Deadmau5

From:Ontario, Canada

DJ style:Progressive.

Best known for:Mouse head.

Joel Zimmerman is a perennial presence in our Top 100 DJs polling and it’s no surprise. After all, he — or to be precise, his rodent-headed alter-ego Deadmau5 — has been one of North America’s biggest names within the electronic music realm ever since the release of his 2005 album ‘Get Scraped’. He’s spent the years since refining his music, much of it released on his own Mau5trap Recordings, into the juggernaut it is today; stylistically broad but focusing on a machine-tooled sound that is perfect for pumping out over big soundsystems.

Zimmerman’s currently giving those systems a workout on his We Are Friends tour, coinciding with the release of the 11thedition of his label’s same-titled compilation series — the tour sees the muroid-headed artist share the stage alongside such names as NERO, Kasablanca and Lamorn. The biggest news of all, musically speaking, might involve another big North American name: following up on their 2008 joint venture ‘I Remember’, 2022 saw Zimmerman forming an ongoing bond with Kaskade under the Kx5 banner. The duo have already released a pair of tracks, the sugary ‘Escape’ and the heavier ‘Take Me High’, and unveiled a joint festival set at Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, with more on the way.

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Cuebrick

From:Germany

DJ style:“Progressive house.”

Best known for:“‘Squid Game’ with Blasterjaxx.”

Fave tune of 2022:“James Hype ‘Ferrari’.”

Rising star DJ/producer of 2022:“Marten Horger.”

What’s the best DJ set you’ve seen this year?“Tale Of Us, Afterlife show at the Brooklyn Mirage.”

After finishing just outside of the Top 100 in 2021, this year German DJ and producer Cuebrick breaks in for the first time this year. He now sits at the top table of global dance music after standout shows everywhere from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Singapore to Bangkok.

While releasing big tunes on labels like Spinnin Records, Armada and Ultra Music, he also works as a radio-host on bigFM’s nitroX show, which is the biggest radio platform for electronic music in Germany.

This year he has worked on a new sound which he says “can best be described as a fusion of different elements from genres such as techno, hard techno, and trance. Hard techno kicks are the foundation, with classic trance synthesizers.” It’s a sound that has seemingly connected with fans, who will be pleased to learn Cuebrick has signed a deal meaning “Smash the House will be the main home for my music for at least the next two years.”

Name one great festival you played for the first time this year…

“Hypercat Festival at Noa Beach Club.”

What’s the longest DJ set you’ve