13 Artists to Watch in 2013

2013 is poised to be the biggest year for electronic dance music, ever. And sure, it's easy to look at the artists who are established and say "yeah,

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

2013 is poised to be the biggest year for electronic dance music, ever. And sure, it's easy to look at the artists who are established and say "yeah, they'll probably have a great year," but like the best DJs within the EDM scene, you have to stay on the new sounds. Every set needs to be diverse, and new talent crops up all of the time.

We're constantly looking for new sounds, and feel that these 13 artists are on the right track in both talent and drive. They've proven to us that they are capable of flying the flag for their specific genres, and should make 2013 both exciting and memorable. Here are DAD's 13 Artists to Watch for 2013.

Baauer

Not Available Interstitial

Talk about the obvious choice! Everyone from Diplo to Benji B has supported this 22-year-old producer, and for good reason. He's the one who showed that the trap scene is not as dull as people thought it would be by injecting quirky samples and his bubbling personality into his tracks. "Harlem Shake" was undeniable, and every beat he releases thereafter are just as well-received - if not more. He's already remixed The Prodigy and No Doubt, and is set to drop material with Just Blaze in the near future. A true shining star for the American bass music scene.

BAAUER SPEAKS WITH MUSIC TALKS

Disclosure

Not Available Interstitial

This band of brothers rose up in 2012 and became the face of a scene we didn't realize we were missing: the vocal garage/house sound. Tracks like "Latch" showcase just how deep the UK scene can get (as well as popular, as it hit #11 in the UK singles chart), and with a new album set to drop this Spring, we guarantee that this duo will be dropping tunes that will tug at the heart as easily as they coax the feet to shuffle.

Loadstar

Not Available Interstitial

Loadstar, aka Xample and Lomax, are drum & bass producers who linked up a few years ago and haven't looked back since. Ram Records saw the potential of this duo, yet most of 2012 seemed to be spent with dnb heads waiting for them to capitalize. That point came with the release of "Black & White," which was as different from their regular output as it was awesome. They've struck upon something special, and we're hoping their debut album will drop this year to help the world see what we've been waiting for.

The Knocks

Not Available Interstitial

This NY duo create awesomely funky house jams that will have the ravers as well as the hipster crowd rocking along. It's a pretty genre-bending sound that could fit in a commercial as perfectly as it would in your DJ's favorite set. They have scored remixes of records by Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and many other pop stars, and "Learn to Fly" was a huge single for them in 2012, and they are currently signed to A&M/Octone with an EP/album on the horizon.

Seven Lions

Not Available Interstitial

This California native spent the last year impressing the likes of Skrillex, who released his Days to Come EP to OWSLA, and Futurebound, who has signed originals and remixes from Seven Lions to his Viper Recordings imprint. His infectious style of dubstep is proof positive that the dubstep scene is just as alive as it's ever been.

Hucci

Not Available Interstitial

Trap's come a long way in a short period of time, and towards the end of 2012, it made such an impact in the UK that, like many American musical exports, we started getting UK renditions of our sound. UK producer Hucci is all of 16-years-old, but he's creating some truly mesmerizing tracks that are causing quite a stir within the community, with acts like Flosstradamus dropping tracks off of his self-released Novacane EP on their Daily Dose mixes pretty early on. If he keeps at the current rate of quality, he's bound to be turning some heads.

Ryan Hemsworth

Not Available Interstitial

Ryan's a producer that marches to the beat of his own drum. While not a main room EDM artist, he's got a lot of tracks that ride the fence between deeper, more downtempo vibes and the dance music style that they are based on. He's got a handful of production credits to his name, and it's only a matter of time before he takes flight and really shows the electronic music world what he's made of.

Carnage

Not Available Interstitial

While he was busy getting hip-hop production credits with Theophilus London and other acclaimed MCs, Carnage also spent time crafting his own form of EDM. With the rise of the trap, Carnage's ascension was timed perfectly, and he absolutely murdered the refix game with his "festival trap" versions of huge rave anthems. Working with the likes of Skrillex and Borgore while getting props from Tiesto and singles signed to Fool's Gold? Who else does that?!

Wilkinson

Not Available Interstitial

Wilkinson is part of Ram Records' squad, and has the Midas touch. While he's gotten respect for his production work, it feels like he's waiting to really shock the drum & bass world with something magical. His remix of Calyx & Teebee's "Pure Gold" was a thing of beauty, taking an already awesome track and transforming it into a dancefloor monster, and we're wondering what it might sound like when he finishes and releases his full-length album.

Monsta

Not Available Interstitial

UK trio Monsta set the EDM world ablaze with their EP on OWSLA in 2012, and while many flocked to the star-studded remixes on the release, their original production is enough to set them far from the pack, primarily because they blend the dancefloor-ready bangers with a keen ear for how to work vocals over their tracks, elevating "big" tracks into sellable anthems. They feel like the group that's most ready to drop an album and instantly win.

JETS

Not Available Interstitial

JETS, aka Jimmy Edgar and Machinedrum, should make people excited just off the sheer potential of their union. They released a self-titled EP in 2012, and there's word that these two are putting out an album at some point. This is the sound of two underground mavens coming together to create some real magic.

Dyro

Not Available Interstitial

Following the footsteps of fellow dutchmen Hardwell, Afrojack, and Nicky Romero, the 20-year-old producer from the Netherlands has been a hot streak in 2012 with numerous releases including his surprising and explosive "Top of The World" dubstep rework. He's already released an EP on Hardwell's Revealed imprint, and had a couple of releases drop in 2012 (including remix work for Dada Life and Example). The buzz behind him is massive, and with the support he's getting for his output by the scene's finest, he could be the next one from that area to make a huge impact.

Feature Cuts

Not Available Interstitial

That masked dubstep producer over there is helping some of you stay interested in the scene, isn't he? He left the world of hip-hop production in 2011 to explore, and seemingly found his calling within EDM, dubstep in particular (although he does make electro and drum & bass as well). His name has been thrown around heavy on the Internet throughout 2012 (leading to an inclusion on Billboard's "Next Big Sound" chart), with a single on Excision's Rottun imprint, satisfying the future bass lovers.

Latest in Music