For both dance music artists and the scene in general, a lot has happened this year. We asked some of Boston's most active DJs for their thoughts on the best moments of 2014, whether it be about their careers, experiences, or something significant that impacted the music industry.

2. Bamboora
“For
me,
this
year’s
highlights
were
playing
a
packed
stage
at
Counter
Point
Music
Fes<val,
ge>ng
my
first
original
played
on
Hardwell
and
Dannic's
radio
shows,
playing
on
Evolu<on
and
I
Heart
Radio,
and
playing
back
at
Mullins
Center
in
Amherst
aHer
a
two-­‐year
ban
on
shows.”

3. D-Lux
“The
absolute
highlight
for
me
was
having
my
first
produc<on
included
in
the
Dancing
on
the
Charles
Vol.
II
compila<on
on
Soul
Clap
Records.
It's
been
an
exci<ng
process,
aHer
all
these
years
DJing,
to
start
over
as
a
producer.
Opening
the
main
room
at
RISE
for
Mike
Swells,
opening
for
DJ
Tennis
at
RE:SET’s
3-­‐year
anniversary,
and
My
Favorite
Robot
at
Bijou
were
my
favorite
performances
this
year.”

4. Mike Swells
“In
my
eyes,
2014
is
the
year
where
our
new
genera<on
of
American
electronic
music
fans
started
to
grow
up.
No
longer
are
‘EDM’
and
‘bro-­‐step’
the
flavors
du
jour.
Deep
house
and
techno
have
gained
momentum,
thanks
largely
to
the
genres
being
made
more
accessible
by
ar<sts
like
Claude
von
Stroke
and
Richie
Haw<n.
Much
credit
must
also
be
given
to
event
producers/promoters
like
Insomniac
(EDC),
Made
Event
(Electric
Zoo),
and
Ultra
Music
Fes<val,
all
of
whom
diversified
their
fes<val
programming
with
forward-­‐
thinking
sounds
from
around
the
world.
We
all
knew
that
EDM
would
be
the
gateway;
it’s
great
to
see
new
faces
finally
star<ng
to
discover
deeper
shades
of
sound.”
Photo
by
Roger
Piche

5. LeahV
“I’ve
had
a
monumental
year
of
bookings.
My
best
yet
-­‐
opening
for
A-­‐trak,
Jacques
Greene,
Omar
S,
and
the
legendary
Francois
K
-­‐
were
individually
amazing
experiences,
but
my
crown
jewel
of
2014
was
being
direct
support
for
James
Murphy
of
LCD
Soundsystem
at
The
Museum
of
Fine
Arts.
[James]
was
the
most
humble
and
kind
dude
I've
had
the
pleasure
of
working
with.
He
came
through
early
to
check
out
my
set
-­‐
kind
of
rare
for
ar<sts
of
his
magnitude
–
brought
me
many
flutes
of
champagne,
and
complained
about
the
lame
requests
he
was
probably
going
to
get
and
how
he
wasn't
going
to
play
any
of
them.
It
was
a
glorious
moment.
I
leave
2014
feeling
grateful,
mo<vated,
and
ready
to
bring
more
ruckus
to
Boston's
scene.”

6. GLOWKIDS
“Playing
around
the
country,
growing
with
the
iExperia
tour,
building
our
interna<onally
renowned
blog,
and
gaining
a
loyal
following
along
the
way.”
Photo
by
Chorale
Miles

7. DJ Dolo
“Personally,
I'd
have
to
say
being
featured
on
‘Sway
In
The
Morning’
on
Shade
45
was
my
biggest
highlight.
Music
industry-­‐wise,
the
rise
of
SoundCloud
is
really
helping
producers’
careers.”
Photo
by
Dawn
Kingston

8. Damien Paul
“2014
brought
a
tremendous
amount
of
change
for
me,
both
personally
and
professionally.
Leaving
one
of
my
longest
standing
club
residencies
gave
me
the
opportunity
to
focus
on
developing
my
sound
and
style
while
branching
out
to
new
venues
throughout
New
England.
The
most
pivotal
moments
this
year
happened
at
an
aHer-­‐hours
club
called
Therapy
in
Providence,
Rhode
Island.
Being
given
the
opportunity
to
play
two
gigs,
both
alongside
notable
ar<sts
who
have
inspired
me
throughout
my
DJ
career,
stands
out
as
a
tremendous
honor
that
I’m
quite
thankful
for.
I
opened
for
Pleasurehead,
one
of
my
first
inspira<ons
in
trance
music
and
a
huge
contributor
to
the
underground
electronic
scene
in
the
Northeast.
Another
night,
I
played
alongside
the
interna<onal
techno
legend,
Jay
Lumen.”
Photo
by
Dave
Yang

9. Mr. McNeill
“2014
has
been
a
bit
of
a
strange
year
for
myself
and
DJ’ing.
It
had
to
take
a
back
seat
for
the
first
half
of
the
year
while
I
was
finishing
up
my
last
semester
in
school.
Even
though
the
par<es
were
going
well
through
it,
my
enthusiasm
for
DJ’ing
itself
was
waning
a
bit
by
the
the
<me
school
had
wound
down.
But,
I
found
myself
buying
vinyl
again
and
playing
strictly
vinyl
sets.
It
helped
me
get
my
mind
back
into
the
music
and
gave
me
back
the
sense
of
apprecia<on
I
had
for
DJ’ing
when
I
first
started
years
ago.
I
started
hun<ng
vinyl
down
again
and
looking
for
records
that
wouldn't
make
it
to
a
digital
release
so
I
could
really
make
my
sets
stand
out.
Vinyl
saved
my
DJ
life
in
2014.
That
was
the
biggest
thing
to
happen
to
me
this
year
in
DJ’ing.
As
for
best
party
moment,
I'd
have
to
say
the
party
we
just
did
with
Felix
Da
Housecat.
Best
vibe
and
crowd
I've
seen
in
Boston
in
a
long
<me.
We
need
more
of
that!”
Photo
by
Dilven
Photography

10. Deadpool
“Opening
for
Sick
Individuals
and
Stafford
Brothers
at
Prime,
and
playing
at
Tight
Crew’s
DDR
party.”
Photo
by
Dave
Yang

11. Case & Point
“All
of
the
stuff
we've
been
able
to
do
with
the
label
we
are
on,
Monstercat,
has
really
helped
us
grow.
They
have
a
great
outlook
on
the
music
industry,
and
the
right
a>tude
for
working
with
ar<sts
and
fans
alike.”

12. Kyle Pike
“Seeing
Gesaffelstein
at
Electric
Zoo.
I
bought
a
single
day
<cket
strictly
for
him
and
he
didn't
disappoint.
Also,
moving
to
Boston
because
I
get
to
hop
on
Spectrum
Radio
every
week
with
one
of
my
good
friends,
Mikey
Maags.”
Photo
by
Conor
Olmsted

13. Jonny Dougs
“Personally,
having
the
chance
to
play
in
New
York/New
Jersey
for
Life
In
Color
was
a
defining
moment
for
me.
I
entered
a
mix
into
a
contest
and
the
winner
was
chosen
based
on
votes,
mix
quality,
and
song
selec<on.
Although
I
placed
5th
in
votes,
the
people
at
Wavo
and
Life
in
Color
actually
took
the
<me
to
listen
to
the
mix
and
chose
me
as
a
winner.
It
was
extremely
refreshing
to
know
they
don't
just
pick
the
person
who
gets
a
million
people
on
Facebook
to
vote
for
them,
but
they
actually
look
for
a
quality
mix.
I
got
to
bring
my
girlfriend
and
two
best
friends
along
with
me,
back
stage
and
everything,
it
was
an
experience
to
this
day
I
s<ll
think
was
a
dream.
As
far
as
for
the
music
industry
in
general,
I
love
silencing
the
people
who
keep
wai<ng
for
the
EDM
‘bubble’
to
pop.
Yes,
there
was
a
point
where
ar<sts
and
producers
were
just
pu>ng
out
cookie
cuqer
versions
of
other
songs.
But
to
me
that
was
a
blessing
in
disguise.
Ar<sts
were
forced
to
become
even
more
experimental
and
more
original
to
differen<ate
themselves
from
what
became
a
very
similar
sound.
Carl
Cox
said
it
best
when
sta<ng,
‘EDM's
an
entry
level
to
dance
music.’
Whether
you
agree
or
hate
on
the
pop
versions
of
EDM,
it
opens
the
doors
for
people
to
discover
more
electronic-­‐based
dance
music.
I
started
out
playing
mostly
hip-­‐hop
and
top
40
for
very
generic
bars.
I
had
that
entry
level
experience
with
some
popular
dance
music
and
was
instantly
hooked.
Now
as
a
DJ,
I
dig
a
bit
deeper
to
expand
my
musical
selec<on
to
honor
places
that
play
it
like
RISE
and
Therapy.
These
are
the
best
places
to
find
the
hidden
secrets
of
electronic
dance
music.”
Photo
by
Sam
Dahlstedt

14. Breeazy
“2014
has
been
a
great
year
for
me.
I
experienced
one
of
the
most
monumental
achievements
I
could
have
ever
set
out
to
do:
played
the
main
stage
of
a
major
fes<val
by
opening
EDC
Mexico
City.
The
feeling
is
one
I
cannot
put
into
words.
It
was
just
majes<c.
I
have
also
been
a
part
of
many
amazing
shows
in
the
Boston
area,
being
on
support
for
major
touring
DJs
and
producers
including
Eric
Prydz,
Deorro,
PVD,
Showtek,
DJ
Snake,
Borgore,
Madeon,
Galan<s,
and
many
more.
It
has
just
been
an
unreal
year
for
me
and
I
hope
2015
can
hold
a
candle
to
it.”
Photo
by
Ancelis
Nunez

15. VOLTRAN
“Flying
down
to
Atlanta,
Georgia,
to
play
with
my
homie
Bamboora
at
the
Counterpoint
music
fes<val
and
opening
for
Skrillex
at
the
Mullins
Center.
2014
was
a
big
year
for
music
and
breaking
away
from
the
mainstream
bubble.
I'm
excited
to
hear
the
new
underground
sounds
that
will
be
filling
in
this
void.
From
future
bass
to
future
house,
I'm
excited
to
see
how
far
we
can
push
the
envelope.”
Photo
by
Gina
Manning

16. Lenore
“An
important
highlight
for
Elements
was
having
our
15-­‐year
anniversary
in
January.”
Photo
by
Evan
Smith

17. B3RAO
“Playing
several
gigs
in
Ibiza.
Definitely
a
check
off
the
bucket
list,
and
with
the
countless
days/weeks/months
I
spend
in
the
studio
grinding
away
on
music,
I
hope
to
be
back
there
soon
enough.”

18. Godoii & Davvid
“Headlining
Crush!
University
was
a
huge
sign
of
faith
in
us
as
a
budding
DJ
Duo
from
Mike
O’Malley,
the
promoter
who
gave
us
our
first
chance
back
in
March
to
open
for
Sound
Remedy.
We
were
honestly
in
shock
that
in
a
mere
few
months
we
went
from
a
9:00pm
opening
set
for
Sound
Remedy,
to
headlining
our
own
first
show.
It
was
a
huge
success
and
opened
the
door
for
us
to
subsequently
DJ
at
Machine,
Prime,
Candibar,
Naga,
and
RISE.
Each
one
of
our
gigs
has
progressively
had
a
beqer
atmosphere
as
we’ve
grown
more
c omf o r t a b l e
DJ ’ i n g
i n
d iffe r e n t
environments
and
has
definitely
aided
in
our
development
as
ar<sts.
Each
and
every
single
one
of
our
gigs
is
very
special
to
us
because
of
every
fan
and
friend
who
stood
there
with
us
and
made
us
feel
like
home
in
the
booth.
We
are
very
thankful
mainly
to
them
because
they
are
the
ones
who
brought
us
here.”
Photo
by
Kevin
Du

19. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff
“The
most
amazing
thing
in
the
DJ
community
was
the
2014
Red
Bull
Thre3style
compe<<on.
Undoubtedly
the
most
crea<ve
and
technically
advanced
DJ
performances
in
the
history
of
the
art.
These
guys
are
completely
redefining
the
rules
of
DJ’ing.”

20. Jaminic
“Opening
for
Claude
VonStroke
at
Therapy.
It
was
one
of
the
first
weekends
the
club
was
open.”

21. JesseJess!
“Personally,
when
I
decided
to
quit
my
day
job
to
pursue
DJ’ing
full-­‐<me,
and
shortly
thereaHer,
I
landed
a
residency
with
Big
Night
Entertainment
Group.
In
terms
of
the
industry,
a
big
moment
for
me
was
when
A-­‐Trak
put
out
a
PSA
to
draw
a
line
between
DJs
and
Producers
with
his
‘Real
DJ’ing’
campaign.”
Photo
by
Kevin
Du

22. Moduloktopus
“Finding
myself
in
music
again
and
not
caring
about
likes,
plays,
comments,
etc.
Once
you
put
everything
you
got
into
what
you
do
and
don't
get
dragged
by
the
currents
of
social
media,
you
understand
why
the
people
you
admire
are
where
they
are
and
where
they’re
not.”
Photo
by
Nicky
Digital

23. Wubson
“I
don’t
do
house
par<es
that
much
anymore,
but
the
homie
who
asked
me
to
play
is
an
incredible
human
being
that
I
love
dearly.
AHer
[playinh],
I
honestly
couldn’t
tell
you
how
long,
I
think
it
was
two
hours?
I
put
on
a
long
track
to
see
about
ge>ng
the
next
DJ
a
chance
to
play.
Upon
turning
around,
I
realized
the
amazing
horror
of
that
par<cular
set.
The
room
had
at
least
tripled
in
popula<on.
This
wasn’t
a
crowd.
This
was
a
Hive-­‐mind
Party
Monster...
Nine
months
later,
people
in
Western
Mass
who
I
don’t
even
know
s<ll
come
up
to
me
and
talk
about
how
much
fun
they
had
at
that
party.”
Photo
by
Siouxside

24. Alyce Currier
“Decibel
Fes<val
in
Seaqle
really
reinvigorated
my
love
for
dance
music
aHer
a
bit
of
a
slump;
for
the
last
two
years
it's
been
a
major
music
highlight
for
me.
They
really
manage
to
meld
all
of
the
best
parts
of
electronic
music
culture
into
one
event,
and
the
Ostgut
Ton
label
night,
Anjunadeep
boat
party,
Max
Cooper's
two
sets,
Recondite,
and
just
the
energy
of
Seaqle
were
super
inspiring.”
Photo
by
Adrienne
Berlin

25. Andrew Garcia
“The
best
moment
in
2014
for
me
was
the
release
of
Porter
Robinson's
album.
It
really
influenced
a
lot
of
people,
me
included,
and
is
really
where
I
feel
the
future
of
electronic
music
is
going.
I
think
another
huge
moment
for
me,
personally,
were
opportuni<es
to
be
able
to
play
the
music
I
love
for
people
who
appreciate
it;
that
just
makes
all
the
hard
work
worth
it.”
Photo
by
Conor
Olmsted

26. Richard Fraioli
“For
myself
in
2014,
some
of
most
memorable
moments
were
playing
at
Ultra
Music
Fes<val
Miami
for
the
8th
year
in
a
row,
and
finally
ge>ng
to
open
for
one
of
my
mentors,
Laidback
Luke.
It's
been
a
really
busy
year
for
me
with
ge>ng
ready
to
release
a
string
of
original
tracks
for
2015,
and
furthering
my
brand,
That
MOTHER
F#%KING
House
Music
(TMFHM).
As
for
the
industry,
one
of
the
most
significant
things
to
happen
in
this
scene
was
the
massive
amount
of
collabora<ons
between
ar<sts
and
a
lot
of
cross-­‐genre
produc<ons.
It's
so
good
to
see
all
different
styles
and
ar<sts
come
together
to
make
something
unique
and
different.
It's
all
about
the
music.”

27. A1exxxan
“Discovering,
at
Arisia
2014,
that
the
second
love
of
scifi
nerds
is
deep
house.
Also,
being
a
part
of
the
Together
staff
(again)
was
a
fantas<c
and
produc<ve
experience.”
Photo
by
Darkwell
Studios

28. Massacur
“This
year
has
brought
successes,
not
only
in
my
live
performances
at
top-­‐level
venues
with
some
of
the
scene’s
biggest
talents,
but
also
in
the
management
of
myself
as
an
ar<st.
2014
has
been
a
year
where,
despite
a
rigorous
live,
I’ve
had
the
opportunity
and
pleasure
of
breaking
onto
the
regional
and
interna<onal
radio
scenes
as
well
as
spending
countless
hours
developing
both
my
original
studio
produc<on
as
well
as
my
branding.
Of
my
150
events
so
far
this
year,
over
80%
were
performed
in
headlining
roles
which
has
been
an
honor
when
considering
that
only
just
two
years
ago,
I
was
liqle
more
than
a
college
kid
with
a
laptop
and
a
few
friends.”
Photo
by
David
Blazze

29. Ju Lee
“I
got
to
play
at
WMC
for
the
first
<me,
headline
RISEAHer-­‐hours,
and
become
a
resident
at
the
Colosseum
in
Providence,
RI.
One
of
the
most
memorable
moments
was
during
my
set
at
FractalFest
-­‐
the
energy
was
unbelievable
and
Aaron
Fractaltribe,
the
person
who
taught
me
to
DJ,
came
to
the
stage,
gave
me
a
hug,
and
told
me
he
was
proud
of
me.
It
meant
the
world.”
Photo
by
Kevin
Du

30. Sir Matty V
“For
the
industry,
the
emergence
of
so
many
young
ar<sts.
Guys
like
Heldens,
Tom
Newson,
Will
Sparks,
and
Madeon
are
really
helping
shape
so
many
different
aspects
of
electronic
music,
which
is
refreshing.
Personally,
DJ’ing
at
Fenway
park
for
the
Reebok
Spartan
Race.
That
was
super
<ght.”
Photo
by
James
Coleqa

31. Noya
“Ali
G
in
the
house
stole
my
tune
for
their
commercial,
and
I
opened
for
Alvin
Risk
at
Therapy
with
Michael
Savant,
which
was
probably
the
best
set
I've
ever
played.”

32. Batwings
“2014
brought
the
advent
of
our
Dusk
Till
Done
crew,
throwing
secret
and
not-­‐so-­‐
secret
events
in
and
around
Boston
and
impor<ng
talents
such
as
La
Fleur,
Danny
Howells,
and
Mr.
C.
With
one
chapter
beginning,
another
one
of
mine
is
either
closing
or
hopefully
just
changing.
Concluding
my
residency
DJ’ing
for
a
na<onal
ar<st
showcase
in
Boston,
I
had
the
pleasure
of
mee<ng
and
mixing
for
some
of
our
city's
finest
photographers,
graphic
and
performance
ar<sts,
musicians,
drag
queens...
you
name
it.
With
our
director
resigning
from
the
na<onal
organiza<on,
a
new/improved
event
may
be
rising
from
the
ashes
to
give
even
more
back
to
the
ar<sts
with
each
showcase.
For
my
first
ever
real
travel
for
a
fes<val,
I
embarked
to
Moogfest
in
NC.
Personal
fave
was
seeing
both
an
80+
year-­‐old
woman
and
an
awkward
high-­‐school
kid
killing
the
dance
floor
to
Egyp<an
Lover.”

33. Wil Trahan
“2014
was
the
year
I
started
to
see
so
many
new
faces
on
the
dance
floor
and
that's
what
made
this
past
year
so
great.
From
my
classics
party
at
Bijou,
to
the
10-­‐hour
set
at
Therapy,
there
was
so
much
energy
and
that’s
what
kept
me
pushing
forward.”
Photo
by
Evan
Smith

34. DUDEnGUY
“We
had
a
goal
to
play
at
Royale;
we
achieved
that
goal
and
became
monthly
residents.
Also
over
the
course
of
the
year
through
our
social
media
outlets,
we've
been
receiving
more
and
more
random
comments
–
we
have
a
hard
<me
believing
we
have
fans,
so
let’s
call
them
new
followers
and
friends.”

35. Igor Stelea
“For
me,
the
whole
year
was
really
a
launchpad
into
my
Boston
club
gigs,
star<ng
with
Storyville
and
ending
with
RISE,
thanks
to
Oxeat
and
Shikhar
in
par<cular.
Of
all
those,
the
highlight
so
far
has
been
playing
at
Bijou
on
July
4th,
along
with
Alex
Villa
and
Richie
Santana.
In
terms
of
music
industry
changes,
I
think
in
general,
2014
is
the
year
of
deep
house
rising
to
popularity
in
the
US,
as
it's
ge>ng
bigger
and
bigger
here.
Techno
is
also
leaving
a
larger
footprint,
which
I'm
very
passionate
about,
having
lived
in
Detroit.
I'm
pumped
the
Time
Warp
fes<val
just
came
to
the
US
in
NYC.”
Photo
by
Dylan
Mullen

36. REDgreenBLUE
“On
a
personal
level,
finally
having
a
label
get
back
to
me
about
a
demo
in
a
posi<ve
way
was
a
highlight
of
2014.
It
was
so
valida<ng
aHer
years
of
hard
work
honing
my
producing
ability
to
have
someone
completely
third
party
to
me
tell
me
they
thought
something
I
made
was
worth
releasing.
On
an
industry
level,
a
high
point
to
me
was
when
Beatport
released
a
graph
that
showed
deep
house
had
become
one
of
the
top
sellers.
It
made
me
really
giddy
and
excited
that
it's
ge>ng
the
recogni<on
it
deserves.
Addi<onally,
hearing
deep
house-­‐influenced
tracks
on
the
radio
is
kind
of
a
trip,
too!
I
don't
listen
oHen,
but
I'm
preqy
sure
I
caught
the
Robin
Schulz
remix
of
“Waves”
a
few
<mes
over
the
airwaves
in
the
car.”
Photo
by
Rachel
Lynch

37. Mikey Maags
“I
had
two
big
highlights
this
year,
both
part
of
Beandream
Produc<ons’
monthly
Binary
party.
The
first
was
having
my
own
featured
night
at
the
end
of
June,
for
which
I
played
in
between
Kyle
Pike
(who
opened)
and
Convoi
(who
closed).
It
was
a
phenomenal
<me!
My
second
highlight
was
the
party’s
one-­‐year
anniversary.
Aaron
Roy,
supported
by
The
Brain
Trust,
put
his
faith
in
myself
and
two
other
great
DJs,
B3RAO
and
Convoi,
last
summer
to
create
an
awesome
monthly
dance
party.
Celebra<ng
a
full
year
of
success
for
all
of
us
was
proper
with
great
sound
and
even
beqer
people
is
definitely
something
I
will
never
forget.”
Photo
by
Parikhal
Photo

38. Convoi
“TomorrowWorld
impacted
me
musically
as
far
as
experiencing
techno
goes.
Throughout
the
weekend,
the
stages
focusing
on
techno
got
bigger
and
beqer,
both
produc<on-­‐wise
and
musically.
Whether
it
was
inten<onal
or
not,
TomorrowWorld
maintained
a
solid
and
most
importantly,
CONSISTENT,
vibe
throughout
the
weekend.
It
was
definitely
felt
and
appreciated
by
anyone
who
chased
techno
the
whole
<me.”
Photo
by
Siouxside

39. Sterling Golden
“From
the
final
run
of
the
LEGACY
dance
night,
to
Sterling
Sinn
Radio,
to
joining
the
Dirty
Water
News
squad,
it's
been
an
incredible
12
months.
My
personal
2014
highlight
has
to
be
working
as
music
director
&
DJ
for
this
year's
Boston
Fashion
Awards,
the
biggest
night
on
the
Boston
fashion
community's
calendar.”
Photo
by
Derek
Image

40. Achille
“My
favorite
moments
of
2014
werplaying
Rise
for
the
first
<me,
and
running
visuals
in
Icon’s
main
room.
I
got
to
play
at
an
ins<tu<on
of
Boston
nightlife
and
help
open
Boston’s
newest
club.”
Photo
by
Beantown
Boogiedown