25 Artists to Watch in 2017

2016 was an interesting year for music. Future bass began to take over the music scene, trap still reined supreme and dubstep tried it’s best to make a comeback. We finally got new albums from the holy trinity of Flume, Lido and Cashmere Cat while The Weeknd worked with Daft Punk. While 2016 can’t get any worse (Flume left What So Not, the guy who talks too much left Yellow Claw and Josh left Flosstradamus…R.I.P.) 2017 is looking bright and full of musical potential. To celebrate the new year, check out our list of 25 artists who had an exceptional 2016 and are set for big things in 2017. Proceed with caution because this list is hot enough to set your screen on fire.

Naderi made some serious waves in 2016. From remixing ZHU and Skrillex’s “They” to taking on Flume’s “Lose It” ft. Vic Mensa, Naderi delivered a string future bass bangers that left us anxiously waiting for more. With original music on the horizon and a few collabs in the works (Alison Wonderland recently shared their collab via FB live), 2017 is looking like it will be Naderi’s strongest yet.

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Alexander Lewis had an insanely massive year. While he spent most of 2016 putting out hit after hit, his trombone flip of Mr. Carmack’s “Pay For What” really showed off his ability to create heavy trap anthems worthy of RL Grime’s Annual Halloween Mix. Expect to see and hear a lot of Alexander Lewis in 2017, he’s on the path to do some incredible things and we certainly wouldn’t mind if he played more b2b’s with KRNE.

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K?d completely blew up in 2016. Not only did he put out a constant stream of originals but he released a ton of fire remixes. His flair for dynamic synth work and ability to create atmospheric music has gained him a solid fan base and his set at Brownies and Lemonade fueled the hype for more live shows. Expect more music and hopefully more live shows from k?d in 2017.

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Ekali is a special kind of guy who has had a fantastic year in music. From his tribute to Flux Pavilion to his insane live sets (Coachella and Hard Summer to name a few) and his ability to connect with his fans (paying for their tickets when they can’t afford them), Ekali really made his mark in the music scene. With even more new music on the horizon, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ekali took over in 2017 as he joins Troyboi on the second leg of his Mantra tour.

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KRNE made our list last year and did not disappoint in 2016. Not only has he been on the Gud Vibrations tour with Slander and NGHTMRE but he’s put out some seriously good music as well. He’s got mad production skills and his live sets hit all the right trap highs with enough bass to make your body vibrate. With his collab project SESSIONS quickly gaining momentum and a new track with Ekali in the works, 2017 is going to be a great year for KRNE.

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StéLouse really flourished in 2016. The Hebinomichi co-founder released some impressive original music, gave us all we needed with his collab with DEVAULT, debuted his new live set and released one of the best Rozes remixes of the year. Ending the year at SnowGlobe Music Festival, StéLouse will be releasing his highly anticipated album in the spring of 2017.

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DEVAULT isn’t someone you should sleep on. This past year he’s released hit after hit, ranging from hybrid trap bangers to future feels and he’s showing no signs of stopping. Closing out the year at SnowGlobe Music Festival and with promise of more new music and more live shows, 2017 is going to be a great year for DEVAULT to expand musically and make his mark on a global scale.

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Graves has been blessed by the music gods. His diverse production skills and ability to transition seamlessly between genres have gained him a solid following. He spent the beginning of the year on tour with What So Not and Manilla Killa, put out one of the freshest tracks of 2016 (No Sunshine) and 2017 is only going to get better for him. Expect more music and hopefully another tour in 2017.

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Blu J had a really solid year. Developing and pushing their future house sound to new heights, Blu J pushed out thoughtful and innovative reworks and remixes this past year. With each release the duo seem to be getting better and we predict big things for them in 2017 as they continue to push their sound in new directions.

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Enschway gained a lot of attention this year with the release of two collaborative EP’s Friendschway Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Ranging from trap heavy anthems, dirty dub and future feels, Enschway showed off his diverse production skills and ability to think outside the box when it comes musical boundaries. It will be interesting to see what he’ll have in store for us in 2017, hopefully there will be a Friendschway Vol. 3 in the mix.

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Holly produces some of the best underground trap in the game right now and his debut EP Forward, that was released earlier this year via Buygore, ranks as one of the most innovative EPs of 2016. Bringing an incredibly fresh take on trap music, Holly distinguished himself by pushing boundaries with his experimental bass sound. We’re expecting Holly to go far in 2017 as he continues to break molds with his unique sound design.

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Justice Skolnik hit 2016 like a ton of brinks and quickly started to carve out a niche for himself. Between his gift for songwriting and his innate knack for finding the right melody to play off of the right synth, Justice spent most of 2016 seducing his way onto our playlists with remixes of American Boy, False Alarm and Where You Belong. Sit back and watch Justice start his music takeover in 2017.

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Callie Reiff may be young but this 16 year old managed to snag Skrillex’s attention and it’s easy to see why. With a stack of bass heavy originals and remixes just waiting to be released, 2017 is bound to be an interesting year for Callie as she continues to hone her craft and hopefully hit the festival circuit.

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Whethan is easily one of our favorite up and comers. The level of talent that this guy has shown all year has been impressive to say the least. His latest track “Savage” features bass god Flux Pavilion and Max and it’s still the catchiest track of 2016. 2017 will be a huge year for Whethan as he begins his Savage tour and quenches our thirst for new music.

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Medasin has got some smooth moves. The co-founder of Film Noir made some solid moves in 2016 and they didn’t go unnoticed. He premiered his track “Daydream” with Joba on Beats Radio 1, dropped a stunning remix of Flume’s “Smoke & Retribution” and hit us with silky remix of Jahkoy and Schoolboy Q’s “California Dreaming.” Saying that 2017 will be a big year for him is an understatement and we can’t wait to see what he’s going to put out next.

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Sean Turk is right on the verge of officially blowing up and becoming a massive household name. His remixes are gold and so addictive that you have to keep his music on repeat just to appreciate all of the beautiful future bass goodness that he crafts with ease. Expect to see a lot of Sean Turk in 2017, he’s on the path to stardom.

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Nebbra has got some serious talent. Over the past year, he joined Zeds Dead on their Northern Lights tour, released his You EP and showed us that he is a wizard in the studio when it comes to blending melodies and layering vocals. His production is top notch and after such a successful 2016, things can only get bigger and better for him in 2017.

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Lolo BX might not be on your radar yet but he should be. With incredible bootlegs of What So Not’s “Divide & Conquer” and A$AP’s “New Level” ft. Future under his belt, Lolo Bx gained our attention in a big way and it will be exciting to see what other goodies he has in store for us in 2017.

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Chet Porter really knows how to bring out the feels. This past year he released “Stay” on ODESZA’s musical collective Foreign Family and just wrapped up the Kindred Spirits tour with Jai Wolf and Jerry Folk. Expect to see more music from Chet Porter as he hits the festival circuit in 2017.

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Jerry Folk has been making some of the dopest tracks this year. The rising Norwegian producer has a knack for setting the bar high when it comes to putting out music and his flair for finding the right sound is one of the reasons why he’s had such a successful 2016. 2017 looks like it will be a great year for him as he continues to push out extraordinary music to feed our new found Jerry Folk addiction.

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Wooli set our speakers on fire and “Woolied” (yes, I just made that a thing) his way onto our playlists all year with hard hitting trap anthems and future bass bangers. The sky is the limit for this producer and we’re ready for whatever he has in store for us in 2017.

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Luude is going to be big next year. This past year the rising Australian producer hit our radar by putting out some incredible remixes of What So Not, Fetty Wap and Flume and then took us into the trap with his original “Sooo.” Expect more music in 2017 as Luude continues to expand his sound.

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Joyryde is on another level. His bass-house influenced sound netted him a massive following and his live set at EDC Vegas was memorable. His latest release “Damn” ft. Freddie Gibbs is one of the hottest trap bangers of December and yet another reason why we need a tour and more music in 2017.

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Crankdat has a knack for flipping classics into completely redesigned bangers and proving that he can make all styles of music. His collab “Game Over” with Lookas made it into our top 30 Trap Songs of 2016 and we fully expect to see him hit the festival circuit in 2017.