Here we are, finally, where 2023 meets 2024. For the most part, the past year eased further into relative normalcy – whether we’re talking clubs, festivals or the private-party scene.
So, as we wrapped up ’23, we conducted a quickie poll to DJs of all stripes and from all over the world, inquiring about the past year. We asked three simple questions: What’s your top tune of the year? What was your best accomplishment? What was the best DJ/musical moment you experienced?
Here are the first 100 responses we got. Off we go…
1
Wax Motif, Divided Souls Records, LA
Tune: Odd Mob & OMNOM’s “Losing Control.”
Accomplishment: Selling out the Shrine Expo Hall in LA, along with 13 other dates on my House Of Wax Tour.
Musical Moment: Performing at mainstage EDC Las Vegas.
2
Paul van Dyk, VANDIT Records, Berlin
Tune: Vakabular’s “Proper Time.”
Accomplishment: Bringing my new project, VENTURE X, successfully on the road with amazing shows in NYC, Montreal, Amsterdam, London, & many other cities.
Musical Moment: Having 20,000 people at Dreamstate SoCal sing at the top of their lungs alongside my SOLIKIEN live band to “Home” – a goosebumps moment!
3
ZHU, Astralwerks, LA
Tune: Peggy Gou’s “(It Goes Like) Nanana.”
Accomplishment: Crushing the GRACE Tour without having dropped an album.
Musical Moment: Seeing Lauryn Hill with The Fugees at Denver’s Ball Arena was a proper history lesson.
4
ACRAZE, Capitol Records/Thrive Music, Orlando
Tune: Fisher & Aatig’s “Take It Off.”
Accomplishment: Sleeping at least seven hours every day.
Musical Moment: Selling out my own show at the Hollywood Palladium in LA this year – it was life-changing.
5
Dave Audé, Audacious Records, Nashville
Tune: John Summit & Hayla’s “Where You Are.”
Accomplishment: In ’23, I found myself writing & producing almost as many records as I remixed.
Musical Moment: I had an amazing time playing & connecting with other DJs at the DJX opening party at HQ2 in Atlantic City.
6
Ferry Corsten, Flashover Recordings, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Tune: Kevin de Vries & Mau P’s “Metro.”
Accomplishment: Committing myself to working on my next “Ferry Corsten” album – my first since Blueprint, which was released five years ago.
Musical Moment: All of my “What The F” shows this year – playing open until close, often eight hours, of my own music feels like an accomplishment in itself.
7
Todd Terry, InHouse Records, Atlanta
Tune: Piero Pirupa’s “To The Sky.”
Accomplishment: Not missing a flight all year… hahaha!
Musical Moment: Hamilton The Musical… The Bootleg.
8
Jauz, Bite This, LA
Tune: Dom Dolla’s “Miracle Maker” dominated every set all year in a bunch of different versions.
Accomplishment: Raising my daughter & watching her turn one. Nothing else even comes close.
Musical Moment: Getting to remix deadmau5’s “Ghosts N Stuff” & then seeing the reaction to it was pretty unreal. And it was such a nerve-wracking song to remix.
9
Markus Schulz, Coldharbour Recordings, Miami
Tune: Kevin de Vries & Mau P’s “Metro.”
Accomplishment: The Rabbit Hole Circus, my album & tour, which featured singers and aerialists.
Musical Moment: In October, during the last few hours of my 12-hour open-to-close set at Stereo in Montreal, I had been down mentally from a rough summer. But, at that moment, I realized that I still love what I do to the core of my being.
10
Booka Shade, Blaufield Music, Berlin
Tune: Oliver Koletzki & Andhim’s track “Branka.”
Accomplishment: Celebrating 20 years of Booka Shade this summer with a selection of special European shows. We also had a remix package featuring wonderful artists such as 8Kays, Joachim Pastor, Nils Hoffmann, & Qrion.
Musical Moment: Watching our girl JOPLYN making her way up & up. We’ve supported her since she was 14, & now she’s playing the biggest festivals.
11
Joy (Anonymous), Astralwerks/Island, London
Tune: Jungle’s “Back on 74.”
Accomplishment: Releasing our album, Cult Classics.
Musical Moment: We put on our own show at ADE & played B2B with Todd Edwards.
12
Mike Walter, Elite Entertainment, Tinton Falls, N.J.
Tune: Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night.” Also, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers turned 20-years old this year, & it’s never been as popular as it is now.
Accomplishment: Focusing on my health & fitness more than ever this year.
Musical Moment: Sting at Jones Beach – a perfect night.
13
DJ Track Star Staci, Scratch Event DJs, Redlands, Calif.
Tune: It’s “Last Night,” based on requests. Morgan Wallen seems to be the new Bad Bunny.
Accomplishment: Earning a standing ovation at an industry event for a seminar I gave about inclusivity in music.
Musical Moment: Getting a rave review from Nike.
14
Joe Bermudez, Mass Movement Radio, Boston
Tune: Mau P’s “Drugs from Amsterdam.”
Accomplishment: I’m really proud of the music video for my song, “Love In Code.”
Musical Moment: Seeing Chris Lake & Fisher’s Hollywood Boulevard takeover in LA.
15
Nutritious, Liquid Culture, LA/NYC
Tune: Peggy Gou’s “(It Goes Like) Nanana.”
Accomplishment: My EP, Blurs, with artwork designed by John Van Hamersveld.
Musical Moment: Playing Art Basel Miami with Miguel Migs & Jay-J, plus a night dancing to Inkswel & Cosmo Baker at Dante’s HiFi.
16
Christiano Jordano, Termenl Records, Miami
Tune: Fred again.. x Swedish House Mafia’s “Turn On The Lights again” feat. Future.
Accomplishment: I learned how to market my music correctly.
Musical Moment: During Miami Music Week, ARTBAT b2b Argy at Strawberry Moon.
17
DI SUN, mau5trap/Drumcode, LA
Tune: Teenage Mutants’ “Dark Clouds” feat. Heerhorst & Peter Pahn.
Accomplishment: I signed tracks with my two dream labels – Drumcode and mau5trap.
Musical Moment: Supporting deadmau5 at the mau5trap x Sound Nightclub residency showcase in LA.
18
H.B. Monte, Universal Music Group, NYC
Tune: Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night.” It was played everywhere & remixed in almost every genre.
Accomplishment: Being featured in the NBC TV series, America’s Got Talent.
Musical Moment: Seeing DJ Craze and his Tablism routine.
19
Murdock, Rampage, Antwerp Belgium
Tune: Basstripper’s “In The City.”
Accomplishment: Wrapping up my second album, ready for ’24 release.
Musical Moment: Subtronics doing a master class in bass-music DJing on the Rampage Open Air mainstage, blending dubstep, d-n-b, basshouse & more.
20
Surf Mesa, Astralwerks, LA
Tune: Swedish House Mafia’s “See The Light” feat. Fridayy. The way this song feels so progressive and euphoric moves me so much.
Accomplishment: Releasing my debut EP, Come True, followed by a headline tour.
Musical Moment: I had a stomach flu in July, but flew from LA to NYC in a middle seat to play my first headline show in Brooklyn. That was awesome. I survived.
21
Victoria Engel, 444 SERIES, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tune: Skelesys’ “Kill Me With Love.”
Accomplishment: Launching my own label, 444 SERIES, organizing its showcases & my seven-hour sets in Buenos Aires.
Musical Moment: Representing Argentina at the iconic Rock in Rio festival.
22
Emporer, Sommoned Records, Philadelphia
Tune: Frankie Bones’ “Call It Techno (Carlo Lio Remix).”
Accomplishment: Finally getting my label project off the ground – excited for 2024.
Musical Moment: Definitely our label-launch event. It was super-personal and intimate.
23
Howard “HK” Kessler, In The Mix With HK, Minneapolis
Tune: David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue).” Perfect blend of current dance-pop production and nostalgia.
Accomplishment: Growing the size of our audience on our No.-1 rated radio mix show & our brand.
Musical Moment: Breaking the Top 15 on Mixcloud & going to No. 14 on both The Global Remix Chart & Global Open Format Chart.
24
OTR, Astralwerks, Seattle
Tune: John Summit & Hayla’s “Where You Are.” It came out of nowhere and took everyone by storm.
Accomplishment: Going on tour for the first time for my album, Be Quiet, They’re Listening.
Musical Moment: Seeing Lane 8 in Denver was a memorable experience.
25
Serafin, Pitch The Tempo, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Tune: Peggy Gou’s “(It Goes Like) Nanana.”
Accomplishment: Becoming a home owner.
Musical Moment: Headlining with Two Friends at Armature Works & opening up for Flo-Rida at Hard Rock.
26
Ascendant Vierge, 12 Stars, Paris/Brussels
Tune: Mathilde Fernandez: Christine & The Queens’ “Tears Can Be So Soft.” Paul Orzoni: Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock.”
Accomplishment: Releasing an album and being on tour for nine months, which included playing at Berghain.
Musical Moment: Performing at Solidays in Paris – the crowd was wild.
27
Boris Brejcha, Fckng Serious, Gelnhausen, Germany
Tune: Moritz Hofbauer’s “In A Blurry World.”
Achievement: Shooting a music video with my friends in Iceland. It was one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Musical Moment: “What Else (Espresso)” is a song I produced during Covid in 2020, but I played it for the first time in 2023.
28
Innellea, Distorted Youth, Munich, Germany
Tune: Skrillex & Nai Barghouti” “XENA.”
Accomplishment: Setting a date – Feb. 9 – for my debut album, The Belonging. It features some incredible artists, including Flowdan, Juan Hansen, CamelPhat & more.
Musical Moment: Erykah Badu at Forwards Bristol.
29
Black Legend, Defected/Fool’s Paradise/Positiva, Rome
Tune: Cajmere feat. Dajae’s “Brighter Days (Marco Lys Remix).”
Accomplishment: Getting to work with Todd Terry on a collab release, “Move Every Muscle” on InHouse Records.
Musical Moment: Mochakk at Plaza de España, in Sevilla, Spain.
30
Ridney, Paharas Musica, Southhampton, U.K.
Tune: Ten Ven’s “What About You.” Nu-disco gem with a pulsating bassline and rising pianos straight from the Future Disco crew. Bit of a secret weapon this summer, everyone’s been asking what it is.
Accomplishment: Making music without pressure and working alongside fellow producers and DJs I love & respect.
Musical Moment: The 10-year anniversary mixes of “Missing You” for Record Store Day. I was so pleased Michael Gray remixed the track and joined a stella package with Eric Kupper, Opolopo & my original mix on vinyl.
31
Ceri, Find Your Own Records, Ibiza/London
Tune: Joe Smooth’s “Promised Land.” It’s a timeless classic from 1987, something which I played a few times recently. The words are very poignant at the moment.
Accomplishment: Re-launching my label, Find Your Own Records.
Musical Moment: Playing Panorama Bar/Berghain in Berlin, one of my favourite clubs in the world to play & party at. I cried & the dancers cried – it was very special and emotional.
32
DJ Shakey, Producer Dojo, NYC
Tune: WBBL’s “Whole Lotta Wob,” a Led Zep d-n-b remix.
Accomplishment: Grateful to be included in the “Fractal Forest Funk Jam” at the Shambhala Festival in B. C., where I got to play rare funk 45s with the likes of Z-Trip, Skratch Bastid, Krafty Kuts – so fun!
Musical Moment: Jinx in Dub spun a set at the Boomtown Fair festival in the U.K. that not only melted my brain, but gave me a real vision for the kind of music I want to produce next.
33
Chris D’Amico, D’Amico Entertainment, Succasunna, N.J.
Tune: Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”
Accomplishment: Surviving for a whopping 25 years in business.
Musical Moment: My new project/band opening the Rutgers home football games.
34
A.M.R, Monstercat, Doha, Qatar
Tune: Bonobo’s “Rosewood.”
Accomplishment: Releasing my second album, Familiar Faces.
Musical Moment: Getting back into DJing & playing my music live after a long hiatus.
35
Ray Volpe, Monstercat, LA
Tune: Subtronics & HOL!’s “Mind Pluck.”
Accomplishment: Winning “Best New Artist” at the Electronic Dance Music Awards was absolutely unexpected & amazing!
Musical Moment: Playing Tomorrowland – one of the coolest moments of my career ever.
36
Riot Ten, Create Music Group/Dim Mak, El Paso
Tune: Infekt’s “Boundless” made a massive splash. The crowd reaction for that song is always top-tier.
Accomplishment: I bought my first home this year! I’m so beyond grateful.
Musical Moment: Launching Dog Eat Dog, my side project with Crankdat, at Bass Canyon.
37
Shingo Nakamura, Monstercat, Tokyo
Tune: Estiva & Jess Ball’s “Carnal Emotion.”
Accomplishment: My first time DJing in the U.S. in about 10 years.
Musical Moment: Performing in Tomorrowland. I’ll never forget the sight I saw from the stage.
38
Love,Shaun, Astralwerks, Glasgow, Scotland
Tune: I loved Cloonee’s “Fine Night” or Skrillex & Boys Noize’s “Fine Day Anthem” equally. Both have a certain magic about the way they use that sample.
Accomplishment: Signing to Astralwerks and getting the chance to work with a label who’ve worked with some of the biggest electronic acts still feels surreal.
Musical Moment: Playing my first set at a Coachella opening party with Anderson .Paak and Kaytranada.
39
Miss Melera, Coulouizon, Amsterdam
Tune: Paradoks’“Always.”
Accomplishment: A great festival season, my first Colourizon Beach edition last summer, and the release of my track, “Jade.”
Musical Moment: Sven Väth at Akasha Ibiza, a very intimate club with the best sound system ever & trippy visuals. The musical journey Sven created was very inspiring.
40
Sinca, Anjunadeep, Montreal
Tune: Amtrac & Reva DeVito’s “Contrast (Durante Remix).” A great balance of rhythm & melodies.
Accomplishment: Transitioning into a full-time music career in music & parting ways with my conventional 9-to-5 job.
Musical moment: Headlining at Stereo Montreal, one of the world’s best clubs, right in my hometown.
41
Olivier Weiter, Einmusika, Amsterdam
Tune: Eelke Kleijn’s “Transmission (Joris Voorn Remix).”
Accomplishment: Getting back on track after a very intense & difficult period in my career because of the pandemic.
Musical Moment: Sven Väth at Akasha Ibiza for the Cocoon closing party in September. Pure craftsmanship.
42
MicFreak, QU3/Quantize Recordings, Baltimore
Tune: Makèz & Life On Planets’ “Downstream.”
Accomplishment: Helping other artists grow on our label, QU3.
Musical Moment: I got to tour & play for people in different parts of the world.
43
Chris Washburn, Washburn Entertainment, Ithaca, N.Y.
Tune: Most Taylor Swift songs. Huge resurgence and major impact on so many dancefloors.
Accomplishment: Earning the opportunity to DJ New Years Eve at Disney World.
Musical Moment: Being the onstage DJ for Hayden Christensen and the “Back to the Future” cast at a ComicCon.
44
Two Friends, SALXCO, LA
Tune: Matt Halper: BUNT.’s “Clouds” feat. Nate Traveller. Eli Sones: Knock2’s “dashstar*.”
Accomplishment: Debuting our Planet Two Friends tour at Coachella in April & then bringing it all around North America over the next few months was an absolute dream come true.
Musical Moment: Laszewo put on an epic show in LA recently. We brought them on our tour last year & it’s been amazing watching them grow so much.
45
Cosmic Boys, Legend, Montpellier, France
Tune: Teenage Mutants’ “Dark Clouds” feat. Heerhorst & Peter Pahn.
Accomplishment: We are very honored to have made an official remix of the legendary track “Café Del Mar” by Energy 52 – an incredible experience.
Musical Moment: Seeing Hanz Zimmer in concert. We took a real emotional hit. Seeing him play live with his orchestra was an extraordinary moment.
46
Samstone, RCA, Loughborough, U.K.
Tune: Songer & K Motionz’s “Vino Bandit.”
Accomplishment: Signing with RCA Records U.K.
Musical Moment: Collaborating with Aktive & The Cardigans on “My Favourite Game” was something I thoroughly enjoyed this year. The track will be released in early ’24.
47
Re-Tide, Re-Tide Music, Rome
Tune: Donna Allen’s “Serious (Michael Gray’s Remix).” We played it a lot on our radio show.
Accomplishment: Our song with Lukas Setto, “Me & You,” is currently being played on Radio Deejay, one of the best radio stations in Italy with about 5 million listeners daily.
Musical Moment: We played B2B in Amsterdam with Brian Tappert, one of our favorite DJs & most of all, a dear friend.
48
DJ Flex, 88 Productions, Newark, N.J.
Tune: Rema’s “Calm Down” because it is the first Afrobeat song to hit 1 billion streams in ’23.
Accomplishment: Releasing my single “Odo,” which is short for odoyewu, meaning “love of life in all its various forms” in West African Twi.
Musical Moment: Seeing crowds at all kinds of different events being captivated by my song, “Meliza.”
49
Mija, Never B Alone, LA
Tune: Brutalismus 3000’s “Romantika.”
Accomplishment: Entering my producer era, dropping more music in one year than I ever have before & getting to perform it all on tour.
Musical Moment: Watching James Blake perform his latest EDM album at the Hollywood Cemetery, being inspired as hell & dancing my ass off.
50
Juheun, Tronic Records, Phoenix
Tune: Len Faki’s “Sexuality (My Reality)” always sets the dancefloor on fire.
Accomplishment: Putting more focus on our local scene with our event company, Circuit, and throwing over 25 events this year in Phoenix.
Musical Moment: My Central America debut and performing live for the first time in Panama City, Panama.
51
Enamour, Various, LA
Tune: &ME’s “L.I.F.E.”
Accomplishment: My official remix of RY X’s “A Thousand Knives” as the lead single for his remix album.
Musical Moment: DJing at EDC Vegas.
52
Tim Engelhardt, Lifeforms/Scenarios, Cologne, Germany
Tune: Rex The Dog’s “Change This Pain For Ecstasy.”
Accomplishment: I doubled the output that I had in ’22 & finished even more amazing music for next year, in between doing shows.
Musical Moment: Playing in Buenos Aires – the crowd & energy is always unmatched in Argentina.
53
SIPPY, Monstercat, LA
Tune: Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan’s “Rumble.”
Accomplishment: Hosting a sold-out Ableton/music production workshop in Denver. It’s the first one I have done in America and helping/teaching others was one of my favorite things to do.
Musical Moment: Playing Hard Summer & seeing how much my crowd had grown since I first played there when I first moved to the U.S. in ’21.
54
HNTR, mau5trap, Toronto
Tune: Hard to think of a bigger one than Kx5’s “Escape” feat. Hayla.
Accomplishment: Going B2B with Testpilot – that’s bucket-list stuff right there.
Musical Moment: While on tour with Eli Brown in Vancouver, we hit up one of my favorite afterhours to play, Gorgomish. But we just went as fans & got to really experience what it’s like on the other side of the decks.
55
RayRay, mau5trap, Taipei, Taiwan
Tune: Skrillex’s Quest For Fire album.
Accomplishment: I finished my Unearthly World deluxe album, signed with US-based Spin Artists Agency & started touring in the USA working with mau5trap.
Musical Moment: ADE week this year because I got to play eight shows in four days & hang out & enjoy other artists’ sets.
56
Nikki Nair, Future Classic/Warp, Atlanta
Tune: DJ Swisha’s “Club Megamixxx.”
Accomplishment: I beat Hudson Mohawke at Chess – I also lost a bunch of times.
Musical Moment: My set at Horst Arts & Music Festival in Belgium.
57
Adam Griffin, Perfect Havoc, London
Tune: Jazzy’s “NRG.” Just a divine slice of musical pie.
Accomplishment: Hosting the 103 at Ministry of Sound with our Perfect Havoc night & DJing to a packed crowd.
Musical Moment: Playing a vinyl set at the reimagined new Cross nightclub for a Perfect Havoc party with 300 industry friends & fans. The shots-for-all was quite a moment.
58
Sara Simms, Simmetry Sounds, Toronto
Tune: Eli Brown’ s “Be The One.”
Accomplishment: My release, “Regenerate,” a collab with Adam James on my label.
Musical Moment: When Simina Grigoriu invited me to perform with her at Ushuaïa during her set at the ANTS party.
59
Jack Kelly, Perfect Havoc, Belfast
Tune: Sammy Virji’s “If U Need It.” A must-play banger.
Accomplishment: Getting a record signed to Selected, for sure.
Musical Moment: Playing at Ministry Of Sound with my Perfect Havoc Family was a night I’ll never forget.
60
Mistier, Mistier Music, NYC
Tune: Tinlicker’s “All That I Lost.”
Acomplishment: After a while of hibernation to raise young kids, my first releases in a few years.
Musical Moment: Black Coffee at Madison Square Garden.
61
Noana, Youth Control, Helsinki
Tune: deadmau5 & Kaskade’s “I Remember (John Summit Remix).”
Accomplishment: I finally got to do my debut releases for my solo artist project Noana.
Musical Moment: Arranging this amazing private “festival” named Hästfest – Swedish for “horse party” – where I played a set with some of my favorite tunes. The response was heartwarming.
62
Rony Rex, Youth Control, Helsinki
Tune: Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair’s “Set The Roof” feat. Tayla Parx. Works like a charm on a festival stage & in the club.
Accomplishment of 2023: I celebrated my 10-year anniversary as Rony Rex – to be a decade in as an independent artist feels special.
Musical Moment: The 10-year party we threw in Helsinki.
63
Rony Seikaly, Stride Records, Miami
Tune: SIS’ “Chan Chan,” a record I’ve played all summer long to dancefloors around the world and the 50th Stride release.
Accomplishment: Playing for Circoloco on the DC10 terrace.
Musical Moment: Hearing PAWSA play. I had never heard him play before, and he really surprised me. Very talented selector.
64
Smok, Youth Control, Oulu, Finland
Tune: Netsky’s“Everybody Loves the Sunshine” feat. Chantal Kashala & Daddy Waku.
Accomplishment: My latest, “Desire,” with Sophie Marie.
Musical Moment: The ADE parties from Hospital Records and Toytonic – pure awesomeness.
65
Cristoph, Anjunadeep, Chicago
Tune: &ME & Black Coffee’s “Rapture Part III.”
Accomplishment: My six-week “Open To Close” tour of North America.
Musical Moment: Selling out Coda Toronto in under 30 minutes & my support sets for HOLO NYC Shows.
66
Lauren “Lolo” Mayhew, Next Level Brands, Tampa
Tune: David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” made a huge impact.
Accomplishment: Touring as the celebrity DJ for Virgin Voyages.
Musical Moment: Headlining a sold-out Halloween show for INVY Nightclub in Indianapolis.
67
Lost Prince, Axtone/Palace Records, Athens, Greece
Tune: Argy & Goom Gum’s “Pantheon.”
Accomplishment: Being able to play out my new singles at dark & dirty clubs.
Musical Moment: I have a feeling it might be coming right before the new year.
68
Blanke, Monstercat, Denver
Tune: Chase & Status & Bou’s “Baddadan” feat. IRAH, Flowdan, Trigga & Takura.
Accomplishment: Starting the full separation of my d-n-b side project ÆON:MODE by releasing a collab with Metrik.
Musical Moment: My first sold-out headline show in LAs where I played both Blanke & ÆON:MODE sets in one night.
69
Seth N’ Sound, Mind of a Genius/Atlantic, Austin
Tune: Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding’s “Miracle.” This song shifted the landscape for producers to explore.
Accomplishment: Receiving videos of people enjoying my songs from all over the world is definitely my favorite thing.
Musical Moment: Skrillex, Fred again.. & Four Tet subbing for Frank Ocean at Coachella was 100-percent the greatest EDM moment of the year.
70
Shogun, Neo Tokyo Records, Tokyo
Tune: Gorillaz’s “Fools Gold (Dom Dolla Remix)” feat. Tame Impala & Bootie Brown.
Accomplishment: Achieving 572 million Spotify streams.
Musical Moment: DJing in Taipei again.
71
DC Salas, Live At Robert Johnson, Brussels
Tune: Midnight’s “Match Box” feat. Elif Murat.
Accomplishment: Traveling & meeting new people, thanks to my music.
Musical Moment: Every gig of my Fuse residency & Rosalia’s performance at Werchter Festival this summer.
72
Jennifer Loveless, Butter Sessions, Berlin
Tune: BASHKKA’s “Act Bad.”
Accomplishment: Relocating Australia to Berlin & releasing my most vocal track to date, “Pleasure.”
Musical Moment: Closing Golden Plains Fest in Australia & playing Horst Music & Arts Fest in Belgium.
73
John Newman, Tomorrowland Music, London
Tune: Swedish House Mafia’s “Ray of Solar.”
Accomplishment: I’ve honed my hybrid-DJ-&-live-vocals set into an experience that I’m really proud of.
Musical Moment: Making my Tomorrowland mainstage debut was a bucket-list moment for me.
74
AVAION, Sony Music, Berlin
Tune: Fred again..’s “adore u.”
Accomplishment: I’m super-proud of how my sound & style has continued to develop.
Musical Moment: When I started my own Boiler Room-style “For The Vibes” party/livestream set in my hometown & it went crazy!
75
Axel Haube, Zamna Records, Malines, Belgium
Tune: Kevin de Vries & Mau P’s “Metro.”
Accomplishment: Playing in 16 countries over three continents & having seven releases in ’23.
Musical Moment: Playing at Afterlife on Tomorrowland.
76
Dr. Fresch, House Call Records, LA
Tune: Space Laces’ “Dominate” helped lead the charge to bring bass house more into focus.
Accomplishment: I had my biggest tour this year, working with some of my favorite artists in bass house & some of the most talented individuals behind the scenes to produce these shows, too.
Musical Moment: DJing an immersive set at Shrine LA was insane.
77
Tinlicker, PIAS, Utrecht, Netherlands
Tune: The Smile’s “Wall of Eyes.” I’m just a sucker for Tom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood & how they keep reinventing themselves.
Accomplishment: Opening ADE with the Metropole Orchestra & being able to see it afterward on national television, while sitting on my couch wearing a bathrobe was a beautiful moment.
Musical Moment: Saw Bruce Springsteen live for the first time. This was a nice nostalgic moment & seeing them play for three hours, giving it their all, after all those years was inspirational.
78
DJ Godfather, Databass Records, Detroit
Tune: The Exaltics & Paris The Black Fu’s “Wea Poni Zadin Form Ation.”
Accomplishment: Releasing more tracks than anyone I know.
Musical Moment: Me, Aux 88 & Egyptian Lover on one line-up, back-to-back – magical night!
79
Sam Skilz, GaGa Records, Luxembourg
Tune: Anyma & Chris Avantgarde’s “Eternity” was truly engaging.
Accomplishment: It was an exciting year at Skilz DJ Academy. I got to help the music world grow by teaching new artists & having a say in how electronic music is evolving.
Musical Moment: The eruption of cheers at the Mysteryland festival this summer profoundly moved me.
80
CHLOÉ, Lumière Noire Records, Paris
Tune: Tirzah’s “No Limit.”
Accomplishment: Being part of a unique, immersive installation called ANIMA.
Musical Moment: Joining the beautiful Queer Ranch Festival on the Greek island of Lesbos.
81
Bass Physics, Independent, Denver
Tune: MPORT’s “The Jiggler.”
Accomplishment: Opening for Illenium at Mission Ballroom.
Musical Moment: Playing my new album at Ember Shores in Mexico.
82
Tara Brooks, Bedrock Records, LA
Tune: DJ Seinfeld & Confidence Man’s “Now U Do.”
Accomplishment: Remixing Motorcyle’s legendary hit, “As The Rush Comes.”
Musical Moment: Playing my new tune “Kaisers” at OK Cool, the Movement Detroit afterparty.
83
Disco Fries, Liftoff Recordings, New Jersey/Virginia
Tune: Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan’s “Rumble.”
Accomplishment: Had our first radio No. 1 on our label with Lena Leon’s “Spiral” & hit the Billboard Year End Chart with both “Spiral” & our single “Pieces” w/ VASSY & Bingo Players.
Musical Moment: Oscar G during Miami Music Week & releasing “Love You Loud,” a collab with Ferry Corsten.
84
Illexxandra, Producer Dojo, NYC
Tune: Karma Kid’s “CrushDancing” or Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ “Unholy.”
Accomplishment: Being in charge of recording all the emergency announcements for the radio station at Burning Man, during the famous floods this year.
Musical Moment: Cypress Hill at Boomtown fest in the U.K.
85
DJ Eyecon, Direct Music Service, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Tune: Coi Leray’s “Players.” Super-popular song that’s fun to play & brings generations together.
Accomplishment: Expanding my brand by producing exclusively for DMS.
Musical Moment: A 600-guest show we did – the entire crowd singing to my edits. Felt amazing.
86
DJ HAPA, TheDJCoach.com, LA
Tune: JVKE’s “Golden Hour.” For the kids.
Accomplishment: Getting our classroom method, Start to DJ, off the ground & empowering students throughout the country.
Musical Moment: Being a part of an initiative with one of my students, Kazami, & Pioneer DJ to help get DJs in Maui replacement gear for what they lost in the fires.
87
Samantha Michelle, The Kagency, NYC
Tune: Matt Anderson’s remix of “Courage, My Soul.” It’s a call for resilience, a reminder to keep the faith.
Accomplishment: I got invited back onto Duran Duran/Nile Rodgers’ tour to open for them in my hometown, Toronto.
Musical Moment: I played the closing party for Berlin Science Week on this incredible stage, with epic installation art & a whole cast of dancers & burlesque performers – a wild, immersive experience.
88
Dirtyphonics, Monstercat, LA
Tune: Chase & Status & Bou’s “Baddadan” feat. IRAH, Flowdan, Trigga & Takura.
Accomplishment: Writing & announcing the release of our sophomore album, 10 years after the first one.
Musical Moment: Closing the mainstage at Rampage Open Air.
89
Keys N Krates, Last Gang/MNRK, Toronto
Tune: Barry Can’t Swim’s “Deadbeat Gospel.”
Tune: Releasing our In:Tension album – definitely our most thoughtful & fun work.
Musical Moment: Playing “Higher” in front of 5,000 people in Calgary for the first time ever & watching them go insane.
90
Nitefreak, Deep Root, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Tune: Alex Wann’s “Milkshake.”
Accomplishment: I had my first tour in four different continents.
Musical Moment: Hearing people sing along to “Ode Ireti (Nitefreak Remix).”
91
Tim Clark, Coldharbour Recordings, Las Vegas
Tune: FOVOS’ “Lollipop.”
Accomplishment: Being nominated Best New Artist at the EDMAs ’24.
Musical Moment: Playing EDC Orlando.
92
Wolfgang Gartner, Dim Mak, LA
Tune: Tony Romera’s “MS69.”
Accomplishment: Finishing an album without throwing my computer off the Santa Monica Pier.
Musical Moment: The meteoric rise of Knock2.
93
JSTJR, Dim Mak, LA
Tune: Aphøtic’s “Thalassophobia.”
Accomplishment: Throwing my party “Group Chat” in LA every month bringing out some of the biggest names in dance music.
Musical Moment: Will Clark’s late-night set on EDSea.
94
Nostalgix, Monstercat, LA
Tune: Knock2’s “dashstar*,” really unique.
Accomplishment: Building out my “Star City” EP, out in ’24.
Musical Moment: Performing at EDC Las Vegas Opening Ceremony.
95
Showtek, Skink Records, LA/NYC
Tune: Swedish House Mafia’s “Ray Of Solar (Tiësto Remix)”
Accomplishment: Launching our album, 360 Yellow.
Musical Moment: Our hardstyle show return at Qlimax in Holland.
96
Maddy O’Neal, Mammoth Music Group, Denver
Tune: Skrillex, Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo’s “Ratata.”
Accomplishment: Played two of my dream festivals, Coachella and Bonnaroo.
Musical Moment: The return of Pretty Lights band.
97
Sam Divine, Defected Records, London
Tune: Butch & Nic Fanciulli’s “I Want You.”
Accomplishment: Getting back in the studio & making music I love again with no pressure or agenda.
Musical Moment: Fat Tony for Glitterbox at Glastonbury’s Greenpeace Field – very special.
98
Walker & Royce, Dirtybird Records, LA
Tune: DJ Glen & Luke Andy’s “2 Tha Moon.”
Accomplishment: Our “Just What the World Needs” tour.
Musical Moment: Dropping “Stop Time,” our collab with Glass Petals & Elohim, at Shrine LA.
99
BEC, Trip/Filth On Acid/Factory 93, Berlin
Tune: Dispar Vulgo’s “Daydreams of a Megalomaniac.”
Accomplishment: Finding a new direction in my sound & touring to new territories.
Musical Moment: Seeing the dancefloor fill up for my set at Awakenings Summer festival.
100
Borne, Nightmode, Montreal
Tune: Skrillex’s Quest for Fire album… such creativity.
Accomplishment: Hitting my goals about releases, etc.
Musical Moment: Experiencing ADE – strongly recommended.
