1
1
"This
feels surreal," says Armin van Buuren, now back on top of the DJ Mag
Top 100 after a year off to let David Guetta keep his throne warm.
2
1
You
have to hand it to Tiësto: despite being an all-conquering trance god
for many years, the Dutchman was no longer feeling the music he was
playing around the world back in 2010.
3
3
'Levels'
might have been the track that catapulted him to superstardom in 2011,
but it's perhaps this year's 'Silhouettes' that best sums Avicii, and
indeed the whole EDM 'explosion', up.
4
3
Of
all the winners of the DJ Mag Top 100, David Guetta has been arguably
the most controversial. Not for what he's said, or what he is, but for
what he does.
5
1
As the stateside EDM storm continues to gather pace, Canadian Deadmau5 finds himself right at the centre of it all.
6
18
"I've
DJed in nearly every single country in the world this year," says
24-year-old progressive and electro house DJ/producer Hardwell.
7
1
You
wouldn't think that, having dominated the international dance scene for
nigh on a decade, the Dutch DJ elite like Tiësto, Ferry Corsten and
Armin van Buuren would really be suffering from what
8
3
Anjunabeats bosses Above & Beyond show no sign of slowing down as they enter their second decade together.
10
9
Sonny
John Moore might have three Grammys under one arm and Ellie Goulding on
the other, but it wasn't the gongs and the celebrity girlfriend that
really confirmed Skrillex had reached a whole new
11
6
Willem
Rebergen has stormed up the Top 100 this year, illustrating perhaps
that the influence of the hardstyle splinter of dance music is gaining
further momentum.
12
2
In
June this year, the Swedish House Mafia announced they were to split.
It was unexpected. So for them, 2012 signified having done what they set
out to do.
13
4
"My
year's been another super one, seeing how, in the US, dance music keeps
growing and growing and to be one of the ambassadors of the sound here
has been very rewarding," beams trance star Markus
14
1
Touring, says British house/trance producer Gareth Emery, "got the better" of him this year.
15
27
Steve
Aoki had to air his laundry in public recently, after an anonymous
online post revealed he requests six pairs of underpants on his rider.
16
5
One
of Paul van Dyk's principal achievements this year has been the release
of his sixth artist album, 'Evolution', and the ongoing global dates
he's played to support it.
17
0
The
word wunderkind was pretty much invented for the likes of 23-year-old
producer Nicky Romero. In the past year, things have really got out of
hand.
18
2
Sander
van Doorn has ensured his continued hot streak of form in the upper
echelons of the Top 100 by fighting on a multitude of fronts.
19
3
This
is Aly & Fila's third consecutive appearance in the Top 100, and as
such the Egyptian pair are doing as much for their country's electronic
music scene as anyone out there.
20
50
Swedish house producer Alesso has had such a big year that even the Daily Mail picked him out as one to watch back in summer.
21
6
André
Tanneberger's back catalogue stands as a testament to his continuing
productivity, with eight studio albums and six mix compilations spanning
a successful 15-year international career.
22
4
"This year has mostly been taken up with the release of my latest album 'WKND'," says superstar Dutch DJ Ferry Corsten.
24
14
"Cooking
a lot of hot chilli" is the answer that comes back when DJ Mag
questions Dada Life's Olle about the highlights of his year.
25
11
Hot off the back of releasing their double-CD mix compilation 'Mainstage 2012', W & W are gearing up for a busy December.
26
12
2012 has been a hugely important year for Fedde le Grand, allowing him to refine the skills that accorded him superstar status.
27
8
Noisecontrollers
have perhaps got the most descriptive name with regards to what a DJ
does in the whole of the Top 100 DJs chart.
28
3
"I
did a lot of shows around the world in both Americas, Asia and Europe,"
beams Russian firebrand Arty, quantifying the highlights of his 2012 so
far.
29
9
Presumably just to spice things up a little, Laidback Luke set himself a challenge back in January.
30
0
Ryan
Raddon's rise from purveyor of deep, soulful house music for the likes
of San Francisco's Om Records to euphoric stadium gauge EDM (taking in
remixes for the likes of Katy Perry and collaborat
31
3
Multi-award-winning
DJ/producer Calvin Harris has had another momentous year, culminating
in the imminent release of his new album '18 Months' that features a
veritable who's who of modern pop musi
32
17
Ørjan may only look about 13-years-old in some of his press photos, but he's actually 30.
33
0
Knife
Party is probably one of the worst-kept secrets in dance music: If you
don't know, we aren't about to spoilt it for you, but this Australian,
electro house cum dubstep duo are not exactly new
35
3
Regardless
of what you may think, the sound Chuckie has made famous across the
world in recent years, dirty Dutch house, is not just about house music.
36
11
Having smashed his way into the chart last year, Italian hardstyle DJ, Zatox, has again pummeled his way into the Top 100.
38
41
In
just a few short years, party-starting house duo Dimitri Vegas &
Like Mike have been propelled well-and-truly into the big league. "It's
been an amazing year," they confirm.
39
4
2012
has seen Nic and Bossi touring last year's 'Wake Your Mind' album
globally. Playing over 140 shows this year, it's a wonder they can
pinpoint their favourites.
40
56
He
might only just be out of school, and he might be seen as one of the
figureheads of the new EDM craze sweeping America, but that's not
stopping Porter Robinson from evolving his own way.
42
3
In
terms of Dutch hardcore, it doesn't get much hardcore-r than leading
exponent Angerfist, mixing techno with gabber, euphoria, industrial and
straight-up hardstyle, accompanied by MC Prozac's dar
43
22
Listening
to their latest album 'Army Of Mushrooms', it seems Infected Mushroom
have caught a case of the wobbles, since tracks like 'U R So Fucked' on
the Israeli-born, California-based Amit Duved
44
16
Tucked
away in a hidden location (probably) somewhere in the environs of
Paris, France, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have
this year mostly been working hard on an album they're
45
14
Carl
Cox is as chatty and buzzing as ever when DJ Mag catches up with him:
Not bad given his long service to electronic music and enduring place in
the Top 100. So what's his secret?
46
0
Twin
sisters Miriam and Olivia Nervo are delighted when we get in touch to
inform them that they've been voted into the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs list
this year - and have come in as the Highest Female DJ
47
10
Pete
Tha Zouk has had a busy year. Ricocheting between the studio and the
airport, so he can fly off to one of his well-attended gigs, he says
he's had hardly any time to think.
48
19
For
Martin Solveig, 2012 was the year that he went from skirting the
peripheries of pop-house stardom to world touring support man for
Madonna.
49
49
This year Dutch hardstyle DJ/producer Brennan Heart fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams.
50
41
While a certain other island grabs all of the attention, Tenishia continue to put Malta on the dance music map.
51
0
Despite
his huge prominence on the US EDM scene this year, Zedd is actually
Anton Zaslavski, a German DJ and producer from Kasierslauten.
52
6
For the first time in a long time, Eric Prydz found himself in the US in 2012, embarking on his first proper tour since 2007.
53
9
While
Bobina, or Dmitry Almazov, has had another busy year as part of the
Russian DJing elite, with bookings and releases galore, his highlight of
2012 has a more personal tone.
54
0
"Electronic music as a whole is a wonderful musical format because it's vaguely defined.
56
1
Russia's
DJ Feel, aka Philip Belikov, has been a regular in the Top 100 for the
past few years, with his success tied in with burgeoning Russian and
Eastern European scenes.
57
34
Steve Angello has spent a sizeable portion of the year winding up Swedish House Mafia activities.
59
1
Umek is excited. He's just finished working on a new compilation for Toolroom that will be out early next year.
60
4
Wolfgang
Gartner is five-years-old. Well, the moniker is, and after plenty of
hard work for the man behind it, aka Joey Youngman, it's finally paying
off.
61
24
Antoine
Joseffson is Steve Angello's brother (Angello also has Joseffson in his
name), and although he says that's what he's probably best known for,
it's as AN21 that he's been making waves in int
62
0
"I'm
loving the new stuff from Bromance," says Australian DJ/producer Tommy
Trash, running his hand through his trademark long-and-flowing locks.
63
14
Having
entered the Top 100 last year, Guatemala's leading DJ and producer,
Francis Davila, has had an even bigger 2012. "It has been a year full of
blessings," he says humbly.
64
24
Diederik
Bakker and Stefan den Daas began their partnership in 2004, taking
inspiration from Bakker's father's musicianship and the happy hardcore
scene.
66
0
Dutch
duo Bingo Players, aka Paul Bäumer and Maarten Hoogstraten, must have
done something right in 2012, because after finishing 116th in last
year's poll, they have made the official Top 100 in 2
67
11
After
smashing into the DJ Mag Top 100 in 2010, Psyko Punkz now look to be a
regular fixture in the poll, as the global appetite for Dutch hard dance
- and Psyko Punkz's jagged, heads-down, fist-pu
68
0
American-born
Taiwanese DJ/producer Andrew Chen, aka Shogun, first made his name
warming up for DJs like Tiësto and Paul Oakenfold when he was resident
at Ministry Of Sound in Taipei.
69
0
As you will find reading this Top 100 issue, many DJs now cite Las Vegas as the current or next dance music hotspot.
70
43
Although
he began DJing in the late '80s, Benny Benassi's solo breakthrough came
in the first years of the 21st century, and since then, his mix of
house and electro styles has seen his reputation
71
23
In
the midst of a huge world tour, tyDi proves difficult to pin down. We
catch him while he's in Israel, following a long flight from the US and
prior to another one to the Czech Republic.
72
0
The rise of versatile talent Mat Zo continues, with the young DJ and producer acquiring a larger fanbase seemingly by the day.
73
0
"Last week I was in Scotland, the week before I was in India, the week before, Canada. I did 228 flights in the last year.
75
0
Wasted
Penguinz describe hardstyle as "150bpm pure euphoria", and with their
motto of 'Get Wasted N' Do It', they are clearly out to have a good
time.
76
17
"The
highlight of 2012 was breaking my ribs in a jet ski accident," laughs
Dragan Roganovi?, better known as Dirty South, down the phone.
77
0
A
trance up-and-comer from the Republic of Moldova who's broken into the
Top 100 this year, Andrew Rayel counts the support he's received from
his home country as one of his biggest inspirations.
78
33
Richie Hawtin's dedication to technology, to the future, to advancing his scene in any way possible is remarkable.
79
34
Barry Drooger's irrepressible enthusiasm has seen him take his love of hardstyle around the planet.
80
29
Hungarian
DJ/producers Myon & Shane54, known to their mothers as Márió Éget?
and El?d Császár, come packed with one of the most unique attitudes in
the trance scene.
81
0
The
fact that 2012 is the first year in which Heatbeat have broken into the
Top 100 - after years just outside - can be attributed to many things,
according to one half of the duo, Agustin Servente
82
0
One
of the more memorable sights in dance music during 2012 was Thomas
Gold's live 'drum line' onstage at EDC Vegas and Governor's Ball, NYC,
heightening the electro house producer's huge sound and
83
5
Daniel
Stephens and Joe Ray started off as drum & bass producers before
morphing into arguably the biggest dubstep duo in the world.
84
33
Roger
Shah is that rare breed whose reputation as one of the biggest names in
trance doesn't overshadow the equally well-known Balearic-based
flavours that see the light of day on his label Magic I
85
0
As
Spor, Jonathan Gooch has released drum & bass on labels such as
Renegade Hardware, Barcode, TeeBee's Subtitles, and his own Lifted
Music, but it's as Feed Me that he's really made his mark g
86
0
Deadmau5
and SBTRKT aren't the only ones to rock the masked DJ look - house
producer Mike Candys and his signature smiley mask have been doing
pretty well for themselves during 2012, completing ove
87
37
Having
been producing and DJing for 15 years and having spent many of those
years on the Top 100 list, Andy Moor could be forgiven for becoming
complacent.
88
0
Hardstyle
DJ/producer and lyrical supremo Ran D makes his entry into the Top 100
for the first time this year, and he's sounding pleased with what he's
been able to achieve.
89
30
Richard
Durand found the perfect sunrise, in Goa, India, when he played Sunburn
Festival for the fourth year on the trot. It's a burgeoning scene,
where Richard has some serious fans.
90
3
Brazilian
duo Felipe Lozinsky and Gustavo Rozenthal make up Felguk, who made the
official theme to the Electric Daisy Carnival and have remixed the likes
of Madonna, Flo Rida and The Black Eyed Pea
91
29
As
ever, enigmatic techno producer Paul Kalkbrenner chooses to keep his
cards close to his chest, dedicating himself to his music and little
else at present.
95
0
Three years after he broke onto the scene in a big way, things are looking good for Belgian drum & bass DJ/producer Netsky.
96
0
Henrik
Twardzik aka Neelix's bid to enter the Top 100 with a Napoleon Dynamite
'Vote For Me' campaign worked a treat, although some of his fans
weren't too impressed.
97
27
With his Toolroom label, Mark Knight was among the first to see the opportunities offered by the likes of Beatport.
98
43
"The
year started off with a fantastic gig in Cordoba that I loved so much I
released the mix as an album through my label," says Top 100 mainstay,
John Digweed, whose loaded schedule has also take
99
0
In
the Top 100 last year, hardstyle heavy Coone named Norway's Da Tweekaz
as his breakthrough act of 2011, and this year the duo of Kenth Kvien
and Marcus Nordli make their own entry in the poll.
100
0
When
DJ Mag catches up with Thomas Shaw and Ryan Henderson, the Canadian duo
have just headlined Lavo and closed Pacha in New York, met with Sony
Music and been told they've made our Top 100 list.
