It’s been a huge year for Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Artists such
as David Guetta, Skrillex, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, and Deadmau5
have become household names. EDM has become increasingly mainstream, and
now MTV has recognized and honored some of the biggest names in EDM
for their contributions to the world of music. When describing the new
increasingly relevant role that EDM has come to play, MTV puts it best.
“Maybe you were at the grocery store when you found yourself singing
along to Afrojack’s ‘Take Over Control’ for the hundredth time. Or maybe
it was when Martin Solveig’s ‘Hello’ was suddenly on repeat on your
iPod. Whatever your moment was, it’s fair to say the American appetite
for electronic dance music surged in 2011, bringing ‘the rave’ to radio
and festivals, touching every U.S. city (big and small). Even Grammy
voters took notice this year, nominating
Skrillex for Best New Artist and in four other categories.”
MTV put out the following list counting down the top 10 EDM artists
of 2011. It seems pretty on point to me if we are speaking in terms of
artists with the most widespread influence.
10. Martin Solveig
When
Irv Gotti stopped by MTV News’ “RapFix Live” in October, he joked, “We’re just one record away from Kanye or Jay [being like]: [
sings hook to Solveig's 'Hello']
‘I just came to say hello — Hov!’ ” Gotti was kidding, but it’s true.
Rap dudes beware: Songs like “Hello” and guys like Martin have seen such
widespread success that the hip-hop industry, which has long enjoyed
club and radio dominance, is shook.
In addition to being a technically
superior producer and DJ, Solveig has also proven to the world that he
has a sense of humor. His “Smash” video series — including “Hello,”
“Initial S.H.E,” “Ready 2 Go” and “Big in Japan” — are some of the
funniest and most well-produced clips of any genre. Kudos to Martin and
his “manager” Lafaille for making us laugh
and dance in 2011.
9. Tiësto
Veteran DJ/producer Tiësto might not be trance anymore, but judging by
his popularity, fans don’t seem to care. How else do you set a record
for the
largest single DJ event —
26,000 fans attended his Carson, California, show — in U.S. history? T
had hit collabos this year with Mark Knight, Hardwell, Diplo and, oh,
Kanye West (sure, the Yeezy track hasn’t been released yet, but
everyone’s heard it!). And if you can’t produce like Tiësto, at least
now you can look like him: The EDM titan’s Club Life clothing line just
hit select stores in New York and L.A.
8. Kaskade
Coming off a massive 2010 highlighted by
Dynasty, Kaskade watched as his 2011 studio album,
Fire & Ice, quickly
became a staple in a healthy EDM diet. With features from Skrillex and
Dada Life, and even vocals from rising star Skylar Grey, you’d be
hard-pressed to find music lovers who couldn’t identify with or enjoy
his breezy music in one way or another. The Illinois native pioneered
the Identity Festival, which brought real-deal dance to America’s small
cities. He also conquered Las Vegas’ day
and nightlife and was named America’s Top DJ of 2011. Not a bad year for Mr. Ryan Raddon, not a bad year at all.
7. Calvin Harris
2011 was a marquee year for this Scotsman. Riding high on the success of
Ready for the Weekend, Harris “Bounce”-ed and “Awooga”-ed with his adoring EDM fans the world over. He also infiltrated the mainstream by
teaming up with Rihanna for
a pair of hit collabos: the chart-topping “We Found Love” and “Where
Have You Been.” As he gears up for his third studio album, Harris’
presence in EDM and pop culture is undeniable, and at this pace, he’ll
be unstoppable in 2012.
6. Avicii
This year, Avicii underscored his place as dance music’s “Piano Man”
(sorry, Bill Joel fans!). It started with “Blessed” (featuring
Shermanology), continued with “Fade Into Darkness” (and Leona Lewis’
“Collide,” let’s be real) and capped off with the eagerly awaited
release of “Levels.” Yes, Avicii’s keys and vocals went pop in ’11, and
Flo Rida would certainly back us up on this as his Etta James vocal is
sampled on Flo’s “Good Feeling.” To close out the year, Sweden’s Tim
Bergling (stage names: Avicii, Tim Berg, Tom Hangs) is nominated for the
Best Dance Recording
Grammy with David Guetta for DG’s “Sunshine.” But before that Big Apple ball drops, Avicii will rock New York with a sold-out New Year’s Eve show.
5. Afrojack
Holland’s towering bleep-bender put on a spectacle of versatility in the
past 12 months. Afro-beats scored monster mainstream U.S. radio singles
for Beyoncé, Chris Brown and Pitbull. And
then there’s his EDM
game: Nearly a dozen collabos bearing his name charted in
Beatport.com’s top 10, with Nervo, Steve Aoki, R3hab and Quintino
onboard for a few. He wrapped up the year with a Grammy nom and the
earth-shaking single “Lionheart,” and we can only pray he’ll deliver a
video for it in ’12 … with a Jean-Claude Van Damme cameo.
4. Swedish House Mafia
Dubbed by MTV News as the “holy trinity of house music,” the rock stars of dance were
everywhere this
year, from “Miami 2 Ibiza,” Las Vegas to Brazil and all points in
between. Not only did they succeed as a unified front, but Axwell, Steve
Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso also soared as individual brands. And
thanks to their Size, Axtone and Refune record labels, stellar acts like
Thomas Gold, Swanky Tunes, Junior Sanchez, Third Party, Max Vangeli,
AN21 and buzzworthy young rookie Alesso are on the verge of becoming
household names. On the heels of a historic show at New York’s iconic
Madison Square Garden this week, and a 2012 Grammy nod for “Save the
World,” the Swedish Flag has been firmly planted in the American EDM
soil.
3. deadmau5
“4×4=12″ cranked out hit after hit after hit. He nailed well over 100
live tour dates on the Meowingtons Hax Tour, earned RIAA gold with
“Ghosts N Stuff” and headlined the traditionally all-rock Lollapalooza
fest. Did we mention the wonder born Joel Zimmerman turned a skyscraper
into a
4-D experience in London and bid farewell to a
Playmate? I mean, who else can say they did that? The dude has balls N stuff.
2. David Guetta
David Guetta’s career has definitely gone pop this year — including the
radio hits “Where Them Girls At” (featuring Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida)
and “Without You” (featuring Usher) — but for EDM purists, his
Nothing but the Beat had
plenty to offer too, like stellar co-productions with Afrojack (“Lunar”
and “The Future”) and Avicii (on the Grammy-nominated “Sunshine”).
DJ Mag crowned
Guetta the #1 DJ on the planet, and he headlined the world’s biggest
festival’s, including Belgium’s Tomorrowland, Miami’s
Ultra Music Festival and Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival. Guetta’s
American Music Awards performance with Minaj seems to indicate that “Turn Me On” will be the next single from
Nothing but the Beat, and fans can expect a shocking new video (and much more, we’re sure) early next year.
1. Skrillex
MTV’s EDM Artist of 2011 scored a whopping five Grammy nominations this
year, including being the first DJ to land a Best New Artist nod.
Indeed, Skrill’s musical background — both on his own and as a member of
his former group, From First to Last — has carried over into his brand
of fiery electronica. Skrillex has garnered an audience the world over
that includes ravers, house heads and rockers alike. In today’s laptop
generation of music, Skrillex is the new “rock.” From his
remix of Benny Benassi and Gary Go’s “Cinema” to
the recent Avicii pop song “Le7els” (not officially released yet),
Skrillex dropped massive re-workings in ’11, in addition to his
More Monsters and Sprites EP.
He scored video games, produced records for Korn, launched his own
OWSLA label and hit almost every major festival in the States, including
Coachella and Lollapalooza. An exceptional catalog of releases coupled
with an incessant touring schedule has made Skrillex the biggest EDM
star of the year, and in 2012, he plans to tour 322 of the 365 days.
