.

WWD: You’ve developed a strong relationship with CamelPhat and their label, When Stars Align. How did that connection begin?

The first connection with CamelPhat came after they started playing music from my first EP on Maccabi House. They really connected with the sound, and from there we got in touch and I started sending them more unreleased music.

The relationship developed very naturally. I released a track on When Stars Align, then had the opportunity to do an official remix of CamelPhat and Josh Gigante’s “So Good,” and now I’ve just released a full EP with the label. It feels like every step has led naturally into the next one – and I can say there might still be a few more surprises with CamelPhat coming in the future.

Beyond the music, I genuinely have a lot of love and respect for them as people. What I really appreciate is how down-to-earth they are. They never make you feel like there’s a difference between where they are in their career and where you are in yours. If they believe in the music and the artist behind it, they show it. For me, that says a lot about who they are.

WWD: You recently released an official remix for John Summit. How did that opportunity come together, and how did you approach putting the REBRN sound on the record?

I’d been in touch with John’s manager, Will, for quite a while. He really connected with my music and encouraged me to keep sending records for Experts Only. I sent over a few tracks that they liked, but they weren’t quite the right fit for the label at the time. Eventually, the conversation about remixing something from John came up.

I was given the opportunity to choose from a few tracks from his album CTRL ESCAPE, and ‘SHADOWS’ immediately stood out to me. I really connected with the vocal and the energy of the original, but I also saw it as a chance to challenge myself and take it somewhere completely different.

The original sits around 138 BPM, while my version is around 130, and at first I was honestly a little worried about that. When you bring a record down that much, there’s always a risk of losing some of its energy. I wanted to make it deeper and darker and give it my own identity without losing what made the original so powerful.

I kept working on it until I felt I had cracked that balance. I sent the first version to Will, John listened to it with the team, and we went back and forth with feedback and a few changes. Eventually, we reached the version that everyone felt was right.

Seeing John play the remix himself after all that work was an amazing full-circle moment for me.

WWD: When you walk into the studio today, do you usually start by thinking about the dancefloor, or do you let the music take you wherever it wants to go?

Most of the time, I just go into the studio and start creating. I don’t like to decide too much in advance what I’m going to make. Whatever comes naturally from my head and my heart that day is usually where I go.

Sometimes I’ll hear a song and think it could work really well as an edit for my sets, or I’ll realize there’s a certain type of energy missing from my set that I want to create. But even then, it usually happens naturally as part of the process rather than being something I plan from the beginning.

A lot of ideas also come to me when I’m nowhere near the studio. I’ll suddenly have a melody, bassline or rhythm in my head, record myself humming it into my iPhone, and then come back to it when I’m in the studio and start building around it.

For me, the best ideas usually happen when I don’t force them too much.

WWD: When you’re behind the decks, what do you want people to feel from a REBRN set? And how do you read a dancefloor?

I want people to feel warmth, fun and energy. I want them to really move their bodies and feel the music, not just stand there listening to it. I love keeping the energy high, but I also think you need balance. Sometimes bringing in something more emotional or hypnotic at the right moment can refresh the dancefloor and make the energetic moments hit even harder.

I’ve played many different kinds of dancefloors and events over the years, and I think that experience has taught me a lot about reading a crowd. I like to arrive before my set, spend some time watching the room, listening to what’s being played and seeing how people react to different sounds. You can learn a lot about a crowd before you even step behind the decks.

I never come into a show with a completely closed plan like, “I’m going to play this track, then this track, then this one.” Of course I have music I’m excited to play, but I always leave space for the feeling of the room to guide me.

For me, that connection between the DJ and the dancefloor is what makes every set different.

WWD: With your When Stars Align EP, the official John Summit remix and ‘Heart Moves’ set for an upcoming release on Diynamic, how does this moment in your career feel?

It feels really special.

A lot of these records were made late at night, sitting alone in the studio until the early hours of the morning, knowing that a few hours later I still have to wake up and take my kids to kindergarten.

When people see the releases, the support from big artists and everything happening around the music, they see the exciting part. But only you, your wife and your family really know how much work, time and sacrifice happens behind the scenes – especially when you’re also a father of two young children.

So to see all these things starting to happen at the same time is emotional for me. It makes all those nights in the studio feel worth it. I’m enjoying the moment, but at the same time it makes me even hungrier for what comes next.

WWD: You’ve achieved a lot with REBRN in a relatively short time, but it still feels like the project is only getting started. What are you chasing next?

Ever since I was a kid and first got into music, I’ve dreamed about standing on big stages around the world – the kind of stages that really connect with the music I make.

I’ve been lucky enough to see some of the biggest DJs in the world play my records and watch thousands of people react to them. Now I want to experience that feeling from behind the decks myself – to look out at the crowd, play my own music and feel that connection directly.

On a personal level, it means even more to me now. I’m a father of two young children, and over the last few years I made a conscious decision to be very present during the first years of their lives. Being there for them, giving them security and building that foundation as a family was incredibly important to me.

Now I feel like I’m reaching a point where I can spread my wings a little more. I want to prove to myself that I can keep being the father and family man I want to be while also chasing the dream I’ve had since I was young.

The next chapter for me is about taking REBRN to bigger stages, traveling more, and playing my music to people all over the world. I feel ready for that chapter.

WWD: Excited to see it unfold! Thanks for the chat 🙂 

The ‘Rise’ EP is available here