Style: “Electronica.” Best known for: “‘Promises’.” Tune of 2012: Not answered. Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Baauer.”
DANIEL Stephens and Joe Ray started off as drum & bass producers before morphing into arguably the biggest dubstep duo in the world. Their ‘Ragga Puffin’ d&b track on DJ SS’s Formation offshoot Reformed Recordings hinted at their future epic promise, and after signing to Chase & Status’s MTA Records, their single ‘Promises’ reached No.1 in the UK — at the same time as their album ‘Welcome Reality’ topped the charts, too.
With other big tracks such as ‘Innocence’, ‘Me & You’ and ‘Guilt’ helping to build their profile worldwide, they nestled in as one of the top dubstep acts around. Now joined by vocalist Alana Watson pretty much full-time, this year they turned down the chance to support Madonna on tour, but did go into the studio with Skrillex. The first fruits of these sessions are just starting to appear.
Over the past year or so they’ve also produced tracks for people like Example and Muse, but have now chosen to concentrate principally on their own productions for the foreseeable future.
Although hard to track down for this profile piece while touring Australia, the guys are quick to answer when DJ Mag asks them what the gig highlight of the past 12 months has been. “It was Parklife Festival in Brisbane, where our show was aided by Apache helicopters, two fighter jets and a fireworks display,” they say. Explosive! CARL LOBEN
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ROGER Shah is that rare breed whose reputation as one of the biggest names in trance doesn’t overshadow the equally well-known Balearic-based flavours that see the light of day on his label Magic Island Records. A regular in the Top 100 poll, Roger’s moving from straightforward DJ sets to a ‘live concert’-style show has only served to increase his popularity with the crowds. “I did DJ sets for 15 years before I had the idea and feel to change something in my way of performing,” he tells us. “It should be all about the music anyways.”
With this year’s highlights including his long-awaited debut in South Africa,
there have also been upheavals. “I had a crazy year with a lot of changes. I just recently changed my management,” Roger explains. “At the same time, a lot of new doors opened, so I worked on a lot of orchestral music for Hollywood and had some time to work on my own fashion clothing line with a designer from New York, which we will launch next year.”
Through the changes, the support he has received has not gone unnoticed. “I wanna take the chance to thank all my true and loyal fans who supported me and voted for me again, this means a lot, cheers.” DAVID MCCARTHY
SROGER SHAH
tyle: “An open-minded wide range of sounds, but call it EDM if you want.”
Best known for: “Special live shows.” Tune of 2012: “Cosmic Gate ‘Over The Rainbow’.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Mikael Weermets.”
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “I would like to be a Jedi —I would love to get what I want with just one move of my hand.” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “A little bit of both.” What does EDM mean to you? “The best and most diverse music genre, especially since styles are all mixed up.” Should celebrities be DJs? “I prefer that DJs become celebrities.” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Of course not, I’m such a nice person, who would ever think of throwing me off the decks?” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “DJ culture has changed, now it’s more about being an art- ist with your own tracks.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “I’d say Las Vegas.”