Naeleck

From:Rennes, France

DJ style:“Mainstage techno / rave.”

Best known for:“‘Boyz In Paris’ (with Marnik), ‘Like A G6’ (with Timmy Trumpet).”

“Join the Dark Side of EDM,” reads the tagline on Naeleck’s Instagram page, and while that invitation certainly meshes well with the French DJ and producer’s visage — often hooded and masked, he can project a slightly ominous vibe — much of his music fits squarely in the plus-size party-time mode. Take the massive ‘Boys In Paris’, his collaboration with the Marnik duo that burned its way through the festival universe just over a year ago — it’s majestically catchy, the kind of tune that practically demands jumping around like a maniac. But he’s also capable of dishing out heavier material, like the recent ‘Kotodama’, “that can’t be aired on radio but destroys the dancefloor every time I play it live,” as he puts it.

‘Boys In Paris’ and ‘Kotodama’ were just two of the highlights of Naeleck’s recent output — tracks like his release with Timmy Trumpet, ‘Like A G6’, and his collaboration with Vini Vici, ‘Home Alone’, have been doing serious business as well. He’s had a stacked year of touring, but he makes good use of whatever downtime he can eke out, “working on the visual aspect of my shows,” he says, “and on an animation music video for ‘Never Thought That I Could Die’, of which I’m very proud.” Add a string of big signings on his tw

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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