At Data Transmission we’re firm believers that the essence of the beautiful is unity in variety. That’s why curating any sort of list can be an utterly thankless task and selecting the DJs we think have been the most impressive over the last 12 months has been a massive source of contention here in the office.
On reflection, perhaps picking 12 from across the wide smorgasbord of electronic music was a tad ambitious and we quickly realized we could have collated a top 1000. Now multiple fist fights and shouting matches later we’ve completed our first list of the year with our picks for 2018.
Ceri
Ceri has already more than proven herself as a DJ and producer, holding down residencies at highly respected parties and drawing support for her music from some of the biggest names in the business. From first turning heads with her deep, tripped out 9-hour sets as a resident at infamous London after party Jaded, Ceri’s reputation as a captivating DJ has since taken her beyond London to ply her trade in Berlin, Mexico, Ibiza and plenty more besides, not to mention scores of festivals in between.
She recently launched her own label, titled Find Your Own as a vessel for her deep, punchy brand of house and techno, the first release was supported by everyone from Ben UFO, Move D, Midland and William Djoko. She is being featured in places like Mixmag & Resident Advisor in their top tracks sections and has more releases out this year – on her label, Parasol Culture, 3am and more.
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Black Girl / White Girl
Turning the heads of Jamie Jones, Hector Couto, Detlef, Music On’s Marco Carola, LEON and Neverdogs, Black Girl / White Girl (Ty & Karin)are the freshest Amsterdam based production duo to come onto the scene.
Unconstrained by musical boundaries, the pair merge warm, subby basslines and classic house rhythms with trippy vocal snips and whirring synth melodies – taking the time to craft their refreshing, high-octane take on club music that will undoubtedly become a dancefloor staple. Since emerging on the global club circuit due to standout releases on Roush, Flashmob, Lapsus and Resonance Records, Black Girl / White Girl have blossomed into more experienced producers and DJs who know how to work a dancefloor.
Their new music is a bit more minimal and tougher going forward and they have music coming out soon on Twisted Fusion, Underground Audio, SOUP (NYC) and two other major signings. They’ve also finally getting involved with big remixes this year, including a remix for Andre Salmon’s Sagmen imprint.
For the summer they already have a string of shows in Europe, they said “We are really looking forward to hitting the road and showing what we’re capable of on the decks. We’ll also be joining Pirupa’s NONSTOP Lab at some point this year, which is going to be another new experience and very exciting for us”
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Wax Worx
2017 was quite a year for Wax Worx, having already cemented his name as ‘One To Watch’ with a string of high profile releases on labels such as Suara, Simma and Playmobil, and his music being played by industry heavyweights such as Carl Cox, Claude Von Stroke, Solardo, Santé and Todd Terry to name a choice few. He kicked off the year launching his co-owned label ‘Shanghaied’ with his ‘Bump Shake’ track, which was then picked up by Radio 1’s Monki and premiered on her show.
Soon after he found out that his unofficial remix of the Human Resource classic ‘Dominator’ was being hammered by Techno king Paco Osuna, and been a mainstay of his sets for over 6months! With such high demand for the track, the summer saw it receive an official release on Armada Subjekt, becoming one of the top selling and streamed tracks ever on the label, going on to be highlighted by Mixmag when Eats Everything kicked off his set with it at the re-opening of Warehouse Project in Manchester.
As the year drew to a close his production continued to gain high critical acclaim, having developed his own unique sound, it reached the ears of the ‘King Of Space’ Steve Lawler, who singled out his production style as ‘creatively different’ applauding his work and signing 3 tracks to VIVa Limited, ensuring Wax Worx’s unstoppable rise throughout 2018.
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William DJOKO
Thanks to the runaway success of his heavyweight ‘OMG’ single on legendary New York house label Strictly Rhythm, William Djoko has finally hit the dizzy heights that his talents always suggested he would.
Before moving into DJing and production, the naturally optimistic Djoko trained as a dancer and was often asked to jump on the mic at house and techno parties. He brings this element of showmanship to all his DJ sets, acting as an energetic link between the crowd and the music he loves so much. This was ever present in 2017 which included a notable closing slot at Circoloco at DC10 in Ibiza.
It’s a style that has seen Djoko go from resident DJ at legendary Amsterdam venue Trouw to being a regular behind the decks at highly regarded festivals and club nights around the world. He will begin two new residencies for 2018 – at hot Amsterdam venue Shelter and for London titan promoters LWE in conjunction with Dense & Pika.
Djoko’s rise through the DJ ranks has been sound tracked by a string of well received productions. Before Strictly Rhythm came calling, he had been putting out music for almost a decade. In that time, he released singles and EPs on an impressive array of well-regarded underground labels, including Rush Hour, Mobilee, Voyage Direct, Leftroom and Tuskegee.
Coming for 2018, we heard there is a single coming on Jackmaster’s Numbers Imprint.
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SEFF
There are few DJs/Producers that can say they have been around for over two decades and are still one of the most sought-after DJs within the industry. Smashing onto the scene back in ’92, SEFF has evolved with the times and kept a unique, raw underground Deep/Tech House and Techno vibe that has turned heads across the globe.
2012 saw SEFF become one of the most envied title within the electronic dance music circuit: A VIVa Warrior Resident. Handpicked by Steve Lawler himself and with several EPs signed to the label this was only the tip of the iceberg for what has happened since. Following the success from VIVa, SEFF gained the attention of Jamie Jones, Lee Foss, Richy Ahmed and the rest of the Paradise crew, with a huge 3 track Vinyl release in 2014 on Hot Creations.
Now, rolling into 2018 in style, SEFF has started to roll out his very own, brand-new, ground-breaking concept ‘Mirror Numbers’ which is set to consist of a brand-new record label, his very own ultra-extended DJ sets, worldwide curated label nights alongside good friends of the industry and a brand-new radio show on DT Radio.
We are super excited about SEFF this year and no doubt be hearing a hell of a lot more about ‘Mirror Numbers’ from now.
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1991
The impressive DnB talent ‘1991’ had a massive 2017.
Originally from a small rural town in East Sussex and with influences from across the musical spectrum from Rock to Punk to Ska, the now London based DJ and producer 1991, who goes by the name of Fred Webb, has emerged as one of the most exciting newcomer artists in UK Dance music. After releasing on MTA Records and OWSLA’s sister imprint NEST, at the start of 2017 he has been earmarked as a #NewName by Danny Howard on BBC Radio 1.
In 2017 he also teamed up with Sub Focus for an electrifying remix of ‘Don’t You Feel It’ featuring rising star ALMA and he also won Best Newcomer at DrumandBass Arena Awards.
Now in 2018, 1991 returns with his new single, ‘The Epiphany’, featuring vocals from Matt Wilson.
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Kings of Rollers
Even if you haven’t heard of Kings of the Rollers before, there’s a good chance you’re at least familiar with its comprising members. Serum, Voltage and Bladerunner are all well-established producers and DJs, known most commonly for making cutting-edge dance music at 170BPM.
Serum and Bladerunner first started working together several years ago, before they realised Voltage also aligned with their artistic visions. With the D&B scene heading in several different directions, the trio found similarities by fusing rolling tracks with classic jungle elements.
Having spent time together in the studio, they first joined to play last year for a set on the internet radio station Rough Tempo. With this receiving praise from the heads who listened, it followed naturally that they started playing more often.
After catching them at Hospitality in the Park last year, we’ve been soaking up as much as we can of Kings of Rollers and with releases already on Hospital in 2018, this is going to be a big year for them.
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Jayda G
Jayda G is a Canadian music producer and DJ that moves back and forth from Vancouver to Berlin. She produced her first release under the Australian label, Butter Sessions, and now Jayda G has started a new record label project called Freakout Cult. The label is co-produced with Sex Tags Mania co-founder, DJ Fett Burger. The inspiration for forming their own label came from the Freakout Cult club night that Jayda G and DJ Fett Burger hosted in Vancouver.
She sprung to our attention last year with her uplifting mix from the Saturday of Dekmantel 2017 in Croatia, which gave the crowd a big dose of TLC (the compassion) and TLC (the group). Towards the end of 2017 she released her remix of ‘Die Dimension’ which is taken from Perel’s debut 12″ for DFA and already for 2018 she has a strong touring schedule.
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Vangelis Kostoxenakis
Vangelis Kostoxenakis is a dedicated DJ & music producer hailing from the south side of Athens, Greece.
His desire to create music led to him studying music technology & sound engineering at college, being the perfectionist he is he admits heʼs still polishing his craft to this day. In an expansive career in the business he has developed a deep musical background through various styles yet has always remained dedicated to house music, with several successful monikers such as Phatjak, Angel Stoxx & Breaking Toys gaining great levels of commercial success, and of course his latest trademark signature sounds under his birth name.
After recent releases on Dirtybird, Food Music and his own Talk of the Town, he roars in 2018 with a fresh house music sound, for which we are very excited about.
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ZØE
ZØE has been quickly establishing herself as one of the hottest new names on the European scene, playing fired-up and groove-laden Techno sets in some of the most renowned clubs on the circuit. After spending a few years as a passionate raver and Electronic Music enthusiast, ZØE finally rose up to the challenge and took the stage, willing to exchange with likeminded crowds her love of the underground sounds that inspired her so much on the dance floor.
Zøe joins Sam Paganini, who is currently one of the biggest names in Techno, his productions have had unquestionable influence and his DJ performances consistently attract legions of diehard fans. Currently touring the globe showcasing his much-anticipated ’Zenith’, Sam’s 3rd album to date and his first since the Drumcode-released ‘Satellite’ in 2014.
We are expecting more productions from ZØE in 2018.
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Palms Trax
Palms Trax is a producer and DJ based in Berlin, Germany. His first record was released in October of 2013 on London-based imprint Lobster Theremin.
For aspiring DJs and producers, or indeed, anyone who appreciates a good story, the genesis of Palms Trax couldn’t have read any dreamier. You know the one; curious yet naive son of the English Riviera lands a job at one of London’s leading record stores and discovers the masters of Chicago house and Detroit techno. Later stumbling around Berlin, his primitive attempts to emulate the sound of his newfound heroes accidentally land him a bona fide dancefloor hit, inadvertently positioning him as a key figure in an emerging ‘lo-fi’ scene. But it would have been all too easy to have been defined by this quickfire success, forever locked in a loop of gritty kickdrums, smudgy tape hiss and tedious Youtube nostalgia.
Suffice to say, Palms Trax, otherwise known as Jay Donaldson has been smart enough to avoid these potential pitfalls. Instead, he’s still learning, digging, (over)thinking and gradually a steady stream of EPs courtesy of Dutch dance music powerhouse Dekmantel.
Donaldson has also-amassed a patient, open-minded following with his cult monthly radio show, the decidedly less-than-culinary ‘Cooking with Palms Trax’, broadcast on Berlin Community Radio since 2015. Into 2018, he’ll be holding down residencies in Boston, Glasgow and Bordeaux, as well as inviting like-minded DJs into his metaphorical kitchen, throughout a series of self-curated evenings into early mornings of music.
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Fancy Inc
Adriano Dub and Matheus R aka Fancy Inc from Novo Hamburgo in Brazil, have had a bit of a rocket of a start to the fancy inc project, having already had appearances on a host of major labels such as: Lost Records, Lapsus Music, Clarisse Records, Criminal Hype, Warung Recordings, Underground Audio, Suah Records, Incorrect Music, Be One Records, Kinetika Records, Radiola Records with over than 30 releases.
They are friends comes from slightly different musical paths that joined in middle of 2014, to form this collaboration, and hence came the idea of the project Fancy Inc. Although the short time of Fancy Inc in the scene, these days they are able to devote full time at they career and studio, where they has gained a great prominence. The duo has always maintained his musical preferences very well defined, with lots of personality and influences from House to Techno.
With a new label for 2018, they are going to be stepping it up massively.
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