2012 and 2013 was the year of Avicii being on repeat, no question. For those of our readers who love the Swedish producer and are looking to branch out into artists with a similar sound in 2014, this playlist is for you. Melodic beats, soaring builds, and piano influences can all be found in these up and comers tracks. Consider checking out…
1) Eric Prydz
Fellow Swede Eric Prydz dishes out big room, festival worthy tracks with delicate interludes on a regular basis. Fast emerging as the runner up to Avicii, probably the only reason Prydz isn't more famous is because he's shy. Reluctant to do interviews, Prydz doesn't like tweeting, and won't appear in Music Videos. He also says, “I make music to please myself.” Fine by us!
2) Alesso
Similar in sound and also from Sweden, Alesso is less famous than his Swedish colleagues but equally talented. Alesso rarely (never?) posts on his soundcloud, and when he does it's only a preview and cannot be shared on blogs easily – unlike other DJs who put every track up and use that to gain fans and promote their sound.
3) Basto
Belgian producer Basto goes a bit harder than Avicii, but his progressive tracks echo the same beautiful chord progressions and meaningful lyrics that make festival go-ers stop dancing and live in the moment.
4) Audien
Anjunabeats' golden child, Audien owns the progressive genre with his sweet crescendos and flawless production skills. Small town and American, Audien is a sleeper on the edm scene, but if he isn't in rotation on your playlist already – he definitely should be.
5) Dzeko and Torres
Canadian duo Dzeko & Torres had a crazy 2013. After making their debut at BPM festival, ULTRA, and WMC, they played to frenzied crowds at Coachella, Tomorrowland, Ibiza, and also sold out clubs for their North America tour.
6) Tritonal
Chad and Dave, aka as Tritonal, specialize in radio-friendly progressive house that resonates with their dedicated (“obsessed”) fanbase. Masters of melody, this duo boldly embraces atypical vocals and sounds, odd rifts, and somehow all these risks work out into beautiful and unique tracks.
7) Vicetone
Dutch duo Vicetone are climbing to the top and are well known for their progressive house with surprising bass and skill with blending genres. By turns progressive, trance, hard electro, and then throwing in dirty dub, these guys refuse to play by the rules. We likey.
8) Wolfpack
Wolfpack was discovered at Tomorrowland by Like Mike and Dmitri Vegas, and the duo is one of the sleeper secrets of the Edmscene. With support from greats like Erick Morillo and Tiesto, I'd say the amount of time they can remain under the radar is limited.
