Florian Picasso

Florian Ruiz-Picasso (born 21 February 1990), is a French DJ and record producer based in Cannes. By adoption, he is a great-grandson of the well-known artist, Pablo Picasso. He gained recognition for collaborations with Martin Garrix, Nicky Romero and Steve Aoki. In 2016, he was ranked by DJ Mag at 38th on their annual list of Top 100 DJs.

Early and personal life
Picasso was born in Vietnam and was adopted by Marina Picasso, the granddaughter of the famous artist, Pablo Picasso. After his adoption, he moved to Cannes, France, and has described the city as his hometown.  He was also raised in Paris and Switzerland. He started making music at the age of 13, when he would perform at events in his boarding school Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil. He became more serious about his musical career at the age of 19.

He currently resides in Geneva, Switzerland and Cannes, France.

Career
Florian Picasso grew up between Paris, Cannes, and Switzerland. Florian's passion for music began at a young age, with a love for classic hip-hop. His musical influences expanded as he discovered electronic music through artists like Basement Jaxx and Groove Armada. Starting at the age of 13, Florian began DJing and honing his skills on a basic setup. He quickly developed his own style, showcasing a versatile range of genres from trance to trap and electro house.

Florian Picasso started his career as a DJ and music producer in 2013. He released his first singles on the Cr2 Records label and quickly gained recognition in the EDM world. He has collaborated with several renowned DJs and producers, including Steve Aoki, Nicky Romero and Martin Garrix.

Picasso has performed at major music festivals such as Ultra Music Festival and Tomorrowland. He has been performing in big clubs since he was 16 years old, has opened for acts like Swedish House Mafia and began headlining his own shows. On 27 April 2015, he released "Can't Stop" as a single with fellow producer Tom Tyger via Mixmash Records. On 16 November 2015, Picasso released "Want It Back (Origami)" as a single.

On 29 June 2016, he released a single titled "Final Call" through Armada Music under exclusive license from Protocol Recordings, a label run by Nicky Romero. The song peaked on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart at 39. An official music video was published by Protocol Recordings, it was directed by Fauns / Clubbing Vision. On 23 November 2016, it was announced that Picasso signed a deal with Spinnin' Records, with whom he released a single titled "Cracked Wall" on 2 December 2016.

Florian Picasso is known for his hybrid and versatile style that encompasses genres such as electro house, progressive house, and bass house. His productions display precision and rhythm, garnering attention from tastemakers worldwide. Throughout his career, he has received support from industry publications such as DJ Mag, Dancing Astronaut, EARMILK, Mixmag Asia, and Forbes and YouTube channels House Nation and xKito helping him reach 120 million streams on Spotify and Youtube alone. His achievements have earned him a spot on DJ Mag's list of top 100 DJs multiple times, reaching a rank of #38.

On the 20th of January 2023 Florian Picasso released his first record 'Ay Papi' via his own brand new label 'La Californie Musique'. After 'Ay Papi' Picasso released various songs under the label such as 'Unwind' and 'The Edge'.

Show at the Villa Californie in Cannes
On August 11, 2020, Florian Picasso organized a captivating music and light show at Villa La Californie. This was an exclusive, 90-minute DJ set live from Pablo Picasso's atelier in his villa in Cannes. The backdrop of the performance was recreated to showcase the atelier as it was when Pablo lived and worked in it. In addition, Vietnamese/French painter and graffiti artist Cyril Kongo will paint a custom piece live throughout the stream. After the show, Kongo's work was auctioned off to buyers. Proceeds were directed to Vietnam's Quang Chau Foundation Orphanage. The presentation involved the efforts of over 25 individuals who worked diligently for a period of four months. Florian expressed that turning the entire house into a moving piece of art felt like the right way to pay tribute to what this place represents and the history it has. "My team and I put a lot of work into this show and the response has been absolutely amazing so far.", said Florian.

NFT auction
Florian Picasso's intended to auction an NFT connected to a ceramic bowl claimed to be crafted by his great-grandfather, Pablo Picasso. Musician John Legend had written a new song together with Nas and Florian to accompany the Picasso NFT auction.

Florian and his mother, Marina Picasso, initially announced that the NFT and the bowl would be up for auction in March 2022. However, it later became apparent that the auction would also include NFTs associated with Florian's own work, rather than Pablo's. This confusion prompted the Picasso estate to intervene and prevent the auction from proceeding without their permission.

According to The Art Newspaper, the Picasso Administration stated that Florian and Marina's project would be considered "counterfeit" if the sale were to take place without obtaining proper authorization. Despite the setback, it has been clarified that the NFT sale has been postponed rather than cancelled. Florian Picasso's manager, Cyril Noterman, expressed the intention to provide further details to alleviate the confusion surrounding the situation.

Swift action was taken, and the NFT was removed from the auction platform. The licensing agent responsible for Basquiat's archive clarified that the estate owned the copyright to the artwork and had not granted any license or rights to the seller. Consequently, the NFT was withdrawn from sale.

Remixes
2013
 * Tegan & Sara - Closer (Florian Picasso Remix) [Warner]

2014
 * Benny Benassi & Gary Go - Let This Last Forever (Florian Picasso Remix) [Ultra]
 * Christina Perri - Burning Gold (Florian Picasso Remix) [Atlantic Records]
 * Steve Aoki & Flux Pavilion - Get Me Outta Here (Florian Picasso Remix) [Ultra]
 * NERVO & R3hab featuring Ayah Marar - Ready For The Weekend (Florian Picasso Remix) [Spinnin / Free]

2015
 * NERVO featuring Nile Rodgers, Kylie Minogue & Jake Shears - The Other Boys (Florian Picasso Remix) [Ultra]

2017
 * Oliver Heldens feat. Ida Corr - Good Life (Florian Picasso Remix) [Heldeep Records]