Top 15 Most Influential People in EDM

August 28th, 2011 ⋅ Features, News ⋅ by Ryan ⋅ 12,907 Views

After many heart wrenching decisions, we have put together a list of people who have contributed to and changed the electronic music scene for the better.  These people have worked their entire careers to make the scene what it is today.  This list is not exhaustive and not solely based on musical talent, but instead the influence these individuals have had on electronic music from past to present.  Check it…

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  • http://Website Joe

    What about diplo? He scours the world looking for the best of the best, making mad decent one of the best up and coming labels. Not to mention dillon francis and diplo are pioneering a new sub genre to which is exploding. Not to mention he is a master dj.

  • http://www.facebook.com/mcppresents MCP Presents

    Great list!

    If I were to add to it…

    Richard David James (Aphex Twin)
    Amon Tobin- and his new ISAM stage set up- revolutionary!

  • Sam Kosher Boy Rez

    WHERE IS DEADMAU5?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

  • Ashley N Faulkner

    <3

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Aaron-Baczek/100001041635045 Aaron Baczek

    deadmau5 will probly be on here eventually :P maybe a new version in a few years

  • http://www.facebook.com/no.hope89 Armin Van Hopenburren

    No deadmau5. This line up had a chance…

  • http://Website Scott

    Sam this is most influential, NOT popular.
    I’m a mau5 fan myself but I don’t think he’s done anything game changing. And he was mentioned in the Ultra Records description if you had bothered to read it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/digi10ve Digital Love

    deadmau5 is relatively new and this is not based solely on musical talent and more of the influence they have done to the scene. like aaron said just give him some time

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Tyler-Tydye-McCoy/1417586136 Tyler Tydye McCoy

    paul oakenfold should be close to the top of the list

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Tyler-Tydye-McCoy/1417586136 Tyler Tydye McCoy

    at least ahead of d guetta

  • http://www.facebook.com/no.hope89 Armin Van Hopenburren

    I suppose I can see that from an influential stand point, but deadmau5 made a lot of great strides in a short amount of time. Hes become even more of a house hold name than Steve aoki or bloody beatroots. Steve has been on the edm scene less than deadmau5, AND he has fewer hits. Paul oakenfold may be a long running dj, but ive never seen any dj try to make themselves look more bad ass by pushing a button than him. I just thank god tiesto and Paul van dyke aren’t on the list.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Proper/1209067722 Bill Proper

    Armin should at least be top 5

  • http://www.facebook.com/digi10ve Digital Love

    @armin steve aoki started dim mak that has bloody beetroots and dada life and all these big names and has been doing this for almost 20 years!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Proper/1209067722 Bill Proper

    Exactly why Armin should be top 5, best DJ on the planet for a very long time

  • http://www.facebook.com/no.hope89 Armin Van Hopenburren

    Deadmau5 has also been producing for almost as long.

  • http://www.facebook.com/digi10ve Digital Love

    this isnt bad on music talent or DJ Mag awards… and for deadmau5 his first album was only released like 5 years ago and only become popular like 3 years ago

  • http://www.facebook.com/no.hope89 Armin Van Hopenburren

    yeah i realize that after looking through his passed albums i thought he was in the run for a lot longer – i apologize.

  • http://www.facebook.com/digi10ve Digital Love

    all good… in the feature the guy will be for sure!! Def has been bringin it

  • http://www.facebook.com/digi10ve Digital Love

    *future

  • http://www.facebook.com/no.hope89 Armin Van Hopenburren

    he brought the palladium down this past weekend

  • http://Website alfredo

    you guys left out TIESTO.

    if anything he should been on this list instead of GUETTA.

    smh

  • http://Website David

    I am a trance head and I admit I’m bias but I’m not wrong in saying that Armin should be swapped with Guetta and then Guetta should be swapped with Oakenfold.

    Guetta’s mainstream influence is destroying EDM; this list was supposed to be about changing the music scene ‘for the better’. If anything Tiesto should be in place of Guetta.

    Also, where’s the techno/house? Richie Hawtin? maybe? no?

    Other than that, I’ve learned a bit from this list. =]

  • http://Website tyrone

    what about skrillex? he is pretty much the main reason why dubstep has become so popular in the US because of his single “scary monsters nice sprites”

  • http://Website matt

    Neither Skrillex nor diplo should be on this list, as same with Tiesto and Deadmau5.

    Richard James I believe should be. Skrillex just diluted dubstep and sold it to all the kids who shop at Hot Topic too much. Diplo really just stepped on the scene, and Tiesto just presses the play button for the night and does jesus poses. Albeit, Joel makes some banging tracks that virtually everyone can enjoy, and has exposed millions to the wonderful world of EDM, but like said earlier, he just hasn’t been around long enough yet.

  • http://www.facebook.com/djmoniker David Moniker Angelo

    tiësto!

  • http://www.facebook.com/GregBloom Greg Bloom

    Moby

  • Austin Hunt

    David Guetta should be shot out of this list but he should not be replaces by Tiesto

  • Tyrone

    @a07daa0392791dcd81a51800660b1edb:disqus  while i dont enjoy some of the emo goth freaks that like his music, he did bring dubstep into the mainstream and a year after its release “scary monsters nice sprites” is still on i tunes top 100 songs, than an achievement for sombody who is not famous and hasnt come from a big lable or from disney channel and is playing a genre that is fairly new to most people

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  • Natemars

    STRANGE LIST. No disrespect to anyone on here but it’s too limiting to have a top 15 and then leave out key figures. You can say that Larry Levan had a huge influence on his friend Frankie Knuckles and the industry as a whole. How about Sasha and John Digweed’s success at Twilo and how that opened the door for DJs to play regularly in the USA? And yes, not having Tiesto on there or The Prodigy/Underworld/Chemical Brothers is absurd. The list is flawed and irrelevant. 

  • DJ Aeke

    Where the HELL is Richard James?!

  • Latraoo

    Digweed?!!