John Summit

John Summit’s story is basically the dream scenario every bedroom producer fantasizes about. Born John Walter Schuster, he was working an accounting job at Ernst & Young before deciding to bet on himself, dipping into his own savings to go all in on music. That gamble paid off in a massive way. He’s a Chicago guy through and through, and his sound is rooted in tech house with a Windy City backbone, though he pulls in flavors of melodic house, drum and bass, and progressive house too.

The breakthrough came in 2020 with “Deep End” on Defected Records, which turned into the longest-running Beatport #1 of the year. That single basically flipped a switch. By 2021 he’d picked up Dancing Astronaut’s Breakout Artist award and became Beatport’s top-selling artist across every genre on the platform, not just dance. From there it was a straight climb: festival mainstage slots, radio-friendly remixes, and a sound that somehow works just as well in a packed arena as it does in a sweaty club.

In 2022 he started his own label, originally called Off the Grid, then rebranded it to Experts Only in 2023 as a nod to his love of skiing and the mountains. The imprint has since become a serious player in its own right, earning SiriusXM’s 2025 Powertools Label of the Year honor. He’s also turned Experts Only into a full-blown festival, with the inaugural NYC edition landing in 2025 and expanding lineups for 2026.

On the collab side, John’s linked up with Sofi Tukker for “Sun Came Up,” worked repeatedly with vocalist Hayla on tracks like “Where You Are” and “Shiver,” and joined forces with Sub Focus on “Go Back.” His discography includes two albums now: 2024’s “Comfort in Chaos,” which debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and 2026’s “Ctrl Escape,” a more personal project that digs into his own journey out of the corporate grind, featuring guests like Feid and The Chainsmokers.

Recent years have only ramped things up further, from headlining Tomorrowland 2025 to locking down a nine-week Ibiza residency for summer 2026, plus awards recognition from the AMAs and iHeartRadio. From spreadsheets to selling out arenas, John Summit’s rise has been one of dance music’s most fun stories to watch unfold.