10 Up-and-Coming DJs who Should Be on Your Radar

Since the electronic music explosion of the early 2010s, the genre, and the infinite number of subgenres therein, settled into its place in mainstream music consciousness. Though many predicted that a comical oversaturation of DJs would lead to a major fall off in quality, the exact opposite seems to have happened. As 2015 comes to a close, the future of electronic music’s next generation of artists looks as bright as ever.

Thanks in large part to the accessibility of the Internet, it seems as if there’s a new DJ making attention-worthy contributions that demand our collective attention every day. Whether it’s the emergence of new groundbreaking subgenres or the excellent reinterpretations of sounds that are decades old, the electronic music ecosystem is constantly changing and growing in the healthiest way possible.

To aid you in your search for the best new music, we’ve compiled this list of 10 up-and-coming DJs that should be on your radar. The featured artists exhibit electronic music’s awesome sonic diversity, and they are also, for the most part, ridiculously young. Whether they work closely with each other or simply inspire one another from afar, this collection of young talent continues to push the envelope.

Although you might not recognize his name, you most definitely know Oliver Heldens and his sound. More than likely your introduction to the young Dutchman came through his massive hit “Gecko (Overdrive),” as it was one of 2014’s biggest EDM hits. The track is anthemic in the classically EDM way, and its aggressive, driving bass and soaring vocals quickly caught the attention of gatekeeper Tiesto. Since signing to Tiesto’s label, Heldens has scored three top five singles in the UK with each sounding larger than the last. Although he’s only 19 years old, Heldens has firmly established himself as the heir to the EDM hit-maker throne.

For his live shows, Tchami dons a uniform: the black shirt and white collar of a clergyman. But while his attire may be part of a standard tradition, his music is anything but. Currently blowing up off of the strength of his own material and remixes to songs like AlunaGeorge’s hit “You Know You Like It,” Tchami has made a name for himself as “the father of Future House.” His heavily synthetic beats are invigorating, the pounding metallic synths of standout tracks like “Afterlife” sounding like the music that a future race of half-human, half-robots kid would rage to in the year 2115. 

Sam Gellaitry has quickly been heralded as Soulection’s newest star (very high praise in 2015), and it’s easy to see why. Hailing from Scotland, Gellaitry’s songs are unconventional to say the least. His tracks are not for those who have a short attention span or who don’t care for the details as they develop slowly and build within and on top of themselves. He possesses an amazing production palette and is Timbaland-esque in his ability to incorporate a wide array of sounds—everything from sirens and screams to children’s voices and the clicks and clacks of machinery are all in play—in a way that they wouldn’t normally be used. This commitment to experimentation is highlighted beautifully on his ideas EP. On ideas, no song sounds like the one before it or after it, but they all maintain a common commitment to an upbeat bounce. The project is excellent and only a tease of what is to come from Gellaitry.

Although they are old enough to be in high school, the Chicago duo just finished up rocking shows across the country supporting Madeon on a major U.S. tour. That feat alone is absolutely insane, but EDM is a young man’s game and their music speaks for itself. It’s difficult to pin down Louis the Child’s sound, but their nu-disco/future ties are obvious. Their songs fall softly and are heavily melodic, choosing to tinker with vibey instrumentation rather than an overpowering drum or synth. “It’s Strange” nicely summarizes their sound for the uninitiated.

DMV native Julius Jetson thrives on the exciting forefront of bringing hip-hop and deep house back together. An exemplar of what “Gangster/Ghetto House” should sound like, Jetson has made a name for himself through his excellent remixes of everyone’s old favorite songs. A self-professed hip-hop kid growing up, Jetson reaches back into the fully stocked early to mid-2000s hip-hop nostalgia cabinet and emerges with spectacular reworks of classics like “Candy Shop,” “Lose Control,” and “The Whisper Song.” Jetson discards the original beat and puts in its place the minimalist percussion and driving bass lines of ghetto house, and then he works with and stretches the vocals to the brink of unfamiliarity. The result is spectacular and represents the exciting future possibilities for the young beatsmith.

Esta moves forward by looking backward. The Soulection affiliate (and no, you shouldn’t be surprised to see another Soulection member on this list) is deeply influenced by the lush melodies of ’90s R&B. A lover of the genre’s core principles and sounds, whether it’s through the songs he samples for his own work or the tracks that make up the backbone of his legendary DJ sets and mixes, Esta is consistently repurposing old material and giving it a distinctly new sound. Nowhere is that more visible than in his epic Boiler Room set, an hour-long master class on how to read a crowd and supply them with the euphoric vibes they are looking for.