Cercle, the French project that redefined live electronic music over ten years and 200 shows in 31 countries, says it is going through serious financial difficulties. Founder Derek Barbolla has launched a call for donations and confirmed the cancellation of the festival planned in Mexico. Ten years ago, Derek Barbolla had a hunch: what…
Ten years ago, Derek Barbolla had a hunch: what if electronic music turned up where nobody dared invite it? Ben Böhmer suspended above the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, Boris Brejcha beneath the glass roof of the Grand Palais, Monolink with his feet in the white sand of the Maldives. Cercle was born: a bold, almost cheeky format that rewrote the rules of live electronic music. More than 200 productions in 31 countries, millions of viewers, and a visual signature the whole industry has copied without ever truly matching it.
Today, the adventure is faltering.
In a statement published on 24 June, the founder lifted the veil: Cercle is suffocating under the weight of its own model. Filming in impossible settings costs a fortune. Offering all the content for free built a global community, but was never enough to cover the bill. Physical events were supposed to bridge the gap. They no longer do. The festival planned in Mexico is cancelled, with tickets refunded within 48 hours.
What makes this announcement so hard to take is what Cercle really stands for: thirty-five people, an independent structure, and one of the last projects on the scene to have consistently put art before business. The question it raises is cruel but necessary: can you still exist, in 2026, by giving everything away and asking for nothing in return?
For now, the answer is no.
A call for donations is open on cercle.io. Because if Cercle disappears, a certain idea of electronic music goes with it.
Photo by @maxime_chermat
