We Break Down The Stereosonic Line-Up

1 August 2014 | 3:22 pm | Cyclone Wehner

It's a Stereosonic cheat-sheet: all the underground cred-boosters and must-sees you need

Six Stereosonic 2014 Acts To Floss About On Facebook

Skrillex

Skrilly, the DJ equivalent of a million emojis, has won over even those old trolls suss on his rock pedigree with his sheer commitment to the EDM movement – and his diverse OWSLA stable. He's veered away from dubstep (brostep?) into a mutant sound you can only call 'Skrillex's shit'. In 2014 the Californian finally unleashed his debut album, the experimental Recess, with a cool cameo by Chance The Rapper. Expect more Grammy noms.

Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris (his real name is actually Adam Wiles!) has become a fixture at Stereosonic. The Scotsman rejected the life of a pop singer/songwriter/performer by switching to DJing – but, ironically, he's a bigger celebrity today than ever. This year he masterminded I Will Never Let You Down for (ex) GF Rita Ora – and sang on his own smash Summer, from a forthcoming album. Harris is a fun and convincing party DJ who drops his electro-pop hits and clubby stuff for you to wave a foam finger to. He was also 2013's highest-paid EDM type, according to Forbes. Will he shout us drinks?

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Tiësto

Tiësto was already a megastar DJ when he (ostensibly) abandoned stadium trance for the dubiously named 'trouse' (trance + house). Now he's an 'EDM' DJ – but there are residual trance riffs and epic breakdowns. Tiësto is touring behind his poppy EDM-on-steroids album A Town Called Paradise. Fun fact: the Dutchman has modelled for Guess. Yep, he's definitely flossable.

Diplo

Diplo was just here with Major Lazer for the Big Day Out. He's back to DJ. Dip has fully embraced pop production (his latest client is Madonna), but still commands serious underground cred with his cross-cultural mash-ups. He is unpredictable, unpretentious and always entertaining. Diplo worked with Iggy Azalea early on, too, you know.

Disclosure

Disclosure, last here around Easter, play the kind of electronic fests geared to those who disparage EDM – so their joining Stereosonic is a bit radical. The garage revivalists are DJing, not performing live – but they have great taste and great tunes.

Peking Duk

Aussie combo Peking Duk have blown up massively in 2014, their nu-garage High (with Nicole Millar) an ARIA Top 5 hit and now double-platinum. They'll follow it with Take Me Over (featuring SAFIA's Ben Woolner-Kirkham). The Triple J faves just rocked Splendour In The Grass – with 360. They'll attract a huge crowd at Stereosonic, for sho'.

Not Into 'EDM'? Here's Six Cred, Hip, Underground-Approved Acts You Should See At Stereosonic

Porter Robinson

Okay, we know what you're thinking. Isn't he… EDM, WTF? Not any more. In fact, Robinson was among the first Americans to defect to the surging contra-EDM movement. The prodigy, who coined 'complextro', pre-empted the deeper sounds of ZHU. Robinson's new album, Worlds, inspired by childhood fantasy, game culture, and virtual reality veers into ambient and electro-pop. He is performing live at Stereosonic – and will sing!

MK

Last year Stereosonic had Cajmere. In 2014 Detroit houser Marc "MK" Kinchen is billed. Kinchen was active in the late '80s, way before Moodymann, being an ally of Inner City's Kevin Saunderson. He then disappeared to Los Angeles, amid reports he was producing R&B. Kinchen collaborated with Will Smith and, worse, Pitbull… But he has made a triumphant comeback as a deep house don. Kinchen's pop remixes are amaze – he's become Lana Del Rey's club specialist of choice, recently recasting West Coast.

Booka Shade

Germany's Booka Shade emerged during the electro-house revolution and have been responsible for such classics as In White Rooms. They unveiled a brilliant, if slept-on, fifth album, EVE, in 2013 – the single Love Inc was a throwback to Chicago house. Their live set isn't to be missed.

Hot Since 82

Here's a feel-good tale: Daley Padley, who grew up in a Northern English council estate, is these days a post-bass techno and house stalwart beloved by tastemakers – and then some. He DJed at Stereosonic 2013 but since then has introduced a label, Knee Deep In Sound, and found himself on the cover of Mixmag.

Nina Kraviz

Russians aren't so popular right now – but Nina Kraviz's deep DJ sets are surely the antidote to Putin-rage. The Siberian, who hit Stereosonic 2012, has an affinity with, not only Chicago house, but also Detroit techno. After releasing a second album, Mr Jones, on Radio Slave's Rekids last year, she's launched her own concern – трип (pronounced 'trip') for trippy acid fare.

Scuba

Stereosonic has hosted dubstep, and drum 'n' bass, acts previously, but none cooler than Paul "Scuba" Rose. The Brit, who presides over Hotflush Recordings in Berlin, did much to reconfigure dubstep with techno influences. #legendary

Five New Names To Check Out At Stereosonic

Nicky Night Time

Stereosonic does book the same acts over – but there are always new ones. In the case of Nicky Night Time, it's a fresh guise. Indeed, this is the latest project from Nick Routledge of Van She (another ex-band member was Michael di Francesco, AKA Touch Sensitive). He's blown up in the club charts with the piano house Everybody Together.

DJ Snake

The French invasion continues with DJ Snake (William Grigahcine), making his Stereosonic premiere. Instead of 'French touch', he's putting a Gallic twist to trap, Diplo a champion. Snake had a huge crossover hit with the Lil' Jon-featuring Turn Down For What. He's produced extensively for Lady GaGa (just quietly, he was involved in ARTPOP) and remixed Yeezy's New Slaves.

Tale Of Us

Nomadic Italians Tale Of Us, currently working out of Berlin, have experienced a rapid ascendance, placing at No. 2 in RA's 2013 DJ poll. The duo debuted on Seth Troxler's Visionquest in only 2011. They're all about tech-house that isn't quite tech-house, disavowing purism for quirk.

Oliver Heldens

Dutch house has a new star in teen (!) Oliver Heldens – admittedly an unknown quantity as a DJ. He just topped the UK charts with a vocal version of his Gecko (originally signed to Tiësto's Musical Freedom) graced by Becky Hill. Dude's latest banger is entitled Koala. Nicely done for the Aussies, Olly.

Mano Le Tough

Niall Mannion is a Berlin-based Irishman who produces disco-house under an aptly campy, kitschy handle – and he has garnered fans ranging from Prins Thomas to Ben Watt. In 2013 he presented the album Changing Days on Permanent Vacation. Love Tensnake? John Talabot? Mano is your man.

See the full line-up here.

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