Trance Music's Next Class: 15 DJs to Watch
Trance Music's Next Class
While trance music may not presently enjoy the stature of its storied past, it's still a fan-driven force to be reckoned with. Just take a look at its flagbearers -- Above & Beyond sold out Madison Square Garden in 2014 and Armin van Buuren's wildly popular A State of Trance podcast draws more than 37 million listeners from 84 countries worldwide. But what about trance music's stars of tomorrow? Here are Billboard Dance's picks for the style's best and brightest hopes.
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Andrew Bayer
While Bayer's impressive productions run the stylistic gamut from progressive house to IDM and downtempo, the talented DC native can more than hold his own in trance music, earning the co-sign of Above & Beyond's Anjunabeats imprint and supported his label bosses at their landmark MSG gig.
Alan Banks
This rising U.K. trance music DJ specializes in uplifting material that has found support from some of the genre's biggest names (Armin Van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, and Ferry Corsten to name a few), and has lent his talents to recent remixes for the likes of The Prodigy and Above & Beyond.
Andrew Rayel
Armin van Buuren's young Moldovan protege has blossomed into a formidable trance music artist in his own right, becoming a fixture at his mentor's A State of Trance showcases and performing at festivals including Ultra, Tomorrowland and EDC Las Vegas.
Bobina
Hailing from Moscow, this prolific Russian trance music artist proudly embraces his heritage -- hosting a popular radio show entitled "Russia Goes Clubbing" to accompany his discography's five artist albums.
Ferry Tayle
Trance from France? The République isn't often associated with the style, but that hasn't stopped this Strasbourg trance music DJ (nicknamed "The Wizard") from making an international impact with his productions -- which have drawn support from the likes of Tiesto, Armin van Buuren and Above & Beyond.
Future Antics
With releases signed to a smorgasbord of major trance music labels -- including Armada, A State of Trance, Perfecto, and Vandit -- and a penchant for psy trance, Future Antics is poised to make a major impact on the trance scene.
Grum
While we hesitate to classify Grum as trance music, we'd be remiss not to recognize the Glasgow native's present momentum and lofty potential. The Anjunabeats staple has built a dedicated following due to his impressive production chops and a stylistic versatility that finds him just as often exploring progressive house and deeper territory.
Ilan Bluestone
The London-based trance music artist has emerged as one of Anjunabeats' brightest stars with a slew of impactful releases and major gigs at London's Brixton Academy and opening for Above & Beyond at Madison Square Garden for ABGT100.
Jason Ross
Based out of L.A., Ross has been racking up accolades since catching Anjunabeats' ears with "Burma" in 2014 -- Above & Beyond honored him as their 2014 breakthrough artist of the year and Insomniac last year hailed him as the "future face of trance."
KhoMha
Colombia's finest trance music export first caught the ear of Markus Schulz after sending him his early productions. Schulz eventually signed the KhoMha to his Coldharbour label and management, where the gifted producer thrived before departing for Armada.
MaRLo
Taken under the wing of label boss Armin van Buuren, the Dutch Aussie transplant has emerged as one of Armada's secret weapons. With high profile remixes for trance music's top tier DJs and increasing festival exposure (including an ASOT 700 look at Ultra this year), don't expect him to stay a secret for long.
Memory Loss
Sporting a series of trance music releases on Black Hole Recordings and a popular Bridging the Gap radio show on Ah.fm, don't sleep on Canadian up-and-comer Audrey Pai.
Nifra
The Slovakian native started out opening for top trance music talent coming through her home country before catching the ear of Markus Schulz, who signed her to his Coldharbour Recordings imprint. Now based in the Netherlands, she's emerged on the world stage with performances at Ultra Music Festival and A State of Trance 550.
Omnia
The Ukrainian up-and-comer burst onto the trance music scene in 2011 with a widely-supported remix of Arty & Mat Zo's hit "Rebound," and has since emerged as one of Armada Music's young guns with a slew of popular productions and a coveted invitation to mix disc one of Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance 650 compilation.
Solid Stone
Markuz Schulz knows how to pick them. Since signing with the German trance music veteran's label and management, Canada's Solid Stone has opened eyes with the consistent quality of his productions and the curation of his Refresh Radio podcast.