Zedd

​​From:Russia (originally)

DJ style:Emotive bangers

Best known for:Dance-pop anthems

Zedd fans ended 2023 on a cliffhanger when the Russian producer announced via Instagram that his third studio LP would be complete soon, referring to it as “the most genuine and deeply personal album I’ve ever made”. Nail-biting ensued until EDC Las Vegas brought some clarity (pun intended), when during his kineticFIELD set, a team of skywriters revealed that the long-awaited project, titled ‘Telos’, would finally arrive on August 30th.

A triumph following a near decade-long wait, the new collection is full of fresh sounds that kick the conventions of traditional dance music aside while showcasing a euphoric aesthetic that is still quintessentially Zedd. The 10-track album covers an impressive range of styles from the plucky nu-disco builds of ‘Tangerine Rays’ to the off-kilter time signatures of ‘Sona’, and the hazy, strum-drenched progressions of ‘Automatic Yes’ (with a standout John Mayer on guitar and vocals), but its crown gem is its symphonic finale — a collaboration with concept rock band Muse, dubbed ‘1685’, that is a masterclass in instrumentation and epic storytelling. In ‘Telos’, Zedd aimed to create something timeless — an anthology born of self-actualisation and a pandemic-era bet that stepping into the unknown could reap great rewards. If nothing else, ‘Telos’ secured him another placement on the Top 100 DJs list (and likely a Grammy nom in due time, if we had to guess).

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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