Top 10 DJs Over 40: Veterans In an Industry Dominated by Youth

10 DJs Over 40 Still Going Strong

I don’t know about you guys, but I like to think I’ll still be every bit of the EDM fanatic I am right now when I turn 40. But, the reality is, that’s not how it works for most people. It’s a scene where the landscape is constantly changing. The DJs I grew up listening to have opened the door to the younger generation. The Beatport top 100 is filled with names that are too young to even legally get into the clubs that they headline at. Although these young and talented artists deserve every bit of the recognition they receive, I think it’s important that we pay homage to some of the DJs that have been anchors in the scene. Despite ups and downs in the industry, extreme shifts in audience musical taste, and the stigma that EDM is for young people, these 10 DJs over 40 have stuck around and are still absolutely killing it.

10. Paul Oakenfold (50 years old) - It’s not even fair to try and sum up Paul’s accomplishments in a few short sentences. He is truly a legend, and we here in the United States, have had the pleasure of seeing a lot more of his face in the last 5 years. Paul is still a resident and one of the most in demand DJs in both Las Vegas and Miami. During his career, Paul has played shows in Alaska, Vietnam, Cuba, India, Brazil, Uruguay, South Korea, China, the Philippines, South Africa, and Egypt.
9. Benny Benassi (46 years old) - I doubt when Benassi released “Satisfaction” in June of 2002 that he thought it would still be a staple of so many big name artist’s sets 11 years later. “Satisfaction” is only one small piece of Benassi’s incredible DJ career. His song “Cinema” was one of the genre’s anthems in 2011. In addition to his insanely successful single releases, Benassi still maintains the role of a headliner at some of the world’s biggest music festivals.
8. Fatboy Slim (50 years old) - If you’ve been to a festival this year, you’ve probably watched Fatboy Slim play a main stage set. “Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat” has become somewhat of an anthem for the EDM community. But, it’s “Praise You” that will forever be Fatboy Slim’s anthem in my mind. Released in 1996, it is a track that will always be remembered, along with his other generation-defining hits such as “Right Here Right Now” and “Weapon of Choice”. Scattered over a period of about 20 years, Fatboy Slim has raked in 10 MTV Video Music Awards.
7. Frankie Knuckles (58 years old) - I’m sorry if you’re too young to know who Frankie is, but it would simply be wrong not to include this guy on the list. After a rough childhood in poverty stricken Harlem, he played perhaps the most vital role in the emergence and popularization of house music. His work in Chicago in the late 1980s and early 1990s helped birth a scene that did not exist in any way before him. Simply put, EDM as we know it today would not exist without Frankie Knuckles. At 58 years old, he’s still as active as ever. He came back to his stomping grounds earlier this summer and let loose an incredible set at Wavefront Music Festival in Chicago.
6. David Guetta (45 years old) - After getting his start in the 1980′s, David Guetta has managed to rack up an unfathomable amount of accomplishments in recent years. Six million album sales, 3 UK #1 songs in a single year (2009), and 15 million single sales. When you’re headlining the main stage at Ultra, there’s little doubt about your place in the industry.
 5. Carl Cox (52 years old) – Everyone had to know this name was going to be present somewhere on the list. Carl Cox is one of the most beloved and talented DJs in the industry. You’d be hard pressed to find a single person that has a negative thing to say about him. Depending on who you talk to, an argument can definitely be made that he hosts the most impressive stage at Ultra Music Festival. The Carl Cox & Friends stage is a visual and musical masterpiece. Cox is perhaps the most well known face in the dance music capital of Ibiza as well. 
4. Paul Van Dyk (41 years old) - When it comes to massive and long lasting success, no one holds a candle to Paul Van Dyk. Van Dyk has managed to hold a spot as a top 10 DJ in the world for every year since 1998. He is one of the first DJs ever to use his musical gifts to vault himself to celebrity status. The German producer helped bring the genre into the public eye. Oh, and add a Grammy to his list of accomplishments as well.
3. Pete Tong (52 years old) - It’s all gone Pete Tong. Pete Tong is electronic music. He’s dabbled with just about every aspect of the industry. In addition to being a musical genius, Tong is a brilliant businessman. He’s responsible for starting the International Music Summit. He’s also helped launch the careers of so many of the artists we love today with his world famous BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix and The Essential Selection. I feel our industry is safe so long as we have a man of Tong’s caliber protecting it. He’s no slouch on the stage either. There’s a reason artists pull out their best work when they are in his presence. Tong will be joining Tiesto and Calvin Harris on tour this December.
2. Kaskade (42 years old) - Having been entrenched in the scene for over ten years, Kaskade seems to pick up more and more steam each year he ages. It was just last year that Pioneer and DJ Times ranked him as the number one DJ. His upcoming Atmosphere tour remains one of the most highly anticipated tours in recent memory.
1. Tiesto (44 years old) - Named the number one DJ in the world three consecutive years starting in 2002, Tiesto is showing no signs of slowing down now ten years later. He remains arguably the most recognized name in the industry. Whether it be trance Tiesto, house Tiesto, or even deep house Tiesto, it’s going to cost about half a million dollars to book the Dutch superstar.

Credit : EDM Tunes

EDM Events : Wavefront Music Festival announces its third and final wave of lineup additions

 

Wavefront Music Festival has finally announced its third and final wave of artist additions, choosing to reveal them in a short fifty second clip. Rony Seikaly, Sander Kleinenberg, Shreddie Mercury and more officially join the likes of Diplo, Nicolas Jaar, Fatboy Slim, and Hot Natured on the 100+ DJ strong lineup. Whether you want to get weird with Nico, express yourself for Diplo, watch a barefoot Fatboy Slim dance, or see former N.B.A. player Rony Seikaly dominate a different kind of court, you’ll have your pick. In addition to the third wave, the festival organizers have also announced a local wave featuring, as the title implies, local Chicago talent.
Tickets for the festival are still on sale and can be purchased via Wantickets. Click below the jump to see a text version of both the third and local wave announcements.

DJS : Fatboy Slim’s DJ secrets: "Always be 20 percent more wasted than your crowd"

“It’s one of the basic rules of DJing. Always make sure you’re 20 percent more drunk than your crowd. Or you can be 20 percent more high than your crowd. Or just having 20 per cent more fun than your crowd. You have to lead by example.”

Those irreverent words were spoken by Fatboy Slim, AKA Norman Cook at the Ibiza IMS conference, the annual industry gathering timed around the island’s major opening parties, where Cook is helping mentor 18 aspiring DJs who are part of the Burn Studios Residency program. It’s an integral part of the conference, which sees the up-and-comers trained by an elite cast of DJ talent, with the payoff being three chosen for a residency across the season.
“It’s ironic me saying this, because I actually gave up drinking three years ago. But for the majority of my DJ career, I felt that I had to be very much ‘in the party’.”
Cook joins an elite and varied cast of DJs that also includes Solomun, Steve Lawler, Avicii and Maceo Plex; all bringing their own unique of skills to the table, with one of Cook’s trademarks being his sense of fun, and connection with the crowd.
He also emphasises the importance of actually making eye contact with the sea of people in front of you. “Some DJs spend the whole evening completely focused on the decks, which might be great for what they’re doing technically, but if you’re not actually making eye contact with your audience, you can’t judge whether they’re going for it or not.”
“And there is a certain look that you get that says, yeah, I’m really enjoying this. Otherwise you might get a look that says, ‘What the fuck are you doing?’”
Speaking later to ITM, Cook emphasised he’d taken an irreverent approach in order to get the point across to the DJs in training. “It’s not just about siting in your bedroom and doing this really clever mix, it’s also about entertaining people. It’s not such a difficult principle to latch onto.”
Fatboy Slim debuted his new audio-visual show in recent years, which was in full force when inthemix caught him at Sonar Festival in Barcelona later that year. “While the set might have been full of party tunes, and fairly straightforward in its appeal, it was still packed with plenty of exciting surprises, brimming with all sorts of bootlegs and edits that hadn’t been heard before…He garnered the best crowd response from any act all night, and it felt for two hours like the Sónar Festival had been transformed into the Big Beach Boutique, with hands-in-the air galore.”

Credit : In The Mix

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