Don Diablo Has Barely Beaten Out Skrillex For Most Unique DJ Spins In 2018
I remember the professor of my first research class saying “statistics don’t lie”. While he would later add a caveat to that statement explaining that statistics can be manipulated, I have found his quote to hold true in almost all areas of life. For this reason, I absolutely love 1001Tracklists for providing the most up to date and impressively thorough data on EDM possible.
Each year the website pulls all of its numbers to see which producer received the most unique spins throughout the year. It is always an interesting list to look at, as it doesn’t just show which artist is the most well known or beloved, but which producer is wowing other producers.
This year’s list features a few artists who only really released one major track, but their tunes were so iconic that they outperformed the entire discographies of bonafide legends. Congratulations to Don Diablo who has overtaken Skrillex for the top spot, in my opinion, it is well deserved. Check out the top 20 below and find the full list here.
1. Don Diablo
2. Skrillex
3. Axwell
4. Camelphat
5. Hardwell
6. Tiesto
7. Sebastian Ingrosso
8. Diplo
9. Martin Garrix
10. Avicii
11. Eric Prydz
12. Armin van Buuren
13. Afrojack
14. Luca Debonaire
15. Brohug
16. Steve Angello
17. David Guetta
18. GTA
19. CID
20. Giuseppe Ottaviani
What “Unique Spins” Actually Measures
1001Tracklists’ unique spins metric works differently than typical popularity rankings, it tracks how many different DJs played an artist’s tracks across documented sets rather than just streaming numbers or chart positions. That distinction matters, since it reflects genuine respect from other producers rather than just mainstream radio or playlist reach. It’s part of why the list often surfaces artists who might not top the Billboard charts but who clearly command influence within the DJ booth itself.
Don Diablo’s Breakout Year Made The Top Spot Feel Earned
Don Diablo overtaking Skrillex made sense given just how dominant his 2018 run was, between the Hexagon label’s steady stream of future house singles and constant festival play, his tracks became some of the most reliably crowd-tested records of the year across genres. Skrillex, meanwhile, had spent the year working more selectively, focusing on high-profile collaborations rather than a rapid-fire release schedule, which likely explains the tight margin between the two at the very top of this list.
