THE NEXT 50 119 141 Here Are the Djs Who Weren’T Quite Voted Into the Top 100 This Year… 101
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THE NEXT 50 119 141 Here are the DJs who weren’t quite voted into the Top 100 this year… 101. SLUSHII 102. JETLAG 103. LOCO DICE 104. SIGMA 105. MADEON 106. COSMIC GATE 107. NETSKY 108. FTAMPA 109. ARTY 110. NUCLEYA 111. CHEAT CODES 112. NEELIX 113. KREWELLA 114. DYRO 115. CURBI 131 116. MARCO CAROLA 117. BORGORE 118. ADAM BEYER 119. JAMIE JONES 120. INFECTED MUSHROOM 121. BREATHE CAROLINA 122. SEVEN LIONS 123. DJ FEEL 124. A-TRAK 125. VICETONE 113 126. MARKUS SCHULZ 127. JACK U 128. MARLO 129. GREEN VELVET 130. CHASE & STATUS 131. FELGUK 132. DADDYS GROOVE 133. MARTIN SOLVEIG 134. SETH TROXLER 135. DENIZ KOYU 138 136. BEN NICKY 137. SHOWTEK 118 133 138. PAUL OAKENFOLD 139. BOBINA 140. OMNIA 141. NINA KRAVIZ 142. ZOMBOY 143. SUNNERY JAMES & RYAN MARCIANO 144. ERICK MORILLO 145. MERK & KREMONT 146. KOLSCH 147. DEORRO 148. POPOV 149. SANDER VAN DOORN 150. FATBOY SLIM 129 DJMAG.COM 129 DJ575.Top100_nxt 50.indd 129 16/10/2017 14:26 UNDER THE INFLUENCE Even the top DJs had to learn from someone. In the Top 100 set questions in the preceding pages, we asked all the DJs voted into the chart who their mentor was when fi rst starting out, and here we ask a number of the most successful and respected DJs in their various particular fi elds who inspired them initially... Words: DAVE JENKINS his month we’ve learnt who the public have each turntable titan was given the chance to vote for their voted as their favourite DJs, but who are the own favourite DJ. But when the art of mixing is your career DJs’ favourite DJs? Who inspired them and put and lifelong craft, the very idea of picking just one DJ is them on the exciting path they’re on today? a complex and often philosophical issue. We came for the T We’ve asked this to some of the most respected favourite DJ story, we left with a deeper understanding of DJs in the game this month. Selected across the genre what DJing means to some of the most respected selectors in spectrum from house to hip-hop, techno to drum & bass, their fi elds. Time for a true DJ schooling… “THIS IS A VERY COMPLEX TOPIC. People think there’s a simple for- mula to be a good DJ, but there isn’t. Formulas contradict the true meaning of being an artist. Many qualities represent a good DJ; knowledge, skill, passion, charm and the ability to transmit subtle emotional matter, guiding people through unexpected musical routes to achieve the optimal experience where everything unites and becomes one. But it’s not solely based on these qualities; it’s also the combination of time and the place, where a DJ is at in life, his physical and mental state, risks he is ready to take, true artistic freedom and confi dence that shines through a leader. But more than anything I value human touch, vulnerability and a sense of a real individual behind the mix that is opening the door to their world and doesn’t know quite yet where and how it will all end up. “We are not robots. Not yet. Unless you rely too much on technol- ogy, you shouldn’t always be technically perfect. I love hearing the record breathing and becoming almost physically attached to an artist. I want to feel the DJ living in the moment of that mix. We might be heading towards a singularity where emotion will become lost. Technology is a great thing but it’s okay to make errors and remain a human being in the full sense of the word. “Jeff Mills is a great example. I love his intuitive, rough, fast and at times loose vinyl mixing. You can hear him adjusting, chasing and locking those records together. You can almost feel his blood pressure. It’s so haunting. And then there’s Laurent Garnier, who I feel is as close to the universal emblem as we can get. “During my beginner steps, he had everything I needed to capture my imagination and emotions. When I saw him playing as a young DJ looking for inspiration, he was so passionate that it seemed like he had electricity running through him. I loved the way he could mix everything genre-wise and make it completely coherent in such a masterful narrative. His ability to transmit feelings struck me forever. “It’s a shame that emotional sensitivity is almost treated as a mistake or problem now, but for me it’s paramount. We live in interesting times. Things, values are changing, and that’s cool. But I will always continue doing things my way because of inspiration from guys like Laurent, Jeff, I-F and many PAOLA KUDACKI PAOLA less-known DJs who I’ve Pic: been infl uenced by. I don’t much rate sterile soulless mixing and trendy tracks NINA dropped in the most usual ‘effective way’. I’d rather want to be part of an experi- KRAVIZ ence and contribute to the whole emotional quality (Laurent Garnier) of the moment that the DJ is sharing with me. And a solid cherry on top would be magically brought to a totally unexpected sonic place by a DJ who himself wouldn’t know how that actually happened.” 130 DJMAG.COM DJ575.FT-DJsDJs.indd 130 12/10/2017 15:15 ANDY C (DJ Randall) “GOING RIGHT BACK TO THE VERY START, the fi rst DJ I saw was a guy called Just Jones at an event that Scott Red One put on. He then started me on the path, and from there I was hooked. Hooked on raves, listening to the music, soaking up the vibe and understanding what raves really were. Then I went to AWOL at the Paradise Club and that pretty much changed my life. I was super-young at the time but it had a profound effect on me. “It was fi ve DJs, two hours each; Kenny Ken, Darren Jay, Micky Finn, Dr S Gachet and Randall. All of them were so inspiring, with their own totally unique vibe. But, for me, it was always Randall who inspired me the most. You knew the second he and Goldie arrived in the club by hearing Goldie’s whistle. It’s like, ‘Right, Randall’s here and it’s going to go off’. He’d blow your brains out. The way he’d roll things out and his selections were just out of this world. I can still remember some of those blends now. “And he’s still just as inspiring to this day. I had him down at XOYO earlier this year and watched every mix and would think, ‘Wow, I’d never even think of doing that!’ You see some DJs playing and you know what the mixes are going to do and when things will come in, but he still throws in surprises after all these years. The genius of his switches and how he’d take things where you’d least expect. It’s not about transitions, it’s about creating actual moments between the records. That’s the art of DJing right there. That’s Randall, mate.” EATS EVERYTHING “NO OTHER DJ HAS BEEN ON TOP OF THEIR GAME LIKE CARL COX. The main (Carl Cox) man for 30 years and the only DJ who can put 10,000 people in a nightclub anywhere in the world. He seems to get bigger and bigger. He’s peaking now! And what makes it better is that he’s such a fucking dude. “The fi rst time I saw him was Lakota, Bristol, in around 1996. He was late. Very late. 4am, 5am, 6am, still no Carl Cox but we’re promised he’s coming. By the time he turns up, around seven or eight, only around 300 of us had stayed but he played until around midday and he absolutely fucking smashed it. “There was a rumour that he didn’t take a fee because he let the people of Bris- tol down. An urban myth that we’d all speculate on at after-parties. I’ve since asked him if he remembered the night. He did. And he didn’t take the fee. What a legend. We can never forget how privileged we are to do this for a living. So when you’ve not done everything right, that’s how you should behave. “Basically, if Carl Cox doesn’t do it, you probably shouldn’t too. Not the way you DJ, but the way you handle yourself. No one says a bad word about him. Why? Because he’s sound and nice to people. People won’t take you seriously if you’re a bit of a twat. You won’t cross genres like he has if you’re a diva. When you’re a nice guy, people want to rebook you, hang out with you and make your life enjoyable and amazing when you’re away from your family and close friends for weeks or months on tour. That’s how Carl Cox behaves, and 30 years at the top is testament to why it’s the best way to behave.” DJMAG.COM 131 DJ575.FT-DJsDJs.indd 131 12/10/2017 15:15 DJ CRAZE (QBert) MARILYN CLARK MARILYN Pic: IAN O’CONNOR Pic: DAVE CLARKE (John Peel) “FOR ME, IT ALL STARTED WITH KOOL DJ HERC. DJs before seemed cheesy, untrustworthy and driven by ego and not music. Something that has sadly returned in this post-Trump, post-EDM, social media era.