KAAZE

From:Sweden

DJ style: “Hot techno.”

Best known for:“Unique techno style.”

In September, KAAZE and frequent collaborator, Steve Aoki, released a pounding techno remix of Britney Spears’ 2003 hit, ‘Toxic’. More than two decades after that Top 40 tune first hit the airwaves, it’s shining a light on the evolution of popular dance music, as well as the Swedish producer who masterminded its fierce rework. Since cracking the poll in 2021, KAAZE’s DJ style has been described in many ways ranging from “big room” to “melancholic dance music” and now “hot techno”, demonstrating a constant transformation within his own art — one that’s managed to keep audiences captivated and his sound forward-thinking.

Lauded for his keen ability to find the sweet-spot between accessible productions that possess a dark and driving edge, the artist born Mick Kastenholt spent the last year striking a new balance within his personal life, too. “I had my first daughter, Seven, who is my life and world,” he says of the highlight of his past 12 months. “Everything I do from now is for my family.” Even as a new father, the jetsetting DJ managed to drop hard techno heaters like his tune ‘Papi’ alongside Alina Pozi, and his topline-savvy original, ‘The Way’. We just know Seven’s already in love with the kick-drum.

Fave tune of 2024?

“Lilly Palmer ‘Hare Ram’.”

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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