By: Yomna Walid
This Thursday night, the rhythm travels from Morocco to Egypt as Kross Well takes over the decks on Nile FM&rsquo;s DJ of the Week at 10:00 PM.
Known for his vibrant mixes and creative flair, the Moroccan DJ, producer, and digital content creator is set to light up the airwaves with an exclusive set that bridges cultures through sound. Ahead of his performance, Nile FM caught up with Kross Well to learn more about his journey, his Moroccan roots, and how he&rsquo;s turned his passion for music into a global rhythm.
 Let&rsquo;s begin with your story; who is Kross Well, and how did your journey into music and DJing first take shape?
My real name is Abdelilah Lamssane, and I was born in a small village called Ouled Amara, near the city of Safi in Morocco. To be honest, I wasn&rsquo;t attached to music during my childhood. It all began in high school when I met a friend who was very into rap music. That&rsquo;s when I started exploring different sounds, and soon after, I found myself drawn to electronic dance music.
A funny story: in 2008, I was in a cybercaf&eacute; looking for software to cut music and make ringtones for my phone. That&rsquo;s when I discovered Virtual DJ, and I started experimenting and fell in love with DJing.
In 2014, I reached the Top 5 of the Philips M1X DJ Competition in the MENA region, and in 2015, I made it to the semi-finals of the Master DJ Competition by Hit Radio. These experiences really helped me enter Morocco&rsquo;s nightlife scene.
I&rsquo;ve worked as both a guest and resident DJ in many Moroccan cities; Marrakech, Casablanca, Fez, Tangier, and hosted a weekly radio show called Kross Well RadioShow for more than five years.
I started producing music in 2015 with my first track, Colors of Life. But I&rsquo;ve always felt more drawn to making mashups and edits than releasing original tracks.&nbsp;
Your real name is Abdelilah Lamssane, but you perform under the name &ldquo;Kross Well.&rdquo; What&rsquo;s the story behind that stage name?
It actually came from DJ equipment. In 2014, when I started my radio show, I wanted a unique DJ name. I took the word &ldquo;Cross&rdquo; from &ldquo;crossfader&rdquo; and added &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; meaning a DJ who transitions smoothly between tracks. To make it distinctive, I changed the &ldquo;C&rdquo; to a &ldquo;K.&rdquo;
You&rsquo;re not only a DJ but also a producer and digital content creator. How do you balance these creative roles, and how do they influence one another?
At the moment, I&rsquo;m more focused on digital content creation since I&rsquo;m also running another project, my grocery store. When it comes to DJing, I now focus on special performances, like this exclusive DJ set for Nile FM, or live shows at select venues.
DJing and producing have definitely helped me as a content creator. I learned photography and video editing through filming my sets and performances, which made it easier when I shifted toward social media. And as a producer, I often create original music for my videos to make them more distinctive.
I also had experience as a live radio host in 2018 at a web radio station in Safi, which taught me a lot about communication and presentation.
Coming from Morocco, how would you describe the country&rsquo;s music and DJ scene? Has it shaped your sound or artistic identity?
At first, I was more influenced by the international scene. But over time, I realised I needed to bring my own cultural touch to reflect Moroccan identity in the way I select and present music.
Morocco is incredibly rich in culture. Our audiences are open to many genres, which you can see from the wide variety of music festivals and events held across the country.
Tell us about your featured DJ set. How did you select the tracks for this mix?
Whenever I record a special DJ set, I start by choosing a genre. Then I look at the charts for that style to see what&rsquo;s trending. I take about half of my selection from current hits and fill the rest with my personal favourites plus some timeless classics, because I love how classics bring people together.&nbsp;
Your tracklist includes artists like Tiger Stripes, Dennis Ferrer, and TSHA. What draws you to that particular sound and style?
I enjoy a wide range of genres, from House and Deep House to Trance, Afro, Organic, Progressive, and Electro. But when it&rsquo;s time to party, House music is always my first choice.
Those artists are among my favourites. Honestly, I couldn&rsquo;t play a House set without Dennis Ferrer&rsquo;s classic Hey Hey , it&rsquo;s one of those timeless tracks that always connect with the crowd.&nbsp;
When it comes to mixing, do you plan your sets in advance or prefer to read the crowd and improvise?
It&rsquo;s a combination of both. I prepare a list of favourite and trending tracks, but I always stay ready to adjust based on the audience&rsquo;s mood. Sometimes, just the way you mix two songs can completely change the crowd&rsquo;s energy.
Which DJs or producers have had the biggest impact on your career and creative direction?
Bob Sinclar and David Guetta inspired me as DJs, while Pete Tong and Tiesto influenced me through their radio shows.
Here in Morocco, DJ BYAZED from Hit Radio was a big inspiration when I started out in 2008 &mdash; he influenced many young Moroccan DJs of that era.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one unforgettable moment from your time performing live?
That would be in 2016, when I was a resident DJ in a lounge bar in Casablanca. An elderly man approached the booth and told me, &ldquo;Son, you should be proud. Few people get to do a job that makes others happy and helps them enjoy life.&rdquo;
I&rsquo;ll never forget that moment, especially because it came from someone of a completely different generation.
If you could collaborate with any international DJ or artist, who would it be, and why?
Definitely Bob Sinclar.&nbsp;
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How do you keep your sets fresh and distinctive in such a competitive global DJ scene?
I play what I truly enjoy, not just what&rsquo;s trending. When you love the music you&rsquo;re playing, the crowd feels that energy too, and it creates a genuine connection.
You&rsquo;ve mentioned listening to Nile FM online and via Nilesat. What do you enjoy most about the station?
I really like Nile FM&rsquo;s music selection, the playlist suits my taste perfectly. It&rsquo;s a mix of hot, current tracks and unforgettable classics.&nbsp;
How does it feel to have your mix broadcast on Nile FM, reaching millions of listeners across Egypt?
It feels incredible. Having my set air on an Egyptian station is very special to me. In Morocco, we have a deep connection with Egyptian culture I grew up watching Egyptian films and dramas. So in a way, I already feel connected to Egypt.&nbsp;
What message would you like to share with Egyptian fans who will hear your mix for the first time?
Get ready! It&rsquo;s going to be a special House music journey, and I hope you&rsquo;ll enjoy my selection and energy.
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If you were to perform live in Egypt one day, what kind of energy or atmosphere would you want to bring to the crowd?
If I perform live in Egypt for the first time, my goal will be simple: to make people dance. I want to share my music culture through exclusive edits and good vibes, so everyone leaves happy and full of great memories.
Looking ahead, what are your goals as a DJ and producer? Are there any upcoming projects or releases fans should watch out for?
For now, I&rsquo;m focused on growing my audience as a digital content creator. But I&rsquo;ll soon return to DJing not just as a performer but also as a show producer. I have a special idea I&rsquo;m working on.
I&rsquo;m also launching a podcast soon, aimed at young people, a space where they can share their work, their ambitions, and how they want to shape their future.
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How do you see electronic music evolving across the MENA region in the coming years?
The MENA region has seen huge growth in recent years, and I believe it&rsquo;s becoming one of the most promising global hubs for electronic dance music. People here are eager for more big, high-quality events, and the scene is only getting stronger.
Finally, what advice would you give to young DJs and producers who aspire to be featured on Nile FM one day?
Nothing is impossible. If I can do it, you can too. Just work hard on what you love, that dedication always pays off. One day, you&rsquo;ll be here on Nile FM too.
Think you&rsquo;ve got what it takes to be our next DJ of the Week on NileFM? This is your moment&mdash;don&rsquo;t miss it! Send your best mix to djoftheweek@nrp.net.eg and you could be the next DJ spinning for millions across Egypt on NileFM.

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