American DJ: Who are the 15 best DJs made in the USA?

The American DJ who is worth 95 million dollars. At various times in his career, Aoki has been one of the highest paid EDM artists in North America. But money doesn't make the DJ. An artist is, beyond his tax return, a story. That of multiple collaborations that improve the sounds that our ears devour.

Steve Aoki is an electro house DJ who does not hesitate to wear several hats. Nominated for the Grammys, he is also at the head of his own label, Label Dim Mark Records.

Since his collaboration with Duran Duran, the stars have seized on his remixes and his talent as a producer for their tracks. Aoki isn't too much of an American hip-hop DJ, but has remixed many artists and bands, including The Jackson 5, Drake, Kanye West, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Mike Posner, Girls Generation , All American Rejects, Refused, The Killers, Bassnectar, Lenny Kravitz, Bloc Party, Snoop Dogg, Robin Thicke, SPA, Kid Cudi, Fërnando Oviedo, Chester French, BTS and Peaches.

You know him for his Grammy and his Label Dim Mark Records, but he also has a penchant for pastry throwing! Indeed, Steve Aoki throws cake in the face of the fans during his DJ sets... For this funny committed artist, it is a "tool of expression". So how do you get a slice in the face? "The way I choose who gets it is usually whoever shows me the most energy and who screams for it."

While the origins of dubstep certainly belong to us Europeans, Bassnectar's deadly mix creates a beat with the unbridled rhythm of drums and bass that belongs only to him. He has established a complete movement around his electronic music and remains an artist who delivers some of the most comprehensive live performances in the universe, for his American listeners. And if you are not in front of his electronic scene to listen to his latest album, his haircut is worth the detour!

Cajmere or Green Velvet are Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde of techno music. At the dawn of his career, Curtis Jones timidly entered acid techno with his track Percolator in 1992, which became a classic of the genre. Cajmere parades a neon green Mohawk and becomes Green Velvet. With that Bowie style, it spits enough techno to make people dance all night long with club music that puts you in a trance.

I got you on that one! Well, I don't like having a bad tongue, so I'm going to give the floor to a People magazine: “Paris Hilton, probably in contact with her talented friend Jean-Roch or perhaps on the advice of her ex-boyfriend DJ Afrojack, got it into her head that she could mix. Undoubtedly one of her innumerable whims that the starlet was unable to repress” (Pure People). So if you're not happy to see her here, go tell Wikipedia or Forbes to change her bio.

House music wouldn't be what it is today without what came out of Derrick Carter's studio. American electro DJ born in LA, but raised in Chicago, Derrick took the foundation that DJ Frankie Knuckles built and shook it. Thus, he produces original remixes and traxes that pay homage to the roots of dance music (disco, soul, funk). As a selector for prestigious labels, he has made a lasting mark on the Chicago scene.

Born in Chicago, Colette is a hard worker! A classically trained singer, she has been distributing deep rhythms on the turntables for more than 20 years. The soprano is a member of the all-female DJ collective SuperJane (along with Dayhota, DJ Heather and Lady D). An act of war that consolidates his contribution to the history of dance music. Eclectic, like any good DJ, she recorded albums, hosted a radio show and launched her own label, Candy Talk, on which she released her third house-inspired album, whose sounds confirm that she is an essential electro artist.

The music genre drum'n'bass, is not the forte of the United States. One of the few sonic exceptions is Dieselboy or Damian Higgins for his parents. He made a name for himself on the Philadelphia night scene in the late 90s with his song "Invid" which attracted him to the favor of the general public. You could say it's in his blood, Dieselboy comes from a long artistic line. His father Bertie was the source of a success in 1981 with the pop song "Key Largo" and if we go back to his genealogy a little further, we find the German novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, author of The Alder King.

They will not play on fun radio or nrj music. When Sharam and Dubfire first immigrated to the United States, their host city of Washington, D.C. wasn't quite a music hotbed for nightclub dancing. But now, it wouldn't be surprising if a few members of Congress listened to Deep Dish as they left the House of Representatives. Their pop remixes have made them essential artists in the world of clubbing. Grammy-nominated with their 2005 album George Is On, it has stood the test of time becoming classics. An amicable divorce allows the duo to take some distance from the spotlight and focus a bit on their respective careers. They are now back and chain the tours, to the delight of the Americans and those who are lucky enough to be able to go there.

If there is a holy place, a home for dance music pilgrims, it's Detroit in Michigan. Derrick May, Robert Hood, Carl Craig... Few cities have proven to be so rich in American electro music legends. In this playground full of boys, Magda has become an empress. A unique touch on the mixing board allowed him to create a universe as complex as it is fantastic that combines emotive techno and deafening bass lines. Sets that opened the doors to the Berlin techno scene where she currently resides. But Americans and their patriotism will not let us forget its origins. A female DJ paving the way for future colleagues!

A shadow hangs over Josh Davis, aka the American hip hop DJ DJ Shadow. Hailing from the sunny bays of California, he lives in the future. His albums like _Entroducing … are upsetting. He explores the boundaries of electronic music to expand them. He takes us on this sonic odyssey with complex hip-hop rhythms. His mastery of mixing and production technology make DJ Shadow a reliable ship's captain with whom it would not be risky to venture with during a DJ set outside of time and reality.

Making a list of American DJs without mentioning Danny Tenaglia would be a crime of which I will not be guilty today. Hailing from Brooklyn, one of New York's hottest neighborhoods, he rose to the limelight of the 80s rave capital: the Paradise Garage. This earns him the respect of his peers and successors around the world. This war machine could do endless sets against a backdrop of tribal thumpers and techno groove. The Brooklyn marathon runner and his iconic "Be Yourself" still hypnotize trance clubbers on 5 continents.

Just listen to "Higher State of Consciousness" or "Airplane Electronique", to understand what causes an addiction to Josh Wink. His energetic, neck-breaking beats spawned the popularity of acid house here in the United States. His label, Ovum, is more than 20 years old and scrupulously watches over the future of acid.

Kaskade needs no introduction. Behind the luxurious life of a known DJ in the depths of the 50 states of his motherland, hides Ryan Raddon a family man obsessed with deep house and what can be done with it incorporating melodramatic voices. Long under the yoke of a label, it has had a very conformist stage behind it today since its regaining of independence. In a country that advocates freedom, he is flying on his own again and spreading his dance music creations with the poise of an ambassador of the musical genre.

Moby… Moby damn it! Who doesn't love Moby? This genius is the reason why for over 15 years everyone has been consuming dance music. This artist simply flipped the mixing board and reached unparalleled heights. I don't wish any American or other DJ to come after Moby in a festival. It is one of the best cherries of this cake relished by the industry. With 20 million albums sold worldwide, his legacy is now sown. Plus, he made being bald and wearing corny glasses fashionable. Many owe the DJ an eternal debt.

He had a real cult for dinosaurs and in particular for diplodocus. Diplo has since risen to the top and completed his reincarnation from prehistoric giant to music giant. And if there was a shame for the American DJ, it would be not having a sound in his playlist that bears the name of Florida. It is with this first sunny outing that DJ Diplo cut his teeth. He continues with a partnership with Sia and prod work for Beyoncé, Marina & the Diamonds and Katy Perry and featuring with Major Lazer among others. If he has become an essential producer, he remains anchored in culture and minds as a clubbing leader, capable of releasing more commercial projects that are still as refreshing as recently with MØ…

In a ranking of the best international DJs, it's hard to miss him. It is even generally he who wins the first place. These days, it doesn't take long for a citizen of the world to recognize his melodies always at the rendezvous of an electro party. Although he descends from a spaceship every night, Sonny John Moore (his real name) or Lil 'Skrilly for short, was born and raised in California.

He knows how to be both Dance and hardcore. Today, he is truly the Uncle Sam of the rave generation with Bangarang. The title and lyrics of the song, which reflect the battle cry of the Lost Boys in the movie Hook, invite us to follow Peter Pan and stay eternally young by listening to it again and again...

Have you enjoyed learning more about Amercian DJs ? Discover our next stories always to learn more about music...