DJ Jazzy Jeff
The year after DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith met at a party, DJ Jazzy Jeff won the DJ competition at the 196 New Music Seminar. After that, he and Will Smith closed a record deal with the label Word Up. They re-released Rock the House in 1987 and it was a huge hit. Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble was the first single that they released that sold more than a million copies.
After DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince went their separate ways, Jazzy Jeff started a music production called A Touch of Jazz (read more about his company here). Like other artists in this list, his music is sure to bring on a wave of 90’s nostalgia.
DJ Olive
DJ Olive was a part of the opening act for The Orb when he was part of the group We (alonside Lloop and Once 11) and he feels a little bit of nostalgia looking at the schedule. According to DJ Olive, he’s scheduled to play a couple of hours after The Orb on Sunday. He’s widely credited with coining the term ‘Illbent’ to describe music that uses hip-hop influenced samples alongside complex beats. Although he’s known for flying under the radar, DJ Olive has done many collaborations. Of all of them, most notably with Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth.
DJ Soup
Robbie Campbell Soup has a long-standing history with Shambhala. Soup has been a large part of the Kootenay dance scene’s growth for over 17 years. He helped Rich-E-Rich shape Fractal Forest into what it is today, and he then started being stage director for Pagoda. His music is highly energetic and blends music from all ages to form something very unique.
Ed Solo
Interestingly enough, even though this artist has ‘solo’ in his name, he was best known for collaborations. One example of his collaborations would be with Deekline. The two of them run Sludge Records and Hot Cakes imprint together. Ed Solo has also formed a unique club experience alongside Beardyman and JFB. Using live audio recordings (some made by the crowd moments before it’s used) the three of them cut, scratch and loop to make a unique interactive experience.
El Papachango
Hailing from Oakland, California El Papachango (or ‘El Papa’ as he’s affectionately called) has a musical offering as unique as his background. When he was younger, he moved from Argentina to the U.S and has infused West Coast beats with some Argentinian flavor. Choosing to not limit himself only to the DJ booth, El Papa assisted with the creation of El Circo. They’re a group of artists that perform all arounld the globe and some notable members are Bassnectar, The Glitch Mob, An-Ten-Nae and many more.
Ekali
Nathan Shaw was playing bass guitar for the band Said the Whale when he started producing beats on his own under the moniker Ekali. Less than a year into producing, Shaw was accepted as the only Canadian to go to Tokyo for the Red Bull Music Academy in 2014. Since that accomplishment took place, it seems as though Ekali is getting more and more successful in his musical journey. He received a writing credit on Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late mixtape, with his popping beats being a match made in heaven for PartyNext Door’s vocals.
Ephwurd
Ephwurd’s entrance into the dance music scene was very memorable. At first appearing as an anonymous artist, Datsik and Bais Haus remixed Major Lazer’s Lean On and revealed their identity the following week. Bais Haus and Datsik are very good friends and travel together quite a bit so it was just a matter of time until they formed a power team.
They kept their identity a secret for a short time so that they could write a bunch of music as freely as possible. For them, the transition from dubstep to house music was a no-brainer. Aside from wanting to do something ‘new and fresh’, they found it a good way to pass time and get work done while they’re on the road.
Excision
Jeff Abel, also known under his moniker Excision, has been very busy providing the best dubstep the world has seen. He worked with fellow producer Downlink to start up the label ROTTUN. However, his debut album X-Rated was released on Mau5trap in 2011. Codename X, released in 2015, debuted at #3 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
He is very well known for collaborating with talented vocalists and for crossing over genres. The Twitter-verse has been buzzing since Excision teased a plan he’s had in the works for some time now: an Excision festival. Aside from that detail, no more information was provided.
Falcons
Following the release of his debut EP, Falcons has been making a large impact in the electronic music industry. Terra has recieved praise from many media streams like The Fader, XXL Mag and more. Not long after he gained over one million streams for his single Aquafina, he gained support from big name artists like A-Trak (who referred to Falcon’s music as the ‘sniznit’). 2015 saw him touring all around the globe, making stops in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Most recently, he was picked to headline the second year of Bamboo Bass in Costa Rica.
Father Funk
Photo Credit: Finger Linkin’ Management
Father Funk is an incredibly talented DJ and producer. His remix of Senior Cedar’s Funk I’m Kickin made its way onto the Juno Recommends Reggae Best of 2013 chart. He is seen as an up and coming talent in the ghetto funk scene and has even supported big names like A.Skillz, Deekline and Plump DJs. Earlier this year, he released The Recipe for Concentrated Dark Matter alongside fellow producer WBBL to great critical acclaim. Father Funk is known for his big beats and bass with funky jams sampled all around.
Fixate
Photo Credit: Fixate
Not long after the release of his debut track Pum Pum / System Malfunction Declan Curran has been catching the ears of many heavyweight DJs. Curran gained support from Toddla T, Sam Binga, Alix Perez and dBridge and it was the latter that would release his next two tracks. In 2014, he collaborated with Chimpo for two tracks on their Out An Bad EP. His debut EP Throwback Therapy was releaed on dBridge’s Exit Records label in 2015 to critical acclaim. The EP shows his artistic creativity, not to mention all of the musical influences he draws from.
2016 was a big year for him, as he released his second EP March On and Exit Records finally announced the identities of the people behind Richie Brains. Richie Brains is composed of Alix Perez, Chimpo, Fixate, Fracture, Om Unit, Sam Binga and Stray. Exit Records is no stranger to huge collaborations, but the thought of seven DJs forming a DJ super group raised a lot of questions. If you’re wondering how they managed to fit seven DJs into a recording studio, dBridge’s blog has all the answers for you.
Fort Knox Five feat Qdup
The funkiest groups seem to come in fives. the Jackson 5, Jurassic 5 and of course Fort Knox Five. Founding members Steve Raskin and Jon Horvath brought out the classic FK5 sound with live acapella meshed with original songs. They have toured worldwide for almost 20 years with acts like A-Trak, The Black Eyed Peas, Krafty Kuts, Stanton Warriors and much more. With the untimely passing of Jon H, Steve Raskin has taken the helm as principle DJ for the group and now lead the charge for FK5 into the funky future.
Jason Brown is Qdup, and has been making dance floors groove and butts move worldwide for a decade. Over the years, Qdup has released top selling tunes and remixes on many well received labels including Bombstrikes, Fort Knox Recordings, Bombastic Jam, Goodgroove, Air, ESL Music, Royal Soul, Boxon Records, MustBeat and his own Qdup Records imprint.
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