The DJs who did the most in 2022, including Adam Pits, DJ Python, Moktar and more. Dig in.
Adam Pits
Adam Pits is finding success the old school way. He works hard, evolves his sound, and plays a lot of shows. This year, the list of countries he’s played alone pays testament to his snowballing reputation as a top-draw selector. Highlights include a host of festival apprearances, Secret Garden Party and Dimensions amongst them, and an autumn tour down-under. His Cosmic Confession EP, that came out on Craigie Knowes in November, is his most self-assured yet, exploring the psychedelic peripheries of techno and trance with astonishing technicality. ‘Secret Entrance’ in particular is destined to soundtrack wonky 3am festival dance floors for years to come. Check out his classy recent mix on Rinse France for more of the same flavours.
Hamish and Toby
2022 has been a banner year for Hamish Cole and Toby Nicholas. While both DJs have been working behind the scenes for years (Cole runs the bookings for Dimensions and Nicholas handles the bookings for Pickle Factory, with the two also running the esteemed club night/label Butter Side Up), 2022 seems to be the year that their brand of wafty, unshazamable house gems have gained the traction they deserve. Following stand-out sets at Wire, Houghton, The Loft and Dimensions, Nicholas and Cole’s penchant for drawn-out, slowly building DJ sets are taking House in a very exciting direction.
Jay Carder
The first thing to say about Jay Carder is that she seems to be in dance music for all the right reasons. She's passionate about sharing great tracks, takes seriously the art of selecting for dancefloors, and has an absolute ball whilst doing it. Carder has been throwing down grooves for years in her native London, with a dazzling wealth of parties and radio shows under her belt. Her sets are usually deep, soulful dives through primal beats - connecting with dancers and sustaining them for hours. 2022 was the year that Carder's inevitable debut release landed, with her Entropy EP landing in November. Her years of experience sound loudly through the three tracks. She builds upon established veins of UK club music, whilst adding something new to the conversation. This is surely the beginning of a fruitful production career.
DJ Python
A man of many aliases, Brian Piñero’s DJ Python moniker in particular has gone from strength to strength in 2022. While Piñero’s self-described ‘Deep Reggaeton’ productions are known for their ethereal, dreamlike quality (seriously- check out ‘Angel’ if you haven’t already) his DJ sets pack more of a punch, fusing party-starting Latin influences with weightier UK sounds. It would also be remiss not mention Sangre Nueva, the trio consisting of Piñero alongside Manchester’s Florentino and The Dominican Republic’s Kelman Duran, a Reggaeton supergroup of sorts, who, after a scene-stealing 2022 can look forward to an outstanding 2023.
Moktar
A self-described ‘gypo aussie’, Moktar draws from his Egyptian heritage to make Australian club music infused with traditional Arabic instrumentation. After launching onto the scene with a debut release just last year, his second EP Immigrant landed in November. The beats are intricate, innovative and mesmerizing, and he engages tastefully with political themes. Sydney can’t get enough of him, but popular demand has seen Moktar spend a good chunk of 2022 in the UK, playing shows across the country. There is an exciting bunch of producers blending world-music sounds with more standard club music, and Moktar stands amongst the best of them.
Silvia Kastel
While it may be difficult to categorise exactly what Silvia Kastel’s inimitable style of DJing consists of, there is no doubt that she has had a stellar 2022. In a year where multi-genre DJing has increasingly became the norm (Techno AND Garage AND Jungle in the same set???!!) Kastel manages to duck and weave through the increasingly dense landscape of ‘multi genre’ to create sets that feel distinctly her own. Kastel’s club sets have a murky, experimental feel to them that is unafraid to challenge listeners, pulling from any genre she sees fit. After striking sets at Venue MOT and The White Hotel, Silvia Kastel is sure to grab 2023 by the horns.
Otik
Producing since he was 15, Otik's output rate has been consistent and insanely high – but this year felt special. He established his own label, Solar Body, in order to “get as much of [his] own music as possible out into the world”. Things seem to be going to plan, as he promptly released two 4-track EPs within four months. Intriguingly, on paper the two EPs aren’t remotely similar; Psyops is an airy jungle project, whilst Extrasense toys with vocal-drenched techno and garage beats. However, there is a certain familiarity between them – a contemplative, meditative trail that Otik leaves behind him. Even though he is a much more experienced producer than DJ, inverting the usual order of things, Otik still makes our list.
Lady Passion
Freedom Philips, better known as Lady Passion, has gained a considerable following in 2022 for her own brand of rough ’n’ ready House and Garage music. In a year where every DJ and their Nan seemed to be playing 97-98 UK Garage, Philips stuck to her guns, with sets consisting of early 90s New York House and Garage belters sending crowds across the UK into a frenzy. Armed with a bag of the roughest and toughest trax around, a USB full of her brother DJ Perception’s (!) deepest dubs, and her partner in crime, MC Riddler B, Lady Passion has taken 2022 by storm, with sets at Joy Orbison’s ‘Just For You’ club night, Wire and Tola cementing a stellar year for Philips.
Taahliah
Taahliah cut her teeth mixing in clubbing meccas Glasgow and Berlin. She uses her experiences of these two cities to inform her sound, which tends to be defiant and raw. After a seven-track album Angelica in 2021, Taahliah unleashed 4 new singles over the course of this year. Her recent material fuses pop music with hard dance, often setting syrupy vocals over merciless, metallic beats. She is a worthy talisman for the LGBT community, recording a thunderous mix for Radio 6’s ‘LOUD & PROUD’ series back in June. Bookings rolled in this year from right across Europe, and she delivered a serious business Boiler Room set at Teletech festival. We’re particularly excited about her upcoming show with the London Chamber Orchestra on February 1st.
Jon K
While Manchester’s Jon K has been on the scene for quite some time, 2022 feels like the year this ‘DJ’s DJ’ got the attention he so rightly deserves. Doubtless, the years K has spent honing his craft in clubs across the world have led to such a breakthrough year. For K, (real name Jon Kraus), selection is everything - he stated in a recent interview that he “couldn’t give a shit about mixing. I know it’s enjoyable when someone does it well, but it’s all about flavour”. This feels like a perfect summation of Kraus’s mission statement as a DJ - impeccably selected tracks from every genre under the sun, pieced together by someone who clearly lives and breathes music. Kraus’s consistently stunning Peking Spring show on NTS and his frequent collaborations with Jamaican dancehall collective Equinoxx are a perfect way to dip your toe into the world of Jon K, but honestly just see him at a fucking club - you won’t regret it.
Words Patrick Harrington and Gus Clifford