Quintino

From:Amsterdam, Netherlands

DJ style:“Electronic with a lot of energy.”

Best known for:“Bringing main stage vibes to the main stages with a smile.”

The past 12 months have been about big changes for Quintino, personally and professionally. Following a four-date tour with DJ Mag last November he set about trying to make “space to go back to my roots and focus on music… I wanted to find the joy in the music that I make and the shows that I’m doing.” After 13 years of relentless touring, releases and promotion, the Dutch artist opted to take a back seat and swerve the limelight in favour of creative recalibration.

The promises became proof as “Quintino 2.0” was born over the summer. The latest phase in a decade-spanning EDM project, the focus is again on pushing fresh bits, this time primarily concerned with capturing what we’re told is a “main stage” sound. So far we’ve only had brief tasters, but with a brand new live show in development alongside the next generation of tunes, it shouldn’t be too long before we get to hear what the producer has been planning in all its glory. Suffice to say, then, the fact he’s picked up so many votes during a fallow year only goes to show how many are waiting with baited breath for the full re-introduction.

Fave tune of 2024?

“Swedish House Mafia & Alicia Keys ‘Finally’.”

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Faustix

From:Denmark

DJ style: “Big techno.”

Best known for: “Collaboration with Diplo, Faustix, Imanos and Kai called ‘Revolution’.”

Everything about 2024 was big and bold for Faustix. The Danish dance music lifer found a new sound over the course of the past year, where ropey and dramatic arpeggios dart in and out of brash techno kicks and every drop feels like barreling down a dopamine rollercoaster. Each release seemed to push the envelope further and further — from the soaring emotions of ‘Lead Me To Love You’ with vocalist Mougleta to ‘All My Friends Are Hot’, whose cheeky vocal flip (“All my friends are hot and only listen to techno”) was the perfect summer festival anthem. Add to that a teased remix of Belgian Stromae ‘Alors on danse’ and it’s clear that 2024 was, without a doubt, the year Faustix found a whole new groove.

While he’s certainly been busy in the studio, Faustix has also played everywhere — from 13,000 person raves in the middle of Copenhagen to gigs on the Faroe Islands. Faustix, in other words, hasn’t taken his foot off the gas for even a second. And, with each gig and release, he is testament to how much people still love pumping, hard-edged techno.

Fave tune of 2024?

“Dash Berlin ‘Till The Sky Falls Down’, it’s an all-time classic and still gets me