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Unless you’ve been living under a rock or isolated in a paradise island without any access to a single crappy radio for the last year, certainly I Gotta Feeling was a song that got stuck in your head, even if you absolutely did not want to. With electronic-driven beats based around cheerful lyrics, this was the radio hit of 2009 and pushed David Guetta to the elite of pop music acts, alongside Black Eyed Peas, which collaborated with this production.

The tune that hosts the feeling of a never-ending summer vacation was the most legal downloaded track of all time, with 5.5 million digital copies spread around the globe.

With this achievement, Guetta became one of the most popular DJs in the world, climbed 2 spots in the DJ Mag poll, ending up in a controversial #3, just behind the legendary acts Armin van Buuren and Tiesto. But what exactly is he doing that is so different from the other electronic producers out there?

Let’s say that Guetta noticed a gap that hasn’t been often in sight until he stepped forward: working with Top 40 names, aiming for the masses and not only the electronic lovers. Choosing people like Ne-Yo, Kelly Rowland, Akon and Madonna, the electronic beats have no stopping and have a further reaching point, no doubt.

In the 90s, DJs turned into superheroes, almost as they could transform any simple party into a utopian lifetime event. Turntables held the place that guitars did in the 80s. These musicians were worshipped like rock stars, Fatboy Slim, Tiesto, Sasha, Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox understood they had the power to move mountains and sell-out stadiums all over the world. And then, we watched many iconic clubs and festivals being born and many kids changing the dream of their first guitar to their first pair of turntables.

In the 2000s, LCD Soundsystem, Rapture, Radio 4 and Hot Chip came alive with their synth-driven rock bands that gave a whole new burst into the electronic scene, showing that it was not only the DJs who could pump up a dance floor.

Then I read in an article that reported the Superstar DJ Era is out, the megalomania of the DJ worship, always surrounded by women and kiss-asses has vanished. Hmm, has it? I still see the reminiscence of that shown in the Sexy Bitch video, but, oh well… at least it’s not the rule of thumb anymore. What I see is the regular DJ, the one who just collects, selects and mixes other people’s songs is definitely out.

Guetta found his Midas touch within these fresh productions, just like Fatboy Slim, the renowned British who has gathered over 200 thousand people to a breathtaking beach gig in Brazil, when in 2004 embraced new challenges, collaborating with the eternal Talking Head David Byrne. Sasha also refused to live in the 90s memories and in his latest 2008 album ‘Invol2ver’, chose Ladytron, Telefon Telaviv and even Radiohead Thom Yorke to help him find a new sound.

Tiesto has been extremely criticized over the last year because he’s diving into a completely different ocean. Over the past 12 years, he has conquered millions of fans and made loads of haters bow to many of his stunning productions, created labels, many legendary club hits – who has not shivered to the sound of his epic 11 minute remix of Delerium – Silence or sung their heart out to the lyrics of In the Dark? - and turned In Search Of Sunrise one of the most respect trance compilations in the scene. He is worldly recognized as one of the kings of trance, probably one of the guys who helped made the genre as big as it is today, so why does he need to stick to this genre when he could give so much more? He does not and is one of the few who has the guts to show that labeling an artist is just unfair.

In the last 2 years, Tiesto has spiced up his trance productions with some electro and tech beats, but with the release of Kaleidoscope, he presented a whole album with a different sound, in which we could see him collaborating with Hot Chip, Nelly Furtado and more, in tracks that completely embrace his new sound. Recently, the producer announced he’ll be collaborating with Britney Spears (I can feel the tomatoes being thrown now). Rather you dig it or not, Tiesto reinvented himself. His new single featuring Diplo is a proof of that. Slammed by many, but it is always a step forward when an artist has the courage to experiment and not being trapped in their old recipe forever.

So, are we watching the end of the Superstar DJ era? It depends on what you’d classify as a superstar DJ nowadays. They certainly are not the button pushers anymore and that shallow blind worshipping thing is certainly out of the question. But truly appreciating a DJ who does massive productions and keeps reinventing himself never gets old. And they still undoubtedly move mountains and sell-out stadiums and drive us nuts with their weekly radio shows. And based on that description, my answer would be, nope, that’s not coming to an end. We will always look up to the talented ones, for sure.

Now, let’s talk numbers. Armin van Buuren has over 20 million listeners to his awarded weekly radio show A State Of Trance. He takes part in hundreds of sell-out gigs with thousands of clubbers raving to his trance sounds. He’s just put up a five-day event to celebrate the episode 450 of his radio show in 4 different cities, not to mention the live broadcast all over the world. He definitely fits into the Superstar DJ category that still makes history and helps EDM to grow and be admired every day. But we shouldn’t only look up to the big names. There are some talented producers who are underestimated and we must keep an eye on them, cause they are the most likely to test new sounds, try new things, come up with new styles and unimaginable collaborations, since they have nothing to loose and therefore, tend to be way more edgy.

Bottom line is no matter how much baggage you carry, innovation is the key to keep up in this industry and always maintain your fans interested in what you do. I’m going to quote Arnej here when, after listening to gazillions of promos a few days ago, he precisely complained that they all sound the same: “One doesn’t have to re-invent the wheel but at least don’t use one that’s been worn out”

Posted in: Special | Posted on May 18, 2010 by Carol