Kiss

Now more so than ever, dance music is a truly global phenomenon, and this year’s Top 100 DJs poll (powered by Trackitdown.net) results prove it. For the first time, DJ mag received votes from a staggering 236 different countries and territories — nearly every individual state in the world.

TOP 10 DJs 2009

1 Armin Van Buuren
2 Tiesto
3 David Guetta
4 Above & Beyond
5 Paul van Dyk
6 Deadmau5
7 Ferry Corsten
8 Markus Schulz
9 Gareth Emery
10 Sander van Doorn

The awards held last night at London’s Ministry Of Sound and presented by Peter Hook, saw performances from the winner, Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta, Above & Beyond, Sebastian Ingrosso, Sebastien Leger, Tocadisco, Sander van Doorn, Gareth Emery, Greg Wilson, Jon Dasilva, Graeme Park, and more. Held annually as a charity event, this year’s beneficiary was Don’t Lose the Music, a campaign from RNID. Donations were taken at the door.

Check out all the photos and the exclusive KISS video interviews from the night…

Trance tsunami

It’s an unprecedented hat-trick for Armin Van Buuren, who keeps his crown as Earth’s No.1 DJ for a mind-boggling third year in a row, and elsewhere, it’s plain to see that a trance tsunami has engulfed the poll — and clubbers’ ears — despite some predicting a stronger showing from the house fraternity this year. Fellow Dutch don Tiësto remains at No.2, while Above & Beyond (the highest UK act), Paul van Dyk and Ferry Corsten stand firm in the Top 10, with Gareth Emery making a surprising spring into the No.9 position. Sander van Doorn edged in for the first time at No.10, while outside the inner sanctum, ATB came a very respectable No.11 and Cosmic Gate, most famed for their chart hit ‘Fire Wire’, were Joint Highest Climbers, rising 43 spots to No.19.
In the lower reaches of the poll, several young pretenders to the trance throne made their presence known, with Marcus Schossow (No.79), Super 8 & Tal (No.82), Sied Van Riel (No.85), Daniel Kandi (No.87) and Antoine Clamaran (No.96) all breaking into the Top 100 as new entries.

House heroes

Despite the dominance of the trancers, house music is still very much in full effect in 2009, mainly thanks to one man. David Guetta — who grew from house hero to global pop superstar in the space of 12 months, nabbing No.1 hits in the US and UK this year — came closer than ever to toppling the trance goliaths, edging into the No.3 position. And he wasn’t the only househead to dent the chart. The huge influence of the Swedish House Mafia was everywhere to be seen, with Axwell rising six places to No.14, Steve Angello claiming the other Joint Highest Climber spot, landing at No.20, and Sebastian Ingrosso bagging the Highest New Entry, coming at No.25.

Electro house oddball Deadmau5 (aka Joel Zimmerman) continued his assault on the highest reaches of the chart, joining the esteemed company of the Top 10 at No.6, after gruelling tour schedules and the release of a second album ‘For Lack Of A Better Name’.

Techno prisoners?

Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, Dubfire, Umek and Sven Vath have remained in the Top 50, while Luciano boomed back into the poll after an absence last year, helped in no small part by his impressive new album ‘Tribute To The Sun’ and typically tireless touring.
Brazilian beat boss Gui Boratto edges in for the first time, after hovering outside in the last few years, his triumphant appearance precipitated by the continuous influence of our sister mag DJmag Brazil, as well as a sterling second album for Kompakt, ‘Take My Breath Away’.

Make some Noize!

Of all the surprises in the chart, few have quite the impact of seeing Boys Noize (Alexander Ridha) smash his way in at No.68 as a New Entry, proving that his brand of incendiary, buzzing electro is very much alive and well. Meanwhile, the Parisian deadly duos beloved of hipster, plimsoll-clad kids everywhere — namely Daft Punk and Justice — fared well, despite virtually zero in the way of activity this year.

Votes for the drum & bass heavyweights were thin on the ground in 2009. All time junglist master and Ram Records main man Andy C has scraped in at No.100, falling 50 places; the only other deebee dude to make the poll is the neon-clad peacock John B, who made a miraculous debut appearance at No.92, making him the Highest Drum & Bass Entry this year. Similarly, the hard dance scene had little impact on the Top 100, with only Lisa Lashes making a showing at No.75. She’s also the only woman in the poll.

This year’s Top 100 DJs poll is as controversial as ever. Whether you agree or disagree with the results, it remains a definitive document of the most popular DJs in the world, as voted for by the global, club-going public.

The Russians are coming

As with last year, the US stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of votes, followed by the UK. Germany, Mexico and the Netherlands all weighed in with vast numbers of ballots, but one of the biggest surprises was to see Russia usurp the third highest voter position, confirming the immense growth of trance sounds across its vast region. Russian mega star Bobina leaped 12 places to No.16, reaping the rewards of the profile boost afforded by his smash hit album ‘Again’ and a mix CD live from Ukraine’s super festival, ‘KaZantip Republic Z17’, while countryman DJ Feel was catapulted a jaw-dropping 25 spaces to No.30. Meanwhile, Russian tech trance newbies Moonbeam made their first appearance in the chart, at a very respectable No.76.

ABOUT THE TOP 100 DJS POLL

Since the early 1990’s, the Top 100 DJs Poll powered by Trackitdown.net has grown to become the biggest annual event in dance music. Inclusion in the illustrious ‘100’ is the dream of every DJ, from rising stars to the likes of global heavyweights such as Armin van Buuren, Tiesto, David Guetta, and beyond.

The Top 100 DJs Poll now attracts hundreds of thousands of voters from every corner of the globe, reinforcing the fact that dance music is a truly global culture. To put it simply, there is no other music-related poll like it in the world.

The Top 100 DJs Poll is a public vote where voters are given the chance to name their Top 5 favourite DJs in order of preference.

The most influential poll in music is powered by Trackitdown.net.

Tags: Dance, House, Music, Techno, Top 100 DJs, Trance