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Best of the best - the DJsJul 18 '01 (Updated Aug 04 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line I tried to keep it short... honest! So here's my list of top DJs!
Major performers in electronic music, you say? Well, techno is a bit different than most other major music genres. Techno produces different kinds of performers… there are groups, producers, singers (I like calling them techno-divas), some would say record labels, and… of course… DJs. Here is my list of top DJs in electronic music – I will attempt to keep it short & sweet. 1. Sasha - http://www.sasha.co.uk/ DJ Magazine recently voted Alexander “Sasha” Coe the number 1 DJ in all techno-dom and The DJ-List put him at number 2. This North Wales native has become one of the world’s premier DJ talents, giving us almost a dozen compilation works, almost as many singles, spinning at some of the world’s most famous and prestigious clubs (not to mention his residencies at clubs like Shelly’s, Renaissance, Twilo and Space) as well as remixing for artists such as Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, The Chemical Brothers, Simply Red & M-People and writing all the music for Sony Playstation’s biggest game release of 1999, Wipeout 3 – all by the ripe-old-age of 30. If you are in any way into the club scene and you haven’t heard of Sasha… you definitely live under a rock. The last time I saw Sasha spin, he appeared with long-time friend and fellow progressive trance connoisseur, John Digweed, at a club here in Charlotte. The queue to see them went all the way around the block (and this is Charlotte) and was literally wall-to-wall people once I got inside (almost 2 hours later). The crowds, the waiting, the sweaty drunken people shoved up against me, the cover charge and the ears that rang for 3 days afterwards were all well worth it to see Sasha again. 2. Paul Oakenfold - http://www.perfecto-fc.com/ Since I used DJ Magazine and The DJ-List in reference to Sasha… I want you to take a guess who was number 2 for DJ Magazine and number 1 for The DJ-List. I’ll give you a hint. He’s my number 2. Paul Oakenfold is a cultural icon in the house music scene. Promoter, producer, DJ and remixer extraordinaire – Oakenfold is most assuredly directly responsible for the popularity of modern-day house music. What has he done? Let’s see – he formed one of the most successful dance record labels in the world (Perfecto), hosted many club-nights in the late 80’s & early 90’s (introducing many Brits to house music), toured with U2, performed opening night at the Ministry of Sound, has released half a dozen mixed albums, was resident DJ at Cream and worked with the likes of Happy Mondays, Smashing Pumpkins, Bjork, The Rolling Stones, New Order, Simply Red, Snoop Doggy Dog, Arrested Development, The Stone Roses, INXS, Boy George The Orb, Primal Scream and Massive Attack. Need I go on? Oakey was the first person I ever saw spin on 3 turntables… I was literally rapt in awe listening to him. He is a master. 3. John Digweed - http://www.johndigweed.co.uk/ I could just copy & paste what I wrote about Sasha and insert it here for Digweed. If you haven’t already heard… Digweed/Sasha are a phenomenon unlike any other house music has ever seen. They are close friends, each born into DJ-dom together – they tour together, work together, remix together… I think you get the picture. Digweed, however, has done much on his own. His wildly popular record label, Bedrock, has produced some amazing releases. His residencies/regular nights include: Twilo (he and Sasha shared residency at the now defunct super club – the first British DJs, by the way, to hold residency in the US), Renaissance, Heaven, Cream and the Ministry of Sound. He even appeared as himself in a Bay-area raver flick called Groove. Journeys by DJ with John Digweed was the first “electronic music” recording I ever bought… So basically, he’s the one who started it all for me. 4. Carl Cox - http://djcarlcox.com/ (annoying site) Everyone loves Carl Cox. He’s been DJing for over 2 decades and has racked up on accomplishments and awards. For all of you Carl-Cox-impaired folks, I’ll fill you in on some details. His record label: Worldwide Ultimatum. His debut, self-produced album, At The End Of The Cliché made it all the way to #22 on the UK charts. He also has his own management agency, Ultimate Music Management (whose membership includes the likes of Josh Wink, Laurent Garnier, Judge Jules and Luke Slater). Basically, the guy has won too many “DJ of the Year” and “Best DJ” awards to even list them all. And this guy spins a wicked set. And of course, he’s done the rounds of famous clubs; Shoom, Ministry of Sound, Cream, Slam, Lakota Club as well as an appearance at Berlin’s Love Parade, Creamfields and Glastonbury. 5. Paul Van Dyk - http://www.paulvandyk.de/ No list of influential electronica DJs would be complete without at least one from Germany. As most aficionados will tell you, some of the absolute best music comes out of Deutschland. East German born Van Dyk has numerous compilation and self-produced albums floating about, as well as many remixes (for the likes of New Order, Inspiral Carpets, Jam & Spoon and Sven Vath). He was an institution at the club E-Werk, was a regular at Twilo and performed at the nomadic party, Gatecrasher (I heard he used to do 6 hour sets for Gatecrasher) as well as Cream, Slinky (one of my absolute favorites) Space and Lush – how’s that for a list? 6. Sandra Collins - http://www.sandracollins.com/ (*Sigh* - under construction) DJing is definitely a male-dominated profession - rarely do women get top billing… well, let’s be honest - rarely do they get hired. Sandra Collins stands out as not only a top female DJ, but a top DJ in general. The first reference to Collins was her oft-used nickname, The Trance Goddess. I had no idea who this was referring to, but I aimed to find out! Here is a woman whose accomplishments include: 2 compilations (Tranceport 3 and Lost in Time), singles including the very popular Flutterby and Red, DJing a Coca-Cola commercial, playing with greats like Carl Cox, Chemical Brothers, Paul Van Dyk, Doc Martin, Taylor, Fluke, Crystal Method and Orbital. Her residencies include not only Metropolis, but also the legendary Twilo – and her regular parties include Storm and The Fifth Column. Oh yeah, and she spun at Woodstock. Not bad, eh? 7. Tiesto - http://www.dj-tiesto.com/ Tiesto hasn’t been around for long, but he has created quite a name for himself not only in his native Holland, but also all over Europe and the States. Like most DJs, Tiesto is not only skilled in spinning, but also in music production, he has worked with Yahel, Sarah McLachlan (awesome remix of Silence), Dawnseekers, Jaimy & Kenny D and Paul Oakenfold. Tijs Verwest (also known as Tiesto) not only mixes, he also has his own record label, Black Hole Records and he tours all over the world. Tiesto is a powerhouse in progressive electronica, and is definitely on the rise. Check out one of his numerous compilations such as: Summerbreeze, Revolution or his Magik numbered series (beginning with Magik 1: First Flight and his most recent addition Magik 7 - Live in Los Angeles). 8. Danny Tenaglia - http://www.dtenaglia.com/ First time I heard Tenaglia was in the mid-90’s when I picked up a mixed CD by him called, Mix This P**** (it had a cute little kitten spinning around on a turntable on the cover)and immediately I liked his happy and very American-sounding style. It figures, this guy is a Brooklyn native, his early influences were disco (he used to perform at roller discos all over NY) and Motown (how much more American can ya get?). Since then he has boasted residencies at The Tunnel, Cheers and Twilo, produced over 200 records, given birth to half a dozen mixed CDs, been a regular at venues such as Limelight, Roxy, Space and Vinyl. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s worked with Madonna, Janet Jackson, Grace Jones, Lisa Stansfield, Michael Jackson, Jamiroquai, New Order, Kim Mazelle, Bette Middler, Cher, Pet Shop Boys and Blondie? Well, he has. I’m not making this stuff up. 9. Dave Seaman - (no website I could find) Many of you have probably never heard of Dave Seaman… well, I’m happy to introduce him! Another progressive house, UK-born DJ/remixer/producer, Dave Seaman is at the top of my list of “faves”. With almost half a dozen compilations bearing his name, a magazine editing job under his belt (Mixmag), a wildly popular record label he helped found (Stress Records), a vital part of the production team, Brothers in Rhythm, production work with Michael Jackson, Alanis Morrisette, David Bowie & Garbage as well as regular performances at Lush, Cream, Rhumba Club, Feel, Renaissance and in Ibiza – well, this guy is not only talented, he’s busy. If you haven’t heard of him before, I recommend you pick up his Global Underground – Buenos Aires recording (http://www.epinions.com/musc-review-8FF-37FE838-3A2409D2-prod1/tk_~CB003.1.50). 10. Lisa Lashes - http://www.lisalashes.com/ Finally, we come to number 10! Bet you never thought you’d see the end of it, eh? Well, me either – my fingers hurt! Now, I’ll be honest, I don’t know that much about Lisa Lashes… she’s rather new on the scene. I do know, however, that she is wildly popular these days and she fetches a rather large salary wherever she totes her records. I’ll tell you what I do know. She has residencies at: Slinkys & Gods Kitchen plus she makes regular appearances at The Honey Club, Bubblelove and Peach. There isn’t a lot of information out about her. I do know that I’ve found endless bootleg recordings by her out on my favorite MP3-search tool, WinMX. I’ve downloaded quite a few and I quite like her. She spins all over the place, she packs in crowds, she is becoming very well known, and I'm happy to have her rounding out my list of top performers in electronic music!  |
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