Around Millennium time I remember writing of Top 100 DJs in the mag, “the most important poll in dance music”. It was actually relatively small at the time, receiving 17,500 votes in 2001, for instance. But now, over 20 years later it is indeed sitting pretty as the biggest music poll on the planet, with 1.3 million voters contributing each year. We have spawned a monster! There was never any great masterplan to grow the poll into such a beast. As the cover story explains (page 24 onwards), Top 100 DJs started off as an editorial choice exactly 30 years ago before organically morphing into a public vote, where you had to cut a slip out of the magazine and write in your five favourite DJs. When internet voting was introduced after Millennium time it went truly international, growing exponentially in tandem with the international growth of our beloved electronic dance music scene. The results are now in for Top 100 DJs 2023, and David Guetta has supplanted Martin Garrix to return to the No.1 position for the fourth time (page 36).
So it’s a hearty congratulations to David once again, but everyone who appears in Top 100 DJs should be pleased to have a strong public vote behind them. And for those who don’t? Well, Top 100 DJs is just a part of the electronic dance music calendar now, with its fair share of fans and detractors. What’s undeniable is the focus it provides on our international scene — it’s amazing how the poll and the scene has grown
in the last three decades. Check the Top 100 DJs documentary on DJ Mag’s YouTube channel for a further insight into the growth of the poll over the years. youtube.com/@DJMag/videos
Carl Loben
Editor