At this year’s edition, Summit isn’t just headlining; he’s performing two entirely different sets. “Four hours of music, two totally separate identities,” he explains. “The goal is to make you feel like you’re seeing two brand new shows. I never want fans to think, ‘Oh, I’ve already seen this set.’”

Summit hand-picked a roster that blends legends and future icons: Green Velvet, Pete Tong, Kaskade, Cassian, and fresh signees from his label Experts Only. “It’s about honoring the DJs who paved the way while pushing forward the next wave,” he says. It’s clear Summit isn’t interested in just building just his own brand but also building a community.

Randall’s Island in NYC, home to legendary festivals like Electric Zoo and Gov Ball, is the playground for Experts Only. Summit teases large-scale activations, graffiti walls, and multiple stages: “I have a million ideas, the hardest part is budgets,” he laughs. But he’s dead serious about making it feel unique: “I want it to feel like the kind of festival I dream about going to. We’re even talking about a graffiti wall where people can spray-paint whatever they want. It’s not just music; it’s about creating a world.”

Partnering with Leah Chisholm’s (LP’s) Femme House, Summit’s festival is working to close the gender gap in dance music. “There’s a lack of female acts in dance music,” Summit acknowledges. “Femme House is about removing those barriers. I think it’s amazing that Leah cares about that mission even more than her own artist project—and she’s such a badass DJ, too.” The partnership highlights a mission bigger than the music: inclusivity and access.

Creativity, for Summit, means avoiding the trap of trends. “I refuse to be boxed in,” he says, recalling how he evolved from tech house into techno, dub, and beyond while simultaneously ignoring the online haters. He compares his evolution to Matthew McConaughey’s pivot from rom-coms to Dallas Buyers Club: “You have to unapologetically own it.”

His debut album Comfort in Chaos was born from stepping off the hamster wheel. “I had to take time off the road to write,” he explains. The result? A project that pairs high-energy club anthems with emotional storytelling. He’s already planning another retreat to write album #2: “It’s the only way to get into that headspace.”

From Red Rocks to Ibiza to selling out MSG, Summit’s career has exploded, but his most surreal moment? Mainstage at Tomorrowland. “80,000 people from around the world, all locked in, even if they don’t speak English, that was the ‘I made it globally’ moment,” he admits.

How does he keep his energy up while touring relentlessly? “I treat my body like an athlete,” he says. “I run or lift every day, and I nap in shifts. Like tonight, I play 2:30 to 4:30 a.m., so I’ll nap for two hours before the show, play, then crash. It’s not normal, but it works. DJing this much is an endurance sport.”

In an age of curated feeds, Summit’s authenticity sets him apart. “I post like it’s my Close Friends list,” he laughs. Though he no longer has time to respond to every DM, fans still feel a direct connection. “People can tell when they’re being bullsh*tted,” he says.

His advice to aspiring artists is as straightforward as it gets: “You can’t half-ass it. You have to go all in.” Summit learned that firsthand during the pandemic when he was broke, living at home, and applying for MusiCares just to pay rent. “I thought I’d have to go back to accounting,” he admits. “Then I made Deep End, sent it to every label I could, and it blew up. That gave me just enough to keep going. Every record after that got bigger. But if I hadn’t gone all in, I wouldn’t be here.”

From CPA cubicles to international headlining slots, John Summit isn’t just building a career—he’s building a movement. Experts Only isn’t just a label or a festival; it’s a platform, a playground, and a celebration of music without limits.