The Sherp picks the top 5 dance music acts of this year that you cannot ignore!
Admit it, we have all thought of becoming a DJ as a back-up profession. If nothing works out, you’ll learn how to mix, hit the clubs and probably, after many years of making people dance to your tunes, headline a festival. Right? There’s absolutely no shortage of producers and DJs today. However, every year churns out only a handful of promising dance music acts who seem to be the talk of the town. Here are some newcomers of 2013 who deserve all the hype and attention.
1. Porter Robinson
At 21, all our lives are filled with upcoming exams, an internship, and most of the time we’re uncertain as to what we want to do in life. But not this guy. The world has begun to see that Porter is no ordinary talent. The year he turned 18 (2010), Porter released the chart-topping track ‘Say My Name’ and his first EP ‘Spitfire’, which was immediately signed by Skrillex as the first release for his OWSLA label. He also remixed tracks by Avicii and Lady Gaga in the same year.
In 2011, he started touring with the big names like Skrillex and Tiesto, where people began to notice his distinct style of mixing and his frenzied energy behind the decks. Within no time, he was already playing at festivals like EDC, UMF, Electric Zoo and Tomorrowland.
Porter Robinson climbed a stunning 56 positions on 2012’s DJ Mag poll, becoming the highest-climber of last year’s poll! Set to accomplish more by the age of 21 than most achieve in a lifetime, Porter is unmistakably one of the most thrilling talents to be found anywhere in the world. Only he knows what’s next. We just know we can’t stop him.
Porter Robinson – Language
2. Disclosure
This electronic duo from England consists of two brothers – Guy (22) & Howard Lawrence (19). They released their debut album ‘Settle’ in 2013, which hit number one in the UK Albums Chart. The brothers have spent their summer touring most of Europe and North America, playing at festivals like Lollapalooza, Global Gathering, Outlook and many others.
Disclosure effortlessly combine the 2-step garage rhythms and dubstep basslines with their own rich musical heritage of soul and jazz, crafting their own lo-fi dream-dub sound. They performed twice at the renowned Glastonbury Festival 2013 and appeared on the British music television show Later… with Jools Holland.
Disclosure – F For You
3. Ryan Hemsworth
Canadian DJ and producer Ryan Hemsworth specializes in electronic music and sampling. His EP ‘Still Awake’ earned praise from artists like Pitchfork and Diplo for its blending of cloud rap with delicate micro-house. Hemsworth brings hip-hop/RNB, chip-tune and ambient atmospherics together in perfect harmony. He has also remixed works by Backstreet Boys, Lana Del Ray, Outkast, Frank Ocean, Grimes and many more.
The 22-year-old producer, who has been making beats for the last four years, has watched his career flourish in the last year thanks to his fantastic original tunes and brilliant remixes. His moody sound combines the emo hip-hop of Drake and Future with pinpoint sample-based electronica. We’re about to hear a lot more from this young producer!
Ryan Hemsworth – Still Awake
4. Will Sparks
The producer from Melbourne has been working hard to establish himself as a key player and on the way to become an international DJ as well. Sparks already started to take off in the U.S. with his big pop remix for Robin Thicke, a comprehensive North American tour and attention from artists like Tommie Sunshine and Laidback Luke. Sparks was voted ‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’ by ITM and also has his name on Ministry of Sound compilations and Beatport charts.
This November, Sparks will be joining the Stereosonic tour and Future Music Festival in 2014. Till then, we can count on some big releases. Looks like it’s only going to get bigger from here for Will.
Will Sparks – All Night (Original Mix) [Instrumental]
5. Jamie Jones
In a very short span of time, Jamie has propelled himself to stardom by demolishing the confines of genres by creating a new sound of house. He is renowned for his innovative music style and cross-genre band ‘Hot Natured’. He has played at festivals like Glastonbury, Tomorrowland and Burning Man. In addition to his club performances around the world, he holds his own Ibiza party ‘Paradise’ every summer along with global pop up parties. This year, Jamie will be launching his new label ‘Hottrax’.
Hot Natured – Benediction