Editorial portrait of Imanbek
Photo: Forbes · CC BY 3.0

FigureAsia 35 Under 35 · Music

Imanbek

Age 25 · electronic dance music, DJing, record production, songwriting · Kazakhstan

Kazakh producer sustaining global dance collaborations beyond an early breakout

Age at the edition eligibility date
25
Field
Music
Country or region
Kazakhstan
FigureAsia U35 Assessment
85.3 / 100

Career and documented record

Imanbek Zeikenov's 2025 case is deliberately separated from the remix that first made him globally visible. Born in Aksu, Kazakhstan, Imanbek Maratuly Zeikenov works as a DJ, songwriter and producer in electronic dance music. The question for this edition is not whether his earlier breakthrough remained famous, but whether completed, attributable studio work continued during the assessment period. A sequence of 2025 releases provides that evidence without requiring the older success to be counted again.

On 23 May he released “Rumors” with BIA, extending his producer-led work into a named international rap collaboration. On 13 June he followed with the standalone single “Limits”. Its credits identify Imanbek as music producer and co-writer, giving the assessment a precise basis for individual agency. The release is treated accurately as one track rather than enlarged into an album claim. Further 2025 titles — “All My Money”, “Rave Master” and “SOB” — show that the period contained an active release sequence rather than two isolated appearances.

The attribution boundary remains important in collaborative dance music. Featured performers, other writers, labels and release partners retain their shares; Imanbek is credited for the studio functions the records actually name. His Kazakhstan connection is material because a Central Asian producer is sustaining work across international collaborators and electronic-music markets, not because birthplace alone earns selection. Public impact measures for the new singles are less comprehensive than the credit record, so the ranking is strongest on agency, technical execution and durability. The 2025 catalogue demonstrates a working producer whose present responsibilities remain traceable beyond the long shadow of one historical remix.

Why Imanbek is on the list

FigureAsia selected Imanbek for current, credited studio work rather than residual fame. “Limits”, released on 13 June 2025, names him as music producer and co-writer; “Rumors” with BIA, released on 23 May, supplies a second completed cross-border outcome. Additional 2025 singles make the period a sustained sequence. Together, these records satisfy the contribution and agency tests without misdescribing a standalone track as an album.

The selection remains proportionate to the evidence. Collaborators and performers retain their credits, and earlier remix success is used only as career context. Independent audience measures for the new material are uneven, so impact and transmission are not inflated. Imanbek earns his place because repeated commissions, specific production responsibility and a dense release pattern show durability beyond a single breakthrough. His Aksu origin gives the work a clear Central Asian position within internationally circulating dance music, while the assessment itself rests on what he demonstrably produced and co-wrote in 2025.

The 2025–26 record

Rumors

Released a collaboration with BIA, extending his producer-led work to an international rap partnership.

Limits

Released a standalone dance single with explicit music-production and co-writing credit.

Continuing release sequence

Added “All My Money”, “Rave Master” and “SOB”, demonstrating activity beyond one collaboration.

Traceable studio responsibility

Credits for “Limits” identify Imanbek Zeikenov as producer and composer-lyricist.

The work in its field

Electronic dance producers can remain publicly associated with one breakthrough long after their current work becomes less visible. A fair assessment therefore separates historical fame from present credit, examines each release at its real scale and distinguishes production from performance. Imanbek's 2025 sequence meets that test through named studio and writing responsibilities. It also makes Central Asian participation in global dance networks visible without treating nationality as a substitute for musical contribution.

Assessment breakdown

85.3out of 100

01

Substantive 2025–2026 contribution

17.2 / 20

Five named 2025 singles, including two dated releases, form a substantive current studio sequence rather than a claim based on an older remix.

02

Verified impact

14 / 15

International collaborators and continuing label distribution demonstrate consequence, although independent audience measures for the new singles remain uneven across markets.

03

Originality and distinction

8.5 / 10

A recognisable electronic producer identity persists across rap collaborations and standalone dance releases without simply recreating the earlier breakthrough remix.

04

Industry influence

9 / 10

Repeat cross-market collaborations help circulate Kazakhstan-rooted production within international dance-pop and production networks, though broader field-shaping claims are kept proportionate.

05

Individual agency

9 / 10

Explicit producer and co-writer credits on “Limits” establish direct responsibility, while featured performers and other collaborators retain their separate contributions.

06

Durability and demonstrated trajectory

4.5 / 5

A dense 2025 release pattern following the earlier breakout demonstrates continued professional demand and a working practice beyond one historic success.

07

Asian significance and global relevance

4 / 5

Aksu birth and ongoing international production give Central Asia visible participation in global electronic music through completed work rather than identity alone.

08

Artistic authorship and interpretive agency

6.5 / 8

Authorship is meaningful where production and writing credits are named, but the collaborative construction of the singles prevents any claim of solitary creation.

09

Musical and technical execution

5.7 / 6

Studio production is his clearest technical strength, demonstrated through completed dance tracks built for different collaborators and release contexts during 2025.

10

Repertoire or recorded-work significance

3.5 / 6

The window contains a sequence of singles rather than a substantial album-length addition in this period, appropriately limiting the recorded-work significance score.

11

Audience and field transmission

3.4 / 5

Frequent releases and international collaborations transmit his production across markets, although consistent independent reach data for each track are unavailable.

Evidence and attribution

Material claims on this page are supported by the edition’s evidence record. FigureAsia tests age, identity, role, result and individual attribution before publication. Public profiles present the reported record; supporting documentation is retained for accuracy review and corrections.

Achievement records
7
Assessment window
2025–26
Editorial status
Included in the 2026 FigureAsia 35 Under 35 edition

Rights and credit

The portrait is published under the rights basis recorded for this edition. Third-party ownership and reuse restrictions remain in force.

Publication status
Published under a documented rights basis
Credit
Forbes
Licence
CC BY 3.0
Portrait source and credit