99
IF 2013 is the year for high energy EDM, it’s been in no
small part thanks to Ummet Ozcan. The man responsible
for rig rippling sounds such as ‘Here & Now’, ‘Airport’
and ‘The Cube’, he reached the No.1 spot on Beatport
with ‘The Code’, and collaborated with Nervo and
R3hab (‘Revolution’) for one of stadium dance’s biggest
crackers — and that’s just this year alone.
He’s also just toured Asia, Australia and the US and
admits the recent resurgence of dance mania over the
Atlantic has added extra fuel to the Dutch/Turkish DJ’s
already raging ?re, spurring him to develop the trance
formula crafted during the early part of his career on
releases for Doorn Records and Reset even further.
“I am de?nitely inspired by what’s going on in the US
at the moment,” he tells DJ Mag. “The US crowd is
craving for almost any electronic style, so it gives me
the freedom to be creative in my sets. My sets are always
evolving, it’s a dynamic thing. It has become more
energetic and diverse. I use a lot of vocals for mashups.”
Coming up for 2014, we’ve got another Nervo
collaboration — this time with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike
— and another slew of solo work to look forward to. “Be
prepared,” he says. ADAM SAVILLE
NEW
ENTRY
UMMET OZCAN
From: Holland. Style: “Electronic.” Best known for: “Being a
sound geek and producer of very usable electronic tunes.” Tune of
2013: “‘The Code’.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2013: “DVBBS.”
100
RAN-D
“I think America is ready for hardstyle,” says Ran-D
without even a smidgen of irony. It might have been a
statement likely to arouse ridicule a few years ago, but
it’s one that comes from experience. “Last weekend I
played at Tomorrowworld, Atlanta,” he adds. “The vibe
at Tomorrowworld was amazing.”
Still, the appearance of harder-edged styles within the
sets of EDM titans — the likes of Laidback Luke, Hardwell
and W&W — over the past 12 months, not to mention
the appearance of Wildstylez, Adaro and his side-project
Gunz For Hire alongside Ran-D in this poll in recent
years, is not making an ounce of difference to what one
of the leading stars of the scene is making or playing,
wherever he is in the world.
“I just play the music that I love,” says Ran-D. “So
if I’m playing in Holland or in the US, there’s no