Jax Jones

From:London

DJ style:“Dance.”

Best known for:“‘You Don’t Know Me’, ‘Out Out’, ‘Where Did You Go’.”

In July this year, Jax Jones received an honorary business doctorate from London’s Brunel University. In a touching speech, in which he shouted out his mum and stepdad, who came to the UK from Malaysia and Nigeria respectively as young adults, he spoke about making music on a “£50 Mac computer” in his room in 2008, and the entrepreneurial spirit that led to him eventually, after years of graft, collaborating with Duke Dumont on the No.1 single ‘I Got U’ in 2014. Ten years later, he’s hit the Top 100 DJs poll for the first time, and he has that tireless work ethic to thank for it. In 2024, he’s released massive singles like ‘Never Be Lonely’ with Zoe Wees and ‘Tonight (D.I.Y.A)’ with Jason Derulo and Joel Corry, been remixed by Cascada, Pitbull and Scooter, and played events ranging from London Pride to Untold Festival in Romania. He also delivered his own remix of Girls Aloud’s ‘Love Machine’, and when promoters allegedly said it was “too risky to do a tour with me”, he arranged his own, which promptly sold out. He’s keeping the momentum up too, with an upcoming track in collaboration with rising star Sim0ne.

Favourite tune of 2024:

“Charli XCX ‘Club Classics’”

Rising star DJ/producer of 2024:

“Sim0ne.”

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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