2015 Artists to Watch

Troyboi is a London musician with an unbelievably unique style. His music has already caught the attention of over 120,000 followers on Soundcloud. Having produced a successful collaboration with Flosstradamus (Soundclash) who have over 4.5 million followers, his fan base can only go up from here.

Aero Chord is one of Monstercat record label's most prized possessions. Although you may have not seen him behind very many docks recently, things are about to change for this 23 year old future trap producer as he has gained the attention and support from Skrillex, Diplo, Flux Pavilion, and more.

MR•CAR/\\ACK (Mr. Carmack) is a Hawaiian native who can construct a filthy bassline that will have you wanting to dance the second that first drop hits. With 180,000 followers on Soundcloud and the prospect of his CONTROL tour, there's no reason to doubt whether or not he's going to make it in this vicious industry.

Trollphace has given me the grace of witnessing one of the most insane dubstep sets I've ever seen performed live. I recently saw him in New York City and was absolutely blown away by the amount of excitement and energy the crowd gave in response to his amazing music. This spring, he will be embarking on a tour in France with one of dubstep's most esteemed producers, Excision.

Another dynamic duo I recently saw perform live and will definitely be doing big things throughout this 2015 year is Slander. They have produced a couple of impeccable collaborations with NGHTMRE and many remixes of popular EDM songs that has helped get their name out. Be prepared for bass when seeing them live, this pair definitely knows how to give the people what they want; and the people want dubstep.

Twine was fortunate to score a spot on tour opening for Datsik, who is already an extremely renown dubstep producer. His talent has not gone unnoticed as he is signed with five major record labels: Firepower, Rottun, SMOG, Never Say Die, OWSLA. 2015 will be one hell of a year for him and I'm so eager to see which festivals at which he'll be performing.

Ghastly is one of the many artists who doesn't believe in genres; he believes that music is music and that we basically shouldn't categorize based on any certain style (personal opinion). He has released many popular hits under big-name labels such as OWSLA, Buygore, and Dim Mak. Because he blends many different genres into his sets and tracks, we never really know what to expect from him. We do, however, know that whatever he produces won't disappoint.

Kayzo is a fairly well-rounded musician as are most in the electronic dance music industry. He covers a broad spectrum of genres including but not limited to: house, trap, dubstep, big room, and hardstyle. Most of his most popular work falls under the house music genre but because he drops many different styles during his sets, this young DJ's fan base will expand exponentially this year.

Lindsay Lowend has been blessed with the opportunity to open for EDM sensation, Bassnectar, as well as Porter Robinson. Because he was able to open for huge electronic music icons, those sold-out venues helped him gain fans who quickly grew to love Lowend's beautiful yet different style of music.

The electronic dance music industry is primarily male dominant, but there are a few women who are proving themselves to be more than capable of producing amazing, high-quality music. Alison Wonderland hasn't quite marked her territory in the U.S. yet, but as an Australian native she has absolutely blown up across the EDM charts in her country of origin. Her style varies from techno to trap and she can undoubtedly use the vibrations of an 808 to its full potential. Her 5 track EP "Calm Down" streamed over two million views so if you haven't already heard of her, it's only a matter of time.

Progressive house music DJ Tigerlily is also from Australia and stands as In The Mix’s Australian #1 Female DJ. Having toured with Tiesto, she is becoming very renown now in the U.S. as well. With over 40,000 followers on Soundcloud, she has caught the ear of many EDM fanatics across the globe. You'll definitely be seeing this crazy chick on many festival stages this season!

After playing a spontaneous yet flawless back-to-back set with Skrillex, Mija quickly became a relevant icon in the electronic dance music industry. She has already been on major festival stages and hundreds of shows across the country. She has support from the OWSLA crew and many other producers so this gal is a sure shot you don't want to overlook.

Illenium has released many tracks that have personally hit me right. in. the. feels. Seriously, if you're a fan of Seven Lions or Crywolf, this is someone you need to take a look at. Nick Miller is from Denver, CO. and has only been producing electronic music for a few years but his talent is evident through his powerful songs. His recently released remix of "Mine" by Phoebe Ryan is one flawless example of how much emotion he can put into a song. After listening to the original version and then Illenium's remix, well, no offense to Phoebe but it's nowhere near as emotionally moving as his version. Be prepared for big things from him this year. There really is no other way to describe his music besides beautiful.

Who or what made you want to learn how to produce electronic dance music?

"So I moved to Carbondale, Colorado… outside Aspen, in 2011 to pretty much be a ski bum for a while and take a break from school but during the offseason I couldn't find much to do. This is when artists like Adventure Club, Zeds Dead, Sound Remedy started to blow up and their music just hit home for me. The melodies, vocals… it was all super inspiring. So I had a desk job where I could just watch Ableton tutorials for hours and just started with some really really bad remixes. I will not show anyone them. They are bad. Fun fact though… one charted on hypemachine. Gave me hope. lol"

When you first began producing, did you have any specific goals or expectations you set for yourself, or was it all generally just for fun?

"It really started just for fun but I fell in love with it so fast. I started learning more about the production and mixing elements and wanted to really learn all I could. I spent all the time I could on music. Lost any existence of a social life I had… and was actually happier that way."

At what point did your music career begin to take off?

"It’s kind of hard to say. I’m someone who is really never satisfied but recently I’ve been getting tons of messages and fans reaching out that really makes me feel like this is actually happening and it makes me so grateful. But as far as ‘Taking Off’I would say around the release of my Shark remix. That tune was something I was literally jumping up and down with in my studio. Was so surreal."

Do you have any specific tracks that have any emotional or personal meaning to you?

"Every tune for me is a new experience… emotionally they are each a journey. Always tons of ups and downs in between making a tune and trying to find new ideas. It’s an amazing feeling."

What has been the most challenging part of your musical career so far?

"Patience… For sure. I’m not patient. I always want to be working on a new tune but sometimes the ideas just don’t flow. They always eventually come but the in between times are definitely challenging."

If you could collab with any other producer in the industry, who would you choose to do it with and why?

"Tough call, Adventure Club has been a huge inspiration and so has Seven Lions. So musically, they would be awesome. The new Jack U album is fire… so that would be dope. haha"

You have really made significant progress this past year; so what are your expectations for 2015?

"Well I just signed with Madison House Booking Agency, so hopefully I will be getting out to play more shows. I did just get booked for one of my favorite festivals, Electric Forest, which is so sick!! But my main focus is to release more music. I have a couple different tunes in the work… some melodic dubstep, future bass, trap stuff. I’m just excited as ever and can’t wait to get it all out."