This week I'm introducing a new feature for you good people out there on the interweb. From now on, every 2 months, I'll be rolling out a power ranking of my top DJ's. The ranking will be a composite of the DJs' Year to Date work and their work since the last rankings. Future rankings will be significantly shorter, but for the introductory edition, I tried to provide a bit of background info on the DJ's.
For the first rankings, I'll be considering the DJs' work from Winter Music Conference/Ultra Music Festival 2010 through just before Ultra 2011. Note: Career achievement plays no role in these rankings; anything from before March, 2010 does not factor into my consideration. The July/August edition of the Power Rankings will factor in WMC/Ultra 2011, once I've listened to all of the sets from Ultra courtesy of house4dj.com and the magic that is modern technology.
Honorable Mentions:
Afrojack- Some notable productions, including Replica and Take Over Control (which Spencer & Hill improved upon), but had the undoubtably WORST set at Electric Zoo 2010. Combined with my general distaste for Dutch house and Afrojack misses the cut.
Ferry Corsten- Ferry is one of the few Trance DJ's I still listen to on a consistent basis, and I'd love to include him in my Top 25, but his year simply did not justify it. Corsten's "Once Upon a Night" album, released in two volumes failed to generate much buzz, as he had a relatively quiet production year. "Alejandro Hung Up," a mashup of the Lady Gaga and Madonna tracks was a solid effort, but the most attention Ferry received all year was for other artists, such as Sidney Samson and Cosmic Gate, remixing his iconic track "Punk".
David Guetta- I used to love Guetta back in the days of "Just a Little More Love" and "Fuck Me I'm Famous," but his recent hip hop and pop heavy efforts really fall short for me. Guetta has become one of the most in demand producers for the hip hop and pop community, but he has done so at the expense of his House fans. With the possible exceptions of Kelly Rowland's "Commander" and Kelis' "Acapella," Guetta has not produced anything of value in the past year. Here's hoping the French DJ returns to form with his highly anticipated fifth studio album, due out in Summer, 2011.
25. Pryda (Erik Prydz)- One of my all-time favorites, Eric Prydz (aka Pryda) became a household name for his chart-topping anthems, "Call on Me" and "Pjanoo". His recent productions have not generated as much noise, but they've been a reminder of what a keen ear the Swedish DJ and producer has. Original productions, released under the Pryda moniker, over the course of the last year included "Vega", "Niton", and "Miami to Atlanta". Notable remixes, released as Eric Prydz, included Felix Da Housecat's "Thee Anthem" and Faithless' "Not Going Home".
24. Dada Life- Olle Corneer and Stefan Engblom, aka Dada Life, have been performing since 2006, but really broke through this past year with their epic Electro House beats and catchy synth hooks. Among a vast array of remixes and original productions over the last year, the two that really stand out for me are their smash hit "White Noise, Red Meat" and "Tomorrow," the duo's collaboration with Dmitri Vegas and Like Mike. Keep an eye out for the Swedish DJ's to really blow up over the course of the next year.
23. Alex Gaudino- The Italian veteran is known around the world for his 2007 smash "Destination Calabria", but here at From Russia with Club, we are far more interested with what he has done for us lately. What Alex has lacked in quantity this past year, he has made up for in quality. Gaudino is on this list almost entirely because of one song but what a song it is. Gaudino's major 2010 release, "I'm in Love" was probably the 3rd most remixed song of 2010, behind only "Open Your Heart" and a certain Swedish House Mafia track. Note: Gaudino's recent collaboration with Kelly Rowland was leaked before Ultra, but because the official release date was actually March 29th, it will count for the next edition of the Power Rankings.
22. Robbie Rivera- Rivera can primarily thank "We Live for the Music" for his position on this list. "Let Me Sip My Drink" and "Oh Baby" were also solid efforts but nothing to write home about. The Puerto Rican native continued to bring the fire on his "Juicy Music Show" podcast, a staple of my house music diet. Rivera is really at his best live, and you can expect him to jump up the rankings once his epic Ultra set is factored in.
21. Roger Sanchez- The S man will also benefit from a post-Ultra bump, but in the mean time his spot here is secured by his excellent October release, "2Gether", and his remix of Brandon Flowers' "Only the Young". Additionally, Sanchez's "Release Yourself" podcast continues to be one of my favorite out there.
Check back later this week for #'s 20-11.
Disagree with my rankings? Make your opinions heard in the comments section.
