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It's easy as hell to produce dance music, and with that accessibility comes a cavalcade of producers dropping tracks in a number of genres. Some producers and DJs are a "sure thing" - you'll pretty much know what to expect from these acts when you they hit the decks, or get a huge release on a smart label. There are always surprises, though, and artists that one might not realize has achieved things we didn't imagine, or received widespread acclaim after being a recent "unheard of" producer. We wanted to take a look at some of the artists who have really impressed us in terms of where they were in 2012 and their achievements in 2013.
Dillon Francis
At the beginning of 2013, Dillon Francis was known for his moombah, Taco Bell, practical jokes, and wicked DJ sets. Now 2013 is more than half over and while all of those things are still true, we've also seen a side of we thought we'd never see of Dillon Francis. With his new single "Without You," Dillon showed the world that he's capable of more than just a joke and a swear word, but that he is willing to be vulnerable and create music with an emotional weight and substance; something the dancefloor often leaves at home. With a debut artist album on the way, Dillon is flourishing as he evolves into a well-rounded artist.
David Heartbreak
Heartbreak's a producer that we've championed over the years. We don't like using the m-word in conjunction with his name, but hell, he was one of the producers that many associated with the rise of moombahton. Truthfully, he's much bigger than one genre, with everything from house and trap to trance and dancehall productions under his belt. And we've always supported him in his endeavors. He's put in so much work, we were surprised that no one had picked up on him... then the mighty AM Only picked him up as a client. Skrillex, who calls Heartbreak "innovative," picked up on his years of quality output, adding him to the OWSLA fold and releasing his The Foundation earlier this year. For years of hard work, 2013 is the year that everything paid off for Heartbreak, and we only see it going onward and upward from here on out.
Martin Garrix
We have had our issues with Martin Garrix's push with "Animals," we can't front. Whatever the reasoning behind the way Garrix and/or Spinnin' chose to push this track out there, we can't front: we weren't expecting dude to hit #1 on the Beatport charts, becoming the youngest producer to do so (at the age of 17). Who knows if that even means anything based on the way Beatport charts work, but hell, it's a feat from a producer who essentially came out of nowhere and became a "name."
Carnage
Carnage is definitely one of the true EDM success stories of the last year. 2012 saw him getting accolades for his "festival trap" refixes, with a number of sites picking up on his material, it made sense that A-Trak releasing Carnage's "Bang!" on Fool's Gold. No one expected him to blow up the way he did in 2013, with Carnage & Borgore taking a house approach with the huge "Incredible," which made a major impact when it dropped via Spinnin' earlier this year. He kept the momentum growing, with sets all over Miami Music Week, including the 2013 Ultra Music Festival, as well as stints at the EDC and a number of other huge EDM festivals. For a guy who has one of the better personalities within the dance music scene, and was initially seen as a one-trap pony, it's great to hear him totally transition into house (and other forms of dance music) and get love for his work.
MUST DIE!
MUST DIE!'s a name that crept into our conscious towards the end of 2012, but something about his style had him popping up all over, with releases on Firepower, Dim Mak, Never Say Die, SMOG, and subHuman dropping just this year. And it's not like he's just stuck with one sound; MUST DIE!'s multifaceted, and has no problem bringing in some sick, metal-charged dubstep then following it up with more melodic, sparse numbers. A true talent, we're waiting to see if some wise label has plans to release an album's worth of material from him in the coming year.
Buku
He had a couple of great tunes last year, but it seems he's gone from outlying up-and-comer to bonafide star in a matter of months without coming up with any huge co-signs or major label releases. His is one of true quality over quantity, which can be a rarity in the congested EDM scene.
AC Slater
We're not new to AC Slater's music at all. We won't say we'd known about 14-year-old AC Slater, picking up the tools of the trade as a kid in West Virginia, but five years ago, when he got down with New York's Trouble & Bass crew, we were all about his music... back before the EDM blogosphere got so saturated. When Trouble & Bass won the 2013 Culture Clash, AC Slater was right on stage. Once we started catching whiffs of his Return to the Underground EP, though, when we heard him drawing from that 2008 sound? It was the best response to the UK heavy bass house movement that has been going down this year. Almost as if AC has recharged his batteries and is set to kill the game all over again.
DJ Snake
Lady Gaga knows how to pick 'em. For her forthcoming Artpop album, she's working with DJ White Shadow, Madeon, and the mighty Zedd to bring out a unique electronic sound. On her 2011 album Born This Way, White Shadow was in the mix, as well as a then-newcomer in French producer DJ Snake, who worked with DJ White Shadow on the track that became "Government Hooker." Not too many people picked up on that, but do you know what The Jeffree's picked up on? "Bird Machine." A single so big, The Jeffree's considered it their first double A-side single, you could argue that this track helped spearhead the "twerk" sound that's taken over. Since then? Remixes for Duck Sauce, AlunaGeorge, and Major Lazer. In a genre that can be pretty saturated with remixers and releases, you can tell when someone is on a win streak, and all three of those huge remixes hit within the same two-week period. Snake's on a roll.
Free n Losh
After releasing a six-track EP entitled Deadhead O.G. in fall of 2012, Free n Losh experienced their real first taste of critical success with appearances on a couple of big websites, bringing in new legions of fans and a few thousand plays on each track. Coming into 2013, the Toronto duo stepped up their game and blew expectations out of the water with the release of their most recent EP, The Best Is Yet To Come. The EP had three tracks breaking the HypeM Top 10, with "Things You Don't Understand" leading the way with nearly 100,000 plays and the #1 chart spot. With the bigger spotlight, Free n Losh has only gotten better as they prepare for the release of their original material and next EP.
Ta-ku
The situation with Ta-ku isn't one of doubting his skills; the man is clearly a talented producer and DJ. What's surprised us is how accepting the electronic music world has been of his productions, to the point where Ultra is tapping him on the shoulder for official remixes, and he's getting a guest DJ mix on Diplo, A-Trak, and Skrillex's POTATO network. He went from being a talented producer who credited Baauer dropping his "Diamond Mouth" on 1Xtra on his resume, and now he's far surpassed that accolade. It's not often that a producer we champion ends up getting this much acceptance in a short period of time, but we love that it happened to a producer of Ta-ku's caliber.
