From: Utrecht, The Netherlands

DJ style: “High energy techno / trance / big-room techno.”

Best known for: “‘Heute Nacht’ track.”
 

When we asked Alesso who his rising star DJ/producer of 2021 was, he answered: Maddix. Fast forward two years and the Utrecht DJ has entered our Top 100 DJs poll for the first time. Having steadily risen up the ranks, drawing more attention to his production skills, he released the monster track ‘Heute Nacht’ on Hardwell’s Revealed Recordings late last year, securing, almost in an instant, his reputation as a hit maker. A big room techno track for the ages, the track lyrics — “Gib mir noch ein halbes Teil und heute Nacht wird super geil” — could be considered an updated tribute in the vein of The Shamen’s ‘Ebeneezer Goode’. 

Maddix continued the theme with ‘My Gasoline’, released on his EXTATIC imprint in August this year — it has over 2.5 million streams on Spotify already. And there’s no signs of stopping. “I feel like we've created a whole new movement in the electronic music scene,” he said in an Instagram post earlier this year. “I just can't explain how happy I feel. It's been a dream for years and sometimes I have to take a moment in between all the chaos to realise that it is actually happening.” With almost four million listeners each month on Spotify, Maddix is definitely one to watch. 
 

Hero of 2023: “Mano Meijer — my manager.”
 

Fave tune of 2023: “‘Be The One’ by Eli Brown."
 

Best DJ set you’ve seen in 2023: “Hardwell at Ultra Miami and Hannah Laing in Belfast.”
 

What was the most exciting tech development of 2023? “ChatGPT 4 and all AI stuff, basically. It's crazy to see how fast things go.”
 

Rising star DJ/producer of 2023: “The Rocketman."
 

What gives you hope for 2024? “The blend of genres currently happening and the more open mentality of the listeners.”