Its been truly one of those years, where Dance Music has scaled every possible peak and garnered fans from afar and distant, owing to its phenomenal ranks of talent. Superstar DJs have made their presence more ominous than ever, through tireless touring, relentless releases and ceaseless interaction with their fans all over the world. However they have been a few artists who have proven to be the true harbingers of talent and skill, as they emerged from near obscurity to challenge the EDM greats for a piece of superstardom, and these few, in their own right, have achieved it. This year has been about the new – the fresh – and the Emerging artists who have shown the world, that with creativity and hardwork, any dream can come true.
Yesterday, we posted the first in our series of highlighting the Best of 2014 through the Top 10 Events in India in 2014. Here now, as part of our ongoing feature for #Beatsof2014, is our second definitive ranking – the Artists to look forward to in 2015!
10. LANE 8
It’s just been a perfect year for Daniel Goldstein. He has had a plethora of huge releases through “Every Night,” “Be Mine” and “How I Feel”, and been part of nearly every major Anjuna compilation this year. But all this accolade has come in his direction rightly so, as the young German has worked tirelessly in the last three years to be where he is now. Firmly rooted in the lush terrain of melodic deep house, Lane 8 has shown that artists who consciously drift away from the big room sound, may still garner critical and commercial acclaim, while staying true to their artistic intent. 2015 is surely looking great for this talented producer.
9. GALANTIS
Back in November 2013, when Linus Eklow of Style of Eye and Christian Karlsson aka one third of Miike Snow decided to get together and collaborate, a sudden surge of creative energy must have hit them as they got down to writing some supremely dance – worthy songs. The duo have had a steady climb this year with timely releases and unlimited support from some of Dance Music’s titans, who have only sung praise for their distinctive style of euphoric and progressive house. One of the highlights of their year, was their iconic ‘Help‘ video which was a visual and aural treat for those who caught it live at Coachella. 2015 can only take these two higher, as we look forward to more music and videos from Galantis.
8. AUTOGRAF
When someone remixes a Daft Punk and Swedish House Mafia classic, respectively, in the same month, and find themselves abuzz every social media bench, you sit up and take notice. The Chicago based trio have been relentless this year, as they bought their visionary style to the fore with some eclectic reworks and sparkling originals. Their easy downtempo style was a refreshing change from the mid-summer Festival anthems that were thwarting every arena and radio show at the time. Like a breath of fresh air, an array of easy-listening anthems were unveiled and the Autograf fanbase began to grow. Towards the final months of the year, through a remix for artists such as The Grisowolds and Corbu, Autograf showed that they are skilled producers indeed, making some intense vocal-laiden pop jewels into dance-worthy shakedowns as well. Here’s to the fantastic trio and looking forward to hearing more about them in 2015.
7. ANSOLO
As Steve Angello unveiled to the world a stunning jungle-infused monster track through his label Size Records, many kept guessing just who was the new collaborator with Tom Staar behind ‘Totem‘. It turns out Ansel Elgort came out of obscurity to challenge the mainstream greats, with a dash of his unique blend of electro and progressive house. Ansolo became the toast of 2014 in the US, owing to his anthemic collaboration with Staar, that quite easily became the part of every DJ set of the year and turned into one of the fan-favorite anthems of the year. Of course, the career for this young artist is just beginning as he finds his footing with more recent collaborations in the pipeline, but you’d be sure to keep an eye on this guy in the next year. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, why that face is so familiar, he’s also an accomplished actor, landing a role as the lead in summer blockbuster ‘The Fault In Our Stars‘!
6. ROBIN SCHULZ
German producers have it all under their control, don’t they? After an almost breathtaking year, which saw him as the jewel behind two of the year’s biggest Deep House remixes, Robin Schulz ended the year as a co-founder for Record label as well! His remix of “Waves” by Dutch hip hop artist Mr Probz and Lilly Wood & the Prick track “Prayer in C”, charted high up in many European countries and the United States, leading to international recognition and worldwide acclaim. He then co-founded Lausbuben Records with Daniel Bruns and Christopher Noble besides releasing his own debut album featuring a mammoth 20 tracks! Schulz has certainly it all figured out and we can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store for us!
5. FLUME
Australia’s latest import, Flume, has been consistently in the news this year for all the right reasons. From a scintillating remix of Lorde to unreleased music that he produced at the age of 12, Flume has always caught our attention with his musical abilities and cutting edge production style. He has also been vocal about not making music for “EDM kids” and has chartered his own path of a devoted principle – to make emotive and soul churning electronica, unbiased and free from any adulteration. His upcoming debut album has us all waiting in glee and we can’t wait for 2015 to hit us with more Flume productions.
4. OLIVER HELDENS
Oliver Heldens became in 2014, one of the most trendiest artists of the year, as his unique Deep house style bought one too many fans under his enchantment. With ‘Koala‘ and ‘Gecko‘ turning out to be his biggest hits ever, they also paved the way for production creativity unabashed from any previously renowned styles and signatures. Considering he was pegged on the Spinnin Records roster, saw him wildly soar around in the social media universe, however it was his fantastic musical ability that saw him celebrate his success amidst one of the year’s most loved and discussed Essential mixes as well. Looking forward to a fantastic 2015 with Heldens.
3. Tchami
Post the Random Access Memories phenom that spread across the world, everyone turned their attention to France and the string of superproducers it boasts off. Off the plethora of talent that emerged, one name quietly stood out as supreme and distinct, yet with a resounding penchant for Dancefloor dominion. Tchami became the toast of the year with a string of super hot productions and remixes and his fantastic on stage persona that quickly ascertained him to the top and won him accolades and fans everywhere. A shortlived twitter dispute with Oliver Heldens, only did both the artists good and made them more popular than ever, but its his musical genius that saw this Spinnin Record recruit reign supreme. Looking forward to a fantastic 2015 with Tchami.
2. KYGO
If there was one artist who single-handedly dictated the escalation of EDM, it would be Kygo. The young Norwegian took the world of Dance music by storm by his seemingly surprise entry into the mainstream, as he quickly became the cheer and joy of every EDM fan on the globe. Everyone loved Kygo. Everyone loved Tropical House. His amazing production skills were as refreshing a change as any, but it was his remixing skills for Coldplay launched him on centerstage, before a signed deal with Ultra made everyone sit up and take notice. Couple of remixes later and everyone wanted to know everything about him. But his real test came when he had to replace Swedish superstar Avicii at Tomorrowworld – a challenge he accepted gracefully and passed with flying colors. Any doubters of his talent as producer and DJ were shunned in silence as he reiterated all the hype behind him. The year ended with the promise of tours, a track on the Entourage movie soundtrack and the release of his much-talked about debut track ‘Firestone‘. Certainly one artist we all will have our eyes on in 2015!
1. ZHU
2014 would have been just fine without ZHU, but just his presence in the last twelve months has reiterated the fact that good music reigns supreme and true talent can still remain faceless in the times of high-profile public relations. Choosing to remain mysterious, ZHU has showed the world that music with a vision, needs no name behind it. His fantastically marketed Nightday EP became a playlist-essential for DJs and fans all over the world, as they swooned over the garage inspired ‘Superfriends‘ or the future house delight ‘Faded‘. He rightfully closed the year with two stunning sold out shows in Brooklyn, NY called “The NightDay Experience“, and an unexpected Grammy nomination as well, certainly testifying to his supremacy over the Dance Music machine and his quiet yet swift march to the metaphorical throne of the industry. What will 2015 unveil from ZHU, we just have to wait and watch!
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