RA Top 100 DJs of 2015

paulhinrichsen

paulhinrichsen

Active Member
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?2571

Just wanted to hear everyone's thoughts on the poll this year. I know its somewhat of a popularity contest, but it does give some insight on which DJs have really made their mark in 2015. Four Tet, Jamie xx, Job Jobse, Black Coffee, and Patrick Topping all either entered for the first time really high or jumped a lot this year. The top 10 was fairly predictable except for Jackmaster which I thought was odd. (Not because of talent, but because I didnt think he had that big of a following to push him to 5) Also quite interesting to see Motor City Drum Ensemble ahead of the likes of Jamie Jones especially with how big of a following Jamie has and the success of Paradise, particularly in Ibiza. Also nice to see Maceo who I have stil managed not to see yet, make it all the way to two. Maybe that will help out HYTE a bit in their second year!
 
The only reason I can see that Maceo is number 2 is because people are still creaming over that remix that lasted all night in Amnesia.
 
Always an interesting read...lots of dj's campaign hard for this one as they know this is the one that matters and it can influence bookings and fees etc. Overall I think the list is good and isn't too much of a cop out. Plenty of underground selectors getting represented alongside the slightly more commercial heavy hitters. Interesting to see the likes of Luciano, Hawtin, Cox, even Carola...big big draws in Ibiza but gradually sliding down the list.

Many have said it, seeing dj's like Ben UFO and Ben Klock so high up gives the list some real credibility, but I am a little surprised to see a top 3 of TOU, Maceo and Dixon. Don't get me wrong I think they are all great on their day, but that to me tells you that the Innervisions/Dream don't sleep/life and death kind of vibe is the popular sound of the moment. For me Dixon wasn't as good as he has been this year, and the times I have seen them he was maybe out performed by Kristian...but you can't take anything away from him those long sets are so powerful and the Lost In A Moment parties are unique and they pour their heart and soul into making those happen so fair play. Better seeing someone so committed to evolving the culture and standing up for the things that really matter at the top of the list than someone who just loves getting messed up and earning lots of money!

My other observation is that there are many good dj's missing out...just goes to show how much talent there is out there...the likes of Axel Boman, Ellen Allien, Damian Lazarus etc missing out is surprising.

That's my 10p worth anyway!
 
i've been a fan of dixon for about 12 years now and he's earned his success but some of those names do seem to be very festival hype-driven. (Skream, jackmaster lol) If it was purely based on merit, convextion, steffi, paramida, dom cappello, mark e would all be in there
 
That's the thing isn't it....the balance between talent and popularity isn't ever going to be favorable to all the guys who just quietly go about their business...but the fact that some of those guys have made it into this list...the likes of Floating Points, Gerd Janson, Omar S, Ryan Elliot, tama Sumo...can only be seen as a good thing.

To be fair to Skream and Jackmaster....I had my reservations, particularly about Skream, but every time I've seen them this year they have smashed it and they both adapt well to different sounds, different environments...admittedly I saw them mainly at glasto or festival style events, but they both graft really hard...they deserve it this year for me.
 
Shady South American said:
some of those names do seem to be very festival hype-driven. (Skream, jackmaster lol)
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Of allllllllll the names on that list, the 2 that annoy you the most are Jackmaster & Skream???? Really?!

I do get you're overall objection, but i cannot recall a single festival - mainstream or otherwise - which Skream has had a big billing for???
 
It's funny how people go in/out of fashion. I used to make a big noise about Innervisions on the radio 1 / pete tong /defected forums and people were all 'it's boring, it's not minimal enough, it's too deep, too slow' and then i'd talk about it on the techno forums and people were 'it's too proggy, rej is a rip-off of beau mot plage or dem young sconies' etc etc but in the actual clubs everyone was blown away. Personally i preferred it when it was all about the clubs, but these guys have to eat so i can understand why they won't be complaining. Fickle scenesters will get bored though and move on to something else. They always do..
 
white_isle_calling said:
Of allllllllll the names on that list, the 2 that annoy you the most are Jackmaster & Skream???? Really?!

I do get you're overall objection, but i cannot recall a single festival - mainstream or otherwise - which Skream has had a big billing for???
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Skream headlined piknik barcelona last year. Was bored shitless. Although sound didn't help and Jackmaster ahead of Omar S (really?!)
 
You are right...I suspect if they had run a poll like this on dj history or another site, the list of course will always be different and there will always be little injustices.

Jackmaster has worked his nuts off this year, he's probably played 100 gigs plus...he puts himself out there! He consistently gets very diverse bookings and can smash it out for an hour at a festival or for hours on end in a small club with 200 people. If you hear him play he'll often surprise with his selections. He has a hand in a decent label and seems to have his feet on the ground. I just think good for him, why not. It is perhaps surprising he is so high up, but when you think about who your average RA user is these days maybe it isn't?
 
Obv all subjeccccctive... And as you said it is good to see people from the fringes getting recognised

Esp Donato Dozzy. Amazing music. (see also red axes, juju/jordash, tinman - in similar vein, worthy of similar acclaim)
 
Shady South American said:
Skream headlined piknik barcelona last year. Was bored shitless.
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That surprises me. I'd never go out of my way to see him, but he's always be consistently good the times I have, and played across of variety of genres.

I absolutely agree regarding Omar-S (amongst others) ranking, but it is a popularity poll. How much did Omar-S do in 2015? Probably enough to stay relevant in the underground, probably more than enough creatively... but not enough to fall onto the radar of the masses who make-up the vast majority of voters ie. those who have an interest in underground electronic music but only go the the most mainstream of underground events...

Admitted that is an oxymoron, but you catch my drift
 
as ever with these polls people get too involved with the results. People vote, these people may have a different view in terms of their music to you. If a lot of people have a differing view of music than you then there will be a lot of acts high up the poll who you disagree with. If lots of people share similar taste to you then there will be lots of acts high up that you like.

It is what it is, its personal opinion.

for what its worth, Dixon is one of my favourite DJ's but then another of my favourites didn't make the list at all.

the interesting thing i take from the poll is that the influence of Ibiza in the RA poll is waning....Music On/Coxy and Cocoon are HUGE nights in Ibiza - but their ringleaders are not overly high up the list....
 
onemore said:
the interesting thing i take from the poll is that the influence of Ibiza in the RA poll is waning....Music On/Coxy and Cocoon are HUGE nights in Ibiza - but their ringleaders are not overly high up the list....
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That is a very interesting and correct observation! If i were to ask my facebook friends list who was their fav DJ, I'm almost certain Carola would top it by a landslide.
 
Good point about waning influence of ibiza. it's all about international multi lineup festivals now.. Obv a lot of these guys still play in ibiza but it is A destination rather than THE destination nowadays. It also reflects how different the RA demographic is to the DJ poll. Totally parallel universes
 
Yeah interesting...you could say though of course that the top 5 are all DC10 regulars...
Maybe it is just that Italians and Spaniards aren't voting due to the language barrier? If they were you'd expect Carola and Capriati both higher.
 
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