DJ Awards is a celebration of

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

, and aims to recognise and honour DJs and individuals who have influenced

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

worldwide. Held annually in

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

at the end of the summer season, DJ Awards has retained the same ethos since its conception. The fundamental philosophy is not that of a competition, as we are dealing with an art form whose merits are purely subjective, and therefore who can say what is the best. Rather DJ Awards seeks to shine a light on key talents in the industry. DJ Awards was formed in 1998 by

José Pascual José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

and

Lenny Ibizarre Lenny Ibizarre (born Lennart Krarup), is a Danish producer and musician from Copenhagen. He is known for his work as a DJ and record producer in Ibiza. History Lenny Ibizarre emerged into the music scene in Ibiza in 1997 where he started wor ...

. The ceremony is held once a year at a well known venue in Ibiza. Since 2018 the event has been held at Heart Ibiza. Previous editions were held at the Pacha club in Ibiza, Spain. The awards ceremony takes place towards the end of the Ibiza season. The awards are known internationally in the electronic dance music community as

the Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

of the DJ industry. The event attracts a broad selection of international industry professionals and the awards reflect the wide range of creative talent of the DJs. The ethos behind the annual ceremony is for it "to be seen not as a competition, but instead, a celebration of the electronic dance music scene, that conveys the artistic ability of DJs to a global music audience". A different theme is chosen each year that is important to the organisers, which is then translated into an individual graphical and visual representation of that theme for each ceremony. The awards have managed to retain their status as one of the most important accolades that an artist can win or be honoured. Past winners have included Armin van Buuren,

Carl Cox Carl Andrew Cox (born 29 July 1962) is a British house and techno club DJ, radio DJ, motorsport team owner and record producer. He is based in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Cox has won and been nominated for numerous awards. He has perfor ...

Richie Hawtin Richard "Richie" Hawtin (born June 4, 1970) is a British-Canadian electronic musician and DJ. He became involved with Detroit techno's second wave in the early 1990s, and has been a leading exponent of minimal techno since the mid-1990s. He becam ...

Roger Sanchez Roger Sanchez (born June 1, 1967) is an American house DJ, remixer and producer. He won a Grammy Award for his remix of "Hella Good" by No Doubt in 2003, and is best known for his song " Another Chance", which was an international hit in 2001. ...

Danny Tenaglia Daniel "Danny" Tenaglia (born March 7, 1961) is an Italian American DJ and record producer. Biography Early life Tenaglia left New York in 1985 and started DJing in Miami as a resident at Cheers nightclub, playing classic New York and Chicago ...

Black Coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially ava ...

, Solomun, Jamie Jones, Hernan Cattaneo, DjkMrpink,

Stephan Bodzin Stephan Bodzin (born 4 August 1969 in Bremen) is a German DJ, techno and trance producer, and record label owner.DJ Koze Stefan Kozalla (born 1972), better known as DJ Koze (), is a German DJ and music producer. Biography Born in Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Kozalla first became known in the Hamburg music scene. In the early 1990s, he started as a rapper and DJ ...

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of mus ...

Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( , ), is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by ''Mix (magazine), Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, h ...

, Sasha,

Tony De Vit Antony de Vit ( ; 12 September 1957 – 2 July 1998)
– accessed May 2011 was an English DJ and music producer. He is co ...

Deadmau5 Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as deadmau5 (pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and disc jockey, DJ. His musical style mostly includes progressive house and electro house music, ...

, and many more.

History

In the inaugural edition in 1998, the chosen theme was “Alien Arrival”, due to the nature of the prize (a piece of

kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton (comics), Krypton that emits a u ...

) and its

extraterrestrial Extraterrestrial may refer to: Science * Extraterrestrial life, life that occurs outside of Earth and that probably did not originate from Earth Media * ''Extraterrestrial'' (TV program), a program on the National Geographic Channel * '' Extrate ...

mascot "Snuffy". In this first year the winners were

Erick Morillo Erick Morillo (March 26, 1971 – September 1, 2020) was a Colombian-American disc jockey, music producer, and record label owner. Having produced under a number of pseudonyms, including Ministers de la Funk, the Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, RBM, ...

for the "

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

" category,

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...

for the Best DJ Band category and Fernandisco for the "Radio DJ" category, with an honorific special award for the late

Tony De Vit Antony de Vit ( ; 12 September 1957 – 2 July 1998)
– accessed May 2011 was an English DJ and music producer. He is co ...

. The second edition in 1999 explored the theme of ¨African Tribal Rhythms¨, as a source of inspiration for music producers. It emphasised the expansion of categories such as "Ambient /Experimental" or "International DJ" and winners such as

Pete Tong Peter Michael Tong (born 30 July 1960) is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as '' Essential Mix'' and '' Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for ...

Basement Jaxx Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton (born 30 April 1970) and Simon Ratcliffe (born 28 November 1969). The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first ros ...

all picked up awards.

and Joe T. Vanelli were the first winners in the categories of "Outstanding Dedication" and "Outstanding Contribution" respectively. The year 2000 hosted the third ceremony, this time under the theme of the ¨Mythological Inspiration of the Muses¨ and under new categories, renaming the category formerly known as "

Ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

/Experimental" as "

Chill Out Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...

" due to the increasing flow of productions in this style. Other categories and winners featured that same year were

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (; born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ma ...

for "

Trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

Sven Väth Sven Väth (born 26 October 1964) is a German DJ and electronic music producer. He is a three-time DJ Awards winner, with a career in electronic music spanning over 30 years. The release of the single " Electrica Salsa" with OFF in 1986 launched ...

for "

Techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

" and the song "Lady" by

Modjo Modjo was a French house music duo formed in Paris in 1999 by producer Romain Tranchart (born 9 June 1976) and singer Yann Destagnol (born 14 July 1978). They are best known for their biggest hit, " Lady (Hear Me Tonight)", released in 2000, al ...

for the category "Track of the season" amongst others. For the fourth ceremony in 2001 technological advances happening in the industry did not go unnoticed in the direction of the awards, establishing the theme "Man and Machine" as a starting point. For the second time

won "House DJ" alongside other winners:

Mixmaster Morris Mixmaster Morris (born Morris Gould; 30 December 1960) is an English electronica DJ and underground musician who has also recorded as The Irresistible Force. His work in the 1990s blended ambient music and chill-out influences with UK dance st ...

for "

Eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

" and

for "Techno", and

Superchumbo Tom Stephan (born June 6, 1970) is an American house music, producer, DJ and film director. He was born in New York, United States. He is also known as Superchumbo. Biography In 1990, Stephan relocated to London, England and studied film at ...

the winner in the category for best production. The category of Drum and Bass was won by

Peshay Paul Pesce (born 18 December 1970), better known as Peshay, is a British drum and bass and electronic music producer and DJ. Early life Peshay is of British and Italian heritage. His first introduction to music was at an early age through h ...

. In 2002, the fifth edition of the awards, the theme was "

Vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

". It was created as a romantic example of the DJs' beginnings, at a time when the CD format was becoming the standard. Amongst winners that year were prominent names such as

for "Outstanding Contribution", Mambo Cafe for "Best Ibiza Bar", " It Just Won't Do" by Tim Deluxe for "Track of the Season" or Wally Lopez as "Best Newcomer". In 2003, the theme chosen for the sixth edition was "The Essence of the Universe"; winners included Steve Lawler for "

Techhouse Tech house is a subgenre of house music that combines stylistic features of techno with house. The term ''tech house'' developed as a shorthand record store name for a category of electronic dance music that combined musical aspects of techno, s ...

/ Progressive",

Junior Jack Vito Lucente (; born 31 August 1971), known by his stage name Junior Jack, is an Italian house music record producer, producer and DJ based in Belgium. Biography In the early years, Vito Lucente produced several acid house and Eurodance project ...

and

Kid Crème Kid Crème (born Nicolas Scaravilli, 1974)

for "Best Newcomer" (also winners for the "Track of the Season" with "E-Samba") and the crowning of Manumission as the best promoter, which gave a joyful note to this gala. In 2004, the seventh edition was "The Sense of Man"; awarded DJs were

Trevor Nelson Trevor Ricardo Nelson, MBE (born 7 January 1964) is an English DJ and radio presenter. He is best known for presenting a range of shows across BBC Radio. Early life Born in Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, Nelson attended Centra ...

for "Urban DJ", Tania Vulcano as "Best Ibiza Resident" and

Shapeshifters In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest exist ...

with their track "Lola's Theme" as "Track of the Season". The gala had started with the opening video of "Made in Dixland: Searching Krypto" realised by the Spanish DJ and producer Nando Dixkontrol; this video turned out to be one of the most memorable images of the ceremony. The ceremony of 2005 (eighth edition) celebrated the centenary of the "Vacuum Tube" creation, one of the first aspects of primary electronics circuits.

Ferry Corsten Ferry Corsten OON (; born 4 December 1973) is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer. He is well known for producing many pioneering trance tracks during the 1990s–2000s under his numerous aliases, including System F, Moonman, Pulp Victim an ...

for "Trance",

Steve Angello Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis (; born 22 November 1982), known professionally as Steve Angello, is a Greek–Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record label owner. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia, together with Axwell and Seba ...

as "Best Newcomer" and

Cut Killer Anouar Hajoui (, Latn, ar, Anūr Ḥājawī; born 6 May 1971), better known as DJ Cut Killer or simply Cut Killer, is a Moroccan-born French DJ and record producer with a versatile repertoire of hip hop music. He enjoys international fame and ...

for "

Hip Hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

" were some of the winners featured, with a new Honorary Award being presented to Argentine DJ

Alfredo Fiorito Alfredo Fiorito (20 April 1953 – December 2024) was an Argentine disc jockey. He has been credited as the "Father of the Balearic beat". After emigrating to Spain and arriving on the Balearic island of Ibiza in September 1976, Alfredo became ...

for his historic career in the industry, one of the most special moments of that year. In 2006 for the ninth edition ¨Nature¨ broke through as the theme and served as an excuse to reward twice over

Bob Sinclar Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ, and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions. Musical career A native of Paris, Le Friant began D ...

as Best House DJ and Best Song of the Year for "World Hold On" together with his vocalist

Steve Edwards Steve, Steven or Stephen Edwards may refer to: *Steve Edwards (American football) (born 1979), American football player for the Arizona Rattlers *Steve Edwards (field hockey) (born 1986), New Zealand Olympic field hockey player * Steve Edwards (phy ...

. Other special moments of that year would be, after three attempts, the "Best Ibiza Resident" to the Australian

Sarah Main Sarah Main is an Australian-born DJ working in Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) ...

with the highest votes in history for this category, and also the "Outstanding Contribution" given to Brasilio de Oliveira creator, among other things, of the party "La Troya". 2007 saw the celebration of the Awards' tenth anniversary under the theme of "Time". Using the graphic reference belonging to the

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

s painting "

The Persistence of Memory ''The Persistence of Memory'' (, ) is a 1931 painting by artist Salvador Dalí and one of the most recognizable works of Surrealism. First shown at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1932, since 1934 the painting has been in the collection of the Museu ...

", the prizes were handed to the DJs Cristian Varela for "

Mucho Muchacho ''Mucho'' (''A lot'') is the 9th album by Argentine rock group Babasónicos Babasónicos is an Argentine rock band, formed in the early 1990s along with others such as Peligrosos Gorriones and Los Brujos. After emerging in the wave of Ar ...

for "Urban DJ", and

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

for "International DJ", amongst others. The eleventh edition in 2008 celebrated the awards under the slogan "Do not change the climate, change yourself" with

as Best House DJ, Valentin Huedo as best

resident and crowning Mark Knight & Funkagenda with the "Track of the Season" for "Man with The Red Face". 2009 was the twelfth edition of the awards and used the theme of ¨Dreams¨ as its subject. Once again the French king of DJ David Guetta won the "House" category, and

for "Techno", Sasha for "Progressive House" and Michel Cleis for his tune "La Mezcla" as "Track of the Season" were some of the winners in a year that has included even more new categories. For the thirteenth edition in 2010, the chosen theme was ¨Water¨, which urged everyone to join the onedrop organisation. Winners this year included the

Swedish House Mafia Swedish House Mafia (SHM) are a Swedish house music, house Supergroup (music), supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 D ...

boys –

Axwell Axel Christofer Hedfors (; born 18 December 1977), better known by his stage name Axwell, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and owner of Axtone Records. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello ...

Sebastian Ingrosso Sebastian Carmine Ingrosso (born 20 April 1983) is a Swedish DJ and record producer. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia, together with Axwell and Steve Angello. Career 1999–2007: Career beginnings Sebastian Ingrosso entered the music indu ...

and

– for the House category,

picked up best International DJ, International Festival was given to Kazantip amongst many others. In 2011, the fourteenth edition of this ceremony, "

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

" was the chosen theme, which represented the "discovery that changed the world". Among the winners were,

for "

", for

Tech house Tech house is a subgenre of house music that combines stylistic features of techno with house. The term ''tech house'' developed as a shorthand record store name for a category of electronic dance music that combined musical aspects of techno, ...

Luciano Luciano is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese given name and surname. It is derived from Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of '' Lucius'' ("Light"). The French form is '' Lucien'', while the Basque form is '' Luken''. Single name * Luciano (rap ...

took the award,

for

Electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music and a subgenre of house music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 125–135 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including ...

and

for

. The 2012, and the fifteenth edition, saw light as chosen as the theme, taking it right back to the beginning...Big Bang! Winners included Armin Van Buuren (Trance & International), Chase & Status (Dubstep/Bass),

Maceo Plex Eric Estornel (born November 6, 1978), better known by his stage names Maceo Plex (), Maetrik and Mariel Ito, is an American DJ, techno music producer and DJ Awards winner, raised in Dallas and Miami. Biography He is best known for his diverse ...

(Deep House), Arty (Newcomer), plus in the Special awards collecting for (Ibiza DJ) Andy Baxter, Tomorrowland won (International Festival) and for Live Performance a new category

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...

for his performance at the 2012 Ibiza 123 Festival. In 2013, the sixteenth edition the theme was the element of Earth. Winners presented with the Kryptonite award included Luciano for Tech House; Deep House went to Solomun. And Hot Natured for Electronic Live Performance. Cristian Varela for Techno, and Newcomer went to Uner. Armin Van Buuren who again won two awards scooping Trance and International DJ and Electro House went to Hardwell. The Lifetime Achievement went to Jerry Greenberg, and Outstanding Contribution went to Kathy Sledge (Sister Sledge). For the seventeenth edition in 2014 the chosen theme was

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

and some of the winners included

who picked up two awards for Best International DJ and Best Techno DJ,

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...

picked up the award for Best Drum & Bass/Dubstep DJ, and

Disclosure Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media Film and television *'' CBC News: Disclosure'', a television newsmagazine series in Canada * ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American erotic thriller film based on the 1994 novel by Michael Crichton * ''Dis ...

won Best Live Electronic Performance. Some of the Special Awards given on the night went to

DJ Harvey Harvey William Bassett, known by his stage name, DJ Harvey is an English DJ. He was an early exponent of the US disco/garage/house sound in the UK. Career Ersatz and transition to DJing (1978–1991) At age 13, he became a drummer for a C ...

for his Outstanding Contribution to EDM, Best Ibiza DJ to Iban Mendoza and Track of the Season went to

Patrick Topping Patrick Topping is an English DJ, music producer and the owner of the record label company Trick. With releases on Hot Creations, Hottrax and Relief Records, Topping has hit number 1's on the Beatport Tech House charts, and received DJ Awards f ...

. In 2015, the eighteenth edition was held and the theme for the year was “Meet on the Beat” among the winners were Spanish DJ, Cuartero took the best Newcomer award,

Hardwell Robbert van de Corput (; born 7 January 1988), known professionally as Hardwell, is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted the world's number one DJ by ''DJ Mag'' in 2013 and again in 2014. In 2022, he was ranked at number 43 in ...

picked up two awards in the electro/progressive house, and international categories. South Africa was voted best dance nation and South African DJ

won the best breakthrough award. The 2016 ceremony was the 19th edition of DJ Awards held on 3 October at Pacha Club the theme this year was “Let's Dance” (Tribute to David Bowie) among others the new winners this year were DJ Anna from Brazil,

Claptone Claptone(born 30 September 1982) is a German DJ and producer who specializes in House music, house and tech house genres. He is recognizable by the Plague doctor costume, plague doctor-style golden masks, which serve to intrigue the public as w ...

The Martinez Brothers The Martinez Brothers are a duo of disc jockeys, music producers, and remixers from The Bronx, New York known for their long-term residencies at clubs in Ibiza. In 2014, they were named as DJs of the year by ''Mixmag'', who wrote that "no other ...

, Matador and Mihalis Safras. For the twenty-first edition held in 2018, the best Deep House DJ was the South African

, the best Techno DJ was Joseph Capriati, the best Tech House DJ was

, House Master was

(United States), Best Trance DJ was

Paul van Dyk Matthias Paul (; born 16 December 1971), known professionally as Paul van Dyk () is a German DJ, record producer and musician. Van Dyk was the first artist to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the newly added category of Best Dance/Electron ...

(Germany), best Newcomer DJ was Alex Kennon, best Bass DJ was Andy C., best International DJ was

(England), Best House Artist was the English

CamelPhat CamelPhat are an English DJ and production duo, consisting of Dave Whelan and Mike Di Scala, formed in Liverpool in 2006. Initially they released music under various names but found success with their 2017 single "Cola (CamelPhat and Elderbro ...

, Best Progressive House DJ was the Argentine Hernan Cattaneo. Argentina was also elected Best Dance Nation of 2018. In 2019, the 22nd edition, the theme chosen was "Plastic No More". the best Deep House DJ was

Maya Jane Coles Maya Jane Coles is a British music producer, audio engineer and DJ, born in London. Under her real name, she mostly composes and plays house and techno music, while her alias Nocturnal Sunshine creates darker, more bass-driven productions wit ...

(England), the best House DJ was

Kerri Chandler Kerri Camar Chandler (born September 28, 1969) is an American DJ and record producer. He has been dubbed a pioneer within house music, a genre in which he has an "eclectic brand". Biography Chandler's influences go back to New Jersey, growing up ...

(United States), the best International DJ was

(England), best Progressive House was Hernan Cattaneo (Argentina), best Tech House DJ was

Michael Bibi Michael James Lawrence Bibi (born 1989 or 1990) is a London-based tech-house disc jockey and music producer, and co-founder of the ''Solid Grooves'' record label. Biography Bibi grew up in London, England. His mother is a dance teacher, and h ...

, best Newcomer artist was ONYVAA, best Melodic House & Techno was

(United States), best Electronic Live Performer was

Stephan Bodzin Stephan Bodzin (born 4 August 1969 in Bremen) is a German DJ, techno and trance producer, and record label owner.Aly & Fila Aly & Fila are an Egyptian trance music duo made up of Aly El Sayed Amr Fathalah (Aly) and Fadi Wassef Naguib (Fila). They host an internet radio show called ''Future Sound of Egypt'', and are the founders of the label of the same name. The duo h ...

(Egypt).

Awards categories (competitive)

DJ Awards release every year online (via www.djawards.com) a list of categories and nominees which reflect the current

industry. All nominees are recommended by a panel of 100 music industry professionals who are broadly representative of the ''International Dance Music'' sectors: music media specialists, DJs' managers, agents, promoters, technology manufacturers and DJs themselves. The panel changes annually, and it selects the nominees for each category within the DJ Awards. These are then announced publicly, and the public are then invited to vote through the organisation's website or via Social Media Networks to help decide the final winners at a gala event held in the world-famous club Pacha in Ibiza. Current Best DJ categories *

Big room house Big room house or simply big room is a fusion subgenre of house music (notably progressive house and electro house) that gained popularity in the early 2010s. Although the term "big room" started appearing in news articles circa 2007, the curr ...

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

Tech house Tech house is a subgenre of house music that combines stylistic features of techno with house. The term ''tech house'' developed as a shorthand record store name for a category of electronic dance music that combined musical aspects of techno, ...

Deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ...

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

Electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

*Newcomer *Breakthrough *International Live performance category *

Electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

Award categories (non-competitive)

The Special Awards is in a non-competitive category where nominees and winners are selected by a specialist panel of judges it is not open to a public vote and they operate much in the same way as the BAFTA non-competitive accolades these awards alternate and are not always given every year. Current special awards *

DJ *Ibiza Club Night *Ibiza Live Performance *Track of the Season *Producer *Electronic Music Pioneer *Record label of the Year *International Festival *Dance Nation of the Year *Media *Cutting Edge Technology Highest Special Awards *Honorific *Outstanding Dedication *Outstanding Contribution *Outstanding Achievement *Lifetime Achievement

Previous award categories

Previous Best DJ/Best of categories *Eclectic House * Progressive *

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

* Minimal *

Innovator Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entit ...

Radio DJ A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

*Band of the Year *

experimental *

Drum 'n' bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, samples, and synthesizers. The genre ...

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

Remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

of the Year *Leader of the New Breed *

Chillout Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...

*Drum 'N' Bass & Beats *

Psychedelic Trance Psychedelic trance, psytrance, or psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full ...

& Dub Step

Category naming process

The organizers have renamed a number of awards that cover generally the same umbrella electronic music genre for example between 1998 and 1999 they introduced a category for Ambient Experimental DJ in 2000 the previous nominees from the former category then appeared in a new category for Chillout DJ, this category was dropped and a new one introduced for Best Eclectic/Experimental DJ until 2002 again some of the previous DJ's appeared in this category this then ceased and a similar new category begins called Best Downtempo and Eclectic in 2008. The confusion in the naming process selected by the organizers also appeared to happen for the musics genres bass, break beat, drum & bass and trip hop.

Venue

Since its creation in 1998, up until 2017, the DJ Awards have been held every year at Pacha Ibiza. For the awards 20th anniversary, the ceremony was held at the newly opened

Hï Ibiza Space (, , ) was a superclub on the island of Ibiza, Spain from 1986 to 2016, owned by STANCA. In 2022 the brand opened a bar near Cafe Mambo. They sometimes run popup events around the world, but don't have a fixed club at the time of writing ...

nightclub. Since 2019, the awards have moved to Heart Ibiza.

Trophy

The DJ Awards trophy is a piece of green

Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton (comics), Krypton that emits a u ...

. The word Kryptonite descends from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Kryptos (secret or hidden element), as the force hidden behind the complex language of the turntables which generate vibration and feeling, and which the DJ guides the crowd into a state of consciousness high. In an interview in the September 2007 with Spanish music magazine "Deejay", José Pascual co-founder of the awards, was asked why he chose kryptonite as the model for the trophy, and he replied, "I would say that she chose us. We wanted the trophy to be something else, something with meaning. We liked the idea that it would be of natural crystal and after a survey of people around us, we chose this for its energetic component, for transparency, for ease of transport ... Somebody thought it was like Superman’s kryptonite, the alien element that removed his power to give it to the DJ. Furthermore, the etymology of the word tells us that 'Kryptos' comes from hidden message and "Nite" from night, a message closely related to DJ, so organically everything came together"

Mascot

The DJ Awards had a mascot named Snuffy, which is a cross between the famous symbol associated with

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just " acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synt ...

(the "bloodied"

smiley A smiley, sometimes called a smiley face, is a basic ideogram representing a Smile, smiling face. Since the 1950s, it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram or as a form of communication, such as em ...

) and an alien ("little green man"). Snuffy was retired in 2012 and the events have not had a mascot since then.

Winners and nominees

References

External links

DJ Awards Official website
*http://djawards.com/past-editions/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Dj Awards DJing Spanish music awards International music awards

History

Awards categories (competitive)

Award categories (non-competitive)

Previous award categories

Category naming process

Venue

Trophy

Mascot

Winners and nominees

See also

References

External links