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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Jay Hardway

From:Drunen, The Netherlands

DJ style:“House / melodic / main stage.”

Best known for:“Tracks like ‘Electric Elephants’, ‘Wizard’ with Martin Garrix and my melodies.”

It’s been just over a decade since main stage mainstay and EDM maestro Jay Hardway burst onto the scene via his Martin Garrix collab ‘Registration Code’, a tune that set him on the path to becoming a regular headliner at legendary clubs and global events like Tomorrowland, Pacha and EDC New York, AMF, Mysteryland and Omnia Las Vegas.

Becoming a father last year has meant Hardway has been focusing on maintaining that all-important work/life balance: “In my personal life I made sure to spend a lot of time with my family and it’s been amazing being a father. I still love doing shows worldwide, but I’ve made sure to plan my tours in such a way that I’m not on the road 24/7.”

It’s an approach that’s clearly working as 2023 has seen the Dutch DJ/producer continue to deliver high-impact dancefloor gold, including his big Spinnin’ Records collab with Tujamo featuring Bay-C ‘Energy’,high-drama Emo-DM tear-jerkerLost Souls’with Jeffrey Sutorius on Revealed, and fresh vocal track ‘On Fire’ featuring Nadia Gattas on Rave Culture, with Hardway’s solo releases like ‘The Sound’ and ‘Red Alert’ all picking up strong DJ support too.

Hero of 2023:“My daughter No