Would be fair to say that 2015 has been eventful for the dance music industry.
From the age old drug problems at festivals to the rise of future and tropical house to the rise of Justin Bieber, we seem to have seen it all this year.But which artists really cashed in on this eventful year? Read on to find out our list of Top 25 artists for 2015 (in no particular order).
Jauz – Sam Vogel aka Jauz has been all over the news this year, be it for his great productions, most notably Deeper Love, the collaboration with Skrillex called Squad Out, and remixes of ‘Plur Police’ and Tiga’s ‘Bugatti’.
Jack U – Be it Ultra Miami or Madison Square Garden, they’ve absolutely set the place on fire each time they’ve taken to the stage. They’re also hugely responsible for Bieber’s rising stock in the dance music industry. And of course, tracks like ‘To U’ and ‘Mind’ have been absolute bangers as well.
Aly & Fila – The duo celebrated 400 episodes of FSOE with a set at the Great Pyramids, and also played a stunning 6 hour set at the Ministry of Sound. Along with some brilliant live shows, there was impressive work in the studio with sounds like, ‘Napoleon’, ‘Running’ and ‘The Other Shore’.
Amir Hussain – Be it Vandit, Black Hole Recordings, or Who’s Afraid Of 138, Amir has been releasing gems on every label this year. And on hearing his tracks, it’s not all that difficult to understand why he’s been getting all the support he has. ‘Kyoto’, ‘Dizzy Heights’ and ‘Set Your Heaven Free’ have been some of his best works this year.
Bryan Kearney – Bryan’s work in 2015 has been nothing short of impressive. His remix for Armin’s ASOT 700 theme song ‘Together’ kickstarted what has been a landmark year with ‘Wake Up Call’ and ‘Te Amo’ being his notable original compositions.
Oliver Heldens – Coming on the back of a brilliant 2014, expectations were extremely high from this young man, and he has more than delivered. ‘MHATLP’, ‘You Know’ ‘Bunnydance’, ‘Shades of Grey’ and ‘Wombass’ have capped a year of diverse productions. Oliver has also been in top form under his other alias Hi-Lo.
Shapov – Having made it to the Beatport list of breakthrough artists of the year, this Axtone resident and one of the members of Hard Rock Sofa, has been delivering one smash hit after another this year. ‘Our World’ was definitely out of this world, and ‘Everybody’ was also loved by everybody who heard it.
Steve Angello – SIZE boss Steve Angello has had a busy year, with his live performances and a debut album in the pipeline. We have got some glimpses of the album, and it looks like the album will be one of the best things to happen in 2016. ‘Children of The Wild’ and ‘Remember’ were absolutely sensational.
Eric Prydz – Words aren’t enough to describe this legend, who’s simply in a league of his own. ‘Opus’, ‘Generate’ and ‘Tether’ have set the roof on fire, and his live concept shows have been simply phenomenal as well.
Wilkinson – It’s been another great year for the artist, who hardly disappoints these days. ‘Hopelessly Coping’ has by far been his best track of the year, with ‘Breathe’ coming in a close second. We’re definitely hoping for a lot more from him in 2016.
Hazem Beltagui – A stellar set at Ministry of Sound, and some great productions like ‘Underneath The Stars’, along with a brilliant remix of Zac Shaar’s ‘Showdown’ has brought Hazem into the list of Top 25 artists of the year.
Julian Calor – His debut album ‘Evolve’ was released earlier this year, and the sheer diversity and quality of the tracks has been sufficient evidence that Julian is one of the most talented producers in the scene right now. ‘Cell’, ‘Crash’ and ‘Apocalypse’ were some of the brilliant tracks on the album.
Yellow Claw – Being one of the most consistent acts in the trap genre, it was an easy choice to include Yellow Claw in this list, and absolute bangers like ‘In My Room’ and ‘We Made It’ have only made sure that they’re included in the list.
Robin Schulz – ‘Sugar’, ‘Show Me Love’ and ‘Headlights’ have all been amazing tracks, and it’s no wonder that Robin is rising rapidly among the ranks. His music has been simple, melodic and unique, a formula that many have tried but very few have achieved.
Flume – His remix of ‘Tennis Court’ was probably one of the most popular tracks of 2014, and he’s followed it up with some great work this year as well. Remixes of ‘Turning’ and Sam Smith’s ‘Lay Me Down’ have been on point, and ‘Some Minds’ was absolutely refreshing. A great Essential Mix debut only made the year one to remember for the Australian artist.
Kygo – If the list was even Top 5 Artists of the year, Kygo would have been a strong candidate to be on the list. He’s been great with original tracks, remixes and even live performances. ‘Stay’, ‘Here For You’ and ‘Stole The Show’ have been brilliant, and his remix of ‘Often’ has been on repeat pretty often.
Martin Garrix – He’s made shifting from big room to a more progressive kind of music seem like child’s play. ‘Don’t Look Down’, ‘Dragon’, ‘Poison’, ‘Forbidden Voices’ and ‘The Only Way is Up’ have all made it a stellar year for Martin.
Zedd – His album has been well received all over, and hitting the headlines with Selena Gomez has helped his music reach a wider audience. ‘Beautiful Now’ has been raging in clubs and festivals worldwide. ‘I Want You To Know’ has seen tremendous success as well Overall, it’s been a great year for Zedd.
Avicii – ‘Broken Arrows’, ‘Waiting For Love’, ‘Feeling Good’ and ‘For a Better Day’ have been the highlights of what would seem like just another year for Avicii. He’s stuck to his formula of standing out from the crowd and has been successful in doing so yet again.
Axwell Λ Ingrosso – ‘On My Way’, ‘Something New’, ‘Sun is Shining’ and ‘This Time’ have been the outstanding tracks in a year filled with releases from the duo. They’ve also given great live performances and seem to be heading in only one direction – to the top.
MarLo – With a growing fan following due to his consistent smash hits, MarLo was bound to make it to this list. ‘Hold It Together’, ‘Visions’ and ‘Atlantis’ have been his notable tracks this year.
Standerwick – He’s one of the artists that can lay claim to having been unbelievably busy this year, with productions and remixes galore. 2015 saw Standerwick give us gems like ‘All of Us’ and ‘Magic Light’ along with remixes like ‘Find Yourself’ and ‘Same Stars’.
Flux Pavilion – A stunning collaboration with Matthew Koma, titled ‘Emotional’ capped off another brilliant year for him, with ‘International Anthem’ and ‘I Got Something’ not going unnoticed either.
Mark Sixma – ‘Chase’, ‘Stellar’ and ‘Vendetta’ would probably be enough to get Mark into this list, with all three tracks being supported by Armin and released on Armind. Mark also got some more support from Armin, with a solid collab titled ‘Panta Rhei’. He also had ‘Restless Hearts’ with Emma Hewitt, which was another quality track.
Lane 8 – Coming on the back of a tremendous success like ‘Nothing You Can Say’, Lane 8 has been outdoing himself this year with quality tracks like ‘Loving You’, ‘Diamonds’ and ‘Hot As You Want’. There have also been great remixes for ‘Wallflower’ and ‘Bloom’.
What do you think of our list? Are there any artists you feel should have made it? Let us know in the comments’ section below. :)
Simon Patterson , Ben Nicky , W+W !!!
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