RA Top 100 DJs of 2015
- Thread starter paulhinrichsen
- Start date
Chris L
Active Member
Both of these I believe to be true. I seem to always be knocking the same people but as everyone has mentioned again and again it is subjective. I just cant wrap my head around Maceo Plex at #2 and Seth Troxler at #7, to me Maceo Plex is just a giant snore and his dj sets lack depth (his production i believe is very good though i will say) I just dont find him enjoyable. And as for Seth, I understand and appreciate his love for the underground and "being different" but i never understand what the hell he is playing nor do i enjoy so i tend to stay away. I caught about 5 minutes of him b2b w/ JJ at Time Warp in Ny and thought they were playing reggatone songs, I was like wtf...
Nostalgic
No longer active
Quite refreshing to see. Really enjoyed Tale Of Us the other week after hearing all the hype and glad to see they are in top 5. And love that track "north star" suprised to see pan-pot so low down the pecking order. Carl cox low down doesnt suprise me really. No Guy Gerber in there aswell? Ive only seen plex boom up since that track in Amnesia came out the speakers
Wernt impressed with seth troxler when i saw him, heard waay better he just seemed to play noise i like him for his character not music. Thought Martinez bros would be in top 10 myself, saw them play some fine quality dark heavy tech sets last year.
Richie Hawtin still my number one though.
Wernt impressed with seth troxler when i saw him, heard waay better he just seemed to play noise i like him for his character not music. Thought Martinez bros would be in top 10 myself, saw them play some fine quality dark heavy tech sets last year.
Richie Hawtin still my number one though.
its inherently a subjective thing and something you should be there to witness so any poll is kinda worthless surely. Ive said 'this is the best set ive ever heard' countless times because at that moment in that place it felt like it. To quantify this with lots of other experiences is futile. Everyone has off days whether the crowd know it or not (im sure dixon has done some sets he thought wern't great?).
so far my favourite dj this year was someone i never saw or will know exactly because dj booth was in a different room but the dancefloor that was created was a sight to behold!
so far my favourite dj this year was someone i never saw or will know exactly because dj booth was in a different room but the dancefloor that was created was a sight to behold!
paulhinrichsen
Active Member
Just to make a point...this was more just to discuss the DJs..not the validity of the poll. Everyone can agree the poll doesnt really mean someone is distinctly better than anyone else as its a popular vote style list. I agree that there are certainly some DJs that have made it into the back end of the 100 who certainly made it there without advertising for votes, or playing major festivals and have kept to their local scene and really smashed it. Rodhad who has now progressed out of Berlin and is playing everywhere was an example of this..now hes in the top 10 and getting booked in Ibiza. Personally im not a huge fan, but I've yet to see him live..but still quite cool to see some of the quick rises like that.
paulhinrichsen
Active Member
Berlin certainly drives the vote more so than ibiza in some aspects.
paulhinrichsen
Active Member
Maceo finished like 5th last year, and has had a great year, all year from what i can tell. My friends and I were trying to predict the top 10 before it came out and we all had Maceo in at least the top 8.
I guess as a house / techno fan i still think some of the most talented dj's ive seen are Andy C (drum n bass) and Primecuts (hiphop/everything) . djing as a skill is spread across so many styles that inevitably it comes down to who is bothered to vote in any poll. So if we're not talking about validity of the poll but skill as a dj then the breadth of people in this top 100 is simply ridiculous. But I hasten to add, as a house/techno fan there are definitely people in there who i think are genuinely good dj's (not producers)
paulhinrichsen
Active Member
I meant it more as the poll doesnt mean Dixon is a better DJ than Carl Cox because hes ranked higher, but it does mean he is more popular amongst the RA fanbase at the moment. RA is certainly limited to the electronic music scene, mainly techno/house and its sub genres. A majority of RA readers are not going to really be into the hip hop or drumnbass scene. On a side note, you have to remember that the poll is supposed to be largely based on the year 2015. RA poll requires you to have clicked attended on an event that an artist your voting for played at to at least try and reinforce the point you should only be voting based off this years merits. Now while I think it does help focus on this year, it will never be perfect and people will always ride off of success from previous years. But if you look at Dixon's resume for 2015, it includes a laundry list of gigs everywhere, nonstop all year, across the globe. He played a lot of big parties in ibiza (dc10 closings, enter, solly +1), he was at the warehouse project in London, his innervisions gigs in Berlin/Panorama Bar, cityfox as well as other extended warehouse parties sets in NYC, and then all of the major festivals from mvmnt in DET to BPM, to Ultra in Miami. He played in more remote dance music locations like Georgia (the country), Japan, had an Australia tour..and to top it off, his Lost in a Momemt parties with innervisions which he curated were loved after the initial issues. The thing about the poll is its about landing yourself in someone's top 5 DJ sets of that year so if you play a lot of special parties in special locations where people are already predisposed to having an unbelievable time..you're going to get a lot of votes on that alone...especially when you're already as talented as Dixon. I would imagine from reading reviews of the LiaM parties that they left a special mark on everyone's year..and that comes down to more as just Dixon as a dj..and im totally fine with that because being a DJ in 2015 is more than mixing and song selection. Its the crowd you attract, the venues you play, and the special moments that happen. A lot of the top DJs on the poll already have a step ahead when you can pull off something like Lost in a Moment. This being said...its a major kudos to lesser known DJs who are more localized in Berlin lets say, and have gained a revered following in their cities alone to push them into the top 100.
paulhinrichsen
Active Member
And if RA editors made the list people would be more furious...i still dont see the genius behind Floating Points. RA as been supporting him endlessly and the new album is just..mehh? RA gave it a 4/5 and the comments people make are all about it. Its just too simple for me, there were 2 tracks on it I enjoyed, but besides that...I just really dont get it. I have also never seen him live..but that ^ was about the Eleania album.
I don't think four tet/Kieron is a great dj myself , but many ppl do it seems. Im no Maceo fanboy but have to admit his essential mix was really good.
David Rodigan could be considered an excellent dj because of his sets but he doesnt 'dj' as such.
I'm essentially agreeing with you i think Paul but I think the act of polling or voting doesnt work.
David Rodigan could be considered an excellent dj because of his sets but he doesnt 'dj' as such.
I'm essentially agreeing with you i think Paul but I think the act of polling or voting doesnt work.
paulhinrichsen
Active Member
I think the best way to use it is as a way of making people talk based on trends of whats rising and whats falling.
elmooreo
Well-Known Member
Fair point, I think if you just listen to the album a couple of times you won't necessarily "get" him as the tracks on the album individually don't really pack much of a punch in the conventional sense. I think for me, I'm just so impressed with him as a person and was hooked on his productions as soon as he released vacuum boogie....it sounds very cheesy but for a lot of FP fans it has been a bit of a journey from that point to here. Read this if you get a mo, it might explain things a bit better
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?2139
Completely agree with you, I think he is far too high on the list myself. Good selector and good producer, but not necessarily a great dj....certainly not in the top 20 dj's of 2015 for me.
Who the hell is voting in these polls..
And the Live Acts list...
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?2572
I'm a huge fan of KiNK so I'm pleased he is getting recognition. Such a humble fella too.
I don't think I've really seen enough live acts to make a fair judgement overall, but Kollectiv Turmstrasse were class when I saw them at Destino and they've pipped in at no 40. Dubfire's live act was pretty good too.
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?2572
I'm a huge fan of KiNK so I'm pleased he is getting recognition. Such a humble fella too.
I don't think I've really seen enough live acts to make a fair judgement overall, but Kollectiv Turmstrasse were class when I saw them at Destino and they've pipped in at no 40. Dubfire's live act was pretty good too.
Shady South American
Active Member
Never really understood what 'live' means or why any punters could care less. I certainly don't.
That said, some great names on that list.
That said, some great names on that list.