Bashkka
If there’s an underground DJ that everyone is talking about right now, it’s Bashkka.
She’s a resident DJ at one of Amsterdam’s hottest nightclubs, Club Raum, often takes her place behind the decks at Panorama Bar, and is part of the influential party collective Hamam Nights.
She describes the energy of her set as »unapologetically cunt«, and whatever that means, you can experience it at Distortion Ø this summer.
A.G. Cook
You might not recognize the name, but you definitely know the music. Besides being behind the extremely influential label PC Music, the 34-year-old British producer has made music with cool kids like Oklou and Namasenda, as well as icons like Sophie and Beyoncé.
Oh, and he’s Charli XCX’s steadfast collaborator and was the lead producer behind her album ’Brat’. Who knows if these two friends will cross paths at each other’s shows when they both light up Dyreskuepladsen at this year’s Roskilde Festival?
There’s no doubt that »one of the main architects of the hyperpop wave« will deliver a fantastically quirky set.
DJ Aligator
When it comes to reptile trance and flute music, no one surpasses Danish-Iranian DJ Aligator.
With immortal eurodance classics like ‘The Whistle Song’, he has provided the soundtrack for endless nights for a quarter of a century. And he’s not done yet, as you can catch him at this year’s Jelling Festival.
If you crave more Danish dance beats, you might want to check out Faustix at Smukfest or TooManyLeftHands at Tinderbox.
Live From Earth
If there is anyone shaking up Europe’s techno scene these days, it’s Live From Earth. An international artist collective based in Berlin, almost treating Berghain as their clubhouse, has been tossing musical hand grenades into the electronic music scene since 2015.
Their uncompromising DIY energy has made its mark worldwide, including the Danish festival landscape, where the collective has become almost regular guests in recent years.
This year, you can experience the playful and wild energy of German DJ Gigola at Karrusel. Or head to Roskilde Festival for a horse-themed party, where masked producer and DJ horsegiirL mixes everything from happy hardcore and hardstyle to gabber and eurodance. She’s sure to bring her viral TikTok hit ‘My Barn My Rules’. Giddy up.
Kybba
A party that shakes up everything from dancehall to Latin and urban vibes into one big colorful cocktail can be found at Aiasound when DJ and producer Kybba gets things started.
As the front figure for the global basshall movement, and with collaborators like Sean Paul and Busy Signal, his music and energetic DJ sets have already resonated globally: from Berlin to Medellin and for millions on TikTok.
Simply put: A party your hips won’t want to miss.
Fcukers
For the first time ever, the trendy underground duo from New York, Fcukers, are coming to Denmark, specifically Northside Festival. And they’re bringing a party.
Expect everything from house to trip-hop, big beat to indie. Plus, stylish sunglasses and tracksuits.
Honey Dijon
There will be something at stake when Honey Dijon steps behind the DJ booth at O Days. When the American DJ and producer takes the stage worldwide, she delivers not just a spectacular house party but also a political statement celebrating blackness and queerness.
Like house music, she was born in Chicago, shaped in New York’s underground, and now lives in Berlin, where she occasionally takes over Berghain’s Panorama Bar with her Jack Your Body party.
Her Grammy-winning music and DJ sets are both retrospective and forward-looking, and her influence is enormous.
Justice
»Do the D-A-N-C-E/ one, two, three, four, fight«.
The French duo Justice need no further introduction. Drink plenty of water and say a little prayer before you venture into the crowd in front of the stage at O Days.
DJ G2G
You’re lucky if you get the chance to experience DJ G2G on Danish soil. Although the DJ and producer has both Danish and Uruguayan roots, it’s rare to see G2G behind the decks here at home.
Maybe it’s because DJ G2G is too busy touring everywhere from Prague and Barranquilla to Sydney and Chengdu. Or maybe the music is just too wild?
It will certainly be wild when DJ G2G wraps up the opening program at Roskilde Festival. Expect thunderous bass fused with Latin American guaracha and pop bangers on speed.
Peggy Gou
Whether it’s stages like Coachella, Dekmantel, or Primavera Sound, South Korean DJ Peggy Gou is notorious for getting dance floors moving lovingly around the world.
You probably know her from one of last summer’s biggest dance hits: ‘(It Goes Like) Nanana’. Already a modern classic, which she’ll surely bring along when she takes Distortion Ø on a musical journey.
Paydar
These years, there’s a changing of the guard behind the mixer booths here at home. The scene is becoming more inclusive, and the music more diverse. The up-and-coming DJ and producer Paydar is a prime example of this.
Last year, she broke through almost out of nowhere at major festivals like O Days and Roskilde with her mixes of hip-hop, Persian pop, Arabic house, and Brazilian baile funk. This year, she’s back at Dyreskuepladsen but has moved up to the main program.
Other new sprouts on the Danish scene can also be found at Tinderbox and Aiasound. DJ and producer Harty! will be playing, bringing his Latin American roots to the booth. Danish-Gambian Kaddi Sawaneh is stopping by the same festivals with high-energy afrobeat, hip-hop, and neo-soul music. Off you go.
Sidste sommer væltede hun Roskilde Festival. Nu er hun klar til at gøre comebackOvermono
It may be a couple of years before Syd For Solendares to book Fred Again again. But this year, they’ve booked his collaborators and colleagues, the British electronic brother duo Overmono.
Their hearts beat for 90s illegal rave music like trance, techno, and breakbeat, they say. So, surely there will be another open-air nightclub in Valby Parken this August?
Fafi Abdel Nour
Every year, the electronic music magazine MixMag makes a list of the year’s biggest DJ breakthroughs. Last year, the Dutch-Syrian DJ Fafi Abdel Nour was on that list.
From Bassiani to Berghain, he travels the world with old-school house music and is a vital part of significant queer parties like Butts and Spielraum.
A party with Fafi Abdel Nour is a celebration of community, and you’ll definitely want to be part of it when he visits the electronic music festival Kune on Ungdomsøen. And while you’re out there, you should also check out names like Reptant, Rachel Noon, and Sansibar.
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