Hardwell

From:Breda, The Netherlands

DJ style:“Energetic big room techno.”

Best known for:“Former #1 DJ of the world, smashing festivals around the globe and founder of Revealed Recordings.”

Don’t call it a comeback — Hardwell has been here for many years, and he has the tunes, Top 100 DJs poll wins, and loyal fanbase to prove it. Nevertheless, 2023 has been one of the most significant for Robbert van de Corput, and for more reasons than the fact that authorities in his hometown of Breda opted to give him the keys to their city in July. And the title of honorary citizen as a result of his services to loud, fast noise.

Having returned to the touring circuit with a closing set at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival 2022 following four years off stage, the stylistic shift evident in releases during the preceding period finally came to fruition, with the EDM titan reinventing himself as a main stage techno player — a move cemented further with the arrival of his studio album, ‘REBELS NEVER DIE’. Skip on to today, and the journey shows no sign of stopping, as exemplified in sets from Singapore to Philadelphia, Boston to Frankfurt. Meanwhile, September’s single, ‘Anybody Out There’, which throws more emotional electronic pop details into the mix, is clear evidence that Hardwell’s evolution as a producer and musician is far from complete.

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Le Shuuk

From: Stuttgart, Germany

DJ style:“Hard dance / electro / hardstyle / techno / EDM.”

Best known for: “The tracks ‘Sandmann’, ‘Toast Hawaii’ and ‘Konje’, as well as being a resident and face of WORLD CLUB DOME Festival.”

A mainstay of the electronic scene for almost 20 years now, Stuttgart native Le Shuuk is no stranger to the rigours of touring. In the last 12 months, he decided to overhaul his lifestyle, committing to exercising regularly and abstaining from drinking during his shows. As a result, the DJ and producer, who is a favourite of the German festival circuit, says that he is having more fun on stage than ever. He credits these changes with allowing him to connect on a deeper level with his audiences, as well as redefine his career goals and look with renewed focus to the future.

The new healthy habits clearly agree with him. As well as recently performing at festivals and clubs across Europe, and holding his own Le Shuuk & Friends parties in his home city, he continues to build on the momentum of tracks like 2020’s peak-rave, German language tune ‘Sandmann’ and 2021’s hypnotic ‘Goodbye’ (featuring Xillions). This year he had another star turn with the explosive ‘Konje’, a collaboration with B-Stylezz that combined modern techno and EDM with the traditional elements of Bulgarian folk songs, with the track receiving big support from the likes of Armin van Buuren, Amelie Lens, and Joyhauser.