uk festivals

Japan is producing some of the world’s most vital techno, though its roots go way back to the late 1970s. We talk to some of the country’s producers, DJs and musical advocates to find out what makes the Japanese underground so exciting...

WORDS: Kristan J Caryl

Alison Wonderland speaks candidly after making her first-ever appearance on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs list, the ultimate guide to extreme winter festivals, exclusives interviews with Lane 8, Pete Tong, Orbital, Marcus Schulz, tyDI and more!

Last year was an incredible year for party boys Solardo. Playing over 200 high-profile gigs, traversing the globe like a well-oiled machine, the Manc lads rapidly shot into the upper echelons of the scene — converting everyone they came into contact with via their fun-time positive vibes, rolling tech-house bangers and loud shirts. After scooping the Best Duo gong at our Best Of British awards in December, DJ Mag's editor Carl Loben meets up with the pair to find out more...

Nicole Moudaber is the techno queen with a rock & roll attitude. She’s the fast-driving petrolhead who’s as at home behind the wheel as she is on the wheels of steel. She’s the hugely talented DJ, producer, promoter and radio host who’s carved out her own niche with tenacity and skill. On the eve of the release of ‘Mood 50: Best Of MOOD’, her compilation to mark the best moments of her label so far, DJ Mag tracks her down in New York to talk growing up in Beirut, fast cars and much, much more...

From the ongoing refinement of house and disco, to techno's domination of the mainstream, the return of electro, ebm and new wave, and the resurgence of jump-up d&b, dance music has continued to thrive and empassion this year. Picking just 50 tracks has been a nightmare but every single tune in this list is solid gold so crank your system and enjoy... 

A slew of quality releases this year proved the compilation is still a vital format for taste-making selectors to present a snapshot of where we’re at with dance music. From seminal labels celebrating their back catalogue, collections of rare disco and sublime mixes of unreleased material, right through to electro icons enjoying being back in the limelight, here’s our top 10 compilations of 2017...

Each month we bring you nine acts popping off at the moment...