Late last week, THUMP called the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll "bullshit." I wasn't mad; I've pretty much felt the same way, at least in the sense of "this list is ultimately made up of DJs who spend money campaigning for higher placements as opposed to being about actual talent." While I'm 100% cognizant of the "art" of DJing in 2014/the EDM scene being more about how many hands you have in the air than actual DJ talent or skill, it's frustrating to see DJs like A-Trak not even place in a list of the 100 best DJs in the world. It's hard to believe that DJs who are actually dope DJs constantly get the short end of the stick in this poll. And while I recognize that this poll is bullshit, it's a) one of the most talked-about DJ rankings in the world and b) going to be used in umpteen promotional emails for these DJs as badges of honor. Escaping the results of this poll is futile, especially when DJ Mag sends out an analysis of the results within hours of the list touching down.
Wait, DJ Mag's analyzing their fan-voted poll? How does "DJs campaigning for top spots" turn into analyzing "the current dance music landscape?"
The first point of contention/humor is the idea that "Hardwell faced stiff competition." Where's the competition? Are these DJs actually trying to outdo each other, or are they just trying to get their shit off? We might not be in Boom, but when we watch TomorrowLand live streams, it's not like DJs are "holding back." Everyone has their sets, and they stick to them; if there's some kind of competition out there, it's ultra lowkey. When the biggest story out of this year's TomorrowLand was David Guetta's face, instead of what tracks were actually blowing up, something's off. It's hard to believe that some DJs are on some "oh, Hardwell's about to throw down some SHIT, let me figure out my set to combat him" shit.
Next up is the whole "EDM RIP?" question that DJ Mag hilariously brings up. Now, I know that for many, the actual term "EDM" is associated with "big room/mainstage electro house." I get it. We like to consider the term to mean what it actually stands for: electronic dance music, especially when you're lumping in acts like Diplo and Skrillex under that umbrella. Now just because MAKJ is the "only American new entry" that "describes his DJ style as ‘EDM’" doesn't mean that EDM is on its deathbed. If you want to split hairs, the entire top 10 is "EDM," including the likes of Martin Garrix, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Tiesto, Avicii, and David Guetta. How are these artists not "EDM?" If anything, that top 10 (sadly, Skrillex included) would be looked at by the average followers as typical EDM DJs.
Also, LOL at considering Beatport genre tags as being a real "thing." They've not had the good sense to make "trap" a real genre in the last few years. Just saying.
Is the scene really going into a "hard & fast" direction? It'd make sense if we'd see obvious growth or push in tracks featuring Headhunterz or Showtek, but even with Insomniac declaring hard dance being the next thing, we've yet to have anyone ask us for more Angerfist content—even if he's the highest-ranking DJ on their list. There hasn't been any real crossover hits in the hard dance/hardstyle scene, regardless of how many ways Flosstradamus flips those tracks. It just isn't happening on a whole. Just look at the charts—what's the last true hardstyle track that's broken through? We're not saying that there aren't solid acts out there pushing the sound, but when you look at the top tracks of 2014, you won't find much in the way of hard dance, hardstyle, or whatever you want to call the scene.
One point that DJ Mag does bring up, but probably doesn't realize how hilarious it is, is that techno and dnb DJs don't chart highly (or at all) because those DJs "don’t really campaign for votes" and their fans "don’t really vote in the poll anymore." So what the hell does that really mean? Is this a proper representation of the EDM scene as a whole, or of the specific genres that specific fans will actually click a button for? Or maybe it's that techno, drum & bass, and other DJs (you could lump a number of sub-genres into this) don't give a shit about the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs list? DJ Mag doesn't shy away from this effectively being a popularity contest (albeit one that could reap some monetary rewards for the DJs listed), but you can't acknowledge that fact then try to "analyze" the scene as a whole based on one segment of fans that take the time to vote or DJs that actually campaign. You know you're already dealing with a poll that's askew—why try to then make it seem like this is 100% authoritative of the scene as a whole?
The most glaring fact about this list (and many like it) is the obvious lack of two things: color and women. The majority of DJ Mag's "Top 100 DJs" are white and male. There are legitimately four women on this year's ranking: the sisters of Krewella and the sisters of NERVO. How is that possible? There are dope ladies out there turning up, from Maya Jane Coles, TOKiMONSTA and Dani Deahl to Hannah Wants and Annie Mac. You mean to tell me none of these women could place, or are popular enough to gain votes? And while we see legends like Carl Cox on the list, as well as current stars like Steve Aoki, it's hard to believe that some of the non-white male DJs out there haven't made it. Or maybe our love for dope niche genres is too large. It's just amazing to see some of the names on the list and think "who?" while dope DJs aren't being represented.
usual LOLZ at the DJ mag Top 100.
— Alex Metric (@Alexmetric) October 18, 2014
At least Carnage debuted?
What does this list event represent? DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs poll doesn't give a clear picture of the electronic music the scene as a whole. Part of that is the fact that it's voted on by the fans, but even then, there are a number of voids and holes in the list as it is right now. For all of the DJs and producers doing dope shit, it's hard to believe that Daft Punk should be smack-dab in the middle, considering they've done nothing but release merchandise in the last year. And with so much going on in the electronic music scene, especially with "EDM" being "RIP," why are there so few genres being represented in this poll? Why try and justify this fan-voted poll as being a proper representation of the future of EDM? Is DJ Mag saying that the 100 DJs that make up this list will be what the future of electronic music holds?
At the end of the day, I know this list is pure bullshit. We all know it. It's fans voting what they know/have been fed—and it's hard to get mad at the fans. If outlets only highlight one DJ or sound, what else would fans understand? Mind you, we live in an Internet age where discovering new talent is just a few clicks away, but if DJs are being told that buying banner ads is the only way to get ahead on their poll, those are the names presented to them. And we're OK with that, until an outlet tries to use those standings as a way to then examine the scene. Electronic music is bigger than this list, and in no way should be looked at as a reflection of this list.
