Despite a year plagued with uncertainties, there are aplenty of dance music euphoria that erupted the scene in 2021. We are amazed and so proud of the artists we discovered. Their talents, stories and sounds continue to inspire and shine positivity through an unprecedented year. Poised for success and many more amazing new music in 2022, here are some favorites that made their mark this year with tremendous dance music and will definitely continue to heat up any dance floors or festivals. Check out the list of standouts below as we will be keeping close eyes and ears on new projects from these incredible artists who caught our attention.
Marc Bandecchi, aka Arcando, is a Dutch producer known internationally for “delivering next level” tracks that captivate the EDM, Trap and Pop spaces.
Launching in 2016, Arcando has evolved into one of the fastest progressing artists in the electronic music industry.
With songs gracing the likes of labels: NCS, Armada Music, Revealed Recordings, Trap Nation, Future Generation and more, Marc’s top singles/remixes have collectively surpassed
100+ Million plays across all platforms while consistently receiving worldwide radio airplay. Coupling this with his official remixes for A-list artists like R3HAB, Flux Pavilion, Josh A & Tritonal, his music has earned steady support from “Martin Garrix”, “The Chainsmokers”, “David Guetta” and many more of the industry’s top producers.
2021 for the DJ Producer has been incredibly rewarding. He shared, “this has been the one year where I’ve seen “Arcando” grow faster like never before. Not only have I been releasing a lot of music, I also worked on a lot of content for Tik Tok, YouTube, Instagram etc. Also, I started my own Discord server that is growing massively every single week. I feel like my fanbase gets to know me on a more personal level, which is what I’ve always wanted to do.”
With a plethora of exciting new projects in the new year, the achievements in 2021 is only the beginning of what we have seen from the DJ producer. “I have a lot of projects and ideas coming up. I’m also planning on doing more livestreams and performances, even though performing really depends on the COVID situations. Other than that, I can’t give away too much yet, but all I can say is, I’m excited!”
Arcando’s renowned shows extract elements of live-instruments, personal vocals and a diverse mix of EDM, Trap and Pop, solidifying himself as a rising star in many genres across the world and one on our watch list for 2022. “I’ve learnt a lot about myself [this year] actually, regarding my music and what I truly want to do & become in life. After I graduated this year from the Conservatory, I realized that life is really taking a different turn. I have to focus on so many more things other than just producing music. But I’m ready for it. I’d wish to maintain and grow my fanbase & to continue what I’m doing right now. I’m working on so many different ways to gain new fans with different content creations, videos, visualizers, pictures etc.”
Listen to latest track ‘Fall to Me (Arcando Remix)’ here: https://open.spotify.com/track/277tK2OQA6h4kZu9srUY2B?si=3887e0a39707476f
The all-in-one Dutch talent MARF is trying to shake up the music industry. With his boyband look & appearance, he writes, produces on sometimes even sings his own songs: this guy has the full package.
After spending the last few years in his studio, MARF career started officially when he wrote, produced and sang the track Wasted together with De Hofnar. This song came out on Armin van Buuren his label Armada Music. The follow up single called It’s A Feeling reached the official Belgium radio & Belgium hit charts. In the summer of 2020 MARF released Sweet Mistake together with KAAZE on Hardwell’s Revealed Recordings. ‘Sweet Mistake’ had a combined reach of 8.3 million playlist followers and up till now more than 7 million streams.
His biggest success so far is the song ‘Miss You’ together with Tungevaag & Sick Individuals. This song got released on Spinnin’ Records and is still hitting the radio charts in multiple countries across Europe & in the U.S. His latest collab together with Nicky Romero and Dutch star Wulf called ‘Okay’ was released on Protocol Recordings this year, garnering plenty of airplay internationally including the likes of SiriusXM and IHeartRadio.
With an entire backpack full of quality festivals & clubs in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Thailand and China; MARF is ready for a touring life after COVID. He recently signed a booking agreement with the famous DJ Agency David Lewis Productions who represents him worldwide. No festival or club is safe with MARF behind the decks. With his energetic shows combined with his voice and very commercial sound, he can make anyone escape reality
MARF is someone to keep an eye on in 2022 because this year is just the beginning of an incredible journey.
Listen to latest track ‘Okay’ in collaboration with Nicky Romero and Wulf: https://open.spotify.com/track/2kwoNlicqmaQenNZmpgoWu?si=bfbc55d7965d4f81
Raised in NYC, CRÈME grew up making music. Since 2018 she has consistently released singles and collabs spanning a multi genre pallet. She released a number of cover and flips, highlighting her vocals and production. Currently her focus has turned to making originals, and working with a crew of international collaborators, producers who she continues to be impressed by and is grateful to be able to work with. With over 10 million online streams, a goal of hers has been to bring chill creativity and a different approach into a world that seems to reward sameness. Dancing Astronaut has ascertained that “the forward-thinking character of CRÈMEʼs outside the box approach is arrestingly clear”.
Latest release ‘Shout It Out Loud’ is another inspirational collaboration with 2Strangers that brings a sense of danceability groove to the track. Listen here:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7mZT7XTgLDo8LxKQuL1ThQ?si=b341a1065b574f1a
SUPER-Hi, aka UK producers Red Triangle (George Tizzard & Rick Parkhouse from Bournemouth, UK) are standouts for their immensely popular smash hit ‘Following The Sun’ They are recognized for writing and producing hits with artists like Yungblood, KSI, David Guetta, Charlie Puth, James Arthur, 5 Seconds of Summer, Alesso and Green Day, to name a few.
With over 400,000 streams a day, with a total of 65 million streams to date, over 300,000 radio plays and 764k Shazams, the sensational ‘Following The Sun’ was written with only on ambition in mind, to make people happy. “If we can bring some light and positivity to the world right now, then we have succeeded.”
Especially relevant in today’s world, where so many people feel trapped and unable to follow their dreams, the global hit brims with a feel-good energy and instant dance rhythm. It will be interesting to follow SUPER-Hi on their journey as they gear up for a lot more new music in 2022.
Listen to SUPER-HI’s latest remix of R3HAB and Lukas Graham’s Most People here: https://open.spotify.com/track/4ahpvBKGKhYApQTYVckjG1?si=f565785e2ffe464e
After a phenomenal breakthrough earlier this year with ‘Breaking My Mind’ which received acclaim from such artists as Jamie XX, Jaguar and Sasha and led to BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders proclaiming the artist as ‘the future of electronic music’, London-based Kiimi has got our eyes on her radar. Following the single ‘Trust’ (featuring the artist’s vocals for the very first time) with the second part of the release – ‘Lanzarote Howl’, Kiimi’s music features distinct beats that is very introspective.
Fresh from the debut EP, ‘Breaking My Mind’, which featured a remix contribution from Jacques Greene, Kiimi also released ‘Trust’ this year, a key development in her sound and takes listeners away in a liberating headspace.
Listen to latest track ‘Trust’ here: https://open.spotify.com/track/2FfIlhqu5PONOnlXoRatom?si=c1ca4513007049c1
Rob Roth is and NYC based Pop-EDM artist whose artistry is shaped by his self-discovery journey after overcoming consecutive serious injuries and surgeries during his early 20s. After spending several years in the Finance world, Rob only recently discovered his talent and passion for music. In such a short period of time, Rob has turned his passion into reality by leaving Finance to pursue a career in music. This became a huge pivotal point in his career as well as his self discovery journey.
In 2021, Rob has been producing music that focuses on both persevering through hardships and tough situations, as well as looking towards the future with a positive outlook. The versatility of Rob’s voice and writing make his upcoming releases a group of must listen to music. Rob’s goal through his lyrics is to allow his listeners to create their own stories through interpretation. Imagine the feeling of driving down the highway with the windows rolled all the way down, and the music blasting… that is simply the type of music Rob is creating. A gem to follow closely in the new year.
Listen to latest track ‘Who You Are’ here: https://open.spotify.com/track/2kwoNlicqmaQenNZmpgoWu?si=bfbc55d7965d4f81
Needless to say, we cannot wait to hear new drops from these fresh. It is simply thrilling to think about getting lost in a pulsing intimate rush of dance energy and beat dropping indulgence in their live performances. Till then, keep cranking up the dance music because 2022 is going to be a wild ride!