Alan Walker revealed as DJ Mag Top 100 DJs 2017's highest climber
UK-born, Norway-based producer up a whopping 38 places...
Alan Walker is officially the highest climber in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs 2017 poll after climbing 38 places up to the number 17 slot.
If 2016 was the year 20-year-old Alan Walker truly exploded into the EDM premier league, 2017 has been the year he’s settled into his role as a next-gen ambassador.
After being plunged into the deep-end (he was playing Ultra and supporting Rihanna within months of making his live debut), the hooded/masked- face English-born Nord has now really honed his craft and spent the whole year touring and performing to epic crowds that range from EDC Las Vegas to an Indian tour supporting Justin Bieber
Production-wise, he’s been just as busy with various high-profile singles peppering our year. Building on the foundations of his rampantly successful debut ‘Faded’ and ‘Alone’ in late 2016, he dropped ‘Ignite’ with fellow Norwegian songwriter K-391 (a track so striking that Sony adopted it as the grand salvo for their new Xperia smartphones) and the Coldplay-esque lighter-raiser ‘Tired’.
As a way of saying thanks to his loyal community of fans (proudly known as Walkers), he recently dropped a new version of his early track ‘Spectre’. Bouncing with all the uplifting melodies he’s made his signature but with added vocals, it amassed 20 million views in just two weeks. That’s almost one thousand plays per minute!
Walker's 2015 track 'Faded' was also recently announced as the sixth most watched dance music video on YouTube, with over 1.3 billion plays.
Martin Garrix has been revealed as the winner of the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll 2017, with the 21-year-old Dutch superstar retaining his title after becoming the youngest ever No.1 DJ last year.
There were over a million legitimate votes cast for the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll this year — a marginal increase on 2016’s million-smashing achievement — with the standings seeing 15 new entries, seven re-entries and five non-movers.
The rise was undoubtedly due in part to further opening up the voting process to China this year via a fully updated and translated validation mechanism.
The influence of the White Isle is still strong. Solomun has had another massive year in Ibiza with his +1 residency at Pacha, and this has paid off with a debut chart placing for the DIYnamic man at No.81.
Similarly, Maceo Plex has also had another successful year at Pacha and charts 10 places lower, while South African hero Black Coffee debuts at No.85 — almost certainly due to his hugely successful residency at Hï Ibiza, the new superclub that occupies the same space in Playa d’en Bossa as the fabled Space.
Bridging the gap between the underground and the mainstream, Eric Prydz has also had a good year. The ‘Pjanoo’ man took on his fi rst weekly Ibiza residency — also at Hï Ibiza — and is up 32 places to No.34.
Melodic masked marauder Claptone is also a new entry, as is Australian trap n’ bass DJ Alison Wonderland, while several stalwarts have reversed back into the Top 100 — as befits their stature.
Richie Hawtin is back in the poll at No.80 after slipping out last year, but he’s not the Highest Techno DJ as the one and only Carl Cox has once again taken that accolade — Coxy is up 12 places to No.62, without so much as a sniff of a vote-for-me campaign.
Also representing main stage techno, Paul Kalkbrenner is back in the 100 for the fi rst time since 2012, while in the next 50 Loco Dice, Marco Carola, Adam Beyer, Jamie Jones, Green Velvet, Seth Troxler, Nina Kraviz and Kolsch have all made an appearance.
Meanwhile, Disclosure have popped their toes back into the Top 100, and Andy C — once again the Highest Drum & Bass DJ in the poll — has reaped the rewards of a hectic year by doubledropping himself back in at No.77.
The Top 100 DJs poll used to be swamped by trance spinners until the rise of EDM a few years back, but it seems like the sound is having a resurgence. Not only is trance fi gurehead Armin van Buuren up, but former winner Paul van Dyk is up nine places and the Above & Beyond trio are up 20 places off the back of their huge arena shows. ATB is also up to No.54, while Ferry Corsten jumps up nine places in the wake of his ‘Blueprint’ album.
There’s still a smattering of hardstyle DJs in the hallowed hundred, and Angerfi st has had to surrender his Highest Hard hat to Headhunterz, who has returned to the hardstyle scene after a spell exploring more mainstream music.
Check out the full DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll results here.
Pic by Stian Andersen
