W&W

From:The Netherlands

DJ style: “Energetic dance music.”

Best known for: “‘Rave Culture’.”

Fave tune of 2022: “David Guetta feat. Bebe Rexha ‘I’m Good’.”

Rising star DJ/producer of 2022: “AXMO.”

Having made the leap to go independent with their label Rave Culture last year, Willem and Wardt, aka W&W, haven’t looked back. The Dutch duo have released high-powered bangers by Sandro Silva, Martin Jensen and NIVIRO in tandem with their own turbo-charged EDM anthems. With roots in trance, the pair have since evolved into big room producers. Their recent hard dance edit of Special D’s ‘Come With Me’ conveys their aesthetic to a tee, aligned with the label’s high-energy music policy.

Rounding off the year with a tour of Japan, the USA and Canada, W&W show no signs of slowing down. Under their NWYR alias, the pair pay homage to their trance beginnings, adding a futuristic take on the genre — check out their mutation ‘Music In The Air’. W&W are into fashion too, with a selection of merchandise on offer viawandwmusic.com. With over 300,000 listeners tuning into their bi-weekly radio show on Dutch station SLAM!, it’s no surprise the duo are once again well placed in this year’s poll.

What’s the best DJ set you’ve seen this year?

“Fred again..’s Boiler Room set, what a vibe! But our most played set so far this year is Above & Beyond in Guatape, Colombia for Cercl

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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