Tiësto

From:The Netherlands

DJ style:A full palette of main-room sounds

Best known for: ‘Adagio For Strings’, ‘The Business’, ‘Traffic’

An interviewer once remarked to Tijs Verwest, known to millions of dance-music aficionados as Tiësto, that he always seemed to be working. “You’ve got that right,” he said. “But for me, it doesn’t feel like work. It’s a way of life.” That was a decade ago, by which time the Dutch artist had already been hovering at the pinnacle of electronic music superstardom for years — and he hasn’t let up since. For proof, just take a look at Tiësto’s gig itinerary, which in just the past month has taken him through Europe and across North America — including several stops in Vegas, where he holds a residency at the LIV Nightclub — and has just unveiled a new four-hour live set called Prismatic. Last year’s ‘Drive’, meanwhile, is still racking up sales and streams, while this past summer’s ‘Hot Honey’, a country-crossover anthem featuring Alana Springsteen on vocals, proved to be another hit in a career brimming with them. Overall, he’s amassed a mind-blowing 25 billion streams over the years — and we wouldn’t place bets against another 25 billion before he’s done.

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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