It has now been 20+ years since the DJ Mag Top 100 phenomenon was born.
What began as a celebration of the 100th issue of DJ Mag on 21st October 1993, has now grown and how! Unlike when the list began for the very first time when the 100 Best DJs in the world were based on the opinion of all the staff, there is now a massive public voting system that determines the list.
The extremely controversial list has featured the whos who over its many years. While it has always had its fair share of supporters, it also has an equal amount of skeptics. Not only among the audiences but as time goes by even a fair share of artists have begun to voice their concerns on how this system works and it’s genuineness.
Talking about the DJ Mag Top 100 list from 2019, the regulars seemed to dominate the top. With 3-time #1 Martin Garrix being dethroned by Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike for the top spot, the top 10 remained more or less unshaken.
In an unabashed interview just days before the ceremony, Martin Garrix revealed his thoughts on the list saying,
“I really don’t care, the so-called world ranking. I don’t need a list to do what I like. I am at 1, yes. And Tiësto is very many places below me. That doesn’t make sense, does it? I started playing music through him. I am not a better DJ than him, maybe now I just have a bit more hype around me. By the way, there are also people in that list from whom I have never heard of, so I have my doubts about the creation. In any case, I have never made a call to vote for me and I will never do so. Whether that list should be abolished? I can, but he will continue. Particularly in Asia, great importance is attached to it. But the only thing that really matters is how many tickets you sell and whether you make people happy.”
A regular on the list and a hardstyle chart-topper, Headhunterz also expressed his views on the listing and said he wanted to withdraw himself from any further DJ Mag Top 100 listings stating multiple reasons.
Here are a few of the deserving acts, in no particular order, who we found to be completely missing from the 2019 DJ Mag Top 100 DJ’s rankings.
Kaskade
Having been on the scene for way over a decade, he has helped shape the EDM scene in North America. To find a pioneer like Kaskade gets no mention when talking about not Top 10 or 20, but the supposed Top 100 DJ’s in the world, something seems to be amiss.
Seven Lions
Leading the way from the front with his stunning new music and showcasing upcoming talent on his very own record label, Ophelia, it is pretty surprising to see no mention at all of him on the Top 100 list.
Nora En Pure
While it was heartening to see a number of women featured on this year’s list, with Alison Wonderland leading the way with a massive jump, one name we found strikingly missing was Nora En Pure.
Joris Voorn
Leading the scene from many years with the pioneers of the Tecno scene, to see unheard-of names on the list with pioneers like Voorn missing from it has us thinking twice. Don’t get us wrong, we are all for new talent being recognized, but acts like this completely missing have us rethinking the level of genuineness here.
Galantis
The Swedish duo broke onto the scene with their vial hit Runaway (You & I) but held their ground ever since with interesting new collaborations and music. Their latest release was an unexpected collaboration with the legend Dolly Parton. In our opinion, they definitely deserved a spot among the top 100.
Wildstylez
As highlighted by the top Hardstyle ranker himself, Headhunterz, Wildstylez has been a force to reckon with on the hardstyle scene for many years and finds no mention on this year’s list. Acknowledged not just by his colleagues in the industry but his fans as well, this was another deserving act who didn’t make the cut.
Maceo Plex
This Ibiza constant has been around for many years. Getting his start as a DJ at the age of 16 in Dallas, Texas, his early career as Eric Entity, then Maetrik, started in 2000 and lead to him eventually becoming a constant on the scene for many many years. Another deserving act we found to be missing.
San Holo
While the Dutch DJ himself trolled the DJ Mag list hard with a recent video message to his fans, we have to agree in these many years, he definitely deserved a spot. Check out the tweet below.
i’m sorry for failing you guys 😢@DJmag #DJMagTop100 pic.twitter.com/iZKL4rm3yS
— San Holo 🦜 (75%) (@sanholobeats) October 20, 2019
Rufus Du Sol
The Australian Alternative dance group made up with Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George, and James Hunt, have won and been nominated for numerous accolades over the years. With a dominating presence in the North American festival scene, we found it rather surprising to see the trio missing from the listing.
Marcus Schulz
One of the early pioneers in the Trance scene and a regular on the list of Top 100 DJs for many years, after a downward trend in his position this year we see Schulz missing from the list overall. While his New World Punx counterpart Ferry Corsten is still at the #59 spot and climbing, Schulz seems to be missing from the 2019 listing.
While we could go on about the deserving acts we find missing from this year’s list (as always) these were only a few. Also missing are the likes of Matise and Sadko, Tale of Us, Ricardo Villalobos, Amelie Lens and many more.
How much ground this listing actually holds has definitely seen a decline in the past few years. What are your thoughts on this rating tool? Is it a genuine reflection of talent or merely a popularity contest? Tell us which of your favorite acts are missing from this year’s DJ Mag Top 100 listing!
- Coachella To Livestream All Six Stages For First Time Ever On YouTube From Its 2023 Edition - April 9, 2023
- Kygo Releases Remix For Michael Jackson And Paul McCartney Classic “Say Say Say” - April 3, 2023
- Tomorrowland Brazil Announces Phase One Lineup Along With Worldwide Ticket Sales Going Live - March 31, 2023
