Ultra Europe’s lineup might be a stunner, but how many artists have new stuff to play this year?
The mega festival happens by the end of this month, and most of the lineup is pretty much out. The Phase 2 lineup is loaded with some of the best talents in the EDM scene, across the main stage, the Resistance stage and the opening and closing parties, not to mention Ultra Beach.
The Sherp has listed 8 artists/acts who have released a significant amount of stuff this year.
1. Vicetone
The duo has been making waves ever since they debuted, with a ton of releases on Spinnin’, and more recently, Monstercat. Their unique blend of electro house and melodies is unmatched, and they’ve released quite a few singles this year, and a phenomenal 5-track EP called Aurora.
2. UMEK
UMEK has been hard at work on his own label 1605, which sees regular uploads from the boss and many other producers. He also has his radio show, Behind The Iron Curtain. Every UMEK tune bangs hard, and there’s no mistaking the capabilities of the legend, who still uses 4 decks to full capacity. This one, called Culminate, came out only a month ago, and one listen will tell you why he’s a master of his craft.
3. Don Diablo
Arguably one of the main propagatorsΒ of bass house, Don Diablo has kept his upload speeds high enough, on his own imprint Hexagon, managed by Spinnin’. Currently urging people to listen to his newest single Drifter, Don Diablo has uploaded a considerable amount of songs this year, all top-notch.
4. Gouryella
Ferry Corsten’s much-loved Gouryella project is making a definitive comeback, with the absolutely wicked Neba that just got released. Gouryella is Ferry’s exploration into his roots; unadulterated trance. As Ferry, he’s released some more stuff too. Since he’s playing a Gouryella set at Ultra, don’t be surprised if he drops a couple of unreleased Gouryella stuff.
5. Armin Van Buuren
It’s really surprising how Armin manages to get time to release stuff, in addition to running multiple labels, a huge radio show and several sold-out gigs and headlining slots at festivals. This year has been dotted with uploads from the Trance legend, who seems to be dabbling into the big room side of things too. Our pick from this year’s crop of releases is this beautiful remix he did for Emma Hewitt’s Colours.
6. Martin Garrix
Putting his Animals days behind him, Martin Garrix has really evolved as a music producer. He has uploaded some really good songs this year, showing a very progressive style that seems to find a lot of takers. He now has a record label called STMPD, so expect a lot of Martin Garrix this year. Martin also treats fans to free downloads from time to time, like this one that just came out a few days ago.
7. Markus Schulz
The trance stalwart released his 6th studio album, Watch The World, this April. It’s typical Schulz; brilliantly produced and progressive. Markus also sees a steady string of releases from his own label Coldharbour Recordings. Our pick from the album is this brilliant track, with vocals from Ethan Thompson.
8. BONUS: deadmau5
How can we forget deadmau5’s eventful SoundCloud account fuckmylife? Deadmau5 uploaded everything from gorgeous re-edits of Strobe to a horrendous troll mix for Where Are U Now, to some more progressive tracks, before deleting that account entirely. He finally released a track properly this year, the downtempo ‘Snowcone’, showcasing Joel’s diversity in making tracks. Expect the mau5 to unleash everything he’s got under the hood this year.