Acraze

From:USA

DJ style:“Tech-house / techno.”

Best known for:“‘Do It To It’.”

Not many people turn spiralling down YouTube rabbit holes into a hit song that’s been streamed 12 billion times, but most people aren’t ACRAZE. After breaking into the mainstream with his remix of the 2006 R&B tune, ‘Do It To It’ by Cherish, the Staten Island-born tech-house aficionado has taken the world by storm. But his success didn’t come overnight. He’d spent years perfecting his craft as both a DJ and producer, and 2022 saw him line up a Las Vegas residency where he finally got the chance to shine. 2023 was even bigger with headlining sets at festivals like EDC, Tomorrowland, and Electric Zoo.

He’s been busy on the production front as well — his style of understated but emotional tech-house has reached new heights on tracks like ‘The Otherside’ with Paige Cavell and the late-night summer anthem, ‘Take Me Away’.

Hero of 2023:“Peggy Gou.”

Fave tune of 2023:“Anything from Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ album.”

Best DJ set you’ve seen in 2023:“Fred again.. b2b Four Tet b2b Skrillex at Coachella. I feel as if this was a big moment for electronic music.”

What was the most exciting tech development of 2023?“AI. Producers can now just upl

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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.