Ferry Corsten

From:The Netherlands

DJ style:“Melodic.”

Best known for:“Open-minded approach to music.”

Known best as a trance innovator, Ferry Cortsten was way ahead of the curve with his absorption and incorporation of influences from other genres. This open-mindedness still informs his approach to production, which fans will get to hear on his forthcoming sixth long-player. “I’ve been working really hard on my album ‘Connect’, which will be out next month,” Corsten says. The lead single, ‘Just Breathe’, is a case in point, blending his classic trance manoeuvres with a hardcore rave breakdown, replete with Amen breakbeats aplenty.

As well as DJ gigs in the UK, USA, Australia, Vietnam, Poland and The Netherlands, where Corsten wasn’t averse to dropping a bit of drum & bass in-between the 4/4 beats, he’s continued with his What The F world tour, a series of concept shows where “I play ONLY all my OWN musical productions from open to close,” he says. These shows will likely feature many of his classic trance tracks as System F, like ‘Out Of The Blue’, as well as his electro-house and guitar-infused tracks ‘Punk’ and ‘Rock Your Body Rock’, plus more recent gems like ‘Poison’, ‘For Your Mind’ and ‘Wounded’.

Fave tune of 2024?

“Binary Finary ‘1998 (Victor Ruiz Remix)’.”

Rising star DJ/producer of 2024?

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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