The rise of EDM is almost as intense as any musical movement to come before it. Every day in the trance community feels like the night The Beatles played for Ed Sullivan.
Thanks to five key figures in the business, the cream of the EDM crop is brought to our attention on a daily basis.
Check out this list of the top five famous radio DJs and see how they built an empire.
Pete Tong
If you want to be on the cutting edge of new dance and electronic music, chances are you’re a fan of Pete Tong.
The British DJ tycoon seems to have a monopoly on exclusive new releases. He is a power player not only in the European market but also in the United States and beyond.
He didn’t earn his star status over night, however. Far from it.
Tong began his radio climb in the late 1970s by introducing new dance acts and shows. Within several years, he had carved out a 15-minute niche on Radio 1 where he was the resident dance aficionado. He played several top tracks and shared the latest hearsay and news in the dance community.
For Pete Tong, 15 minutes wasn’t nearly enough time.
Tong helped spearhead the development of the dance community in Ibiza, producing the original BBC broadcast from the posh island off the Spanish coast.
The development of the BBC’s ‘Essential Mix’ lives on to this day, where Tong’s Radio 1 hosting reaches the far corners of the world.
Clear Channel Communications, the US media mogul, partnered with Tong in 2012 and developed an ancillary dance program to iHeartRadio.
Outside of his remarkable business success, Tong played as the head DJ at Pacha in Ibiza in the early to mid 2000s.
No wonder he is viewed as the acid test of the latest and greatest releases in the dance community.
Armin Van Buuren
Here’s a guy whose reputation far exceeds his own person. Armin Van Buuren has produced some incredible tracks over the years, but when his name is mentioned, it’s his far-reaching influence that comes to mind.
Armin hails from Leiden, Netherlands, but quickly proved he was destined for a global platform.
By the age of 19, he started releasing tracks under major labels. In 1999, he played in scores of countries and impressed audiences with six to seven hour-long sets behind the decks.
Y2K saw Van Buuren create A State of Trance, which has become one of the most internationally subscribed to mixes with over 20 million weekly listeners.
In 2003, he founded the Armada label, which represents some of the most popular EDM names in the business, from Dash Berlin, Aly & Fila, to Audien and Cosmic Gate.
Since 2003, Van Buuren has distributed five albums, his most recent being the release of ‘Intense’ in 2013. That’s some solid work, but he has really excelled in creating a brand that allows him to be the voice of the trance community.
If a new track is on A State of Trance, then it has Armin’s stamp of approval.
He’s the gold standard of the industry.
Tiesto
If you aren’t familiar with Tiesto, please allow me to enlighten you.
He is the real deal, the litmus test, the creator, innovator and definitive leader of what we currently call EDM.
Without him, we might still be listening to the Black Eyed Peas.
His first album, ‘In my Memory,’ dropped in 2001. By 2004, he had a smash hit on his hands with his sophomore entry, ‘Just Be,’ and landed the most coveted performance opportunity of all time.
He didn’t just play at the Olympics. Tiesto did it in Athens, the very home of the quintessential games since their founding in 776 B.C.
In 2007, he introduced ‘Tiesto’s Club Life’ in The Netherlands. Within several years, his weekly mixes caught fire in the rest of Europe and the continental United States, becoming a competitor to Armin Van Buuren’s ‘A State of Trance.’
His most recent album, ‘A Town Called Paradise’ has reinforced his presence in the DJ hierarchy, with several singles topping charts around the world.
Annie Mac
There’s a trend with the most famous radio DJs.
They start the fire in a small market and refine their skills as they let it conflagrate. Then, they pull the fire alarm once it spreads to other countries.
Annie Mac has done exactly that. She’s not literally a barnburner, though, so stay with me here.
She hails from Dublin and got her feet wet recording jingles for Radio 1 in 2004. She quickly got a live mix on the Essential broadcast (under Mr. Pete Tong) and soon received the opportunity to host several shows on the BBC dance channel.
As for the fire I mentioned, she just booked a hosting gig for SiriusXM’s BPM station.
Now with a domestic and UK show, clearly her next move will be broadcasting from the International Space Station.
Above & Beyond
In the entertainment industry, people talk about the elusive ‘big break.’ For the English trio of Jono Grant, Paavo Siljamaki and Toby McGuinness, a single track propelled them to greatness.
The group that would become ‘Above & Beyond’ formed in 1999 and within a year released their single, ‘Volume One’ to great acclaim. Pete Tong and Paul Oakenfold feted the British triumvirate and encouraged the group to continue their work.
After several successful remixes, Above & Beyond fulfilled their stage name by performing with Tiesto and Ferry Corsten. This 2002 reveal put the group on the map in an unprecedented way.
Their 2006 and 2010 album releases, particularly that of ‘Group Therapy,’ solidified their role in the club scene. When the single ‘Sun & Moon’ topped the UK charts and became a fixture of the BBC’s playlists, Above & Beyond earned their recognition as one of the top DJs.
In 2012, riding along the success of ‘Sun & Moon,’ they initiated ‘Group Therapy Radio,’ their answer to Van Buuren’s and Tiesto’s programming.
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