Goodspeed's DJ Mag Top 10

It’s that time of year again. Some of the questions surrounding this year’s operation:

-Will Deadmau5 vault even further into the hearts and minds of ravers around the globe? He debuted last year at number 11, and could very well break the top 5 this year. He’s sort of become a megastar if you haven’t noticed.
-Is this the year everybody’s favorite trance titans get knocked out of their ivory tower? Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, and Paul Van Dyk have dominated the top 3 for the better part of the decade. Look for the Mau5 to give them a run for their money.
-Just how popular has the Swedish House Mafia become? Mr’s Angello, Ingrosso and Axwell have slowly but surely been conquering the dance music world one DJ set at a time. I doub’t we’ll see any of them crack the top 10, but all 3 could feasibly find themselves in the 11-20 tier.

Anyhow, for those of you who give a shit, here are the 5 names I submitted for this year’s poll:

1. The Chemical Brothers
Known for their spectacular live performances, the brothers Chemical are no slouches behind the decks. Spinning everything from acid funk to gritty, balls-to-the-wall techno, Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands know how to operate. Their DJ sets are infrequent, so if you have the opportunity to see them spin, don’t hesitate.
2.Steve Lawler
The king of twisted, sexy house. He was the highlight of last year’s installment of Monster Massive. His rhythmic, percussive techno will be sure to get your feet moving.
3. Eric Prydz
Forget ‘Call on Me’. Eric Prydz/Pryda/Cirez D has been the architect of some of the best tunes of the last two years, including Pjanoo, Armed, Europa, and Stockholm Marathon. His tragic flaw: his fear of flying. Conquer your demons and come to America more often, Eric!
4. Richie Hawtin
Techno icon Richie Hawtin is an inspiration to many. He’s one of the most forward thinking DJs in the business and has pioneered an elaborate Traktor-based setup that gives him more freedom than most DJs could handle. His mastery of minimal beats is unparalleled.
5. James Zabiela
Another DJ known for his progressive thinking. With his unique sound and contagious positivity, Zabiela is at the vanguard of the DJ youth movement. It won’t be long before his named gets tossed around with the Digweeds and Cattaneos of the world.

And just for kicks, here’s my 6-10:

6. Markus Schulz
7. Sander Van Doorn
8. Sasha
9. John Digweed
10. Deadmau5

I’m 24 hours away from rocking out to Underworld, Chromeo, Crookers, Tiga, and the like at HARD Summer Festival. Expect a review/pictures/videos sometime next week. Peace!

© 2009, Rob. All rights reserved.