From: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
DJ style: “Eclectic, bridge between mainstream and underground, generally melodic, high energy, but still with plenty of groove and flow.”
Best known for: “His productions, remixes, mash-ups, eclectic sets, Heldeep Records, Heldeep Radio, his darker side ‘HI-LO’.”
“The last 12 months have been the best year for me in terms of shows, for both my Oliver Heldens and HI-LO projects, so I want to thank everyone who came to my sets and who made them so special, and all the organisers/promoters/staff who make those events happen,” Dutch wunderkind turned Top 100 DJs staple Oliver Heldens tells us. Known as the king of mash-ups for his crazy DJ blends, he’s brought his energetic mixes and vibrant Hawaiian shirts to stages at Tomorrowland, Ultra, Elrow and countless others, and even played on English football club Manchester City’s parade bus after they won the Treble (with star player Jack Grealish shielding the decks from the famous Mancunian rain). Not shy of working with classic tracks and pop superstars, this year’s seen that fact run through his productions too, with remixes of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ and Depeche Mode’s ‘Speak To Me’ in the bag, alongside his ‘10 Out Of 10’ collab with Aussie icon Kylie Minogue. Whether he’s making future house, melodic techno, “EuroRave” or anything else for that matter, Oliver Heldens remains one of the Netherlands’ global champions.
Hero of 2023: “Eli Brown, he was my ‘Rising star DJ/producer’ of both 2022 and 2021, but he definitely deserves the ‘Hero of 2023’ status.”
Fave tune of 2023: “Some of my personal fave tunes to play out this year (that are not mine) include DJ Weirdo & Dr. Phil Omanski ‘Young Birds (Hard Duck Edit)’ in a mash-up with The Weeknd’s ‘Creepin’ acapella, and DJ HEARTSTRING & Narciss ‘Heartbreak Repair System’.”
Best DJ set you’ve seen in 2023: “Sub Focus, Dimension, Culture Shock & 1991 (B2B DJ Set) - UKF On Air.”
Rising star DJ/producer of 2023: “Maddix.”
What gives you hope for 2024? “Musically, something that gives me hope is that there seem to be less and less boundaries in electronic dance music overall. Also, it feels like many people in our scene are slowly but surely taking their health more seriously.”
