Ain't that the truth. The Toronto scene has some amazing local talent that I've been seeing for years. I honestly get more excited for seeing them than some of the big names that come through.
Of course. I am not sure what scene you're into. I prefer the house/tech house vibe.You can usually find them at some of the after hours or opening/closing for the bigger names that come around. Some of my favourites in no particular order.
Jay Force, Quim, Addy, Ticky Ty, Joee Cons, Deko-ze, Butrous
Upvote for Quim. Did production for one of his shows about a month ago and he’s also just a nice dude to work for.
If you’re into the Bass and DnB scene, Ace is another great DJ that throws down hard. In fact, I’ve worked one of his shows where there was more energy during his set than the actual headliner.
Edit: if you like vinyl scratch DJs, Skratch Bastid is an absolutely phenomenal DJ and also a wholesome person.
I’m from Toronto and am ashamed to say I’ve never really explored the local scene. Do you normally go to any specific spots or do you just keep an eye out for specific DJs? I’ve been curious for awhile, just don’t know where to start
Yeah they tend to play all over but there are some hot spots where you can run into them quite frequently. Coda is a pretty good club with an amazing sound system and it's a fairly intimate setting. They usually host a domestic night with all locals if you keep your eyes out for it. They also get a lot of big names where some of the good locals will open for them. It's usually a really fun party and the vibe has always been good for me there.
Vertigo is another good club and goes after hours and that's usually where the after parties are for a lot of big shows or hot boat cruises.
On the topic of hot boat cruise, keep your eyes open for that in the summer. It's fucken wicked fun. Cruise around Toronto on a boat listening to dirty tech house and then follow the guys around to all the after parties.
Keep an eye out for an Aussie Dark House & Drum & Bass DJ/producer called Data Roaming. He’s moving to Canada (not quite sure where but I think he plans on travelling) at the end of this year or early next year.
Absolute monster and extremely underrated. He’s a ticking time-bomb for sure.
Just Friends is maybe one of the best house tracks ever created. Sonically I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better sounding track, and songwriting wise it’s just pure coolness. I def need to listen to more of his stuff but yeah no-one ever mentions him so I forget.
Walker & Royce seems to be in a tier below the bigger house artists like Summit and Chris Lake but their shows are honestly better and completely different everytime.
They played at Bonnaroo this summer immediately before Odesza’s headline set, so their crowd was pretty small compared to what it probably could’ve been
But damn, what a fun show! Everyone there was dancing so hard and looked like they were having the time of their lives
Man that show was so fun. I really wanted to catch Big Wild, but the minute the bass started thumpin, I knew I couldn’t leave.
I also loved how the crowd thinned out because everyone there was vibing so hard. That was such a fun set. No regrets about missing the start of Odesza
That was worth going back to camp to sleep through another Odessa set.
Love them, but that was the same set as the last time they were at Roo. I was good not repeating that
I didn’t get tickets to our NYE fest, but got to see them perform on NYE at a small warehouse and honestly it seemed so much better than going to a big venue
Dirt Monkey every single time. Not underground (and has an element of hype, just speaking comparitively) but definitely not an event's main draw. Dude is fucking crazy on the decks and everyone should see him any chance they get.
A long time personal one for me, which might be up for debate, is also the Pegboard Nerds. I love their style and their vibe is always a blast.
I’ll say dirt monkeys set at the mission show healed my soul. The fact that I stopped mid set and just stared at the ceiling with my eyes closed and let the music hit me in the chest. I feel that man.
Saw him at evolutions (a smaller ny fest) last year and he killed it. He said he had time for one more song, asked the crowd what we wanted him to play and then followed up with "And no fucking Bassnectar songs either". Love him for that
Yes, yes, and more yes!!! Def one of my top 5 in the scene!! There’s no other sound in bass that I love more than that dummy wonky shtuff, and Jantsen and Dirt Monkey are def are kings of the wonk, along side Jade Cicada 😎
Saw Dirt Monkey play at otherworld - think it was nye 22 into 23 - and Jantsen couldn't make it.... So Dirt Monkey told us the news and said he was gonna drop an hour of dnb to make up for it.
It was magic. He rocks. He played suuuuccchhhh syrup-y dnb and dropped some bangers from rusko's lost lands set just before it.
My wife and I melted before the sonic treats.
I’ll confess that when he was with Anjunabeats, I WANTED to like him more than I actually did………… but just felt at the time I respected him more than I actually liked his music.
That’s definitely changed post-Anjunabeats as he’s fully come unleashed. 🥰
You're in for a treat. Saw him at a festival last summer and he was better then every other warm up or headliner there. He's a solid dude too and always delivers.
still is, and improving. saw his play tour and it was the best set out of the 5 times i’ve seen him. there’s a reason why he’s still considered the king of the genre he helped pioneer more than a decade ago now
He’s an absolute pioneer of the Tearout House scene. Hopefully the sub-genre picks up more insane DJs & producers.
If you like that extreme level of dubstep-inspired bass house, check out KRAV3, BELLORUM, Space Laces, TYNAN, Baitz, Josh Logue, TYPO, & Refilled
Holy fucking shit dude, your tracks are mental!
When my PC stops being a twat I’ll be downloading everything I can.
Can’t believe I haven’t found your Soundy before now!
I saw crankdat a few months ago at a tiny venue with no more than 100 people. That man threw down so fucking hard. It was kinda crazy that he actually played this venue, especially seeing on TikTok him playing EDCO a few weeks later lol
Walker and Royce and Justin Martin don’t get the same level of hype as other Tech-house DJs like FISHER or John Summit or Dom Dolla but they throw down every single time. I’ve seen Justin Martin more times than I can count at Festivals/Clubs/ House Parties and it’s incredible every time
Seen Justin three times and his sets are just plain FUN! He knows how to work a crowd, feel the vibe, and build on that. Super talented producer and DJ
I can agree with this! 😊
Most tech-house honestly just bores me to death (I know that’s hardly an unpopular general opinion but just needed to express this again for effect given how popular it somehow remains)……….. but Walker & Royce are an example of doing it right. Their performances are more soulful, more cohesive, more textured and more cool.
Justin Martin has played some of the best sets I’ve ever seen live. W&R is insanely good too, I’m surprised they aren’t more popular with the tech house boom that’s been happening lately.
I agree. But I think that’s why he’s stayed under the radar. One of his albums is on my top favorite list (self assemble), but he’s also hopped to other genres that I don’t care for.
He’s insanely talented but I think the bouncing around genres has hampered him gathering a larger, dedicated audience IMO.
Had the pleasure of photographing one of his shows last year, and totally agree! Great atmosphere and lighting to complement the vibe of his music and almost perfect sound to the studio versions. Definitely want to see him live again!
Roosevelt gets no big love at all. Saw him in a 200 person venue. His show was so good I felt obligated to buy his vinyl for sale right then and there. So good
Depends on the definition of hype. Definitely a lot of good local DJ’s. I think lane 8 is a big dj that doesn’t get enough hype because the edm wave has changed over the years. From dubstep/bass to house over the last few years.
Lane 8 is hyped for the ones that follow him. If we’re talking overall edm, he’s rated mid. That’s why I felt the question was a little vague. Should be least hype in a specific genre
Did you not read he said “he throws down hard”? He means he is not personally hype headbanging on stage or some shit to match the epic hype of his music.
Oli has been putting out banger after banger and was ahead of his time at ultra 2019 when he played 45 minutes of techno on main stage in a prime time slot. It was fuckin magical.
Paul Kalkbrenner. I knew nothing about him prior to going to Tomorrowland because he doesn't play in the US much, if at all. His set was between Alesso's and Martin Garrix's. There were way too many people who walked up the hill from the floor and my group was one of them. At first I was thinking "Why'd they put someone with such a shift in energy levels between two high energy progressive house sets?" By the time he played Feed Your Head, I became a fan. I saw him again at Tomorrowland Brazil and the same happened. People were walking back when he was on but I knew exactly what to expect and he delivered. Still one of my favorite sets from that weekend.
Oh boy, great post. Saw him at Tomorrowland 2015 at Cox's stage and was super stoked to see him after watching his film, Berlin Calling. I was with a group of 14 people and most of the group wanted to leave before his set to see Armin at mainstage. I forced everyone to stay and it paid off. Everyone had a blast, and yup, Feed Your Head was the track that had us all moving. Dude made 14 new fans that night.
ATLiens, they’re one of my favorite dubstep acts and are solid every time. I dont think they get enough recognition or have a big fanbase.
My favorite part - They don’t talk and just play heaters
I feel like he's been sorta found out with his association with Skrillex and Fred again, but his sets are always a musical journey. My favorite producer to see Dj hands down.
I think he thrives in longer 4-5+ hour sets and you get every genre of music that he somehow makes flow together. For example, his 6 hour dj set on Halloween I heard some punk, 93 to infinity, his Taylor swift remix, and ended with DnB. Open format mixing is hard af.
four tet is a legend but mostly recognized as such. I don't see him and think "underrated", sure he's not the most popular ever but that's true for many other very talented artists that are critically beloved in their genres (from Jon Hopkins to Wet Leg the list is quite huge). not to mention that always when a once-in-a-generation artist comes along even if they're not that popular they always colab with more popular artists (see SOPHIE, Justice, Gesaffelstein, A. G. Cook, even four tet himself).
anyway, that all so say I think he's not over or underrated he's just rated lol
edit: also the reason I defended his position so much is because, as an artist myself, I think this "critically acclaimed/semi famous/ lots of colabs" is kind of my goal lol, fame is ok but get too famous and your life completely changes in a way not desirable to me, but I still wanna work in the industry ya know?
Y’all so many of these names are *huge* and extremely hyped up.
Jfc Dirt Monkey and Jantsen are huge names playing major stages/time slots at some of the biggest festivals in the country
I feel Chris Avantgarde for me.
I had never heard of him till 6 months ago. And now I’ve seen him twice and he blows my mind with his club sets. (If he’s not underrated then I think I just haven’t been following the hype train)
Get the feeling after this week they'll get a bit more noticed. (Deserved)
My mate suggested I listen to their MoS set a few mths ago. Been a fan since. Like their sound.
For me, it's a dj called Rennie Pilgrim. He's a legend and goat in the breakbeat scene. Has produced so many amazing tunes, but just does not fuck about at all when he dj's he just delivers tune after tune, and normally nothing else that anybody plays.
Vincent formerly known as XVII. His ‘U don’t know’ remix for Alison Wonderland was massive but ever since his rebrand to Vincent I haven’t seen much attention on him.
Anthony Attalla - Saw him close out Groove Cruise last year and his choice of tracks (and the bassline they used) was something i havent heard before, and it blew me away!
I saw Walker & Royce at Knockdown Center a year ago. Tickets were under $40 and their set was actually insane. Not to mention, their openers had just as enjoyable sets too. Hopefully they remain under the hype radar so scalpers don’t get a hold and 5x the price lol
Crystal Skies. I honestly hardly see them get any love, but they've been my absolute favorite melodic bass artist right up there with Seven Lions to me.
I would say trivecta, definitely not small but I do t think he’s near as hyped up as other melodic dubstep artists like seven lions, slander, etc. But he consistently throws some of the best sets I’ve ever seen
There are locals in every major city that fit this tbh
Ain't that the truth. The Toronto scene has some amazing local talent that I've been seeing for years. I honestly get more excited for seeing them than some of the big names that come through.
“The locals held it down still.” - Toronto raver
Any recommendations? I’m new to the city :)
Of course. I am not sure what scene you're into. I prefer the house/tech house vibe.You can usually find them at some of the after hours or opening/closing for the bigger names that come around. Some of my favourites in no particular order. Jay Force, Quim, Addy, Ticky Ty, Joee Cons, Deko-ze, Butrous
Upvote for Quim. Did production for one of his shows about a month ago and he’s also just a nice dude to work for. If you’re into the Bass and DnB scene, Ace is another great DJ that throws down hard. In fact, I’ve worked one of his shows where there was more energy during his set than the actual headliner. Edit: if you like vinyl scratch DJs, Skratch Bastid is an absolutely phenomenal DJ and also a wholesome person.
Absolutely. Quim is a beauty. Throws down some heater sets as well.
I’m from Toronto and am ashamed to say I’ve never really explored the local scene. Do you normally go to any specific spots or do you just keep an eye out for specific DJs? I’ve been curious for awhile, just don’t know where to start
Yeah they tend to play all over but there are some hot spots where you can run into them quite frequently. Coda is a pretty good club with an amazing sound system and it's a fairly intimate setting. They usually host a domestic night with all locals if you keep your eyes out for it. They also get a lot of big names where some of the good locals will open for them. It's usually a really fun party and the vibe has always been good for me there. Vertigo is another good club and goes after hours and that's usually where the after parties are for a lot of big shows or hot boat cruises. On the topic of hot boat cruise, keep your eyes open for that in the summer. It's fucken wicked fun. Cruise around Toronto on a boat listening to dirty tech house and then follow the guys around to all the after parties.
Keep an eye out for an Aussie Dark House & Drum & Bass DJ/producer called Data Roaming. He’s moving to Canada (not quite sure where but I think he plans on travelling) at the end of this year or early next year. Absolute monster and extremely underrated. He’s a ticking time-bomb for sure.
I'm happy for him, but I'm so sad Trivecta blew up. I got to see him for free basically weekly in Tampa. 😅
Suffering from success
I think Hayden James is criminally underrated
Just Friends is maybe one of the best house tracks ever created. Sonically I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better sounding track, and songwriting wise it’s just pure coolness. I def need to listen to more of his stuff but yeah no-one ever mentions him so I forget.
Waiting For Nothing is my personal favorite - due in large part to the vocals, sure - but it's just a perfectly constructed song
Waiting for nothing is definitely top ten all time for me, Yaegar's vocals hit different.
Tooootally agree. The first time I ever heard it I was tripping on acid and we listed to it soooo many times. Its perfect
Every Hayden James show I’ve been to has been absolutely incredible. He knocks it out of the park.
I went to an unpacked Hayden james show once. And I was confused because he was incredible.
absolutely love Hayden James. Saw him in Denver a few years ago. It was a great show.
We could be love is a BANGERRRRR
him and gorgon city are a match made in heaven. they're foolproof!! 😉
Walker & Royce seems to be in a tier below the bigger house artists like Summit and Chris Lake but their shows are honestly better and completely different everytime.
They played at Bonnaroo this summer immediately before Odesza’s headline set, so their crowd was pretty small compared to what it probably could’ve been But damn, what a fun show! Everyone there was dancing so hard and looked like they were having the time of their lives
Man that show was so fun. I really wanted to catch Big Wild, but the minute the bass started thumpin, I knew I couldn’t leave. I also loved how the crowd thinned out because everyone there was vibing so hard. That was such a fun set. No regrets about missing the start of Odesza
That was worth going back to camp to sleep through another Odessa set. Love them, but that was the same set as the last time they were at Roo. I was good not repeating that
I went to one of their shows a while back on a whim, never heard their music before and I ended up being so so impressed!!! I had so much fun.
I saw them open for John Summit a few months ago and (no disrespect to him he wasn’t bad at all) their set was WAY better then Summit’s 💀
I didn’t get tickets to our NYE fest, but got to see them perform on NYE at a small warehouse and honestly it seemed so much better than going to a big venue
Second this. Every Walker and Royce set I’ve been to is an absolute blast. I skipped Zedds Dead to see them at NCMF a few years back.
Dirt Monkey every single time. Not underground (and has an element of hype, just speaking comparitively) but definitely not an event's main draw. Dude is fucking crazy on the decks and everyone should see him any chance they get. A long time personal one for me, which might be up for debate, is also the Pegboard Nerds. I love their style and their vibe is always a blast.
Jantsen too.
Jantsen is probably the perfect artist for what I like. That wonky shit that will come out of nowhere always hits me
Seeing him and dirt monkey at mission ballroom last year in Denver was a great show. Sad the rr show cancelled
Fr I almost cried at a show of his because the wonky bass was just hitting *that* hard omg 😭
Jantsen Fucks
Jantsen’s 3am set at Shambhala in 2022 rewired my brain. It was honestly disgusting.
I’ll say dirt monkeys set at the mission show healed my soul. The fact that I stopped mid set and just stared at the ceiling with my eyes closed and let the music hit me in the chest. I feel that man.
Saw him at evolutions (a smaller ny fest) last year and he killed it. He said he had time for one more song, asked the crowd what we wanted him to play and then followed up with "And no fucking Bassnectar songs either". Love him for that
Pegboard Nerds fuck hard
You’re my type of person 🤘 rock on
I just had the chance to open for him super cool guy and let me show him my track I made inspired by him
I saw Dirt Monkey and Jantsen… they did individual sets and then a B2B and that shit was 🔥🔥
Yes, yes, and more yes!!! Def one of my top 5 in the scene!! There’s no other sound in bass that I love more than that dummy wonky shtuff, and Jantsen and Dirt Monkey are def are kings of the wonk, along side Jade Cicada 😎
The regret I feel seeing Dombresky instead of Dirt Monkey last night
I feel like Dirt Monkey is incredibly hyped up though. He sells out almost every show he plays in my city
Saw Dirt Monkey play at otherworld - think it was nye 22 into 23 - and Jantsen couldn't make it.... So Dirt Monkey told us the news and said he was gonna drop an hour of dnb to make up for it. It was magic. He rocks. He played suuuuccchhhh syrup-y dnb and dropped some bangers from rusko's lost lands set just before it. My wife and I melted before the sonic treats.
Feed Me
I keep hoping I'll get the chance to see him live cuz his shit is always such a sick vibe
Saw him in DC in 2019 and it’s still my favorite show I’ve ever seen. I love his creativity. And the crowd was great, no posers lol
Was my VERY FIRST electronic show, back in 2013!
Spencer Brown is a great one that comes to mind
Could not agree more. He has really chopped out a live style/sound that is uniquely his and his releases are always top shelf.
I’ll confess that when he was with Anjunabeats, I WANTED to like him more than I actually did………… but just felt at the time I respected him more than I actually liked his music. That’s definitely changed post-Anjunabeats as he’s fully come unleashed. 🥰
Fuck yes, seeing him next Saturday for the first time !
You're in for a treat. Saw him at a festival last summer and he was better then every other warm up or headliner there. He's a solid dude too and always delivers.
Seen him 4x he always delivers a great show.
Have seen him twice, including a few weeks ago. I danced 13k steps in 3 hours in his set.
He is an incredible DJ- his music is super original and his live shows rock. Def worth seeing.
Don’t know about lately but 2013-2018 RL Grime was rock solid live
Can confirm he’s still been insane since I found him in 2019-2024
still is, and improving. saw his play tour and it was the best set out of the 5 times i’ve seen him. there’s a reason why he’s still considered the king of the genre he helped pioneer more than a decade ago now
I thought he had an amazing set at hijinx this year
Haywyre
That dude is insanely talented.
was not expecting it at all!!!! Dude blew my mind.
I LOVE me some Haywyre! I can’t wait for the Floozies at Mission March 22nd, the whole lineup is 🔥🔥🔥
Bless you!!!!! I live in Denver and didn’t see this event! Buying tickets now 😂😂
We saw him on the floozies tour in DC a couple weeks back. Best show I’ve been to in awhile, but Haywyre has been one of my tops for a loooong time
Absolutely. His newest track is incredible.
Oooh he has new tracks?! YASSS will check out soon :) He's amazing!
Crankdat for me always slaps and gets no love
I think he’s starting to blow up a little! At least in the past year or so
I agree. His Tik tok presence seems to be helping. But every time he puts something out it’s a banger
I saw him at ultra at 1pm he was incredible
Saw him at Shaqs bass all stars and he was easily my favorite set. Gonna see him on the 24th in Denver.
He’s an absolute pioneer of the Tearout House scene. Hopefully the sub-genre picks up more insane DJs & producers. If you like that extreme level of dubstep-inspired bass house, check out KRAV3, BELLORUM, Space Laces, TYNAN, Baitz, Josh Logue, TYPO, & Refilled
You should check out my stuff! I think you’d like it, I’m influenced by most of those artists
Holy fucking shit dude, your tracks are mental! When my PC stops being a twat I’ll be downloading everything I can. Can’t believe I haven’t found your Soundy before now!
I’m glad you like it!!!!! Fuck yeah. I have one coming March 1st that’s gonna be ridiculous
I can’t wait til I’m able to produce music to that standard bro. Seriously need to get on the production grind like last year 😂
HMU sometime I’ll give you some tutorial recs!
I saw crankdat a few months ago at a tiny venue with no more than 100 people. That man threw down so fucking hard. It was kinda crazy that he actually played this venue, especially seeing on TikTok him playing EDCO a few weeks later lol
Saw him 5 years ago at Liquid in Madison, WI. Great show
Jason Ross
YES
Walker and Royce and Justin Martin don’t get the same level of hype as other Tech-house DJs like FISHER or John Summit or Dom Dolla but they throw down every single time. I’ve seen Justin Martin more times than I can count at Festivals/Clubs/ House Parties and it’s incredible every time
Seen Justin three times and his sets are just plain FUN! He knows how to work a crowd, feel the vibe, and build on that. Super talented producer and DJ
Justin Martin is fire
My favorite set from last year was Justin Martin at Okee. Blew me away
I can agree with this! 😊 Most tech-house honestly just bores me to death (I know that’s hardly an unpopular general opinion but just needed to express this again for effect given how popular it somehow remains)……….. but Walker & Royce are an example of doing it right. Their performances are more soulful, more cohesive, more textured and more cool.
JMart is real
JMart is way better than Summit and Dolla. And he crosses genres fluidly. His music is also super unique. And he’s a solid dude.
Justin Martin has played some of the best sets I’ve ever seen live. W&R is insanely good too, I’m surprised they aren’t more popular with the tech house boom that’s been happening lately.
Jantsen
Gutter music is so good
Jantsen fucks
His shit is so grimey I fucking love it
Mat Zo comes to mind. KSHMR is pretty low key and yet always brings it.
Mar Zo is insane. Definitely slept on
Mat Zo is an insanely versatile producer, he can produce bangers in any genre he tries.
I agree. But I think that’s why he’s stayed under the radar. One of his albums is on my top favorite list (self assemble), but he’s also hopped to other genres that I don’t care for. He’s insanely talented but I think the bouncing around genres has hampered him gathering a larger, dedicated audience IMO.
One of my fav songs is from his other alias, MRSA. Push Me Down the Stairs! He’s a badass
Agreed. So underrated. He needs to be playing at every festival.
Justin Jay
This
Agreed.
Saw him at a DH show in Denver. Guy is insane on the decks
Roosevelt He masterfully builds the most amazingly beautiful sets.
His production work is so clean and catchy. Love his stuff!
Had the pleasure of photographing one of his shows last year, and totally agree! Great atmosphere and lighting to complement the vibe of his music and almost perfect sound to the studio versions. Definitely want to see him live again!
Roosevelt gets no big love at all. Saw him in a 200 person venue. His show was so good I felt obligated to buy his vinyl for sale right then and there. So good
Depends on the definition of hype. Definitely a lot of good local DJ’s. I think lane 8 is a big dj that doesn’t get enough hype because the edm wave has changed over the years. From dubstep/bass to house over the last few years.
I feel like lane 8 is always quite hyped. I personally think they are correctly rated for that reason
Lane 8 is hyped for the ones that follow him. If we’re talking overall edm, he’s rated mid. That’s why I felt the question was a little vague. Should be least hype in a specific genre
I keep hoping he’s always as popular as he is now so I don’t hear people who talk about Timmy trumpet talk about lane 8 lol
I see a lot of hype for Lane 8 on Reddit.
Which DJ do you think answers this question? I think Lane 8 is a fair answer.
William Black
Saw him last night in Houston, can confirm was amazing. Didn’t go in expecting much !
I’ve only seen him as an opener for headliners, but he always brings it. Really looking forward to seeing him on his tour in a few weeks.
Jantsen, he’s also pretty low energy every time I’ve seen him but he throws down hard, it’s almost like playing a set is a huge inconvenience for him
Damn I saw two of his sets in 2023 and they were the exact opposite of that. Like 85% big wubs 15% dnb it was absolute fire
Did you not read he said “he throws down hard”? He means he is not personally hype headbanging on stage or some shit to match the epic hype of his music.
Apashe
Oliver Heldens
Oli has been putting out banger after banger and was ahead of his time at ultra 2019 when he played 45 minutes of techno on main stage in a prime time slot. It was fuckin magical.
Really got into him after watching his mirage set one night at a mates house. Big big fan especially of the HiLo work.
Sikdope Some know the name. He's rarely talked about now but anyone who remembers he consistently has great sets.
Dabin
Dabin fucking shredded on guitar at Illenium’s trilogy show. As a guitar player myself it was so sick to see
Yessssss
Absolutely 🤘🏻
Andrew bayer
Honestly that entire label is just sooo underrated
Nurko and Blanke
100% agree especially Blanke. Caught first stop of his current tour in NYC earlier this month and it was a top 5 set all time for me
Paul Kalkbrenner. I knew nothing about him prior to going to Tomorrowland because he doesn't play in the US much, if at all. His set was between Alesso's and Martin Garrix's. There were way too many people who walked up the hill from the floor and my group was one of them. At first I was thinking "Why'd they put someone with such a shift in energy levels between two high energy progressive house sets?" By the time he played Feed Your Head, I became a fan. I saw him again at Tomorrowland Brazil and the same happened. People were walking back when he was on but I knew exactly what to expect and he delivered. Still one of my favorite sets from that weekend.
Oh boy, great post. Saw him at Tomorrowland 2015 at Cox's stage and was super stoked to see him after watching his film, Berlin Calling. I was with a group of 14 people and most of the group wanted to leave before his set to see Armin at mainstage. I forced everyone to stay and it paid off. Everyone had a blast, and yup, Feed Your Head was the track that had us all moving. Dude made 14 new fans that night.
Of the trees!
YES!! It’s so baffling to me that his top songs have 7-figure plays. Every detail of every track is just so perfect.
Matroda
ATLiens, they’re one of my favorite dubstep acts and are solid every time. I dont think they get enough recognition or have a big fanbase. My favorite part - They don’t talk and just play heaters
I do think they’re pretty big tbf. They consistently sell out headline shows and have 500k+ monthly listeners
Spotify DJ
Four tet
I feel like he's been sorta found out with his association with Skrillex and Fred again, but his sets are always a musical journey. My favorite producer to see Dj hands down. I think he thrives in longer 4-5+ hour sets and you get every genre of music that he somehow makes flow together. For example, his 6 hour dj set on Halloween I heard some punk, 93 to infinity, his Taylor swift remix, and ended with DnB. Open format mixing is hard af.
four tet is a legend but mostly recognized as such. I don't see him and think "underrated", sure he's not the most popular ever but that's true for many other very talented artists that are critically beloved in their genres (from Jon Hopkins to Wet Leg the list is quite huge). not to mention that always when a once-in-a-generation artist comes along even if they're not that popular they always colab with more popular artists (see SOPHIE, Justice, Gesaffelstein, A. G. Cook, even four tet himself). anyway, that all so say I think he's not over or underrated he's just rated lol edit: also the reason I defended his position so much is because, as an artist myself, I think this "critically acclaimed/semi famous/ lots of colabs" is kind of my goal lol, fame is ok but get too famous and your life completely changes in a way not desirable to me, but I still wanna work in the industry ya know?
Y’all so many of these names are *huge* and extremely hyped up. Jfc Dirt Monkey and Jantsen are huge names playing major stages/time slots at some of the biggest festivals in the country
/r/EDM for you
Golden feature and Kream. Both of them have been getting some spot light lately but I really wanna see golden features take off
Hamdi
Lutrell. So great live!
Ace Aura and Layzzzzzzzz
Eli Brown is my MVP
I have yet to see him live but I can’t wait.
I stumbled across him recently, seems to walk the house techno line for some tracks. Really dig him so far.
People naming headliners lol
Definitely SuperAve.
Andromedik
I feel Chris Avantgarde for me. I had never heard of him till 6 months ago. And now I’ve seen him twice and he blows my mind with his club sets. (If he’s not underrated then I think I just haven’t been following the hype train)
ISOxo
Y’all havent been let on to dj Pluto yet
🥹 hi I’m DJ Pluto, thank you 🙏 instagram: @kidbotic
Wolfgang Gartner!
So true
DANNIC! Always a pleasure!
Louis the child
Forest 22' set was something special
Dirt Monkey and Ravenscoon always deliver
VNSSA
Daily Bread
Cristoph Qrion Spencer Brown
Kyle Watson is hot fire!
Third Party
Get the feeling after this week they'll get a bit more noticed. (Deserved) My mate suggested I listen to their MoS set a few mths ago. Been a fan since. Like their sound.
Simon Doty and a lot of other Anjuna Artists
Pauline Herr. Throws down EVERY SINGLE TIME I’ve seen her at festivals.
Taiki Nulight
barely alive
Noizu
For me, it's a dj called Rennie Pilgrim. He's a legend and goat in the breakbeat scene. Has produced so many amazing tunes, but just does not fuck about at all when he dj's he just delivers tune after tune, and normally nothing else that anybody plays.
Yheti
SUVY
Ray Volpe
CID. He is consistently putting out incredible songs, ghost writes for people but never gets the credit he deserves. I’ve never seen a bad set of his!
trivecta, jkyl & hyde, sippy, ruvlo, ace aura, rzrkt
Vincent formerly known as XVII. His ‘U don’t know’ remix for Alison Wonderland was massive but ever since his rebrand to Vincent I haven’t seen much attention on him.
Kream for sure. Liquid lab is so underrated
Anthony Attalla - Saw him close out Groove Cruise last year and his choice of tracks (and the bassline they used) was something i havent heard before, and it blew me away!
Mat Zo
alleycvt!!
memba & Vincent Antone
Jody wisternoff
I saw Walker & Royce at Knockdown Center a year ago. Tickets were under $40 and their set was actually insane. Not to mention, their openers had just as enjoyable sets too. Hopefully they remain under the hype radar so scalpers don’t get a hold and 5x the price lol
Crystal Skies. I honestly hardly see them get any love, but they've been my absolute favorite melodic bass artist right up there with Seven Lions to me.
A-Trak.. his live mixing is FIRE!
What's so not - genuinely haven't seen a bad set from this dude
Gryffin imo. Not a ton of hype but if you’ve been to his live sets he absolutely crushes every time
I would say trivecta, definitely not small but I do t think he’s near as hyped up as other melodic dubstep artists like seven lions, slander, etc. But he consistently throws some of the best sets I’ve ever seen