There’s different schools of thought when it comes to ‘making it’ as an international DJ. One of these would suggest that you attach yourself to a scene — tech- house, drum & bass or whatever — and rise up, with a crew or solo, within that sub-genre. Another would advise that you plough your own furrow, cherry- picking from different styles and building your profile independently as you see fit. There’s no right answer, of course: you should go your own way. But it’s the latter route that our cover star this issue, CARISTA, has pursued. Her story is expertly told by DJ Mag’s Ria Hylton from page 62 onwards.
Elsewhere this issue, we hang out with acid house renegades Paranoid London in Soho in advance of their third album, the exquisitely titled ‘Arseholes, Liars & Electronic Pioneers’ (page 95); chat to Liverpool collective Girls Don’t Sync about the importance of community and rising up together (p103); sit down with NYC legend François K to talk about his five decades at the musical coalface (p76); hear from dubstep pioneer Youngsta about staying true to the craft and overcoming addiction difficulties (p87), and a lot more besides.
This month also sees the release of DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs documentary, which charts the three decades of electronic dance music that the poll spans. The scene and the poll have both seen incredible growth since those humble beginnings, and the doc is well worth a watch for any dance music fan of whatever stripes. Access it via the QR code on page 46.
Carl Loben
Editor