Features
The Top 20 DJs Of 2016
The selectors who have been on red-hot form throughout the year
“Sleep is for the weak.” So goes the determined session slogan of partygoers across the world, giving their all in the stakes of dancing until the very last kilojoule of energy is squeezed from weary muscles. Our subculture is a passionate bunch, devoting countless nights and weekends to getting down deep into the early hours.
But we’re all human and it’s impossible to constantly be on raging form. There will be times when an afternoon of festival antics is soundly slept through in the campsite, or a decision is made to give those multiple club nights being eyed up this weekend a miss in the interest of self-care.
Certain DJs seem to possess a superhuman power above this, consistently staying on-point during relentless, continent-hopping tour schedules. There’s nothing more sobering than just about shaking off your hangover from Friday’s dance party midway through the following week and realising the DJ who blew your mind has since played three gigs across South America and a fourth in Tokyo, managing to spin world-class sets on each occasion.
Our DJs Of The Year are the in-demand selectors who always bring their A-game. No matter where they are, who they’re playing to, they are always on red-hot form, working tirelessly to create the magical dancefloor moments we all live for.
Listen to a Spotify playlist featuring the DJs' top tracks here.
20 Sonja Moonear
Sonja Moonear smashed 2016 not because of a big marketing campaign or slew of releases on big labels but because she’s a master selector with undying love for her craft. No gimmicks, just pure undiluted work means she’s been a true force of nature, DJing for Cocoon, Fuse, Half Baked, Awakenings, Art Of Dark and more.
19 Enzo Siragusa
As the founder of FUSE London, one of the city’s best Sunday parties, this year Enzo Siragusa broke through into the big time. The party teamed with HYTE in Ibiza for unforgettable Wednesdays at Amnesia as he secured a slot on Rinse FM, smashed festivals worldwide and scored a well-deserved Essential Mix in November.
18 Gerd Janson
With his hands-in- the-air, disco-heavy sets, the Running Back boss featured heavily across festival line-ups all summer, from the mountains of Bulgaria to the beaches of California, bringing jubilation wherever he went. All of which he boiled into a party-focused fabric mix that serves as a constant reminder of his skill.
17 Job Jobse
Shaking the life out of the colosseum-shaped Temple Stage at Glastonbury, alongside Ben UFO, the night became a true showcase of Job Jobse’s talents. And while the former Trouw resident remains a regular face on the Amsterdam scene, he’s spread a rich mix of techno, house and disco across Europe’s festivals and clubs.
16 Alan Fitzpatrick
Southampton’s finest built on his breakthrough last year with a string of incandescent sets at Drumcode’s Tobacco Dock parties, Creamfields, Onyx in Ibiza and Glasgow’s Pressure. Fearlessly crowd-pleasing without ever letting his musical standards slip, the big man is making a habit of being the best on the bill.
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.
