Features
The Top 20 DJs Of 2016
The selectors who have been on red-hot form throughout the year
15 Patrick Topping
The Northern powerhouse fuelled sell-outs at SWG3 Glasgow and District8 Dublin, smashed his Digital Newcastle residency and joined Tiga at XOYO. Add in regular spots for Elrow and a huge Ibiza summer, starring seven times at Paradise and with Radio 1 at Space, and PT is now clearly A-list.
14 Hunee
Beachside in Croatia, prosecco in hand, sun setting and Hunee giving out a soul, funk and samba lesson: not a bad way to spend the final day of Dekmantel Selectors. Hyperactive at the decks, the Dutch-Korean DJ followed last year’s ‘Hunch Music’ album with a tour of Aus and gigs at Panorama Bar, Sunfall and Into The Valley.
13 Ryan Elliott
Ryan Elliott’s innovative, subversive style is reflected in his rare position as a resident of both Berghain and Panorama Bar. His DJ sets are filled with any sounds that will get a dancefloor moving, making strong use of powerful basslines, marking him out as one of the circuit’s most thrilling selectors – clinched by his fabric mix.
12 Helena Hauff
Wherever she went in 2016, Helena Hauff cast a spell with her blistering mix of industrial techno and jagged electro. From a daytime B2B at Dekmantel alongside Stingray to peak-time sets in sweaty basements, The Hauff always brought a measured sense of carnage to proceedings.
11 Honey Dijon
NYC Downlow, Glastonbury. Honey Dijon, backed by drag queens, is following Roger Sanchez’s set with pure, jackin’ house, entirely living up to the promise of her blistering In Session for Mixmag.net at the start of 2016. She’s proved just as adept playing Berlin’s experimental CTM Festival as Disclosure’s Wild Life in Miami.
10 Bicep
Their remix of Isaac Tichauer’s ‘Higher Level’ delivered the goods but it was their uncompromisingly high standard of DJing at every big festival and club around the world that proved Bicep are one of the great DJ duos. Adapting to the crowd, able to bang it out or take it deep, this truly is house DJing at its very best.
9 Eats Everything
In a year that saw him storm the US and Europe, pack out a cafe in Weston-super-Mare, see out some of the final days of Space and play a series of intimate gigs in oft-forgotten West County towns, 2016 was relentless work-wise for the Bristol DJ, his signature thumping house sets smashing it all the way.
8 Nastia
A great 12 months for the Ukrainian, who mixes minimal to melodic techno with a dreamy ebb and flow that oozes class. Sets at fabric with Richie Hawtin and Hito, a breathtaking d’n’b Mixmag Lab and an appearance at Kappa Futur Festival made her one of the most exciting DJs of 2016.
7 [A:RPIA:R]
Raresh, Rhadoo and Petre ‘Pedro’ Inspirescu still manage as many sets together as they do solo. With residencies at Robert Johnson, fabric, Panorama Bar and more, a memorable Off Sónar party, Sunwaves in their homeland and 10-hour sessions around the world, it’s been a standout year for the Romanians.
6 Ben Klock
Our cover star in November gave us an insight into the crazy life of the planet’s leading techno DJ as we joined him for 10 gigs in 10 days, from Helsinki to Sicily. As relentless and driven as his music, his Klockworks parties and Berghain residency are bywords for quality, and his connection to the floor never fails.
5 Nina Kraviz
Name a major music festival in 2016 and Nina was probably there repping the best techno (and beyond) in her eclectic, ever fresh sets. Throw in a serious Ibiza stint at Amnesia, Space and the Circoloco closing party, plus her трип label showcases across the globe and Siberia’s finest has had a phenomenal year.
4 Ben UFO
This underground hero’s ascent to the big league continued apace this year, the Hessle honcho now at the point where he could comfortably headline any club in the world. There are few DJs able to stitch together differing styles with such deftness, triggering epiphanies in four continents on the way to stardom.
3 Jackmaster
Our September cover star has become one of the world’s most versatile and well-loved DJs, and his bookings reflected that, from closing Sónar to killing it at Circoloco, Panorama Bar, Field Day and Awakenings. His Mixmag Live show in Glasgow was one of the parties of the year and his ‘DJ Kicks’ comp was superb.
2 Carl Cox
He may be 30 years deep in the DJ game, but what with the runaway success of The Final Chapter in Ibiza, the Space closing, his Mixmag cover in June (and incredible Mixmag Live show at Fabric), and headline sets at the likes of Kappa Futur and SW4, the daddy of them all has never been bigger.
1 The Black Madonna
At times The Black Madonna felt like the antidote to all the bad news 2016 held. Days after Bowie died she reaffirmed our faith in music with a set at Bugged Out! Weekender featuring an amazing mix of ‘Under Pressure’ and ‘Spastik’, continuing with sets at Glasto, Dekmantel and Space. In a dark year, TBM shone like the sun.
