From: The Netherlands

Rising star DJ/producer of 2021: “There are many! I’ll name a bunch of them, including some that are pretty much ‘stars’ already. Eli Brown, Franky Wah, Artbat, Ben Böhmer, Tinlicker, Fabrication, Nora En Pure, Sofi Tukker, John Summit, Vintage Culture, Shermanology, Guz, Sosa, Cloonee, Michael Bibi, Martin Ikin, Wh0, Dombresky, CID, Leftwing & Kody, James Hype, LP Giobbi, Fred Again.., Kungs, Imanbek, Topic, Purple Disco Machine, KUU, Shouse, Anabel Englund, Rebuke, Ronnie Spiteri, Will Clarke, T78, Deborah de Luca, Joyhauser, Wehbba, Layton Giordani, Ramon Tapia, Space 92, Lilly Palmer, Drunken Kong, Metodi Hristov, Reinier Zonneveld, Klangkuenstler, TRYM, DYEN, Nico Moreno, Alignment, Mike Cervello, Funkin Matt, MorganJ, SKIY, and PBH & Jack. But there are many more! Check out my radio show Heldeep Radio or my label Heldeep Records to discover more of them.”

Though live performances have only just become possible again in many countries, Oliver Heldens had a busy summer and early autumn of gigs. He toured the US, played at SAGA festival in Romania and at Creamfields in the UK, before a triumphant headline show at London’s massive Printworks.

“In the US I was blown away by the energy of the crowds,” Heldens says. “Same goes for the few festivals I’ve played in Europe recently and my own headline show at the legendary Printworks, it just feels really good to be playing shows again!”

He also spent lots of time in the studio during the last 18 months, developing the sound of his more techno and progressive-driven HI-LO alias. Released this year, ’Balearic Mornings’ with Reinier Zonneveld was a euphoric pumper built for (hopefully) 2022’s Ibiza season, while ‘Saw Of Olympus’ (another Zonneveld collaboration) was an acid-propelled chugger with strident kicks and hats.
“I’ve found myself doing more progressive or even trance-influenced stuff than before,” Heldens says. “Also one of my upcoming HI-LO tracks, ‘Hera’, on my Drumcode debut EP, is quite proggy and euphoric. It’s a real crossover techno anthem.”

Heldens, though, has always drawn from various different dance genres, and in 2021 he reached for the rave lasers too, tapping into the pervasive ’90s revival that is sweeping all areas of the scene. ‘Ma Luv’ with MorganJ was all diva vocals and big synth stabs. “True,” he says, “that kind of music has definitely been an inspiration for me recently, you can also hear that in my track ‘Rave Machine’ featuring Rowetta, but I’m influenced by a lot of different styles and sounds.”

Heldens is still working on a track with a specially recorded guitar line from Chic’s Nile Rodgers, channelling the disco sound, another musical passion. “He laid down some of his signature funky guitars, but I just couldn’t find the right vocal for it,” Heldens admits. “I must’ve written at least 12 toplines with several songwriters, but I now finally found the right vocal sample for it and I’m having a choir re-sing that vocal now. I really can’t wait to release that one!”

This year, Heldens also got the chance to remix one of his all-time favourite tunes: Roger Sanchez’s evergreen ‘Another Chance’, dialling up its epic sensibilities and adding a trance tinge.
“‘Another Chance’ is one of my favourite dance music records, so it was a huge honour to work on this remix for the 20-year anniversary,” he says. “I feel very grateful to be able to work on such awesome projects, same as when I got asked to remix Chic’s ‘Le Freak’ for its 40-year anniversary. I’m really happy how these turned out.”

As the night-time industry begins to open up again, Heldens is looking ahead to a brighter future. “I truly want to thank everyone who has supported me in my career so far,” he says. “It’s been an insane journey already, but at the same time there’s so much more musical territory to explore, so I’m super excited for what the future holds. Bring it on!”

How was your first gig back after lockdown?

“It was early July this year under my darker alias HI-LO at a Filth On Acid party here in the Netherlands, and it was amazing! It felt really good to be on stage again and I came well-prepared with lots of new tracks that I made during the pandemic, which made it extra fun.” 

What further steps should the industry take to combat climate change?

“I have my carbon footprint from flying calculated every year and have that footprint compensated by some projects that plant lots of trees all over the world. This is probably not enough, though. It would be good if events/festivals have their carbon footprint calculated and have it compensated through these kinds of projects.”

Return of the Jack! One of the most consistent heavy hitters remains in the top 10 for the seventh year on the trot, and he appears more enthusiastic than ever. “I’ve been producing soooo much and getting ready for tour after 18 months,” the DJ born Nik van de Wall tells DJ Mag. “I can’t wait to share it with the world!”

He’s already sharing it. Release-wise, 2021 has been one of the most prolific years the Dutch DJ has ever had with a whole slew of big pop/dance sing-along bangers landing on a monthly basis. As 2021 kicked off with another lockdown, Afrojack lightened spirits with a flexback to ’96 as he, Chasner and Rob Adams covered Mark Morrison’s R&B sing-along ‘Return Of The Mack’. This was the tip of the EDM iceberg, as Nik has proceeded to deliver smash after smash.

As always with Afrojack — who has recently been on honeymoon and shaved his signature full-bodied barnet off — the styles continued to fly across the spectrum. He delved deep into the likes of trap with Zafrir on the smouldering ‘Boom Boom Pow’, then Coldplay-esque stadium sizzlers with fellow EDM lord David Guetta on ‘Hero’, followed by classic ‘90s-flavoured euphoric tackle with Timmy Trumpet on ‘Stay Mine’. And these releases barely take us up to spring 2021 as the Dutchman has continually levelled up with his output, climaxing in August with a brand new project he’s dubbed Never Sleeps.

Inspired by collaborations and taking things back to the roots of why we’re all here, the project has been in development over lockdown and is gradually being unleashed to the world now following his and fellow Dutch anthem-crafter Chico Rose’s end-of-set feel-good moment ‘You Got The Love’… The timing was perfect.

“Never Sleeps is a project which is basically just there to emphasise dance music built for the festivals and clubs,” Afrojack told DJ Mag in the summer. “Within the music industry, there's a lot of pressure on artists to keep their brands relevant or to try new things and challenges. With Never Sleeps, it's just about the music and the people — making music for people on the dancefloor and celebrating life.”  

Now out of lockdown and catapulting himself back onto the international mainstages with a full US tour imminent and plenty of big dates beyond, Afrojack definitely has a lot to celebrate. Armed with yet more major league productions such as ‘All Night Long’ (with Azteck) and now the humungous ‘Anywhere With You’ (with Dubvision and Lucas & Steve) he’s fully back, refreshed and eager to remind us why he’s been one of the most consistent DJs in this poll in the last 10 years.

“It’s an honour to still be up here after all these years,” says the DJ who kept many of us smiling through lockdown with his weekly Jacked Radio broadcasts. “Nightlife is in my blood and I will continue to give it my all. Thank you to all my fans around the world for voting for me, and I will see you on stage soon!”

How was your first gig back after lockdown?

How have the last 18 months changed how you view your work/life balance?

What further steps should the industry take to combat climate change?

What’s the best bit of tech you’ve added to your studio or DJ set-up this year?

What’s the best album you’ve heard this year?

From: Guatemala

Welcome back to the Top 100 Carnage... Or should we say GORDO? Last spotted in this poll in 2017, the Guatemalan EDM superstar is back with a bang. Trimmer, sleeker and deeper, this year has seen him unveil a brand new alias — GORDO. Two tunes deep, both ‘KTM’ and ‘TARAKA’ have been big milli-streaming smashes and shown a different side to his musical palette.

For the full Carnage/GORDO palette, however, it’s all about the DJ sets. Popping off like a rocket since shows opened again Stateside in the summer, his performances have ranged from his first-ever sunrise set at XS Las Vegas (where he’s a resident) to his TARAKA phenomenon, where he announces flash raves in random cities across North and Central America and plays to his fans for free — for upwards of six hours!

Don’t act too surprised. GORDO’s got a heart of gold and has previously invested in building schools in Guatemala and Nicaragua, cannon-fired $10,000 into the crowd and, most recently, invited his nan to be his roommate so he could look after her. Call him Carnage, call him GORDO, call him a gentleman. 

From: Australia