If you’ve ever been at a show thinking, “I’ve heard this before,” you’re a) probably not alone and b) probably right. It’s no secret that many DJs often have the same tricks up their sleeves, and sometimes you really do get sick of hearing that same transition over and over. Unfortunately, 2016 was no different, and Kado, the track-finding app and self-proclaimed “DJ assistant,” has now put all the facts together to give us the “Year On The Decks.”
Kado’s summary gives EDM lovers an in-depth look at how this year’s DJs and their sets really stacked up. The data shows which artists, tracks, remixes, and even what transitions were played the most in 2016. The company also awards those who are worthy and knocks the unworthy off their pedestals, with categories like “Most Original DJ” and “Most Boring DJ.”
So let’s face the music.
To start, the most played tracks of 2016 are probably exactly what you would guess. Drake’s “One Dance” took the top spot, followed by The Chainsmokers‘ “Closer” and DJ Snake’s “Let Me Love You.” “One Dance” was played more than 1,300 times by 646 DJs, according to Kado’s data.
The most played remixes, on the other hand, are lesser-known. The top remix, Riva Starr’s edit of Groove Armada’s “Superstylin‘,” was played more than 655 times by 500 DJs. The Seeb remix of Mike Posner’s “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” took second place.
The most popular transition from one track to another was, according to Kado, played by Hardwell, Benny Benassi, Dmitri Vegas & Like Mike, and more. The tracks, “Listen to the Talk” by Chocolate Puma and “Dat Disco Swindle” by Firebeatz & Schella together created the most used transition this year.
But enough about the songs. Let’s talk about the DJs.
For the most played remixers of 2016 – artists played by DJs, keep in mind – the big winner was Claptone, followed by Don Diablo. Claptone was played 1,941 times and Don Diablo 1,245 times.
*You can roll over each remixer to see how many times they were played.*
Finally, Kado awarded the three most original and judged the three least original DJs, which was determined by the amount of times that they repeat popular tracks in their sets. The title of most original went to Hernan Cattaneo, followed by Dave Clark and Noisia.
The least original DJs are, in fact, extremely predictable.
Yellow Claw and Galantis were both called out for being unoriginal, but the top spot for the most boring DJ of 2016 went to DJ Snake. His most overplayed track, the Bro Safari & Ricky Remedy remix of Zomboy’s “Terror Squad,” can be found below. Listen and instantly be reminded of how many times you’ve heard this before.
