EDM.com’s best of 2021: industry leaders – EDM.com

EDM.com is proud to publish four annual year-end coverage episodes: Industry Leaders, Performances, Music Producers, and Songs.

Often, the end-of-year coverage offered by the music industry’s vast publication pool is limited to its artists and performers.

To honor the extraordinary work of people and brands in the music community that are little known, we have recognized 10 industry leaders whose contributions have helped shape the future of dance music in 2021.

EVENT ORGANIZER

Zouk Group

Las Vegas, one of EDM’s most competitive markets, saw a newcomer to Resorts World, which landed on the iconic Strip for $ 4.3 billion. The ambitious project was by far the biggest development in the neighborhood in over a decade.

Managing the property’s critical nightlife operations is Zouk Group, an illustrious events hub outside of Singapore with virtually no presence in the United States. Established businesses, Zouk is already showing they have the formula and talent of their resident DJs to change the fabric of Vegas nightlife.

Honorable mentions: Teksupport | Yacht area | Insomniac events

MUSIC COMPANY

Sensorium Galaxy

As the music industry rushed to the metaverse in 2021, no one has made more headway than Sensorium Galaxy, which has embraced EDM in its quest to revolutionize live music experiences as we know them.

Sensorium’s breathtaking PRISM portal, which the company has called “the world’s most advanced metaverse,” offers a glimpse into the future of virtual concerts and music festivals. It is here that a number of the world’s most renowned electronic music artists, such as Eric Prydz, David Guetta and Black Coffee, will perform in VR as part of a Avengers-like a DJ team nicknamed “The Chosen Ones”.

Sensorium’s technology uses 3D scanning and motion capture to map the photorealistic avatars of each artist. To boot, they’ve also developed AI-powered avatars that are able to not only communicate with real humans in PRISM, but also function as DJs.

Honorable mentions: Audius | Beatport | UnitedMasters

MUSICAL EXECUTIVE

LP Giobbi

Affectionately known as the “Piano House Queen”, LP Giobbi’s influence extends far beyond her musical production capacities. A powerful DJ and beatsmith of dance music, she is also a pioneering entrepreneur and industry leader.

Ardent feminist, Giobbi founded the FEMME HOUSE brand in 2019 as a platform to tackle the blatant gender inequality and lack of representation in electronic music, with the aim of empowering women to learn. the language of the studio. In just a few short years, the association opened an online academy for music production, diversified the stages with leading partners like Bandsintown, and organized numerous free educational workshops.

In addition to her non-profit work, Giobbi also holds the titles of North American Music Director for W Hotels and co-founder of Animal Talk, an influential record label and artist collective started in collaboration with the duo. Grammy nominated dance musician SOFI TUKKER. An unstoppable force in the EDM arena, Giobbi is on a vigorous crusade to improve his archaic standards and foster a more equitable ecosystem for all.

Honorable mentions: Dušan Kovačević | Jonathan belolo | Steve stoute

VISUAL ARTIST

Greg mike

With NFTs selling like hot cakes throughout 2021, visual designers were in particular demand. Among them is Greg Mike, whose penchant for wacky and colorful cartoon characters has made him a household name for artists seeking to build communities in the scorching audiovisual space.

Greg Mike started the year by reconnecting with NGHTMRE, whom he first met nine years ago, and collaborating with the bass superstar on a stunning NFT series called “A Day In The Life” . More recently he and deadmau5 have joined forces to mix and match a variety of textures, shapes and objects and use them to generate in 3D a collection of 5,555 NFTs called “head5”. Working alongside the legendary electronic music producer, he also hand painted a number of physical mau5heads, which sold out in crowded pop-up stores in Denver and Miami for tens of thousands each.

Honorable mentions: Elyn Kazarian | jeeeoook | Anton reva

A RECORD HOUSE

Astralwerks

Thanks to a dizzying stream of creative releases and partnerships, the Astralwerks star got even brighter in 2021.

Groundbreaking long-running music projects became the norm for the Universal Music Group-owned label this year. In February, they joined forces with legendary jazz label Blue Note Records to usher in a new wave of lo-fi music by launching their groundbreaking compilation series, Bluewerks. Astralwerks then released the lavish ZHU DREAMLAND LP, the expansion of Gorgon City Olympia album, and Kito’s astonishing To bloom EP, among many other remarkable works. This latter record was a particularly innovative endeavor that included a music video featuring dancers from the film and Beyoncé’s acclaimed visual album, Black is king.

Astralwerks, who recently signed Grammy-nominated duo Bob Moses, also dropped countless famous singles in 2021. These include “A Drug From God,” a highly anticipated club record by Chris Lake and Grimes; California Dreamin ‘”, an inventive house track by Chris Lorenzo that samples the 1965 hit of the same name, and” Renegade “, the first new music in eight years from synthwave pioneer Kavinsky.

Honorable mentions: Night bass | Anjunabeats | Drumcode

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Boiler room

As if the glamor of the Boiler Room warehouse shows weren’t enough, the costly acquisition of the famous electronic music brand by the DICE ticketing platform has only reinforced its prominence on the scene this year.

2021 also saw Boiler Room’s events jump from Europe to North America, with shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto and Miami helping to expand its influence in the strong dance music market in the United States. United. A quick scan of his YouTube channel will immerse you in ‘had to be there’ DJ sets from a meticulously curated roster of trend-setters, like Manuka Honey, Jordss and Ash Lauryn, as well as dozens of established artists like as Boys Noize, DJ Boring, Shlomo and Park Hye Jin.

Honorable mentions: Solar state | Emma Kapotes | Circle

AUDIO ENGINEER

Kevin “KD” Davis

With decades-long relationships with some of R&B and hip-hop’s greatest artists, acclaimed mixing engineer Kevin Davis already has two Grammys to his name for his indelible contributions to OutKast and Ne-Yo albums. But after 2021, it is now clear that he is deeply rooted not only in these communities, but also in those of the electronic music sphere.

Davis is credited on Virgil Abloh’s early 2021 single, “Delicate Limbs” (with serpentwithfeet), which turned out to be the last original song released by the late DJ and fashion icon before his tragic death in November. Davis’ stellar work on Unconsciously, the latest album by legendary South African dance music producer Black Coffee, was essential to her Grammy nomination for Best Dance / Electronic Album. He also participated in the mixing of Sofia Carson Leave your heart on the dance floor, an EP including remixes produced by EDM luminaries Tiësto, R3hab and Tracy Young.

Honorable mentions: Swivel dj | Randy Merrill | Peppe Folliero

ARTISTS MANAGEMENT

Blood company

Managing one of the most influential repertoires in electronic and contemporary music, Blood Company’s dedication to activating its clients’ art in innovative ways is unmatched.

For example, their commitment to complex and mind-boggling marketing strategies for the enigmatic Deathpact left fans chasing the White Rabbit like Neo and co. Blood Company was also instrumental in growing the unbridled career of Kenny Beats, a former electronic music artist and DJ who established himself as one of hip-hop’s most sought-after producers. Kenny is joined on the company roster by Skrillex, Mr. Carmack, Mija, 100 gecs, Boys Noize, Zedd and many more.

With some of the most creative behind-the-scenes work and a superstar cast, Blood Company has made a statement this year. And as the electronic dance music scene becomes more and more of a technological powder keg, they are holding the match in 2022.

Honorable mentions: 2 + 2 Management | Prodigy artists | metatone

MUSIC ADVERTISING CABINET

High rise PR

From late night television to the covers of Rolling stone, High Rise’s top clients, from Billie Eilish to Tove Lo to Icona Pop, are virtually everywhere. But in 2021, a slew of the company’s campaigns saw the careers of their dance music artists reach new heights.

Aluna announced her very first organized music festival and was interviewed for the pages of Vogue. SG Lewis, whose landmark year included a viral remix of the Bee Gees on TikTok and a pie in the sky collaboration with Elton John, released their debut album and received applause from fork, Billboard, Forbes, and NME, among other well-known media. High Rise introduces some of dance-pop’s most prolific performers to the public eye, and the notoriety and popularity of their performers, including Elohim, K. Flay, and Years & Years, only grows stronger.

Honorable mentions: Falcon advertisement | DK projects | Sliding door advertising

TALENT AGENCY

Creative artists agency

This year, the “big four” became the “big three” after the CAA, in a bold statement, moved to to acquire their competitor, ICM Partners. Hailed by many as the biggest upheaval in the entertainment industry in the past decade, the acquisition will merge CAA-represented artists like David Guetta and Oliver Heldens with Skrillex, Alison Wonderland and many more, all under one roof.

Financial information for the landmark deal has yet to be released and the impact of the merger may not be fully realized for some time. However, it’s hard to underestimate how its scale, both in terms of market reach and bargaining power, will likely benefit both CAA and its formidable roster of artists in the future.

Honorable mentions: United talents agency | Medium Rare | WME