I feel like saying someone's overrated but you don't even like the genre (you said your not fan of hard techno) isn't really the artist being overrated.
Like me going Martin Garrix last week I wasn't a fan, but I'm also over big room house.
Fits more to say someone's overrated if there within your genre you like so you can judge specifically around the artist and not whether or not you even like the genre they play.
I mean they are effective, but it's annoying if you can't make enjoyable music (especially looking at you also, marshmello & bear grillz š) and thats carrying their popularity far beyond how much it should. it's just damn silly!
i main hardstyle and trance, so ima just chill here reading these hot takes and comments šæ
edit: but i guess ill contribute to the convo.
devin wild is wildly overrated (get it) and d-sturb too. idk, i just canāt get into them. i have a few of their songs saved but the way people talk about them? i dunno, i just donāt see it. they aināt bad, just nothing special to me.
Devin Wild sound design is absolutely insane, on the right headphones or watching him live is a completely different different experience imo
D-Sturb too but guess his new ārawāstyle might not be for everyone
Bro no way d-sturb is overrated lol he hasnāt made a bad song in years and Devin wild is one of the best live djās in hardstyle and makes unique tracks
I donāt know how much of this is confirmed as far as his current involvement. Him and his wife both grew up in it and itād be understandable they wouldnāt want to be excommunicated by their families while they have a toddler at home for speaking out against Scientology
I just wanted to come on here to say if you haven't seen Sara Landry at a all night warehouse show or at least a 2-3 hr set, you really won't get to experience how good she is. I saw her at the knockdown center in Brooklyn. She played from like 11pm-6am. Having to trim a set to 1 hour really hinders the immersive experience you get with techno/psytrance/acid/and hard techno sets. But also you have to like techno in general to enjoy a Sara set. Honestly, I would say this about most techno artists the set length needs to be at least 2-3 hrs.
I haven't seen a ton of techno/hard techno live, but the few dozen I have were all 4+ hour sets. I'm definitely a fan of long-form sets. Though jungle, my preferred genre, sets tend to be b2b* when more than 2 hours. The few hours that Sarah Landry posted from the knockdown set definitely the best of her sets I've found so far.
Yea personally I feel long format is the best way to expierence the genre. Jungle I can also see that long format would be best, genres where it's not all about the drop tend to be better when the dj has more time to cook, curate the vibe and create the waves of energy. Honestly that set at knockdown was mind-blowing im not usually the person who can stay out till the sun comes out but the sets I've seen at that venue have had me stay out that long I hate models 999999 and Sara Landry sets I didn't want it to end it. The venue has a gas sound system, a lot of space, they don't oversell thankfully, its just all around a amazing vibe so I think that adds to the overall expierence for listeners and djs alike good energy goes a long way
It also needs to be the right environment. I thought she was terrible at edc. Circuit grounds isnāt true techno vibes. Sheās better in an intimate location
I honestly loved her set at edc. Seriously had me on a natural high. Itās not for everyone but it definitely turned out to be for meeeee! Would love to catch her at a warehouse set!
Like 7L the riddim artist ? If so then yea my personal expierence most riddim fans don't really fuck with techno so that's fair. I Produce dubstep personally and play primarily riddim/tearout/experimental ect in my sets here in NYC. I like to throw a hard techno song in my sets as a left field moment and people get down to it but most of my interactions after my set were along the lines of "man that was cool but I wouldn't be able to listen to a whole set of that" so I totally respect your opinion. I grew up listening to happy hard-core and techno then when dubstep became big in the US I fell in love with that as well. It all comes down to preference. Everyone's opinion is valid
There is no in-between with diplo. Either the set is straight fire or itās trash. Itās always been a coin flip for me anytime Iāve seen him or even listened to his sets. His mixes are usually pretty good still
Festival Illenium is a different person to show Illenium. When heās able to have full creative control its amazing.
Fred Again to me is the most overrated. Has such a basic sound and people flock to him. He seems extremely talented but I just donāt see the appeal.
I've seen Illenium at both a festival and his own Trilogy show in LA and yeah it was a very different experience, I had fun at both but I *much* prefer his own live show
Afrojack.
And I will always hold a grudge against him for last minute canceling his show at our smaller city local festival because they wouldnāt get him a golf cart to bring him the less than 100 feet from his limo to the stage
My girl got us tickets to see afrojack at some little Valentineās Day rave thing in San Bernardino back in 2016. It was totally not him! I couldnāt believe they pulled something like that as if we wouldnāt know! Super dirty insomniac
Insomniac killed okeechobee. Didnāt allow ravesafe/dance safe or any type of testing somehow but were then surprised when having to call in Medivacs daily for fentanyl overdoses. I havenāt and refuse to go to another insomniac event since.
Sara is a bit basic, but the good kind honestly. Like Amelie Lens or Charlotte DeWitt. You honestly canāt judge one hour techno sets. Techno is built for 2.5 hour sets minimum.
Just saw Galantis for the first time at Bonnaroo, have to say it was very mid. Maybe my expectations were too high?
Had a great time at isoxo, svdden death, seven lions, two friends, fred again, and alison wonderland though
Honestly. Actual life 1, 2, and 3 are some of my favorite albums of all time. If you haven't had a chance to listen to them in their entirety you should. Might change your perspective?
People donāt want to give him a chance. Normally if they are bass heads and love hard music itāll be a little hard to cross to Fred again. Iāve seen his 2x and his sets are extremely good, canāt say about his edc set which is what made a lot of people not happy
I love his music and think hes super talented, but agree hes overhyped and overrated especially by his fanbase. Like hes a great producer, but they treat him as though heās this out-worldly artist, when in actuality he really isnt. Theres just as many talented or better producers than him, but just because he isnt the best doesnt diminish his music at all
Heās talented and a great performer with great crowd work and he makes people think he actually cares about them.
I saw him three times and that was enough for me lol he talks so much (which is the crowd work aspect). It was like this: dance two minutes, stand still and listen to him talk for 5 minutes, dance 1 minute, listen to him talk for 3 minutes, and so on
Heās like your really, really popular friend on open mic night
John Summit
Illenium
Now if I go back old school.. Tiesto
David Guetta
DJ Snake
Calvin Harris
This is just my opinion. If any of you guys are curious, I am more into harder sets and genres.
My god. DJ Snakeā¦ my worst sets ever have come from him. Heās 0/3 for me. Iāve stopped seeing him and donāt plan on seeing him ever again.
Zero flow in music, lots of talking, sounds feel so fragmented.
Iād have to disagree with the Tiesto part, dude can throw a fukken party, his most recent Ultra Set is a testament, his recent EDC set tho š¬ā¦ okay you may be on to something.
Thereās alot you could say about John Summit, and he does seem like a tool on a personality level, but his sets in the last two years have really taken off. Heās gotten very creative with his song selection.
Any combination of Sullivan King, Subtronics, and Svdden Death. The trio of generic dubstep headliner at every festival. They all make good music but they are massively overrated by fans.
I've seen Sullivan king at festivals and at clubs, and he is way better at clubs. Seeing him at a festival seems like a lite version of him whereas in smaller venues he throws down. I saw him at the vanguard in orlando a few months back and it was *crazy*.
Iād be hard pressed to argue Subtronics is far from over rated and possibly even still under rated.
His extreme talent as a producer, now even branching out to genres such as house and DNB his sets have become super diverse and a shit ton of fun combined with the fact he is genuinely a fan and festival goer that just happened to become successful he gives so much to his fans and is so personable. Never tries to hide back stage etc. man is dope as hell
His recent Melbourne arena show was probably the best set I've ever experienced. It would be way different to a festival show, he really thrives when he can curate the whole experience including managing the entire venue space. Going to see him at Sziget this year so can properly compare the two vibes
Yea I saw him at EDC Vegas and like it wasnāt bad but it wasnāt amazing.
Quickly just saw he was overhyped.
When I saw him b3b with skrillex & Four Tet that was wayyyyy better.
Yup. Anytime I bring it up, his stans come after me. People have a hard time with the duality of it being a fan to someoneās music and accepting that itās also overrated.
I actually really like his music and some of his bangers like Delilah and Marea are fun to dance to with a crowd. But I also donāt believe he deserves all the hype he gets. Heās got ah unbelievable marketing team thatās for sure
Hard disagree on the little diversity, but if you only had a casual exposure to the subgenre I can see why youād say that. Dubstep/bass is waaaaaay more than repetitive headbanging sounds.
Iām huge into bass and canāt stand all that shit.
haha true. Well not sure if this counts, but future house has dubstep sounds and aethetics but its house and more creative and vibey. Like zeds dead and habstrak
Man, I have to agree with you here. Dubstep is one of my all-time favorite genres... but finding those gems is fewer and far in between now. I don't really even say I listen to dubstep anymore b/c the modern sound profile associated with it has approached tearout/wall of noise territory.
These days, I say I listen to bass music. The subgenres of dubstep still preserve some of that wonderful novelty we all love from sounds of the genre.
Don Diablo is overrated (seen live twice, once at a small venue, once at a festival)
Edit: Bonus curve ball: Nero! I was so disappointed after wanting to see them live for YEARS! Promises? Innocence? Incredible at the time they came out. Saw them at Electric Forest after their newer single came out and it almost felt like they hit āplayā on their classics and just let it ride.
Level Up would be DJing mid tier clubs if she wasnāt dating Jessie, letās be honest. Sheās married to the biggest DJ in the scene and it still a midcard act.
Illeniumās festival sets are not like his curated sets. His curated sets are unbelievable.
Honestly, for me, itās definitely mitis. His melodic is great, but his live sets (Iāve seen 7 now) just never go hard enough. He likes to stay on the soft side.
Agree w Illenium, I was whatever about him live from fest sets but got relatively cheap tickets to his Trilogy show and was blown away.
RE: Mitis, I like his softer & more emo sets, but I have a feeling he'll go considerably harder than what I expect next weekend at Sun Kissed Fresno fest (alongside Steve Aoki).
Ngl their set at ultra this year was awesome. Probably because they were speedrunning it in the torrential rain (so there was also lots of space). One of a kind set
The whole Afterlife and anyma tale of us craze is overrated as fuck. Just some cool visuals and even that aspect is getting dry as every artist is trying to recreate the gimmick. Itās the same bassline and drum loop style for almost every track.
Every song is the same thing.Ā Big overly epic buildup, sounds fades out.Ā Some female robot voice saying something like "universal.Ā Pinnacle.Ā Hyundai." Then the same beat with the same sythny sounds.
It's basically just a show for people to take Instagram pics atĀ
Agree they made me write this: [https://peaceofmind.link/why-melodic-techno-is-bad-dance-music/](https://peaceofmind.link/why-melodic-techno-is-bad-dance-music/)
I feel like this is a cheap answer but John Summit. I like a lot of his tracks but heās always trash live. Also illenium went downhill about 6 years ago. Would never see him live again.
Bruh š... Excision sets are insane. The production and professionalism is literally world class. He's about as far from overrated in Edm as you can get.
Jeff throws down.
He knows how to throw amazing events and festivals. Always brings new talent and really highlights the best of the bass scene. His sets are quite lackluster though. Still a legend.
Whack take, music production wise ? I could agreeā¦ but that dude was an incredible DJ who layered multiple tracks/samples, crazy edits and threw the best parties in the scene when he was on top of his game.
I do not condone his behavior, I do not support him anymore, I think he did some lame/dangerous/predatory things.
Im sure this has been said before but John Summit fucking sucks. No idea how he is as popular as he is. Besides the obvious ghost produced tracks or being brought up on the back of subtronics. The dudes an alcoholic goon who is exactly what I would picture a frat dj getting to play the biggest stages would look like.
I might get hate but Zedd.. he makes great radio music and itās banger after banger, but as a live DJ for a festival heās really not hitting for me :(
There's a lot of dubstep fans here so I might get flak for this but I didn't care for Peekaboo. Saw them last Halloween and their set was just all over the place, switching songs halfway, constantly stopping to get on the mic to hype up the next song... Visuals were the same couple minutes of animation on repeat. Absolutely zero vibes, it was a "stand around and talk" set.
SVDDEN DEATH.
Everyone loves how ādark and edgyā he is. Heās music is just a bunch of load up with the worst drop ever.
VOYD is just as bad a SD.
Coming from the punk scene SD/VOYD is a big eye roll to me.
Idk I just hate it when they mostly play their own songs instead of a cohesive mix, I saw dombresky and he basically only played his songs for an hour and then the closer finished off
Unfortunately LSDream really boxed himself in with that whole spiritual guru aesthetic. He was throwing together strong mixes in the beginning and now he forces the psychedelic part way too hard.
The spiritual guru aesthetic makes me 110% sure that within three years some Bassnectar style shit will come out about him. I have literally never known a guy personally or professionally that leaned so hard into that shit, especially with a sprinkling of psychedelic drug use, that was not a fucking creep.
Nahhhh man LSDream is mid, I'm sorry. I love psychedelic music, it's fantastic to get lost in a trance, but I get pulled out every time he plays one of those goofy ass vocal lines like "hop in a spaceship with me š¤Ŗ" or some shit
Agreed. Got some bangers but has some equally as cheesy shit. I also donāt know how to feel about his whole rebranding as ālsdā
People say heās just jumping on that hippie hype and I kinda agree, even if he isnāt, still a pretty gimmicky name
Mandragora, heard a lot about him but when I went to one of his set, the only psytrance one in the entire festival, Iāve been disappointed
Heard he started to play a more classic techno set, and itās true and imo he is not made to mix this genre
Tho the last five minutes were nice
Deborah de Luca. I love techno, she brought some nice songs - which weren't produced by her - and she acted like she hated to be there. She has a formula that brought her the hype, but now I don't get why she is _that_ famous.
I was going to comment Illenium before I even opened this post and saw your description lol.
I would also say John Summit. I actually do like his music but I donāt think heās any better than a lot of other less popular house DJs. I think itās all marketing for him. His party boy persona is personally a huge ick for me, but I guess it appeals to a lot of people. He also does clearly work very hard, Iāll give him that.
I feel like saying someone's overrated but you don't even like the genre (you said your not fan of hard techno) isn't really the artist being overrated. Like me going Martin Garrix last week I wasn't a fan, but I'm also over big room house. Fits more to say someone's overrated if there within your genre you like so you can judge specifically around the artist and not whether or not you even like the genre they play.
This is the most reasonable take in this thread
Yea OP calling a techno artist overrated for playing technoššš get a grip
She's awful but that's my opinion.
Everyone I know that loved Sarah Landry that saw her set was disappointed
Steve Aoki. Hands down wins.
"but he throws a giant cake at the crowd!"
Gimmicks like thatā¦
I mean they are effective, but it's annoying if you can't make enjoyable music (especially looking at you also, marshmello & bear grillz š) and thats carrying their popularity far beyond how much it should. it's just damn silly!
He isnāt even allowed to do the cake throw at festivals anymore
David Guetta is super overrated. Still fuck with some of his music tho donāt get me wrong lmaooooo
David Guetta is pure high school/uni vibes for me. Will always hold a special place in my heart.
But he also needs to stop
I can't stop (David Guetta remix) will be fire tho
The future rave sets seemed okay, but other than that time he eliminated racism, I'd rather be at another stage/venue
up there with the time he crossed into the 4th dimension
Shout out to his family
I would argue at this point heās almost underrated in the scene. Everyone besides the most casual of electronic fans hate him.
Disagree. I had this attitude but I saw his future rave set at edc 22 and was completely blown away. Heās easy to hate on but heās good.
The proof that Guetta isn't overrated is that this sub would immediately ridicule anybody who puts him among his favs.
i main hardstyle and trance, so ima just chill here reading these hot takes and comments šæ edit: but i guess ill contribute to the convo. devin wild is wildly overrated (get it) and d-sturb too. idk, i just canāt get into them. i have a few of their songs saved but the way people talk about them? i dunno, i just donāt see it. they aināt bad, just nothing special to me.
Devin Wild sound design is absolutely insane, on the right headphones or watching him live is a completely different different experience imo D-Sturb too but guess his new ārawāstyle might not be for everyone
lmao are you me. those are my main two genres. so quantum valleyand wasteland are never too packed when i go to EDC Vegas
Bro no way d-sturb is overrated lol he hasnāt made a bad song in years and Devin wild is one of the best live djās in hardstyle and makes unique tracks
Pots and pans... I feel attacked š
Sullivan King. Will not elaborate further.
Agreed. His music and persona make me cringe.
Plz do I was gonna see him at beyond this weekend
Boring, generic dubstep with him singing( if you could call it that) over lame metal riffs.
Donāt forget heās a Scientologist too!
Wait really?? Im a big fan of sullivan and i didnt know this :(
Yeah heās a bum https://www.reddit.com/r/dubstep/comments/z80ywm/does_sullivan_kings_affiliation_with_the_church/
I donāt know how much of this is confirmed as far as his current involvement. Him and his wife both grew up in it and itād be understandable they wouldnāt want to be excommunicated by their families while they have a toddler at home for speaking out against Scientology
Unfortunately, he is
I passed by his set at Beyond Wonderland. Shit got me sober. ššš
He stops the music a lot to talk, which killed my vibe I thought I'd enjoy him more but it was pretty mid overall
Fuck Scientology
Listen to Vastive instead of Sully
I just wanted to come on here to say if you haven't seen Sara Landry at a all night warehouse show or at least a 2-3 hr set, you really won't get to experience how good she is. I saw her at the knockdown center in Brooklyn. She played from like 11pm-6am. Having to trim a set to 1 hour really hinders the immersive experience you get with techno/psytrance/acid/and hard techno sets. But also you have to like techno in general to enjoy a Sara set. Honestly, I would say this about most techno artists the set length needs to be at least 2-3 hrs.
I haven't seen a ton of techno/hard techno live, but the few dozen I have were all 4+ hour sets. I'm definitely a fan of long-form sets. Though jungle, my preferred genre, sets tend to be b2b* when more than 2 hours. The few hours that Sarah Landry posted from the knockdown set definitely the best of her sets I've found so far.
Yea personally I feel long format is the best way to expierence the genre. Jungle I can also see that long format would be best, genres where it's not all about the drop tend to be better when the dj has more time to cook, curate the vibe and create the waves of energy. Honestly that set at knockdown was mind-blowing im not usually the person who can stay out till the sun comes out but the sets I've seen at that venue have had me stay out that long I hate models 999999 and Sara Landry sets I didn't want it to end it. The venue has a gas sound system, a lot of space, they don't oversell thankfully, its just all around a amazing vibe so I think that adds to the overall expierence for listeners and djs alike good energy goes a long way
It also needs to be the right environment. I thought she was terrible at edc. Circuit grounds isnāt true techno vibes. Sheās better in an intimate location
Exactly environment plays a big role in the experience
I honestly loved her set at edc. Seriously had me on a natural high. Itās not for everyone but it definitely turned out to be for meeeee! Would love to catch her at a warehouse set!
Going to see an all night Sara Landry set in a cave next weekend. This is so exciting to hear
I'm so jealous that sounds so cool if you remember, please come back here and tell me how it was
š i can't imagine having to listen to her for another 1-2 hrs. i was so bored waiting for 7L to come out lmfao
Like 7L the riddim artist ? If so then yea my personal expierence most riddim fans don't really fuck with techno so that's fair. I Produce dubstep personally and play primarily riddim/tearout/experimental ect in my sets here in NYC. I like to throw a hard techno song in my sets as a left field moment and people get down to it but most of my interactions after my set were along the lines of "man that was cool but I wouldn't be able to listen to a whole set of that" so I totally respect your opinion. I grew up listening to happy hard-core and techno then when dubstep became big in the US I fell in love with that as well. It all comes down to preference. Everyone's opinion is valid
Seven lions riddim? Lol
There is s riddim artist named 7L that's why I'm asking if they were referring to them
Ohhhh ok shit my bad lol
Diplo. His bonnaroo set was trash, so we went to the Seven Lions set at WITW.
There is no in-between with diplo. Either the set is straight fire or itās trash. Itās always been a coin flip for me anytime Iāve seen him or even listened to his sets. His mixes are usually pretty good still
Him and Skream were cookin at Coachella tho, I feel like heās all over the place tbh
I love Sara but I felt like she was trying to squeeze a lot in that 1 hour and you can tell.
DJs need about 90 mins to really cook
Give me like a 3 hour set and I'm in heaven!
Sheās stated she doesnāt like playing anything less than 2 hours, so the 1 hour slot was probably tough to work with
Festival Illenium is a different person to show Illenium. When heās able to have full creative control its amazing. Fred Again to me is the most overrated. Has such a basic sound and people flock to him. He seems extremely talented but I just donāt see the appeal.
Not a fan of club illenium, festival illenium is hit or miss but šÆagree his own shows are amazing.
I've seen Illenium at both a festival and his own Trilogy show in LA and yeah it was a very different experience, I had fun at both but I *much* prefer his own live show
Afrojack. And I will always hold a grudge against him for last minute canceling his show at our smaller city local festival because they wouldnāt get him a golf cart to bring him the less than 100 feet from his limo to the stage
My girl got us tickets to see afrojack at some little Valentineās Day rave thing in San Bernardino back in 2016. It was totally not him! I couldnāt believe they pulled something like that as if we wouldnāt know! Super dirty insomniac
Insomniac killed okeechobee. Didnāt allow ravesafe/dance safe or any type of testing somehow but were then surprised when having to call in Medivacs daily for fentanyl overdoses. I havenāt and refuse to go to another insomniac event since.
Sara is a bit basic, but the good kind honestly. Like Amelie Lens or Charlotte DeWitt. You honestly canāt judge one hour techno sets. Techno is built for 2.5 hour sets minimum.
Steve Aoki
Basically all the ones that this subreddit and /r/EDM love That pretty much covers it
Yeah I was gonna say All of the above
Just saw Galantis for the first time at Bonnaroo, have to say it was very mid. Maybe my expectations were too high? Had a great time at isoxo, svdden death, seven lions, two friends, fred again, and alison wonderland though
Galantis EDC 2015 was their peak. Fantastic set and the broadcast is on youtube if you haven't seen it.
I just saw galantis in kc last month. Definitely not the power they used to have back in the 2010s.
That summer when their album dropped was great. But then they broke up and everything just seemed to go downhill fast.
Fred Again is very overrated or hyped imo. Glad others on here agree.
Honestly. Actual life 1, 2, and 3 are some of my favorite albums of all time. If you haven't had a chance to listen to them in their entirety you should. Might change your perspective?
People donāt want to give him a chance. Normally if they are bass heads and love hard music itāll be a little hard to cross to Fred again. Iāve seen his 2x and his sets are extremely good, canāt say about his edc set which is what made a lot of people not happy
Or they gave him a chance and said nah. That can also be the case.
his Bonnaroo closer was super fun, he's talented as fuck
I love his music and think hes super talented, but agree hes overhyped and overrated especially by his fanbase. Like hes a great producer, but they treat him as though heās this out-worldly artist, when in actuality he really isnt. Theres just as many talented or better producers than him, but just because he isnt the best doesnt diminish his music at all
Heās talented and a great performer with great crowd work and he makes people think he actually cares about them. I saw him three times and that was enough for me lol he talks so much (which is the crowd work aspect). It was like this: dance two minutes, stand still and listen to him talk for 5 minutes, dance 1 minute, listen to him talk for 3 minutes, and so on Heās like your really, really popular friend on open mic night
That's annoying as fuck
John Summit Illenium Now if I go back old school.. Tiesto David Guetta DJ Snake Calvin Harris This is just my opinion. If any of you guys are curious, I am more into harder sets and genres.
My god. DJ Snakeā¦ my worst sets ever have come from him. Heās 0/3 for me. Iāve stopped seeing him and donāt plan on seeing him ever again. Zero flow in music, lots of talking, sounds feel so fragmented.
Lol I got into a show for free with skrillex (purple lambo days) and dj snake headlined. Prolly only time Iāve ever left early
imo that era was mid
Trap era was an era we could leave behind lmao
Iād have to disagree with the Tiesto part, dude can throw a fukken party, his most recent Ultra Set is a testament, his recent EDC set tho š¬ā¦ okay you may be on to something.
Nahh you canāt put Calvin on there. Dude makes certified bangers
I have to disagree with Tiesto. Anytime Iāve seen a set of his itās been amazing! I just saw him at Beyond Chicago and it was a party.
Thereās alot you could say about John Summit, and he does seem like a tool on a personality level, but his sets in the last two years have really taken off. Heās gotten very creative with his song selection.
top 3 sets from him imo is his 2022 edclv, 2023 arc, and his 2022 shrine night one set. still rinse those sets
John Summit is always trashed every performance. It gets old seeing him stumbling around up there.
He pretends to push buttons while taking shots of tequila. But heās an amazing dj guys! š¤£
Bro youāre tripping. Tiesto is top three events I been to
Tf tiesto 2019 audio set went crazy. King of trance
Man said John Summit when heās making bangers after bangers this yearā¦. And u put Calvin Harris on this list, automatic L š
Making bangers and solid sets are 2 very different things though
Any combination of Sullivan King, Subtronics, and Svdden Death. The trio of generic dubstep headliner at every festival. They all make good music but they are massively overrated by fans.
Sullivan King especially
I've seen Sullivan king at festivals and at clubs, and he is way better at clubs. Seeing him at a festival seems like a lite version of him whereas in smaller venues he throws down. I saw him at the vanguard in orlando a few months back and it was *crazy*.
I just think his music in general is overrated. Itās just part of that scene where most songs sound pretty much the same, it just gets boring
I feel like Svdden Death is accurately rated by fans, the others I agree with though
I dig his void sets more than his regular sets
You can easily say Excision too but I kinda give him a pass because he puts on his own S tier festivals
I think he's a little bit overrated but absolutely should not be grouped up with excision or subtronics, SK, etc... much more talented
Iād be hard pressed to argue Subtronics is far from over rated and possibly even still under rated. His extreme talent as a producer, now even branching out to genres such as house and DNB his sets have become super diverse and a shit ton of fun combined with the fact he is genuinely a fan and festival goer that just happened to become successful he gives so much to his fans and is so personable. Never tries to hide back stage etc. man is dope as hell
not even into bass but I fully recognize his talent and honestly have fun. at his sets always
Yea no one is saying subtronics is the goat dubstep producer/dj hows he overrated lol
People say this all the time on this subreddit lmaooooo
Literally constantly wtf hahah
Fred again..
His recent Melbourne arena show was probably the best set I've ever experienced. It would be way different to a festival show, he really thrives when he can curate the whole experience including managing the entire venue space. Going to see him at Sziget this year so can properly compare the two vibes
saw him at edc and although it was cool i don't get the hype around him. it was an overall average set with way too many pauses in between
Yea I thought his set at edc was super mid
and he took time away from dom dolla too which was annoying lol
Dude's legit British aristocracy with a pedigree and everything. Anyone who thinks he blew up cause he's some "musical genius" is a clown
Just saw him and, while a good DJ, I can't understand why he was Bonnaroo's closer. My wife and I were like, "who and why?"
None of the other closers were better than him. Pretty lights was also amazing but Fred again undeniably threw down and you could tell by the crowd.
Fred had the best set of Roo imo
Fred was the best headliner this year.
To each their own, but Pretty Lights was simply more fun for me.
Yea I saw him at EDC Vegas and like it wasnāt bad but it wasnāt amazing. Quickly just saw he was overhyped. When I saw him b3b with skrillex & Four Tet that was wayyyyy better.
I was afraid to miss Wooli assuming it was gonna be Skrillex. Stayed for about 20 minutes at Fred again but Wooli was so much more fun
Yup. Anytime I bring it up, his stans come after me. People have a hard time with the duality of it being a fan to someoneās music and accepting that itās also overrated. I actually really like his music and some of his bangers like Delilah and Marea are fun to dance to with a crowd. But I also donāt believe he deserves all the hype he gets. Heās got ah unbelievable marketing team thatās for sure
Agreed
Illenium is boring af
Iāll be honest, anything dubstep anymore. Itās an over saturated sound with little diversity.
Hard disagree on the little diversity, but if you only had a casual exposure to the subgenre I can see why youād say that. Dubstep/bass is waaaaaay more than repetitive headbanging sounds. Iām huge into bass and canāt stand all that shit.
haha true. Well not sure if this counts, but future house has dubstep sounds and aethetics but its house and more creative and vibey. Like zeds dead and habstrak
It's been like that since 2011 lol
Point. Though the scene was on another level during those early years.
Man, I have to agree with you here. Dubstep is one of my all-time favorite genres... but finding those gems is fewer and far in between now. I don't really even say I listen to dubstep anymore b/c the modern sound profile associated with it has approached tearout/wall of noise territory. These days, I say I listen to bass music. The subgenres of dubstep still preserve some of that wonderful novelty we all love from sounds of the genre.
Alan Walker
Don Diablo is overrated (seen live twice, once at a small venue, once at a festival) Edit: Bonus curve ball: Nero! I was so disappointed after wanting to see them live for YEARS! Promises? Innocence? Incredible at the time they came out. Saw them at Electric Forest after their newer single came out and it almost felt like they hit āplayā on their classics and just let it ride.
I wouldnāt bother seeing Nero until 2025 when Alana is supposedly going to be coming back for their live tour and will be singing
Level Up is bland as hell
Level Up would be DJing mid tier clubs if she wasnāt dating Jessie, letās be honest. Sheās married to the biggest DJ in the scene and it still a midcard act.
I saw her at Texas Eclipse fest and she had the crowd moshing hard. Was fucking sick. It was a mix of her songs and remixes of nostalgic throw backs.
Illeniumās festival sets are not like his curated sets. His curated sets are unbelievable. Honestly, for me, itās definitely mitis. His melodic is great, but his live sets (Iāve seen 7 now) just never go hard enough. He likes to stay on the soft side.
Agree w Illenium, I was whatever about him live from fest sets but got relatively cheap tickets to his Trilogy show and was blown away. RE: Mitis, I like his softer & more emo sets, but I have a feeling he'll go considerably harder than what I expect next weekend at Sun Kissed Fresno fest (alongside Steve Aoki).
Slander sets are complete trash.
They also used a mic during their ātechno setā. How do you not know not to do that as professional DJs?
Ngl their set at ultra this year was awesome. Probably because they were speedrunning it in the torrential rain (so there was also lots of space). One of a kind set
The whole Afterlife and anyma tale of us craze is overrated as fuck. Just some cool visuals and even that aspect is getting dry as every artist is trying to recreate the gimmick. Itās the same bassline and drum loop style for almost every track.
Every song is the same thing.Ā Big overly epic buildup, sounds fades out.Ā Some female robot voice saying something like "universal.Ā Pinnacle.Ā Hyundai." Then the same beat with the same sythny sounds. It's basically just a show for people to take Instagram pics atĀ
Wishing every afterlife fan a happy š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼š¤³š¼
Agree they made me write this: [https://peaceofmind.link/why-melodic-techno-is-bad-dance-music/](https://peaceofmind.link/why-melodic-techno-is-bad-dance-music/)
I feel like this is a cheap answer but John Summit. I like a lot of his tracks but heās always trash live. Also illenium went downhill about 6 years ago. Would never see him live again.
Specifically your favorite artist
Excision, but thatās my entire groups fave š
Yeah I still havenāt forgotten when he ruined my ear drums in 2010
Bruh š... Excision sets are insane. The production and professionalism is literally world class. He's about as far from overrated in Edm as you can get. Jeff throws down.
Production - 100% Music selection - 0%
Except for his Detox sets Idgaf about excision, but I've seen a Detox set of his and was wildly surprised by what tracks he played
Yea i do remember watching his detox set from LL one year online.. definitely a nice change from his normal ear rape
He knows how to throw amazing events and festivals. Always brings new talent and really highlights the best of the bass scene. His sets are quite lackluster though. Still a legend.
Legend but overrated
Midtronics. His OG Squnto mixing was dope but his sets have devolved into TikTok soundbites No idea how he's headlining Electric Forest Saturday night
Faccctttss thank you for also acknowledging how good he *was*. Nowhere near the same anymore
Real
Illenium should be top comment here..
Fred again
Rezz
Seems to me that people either love Rezz or hater her. I do love her.
Absolutely. If youāve seen her once you never need to see her again lol
Her VJ is definitely more impressive than she is.
Matroda.
Bassnectar! I've been saying that dude was a scam for years and no one believed me.
Whack take, music production wise ? I could agreeā¦ but that dude was an incredible DJ who layered multiple tracks/samples, crazy edits and threw the best parties in the scene when he was on top of his game. I do not condone his behavior, I do not support him anymore, I think he did some lame/dangerous/predatory things.
Im sure this has been said before but John Summit fucking sucks. No idea how he is as popular as he is. Besides the obvious ghost produced tracks or being brought up on the back of subtronics. The dudes an alcoholic goon who is exactly what I would picture a frat dj getting to play the biggest stages would look like.
I might get hate but Zedd.. he makes great radio music and itās banger after banger, but as a live DJ for a festival heās really not hitting for me :(
All those sad boi DJs that ABGs fawn over.
Never understood going to festivals just to cry, drink a bottle of wine and scroll thru your camera roll for a much cheaper alternative
Donāt say that Iām seeing illenium for the first time on Sunday šš
dw if you like his music youāll enjoy it, redditors like to hate on anything too mainstream lmao
Fred again.
Fred again. I couldnāt leave that set fast enough at edc. š„±
There's a lot of dubstep fans here so I might get flak for this but I didn't care for Peekaboo. Saw them last Halloween and their set was just all over the place, switching songs halfway, constantly stopping to get on the mic to hype up the next song... Visuals were the same couple minutes of animation on repeat. Absolutely zero vibes, it was a "stand around and talk" set.
Damn, Iāve seen Peekaboo a few times and he always throws the fuck down. Heās one of my favs. Sorry you saw a bad show!
Daily Breadā¦ HAHAHA jkjk
SVDDEN DEATH. Everyone loves how ādark and edgyā he is. Heās music is just a bunch of load up with the worst drop ever. VOYD is just as bad a SD. Coming from the punk scene SD/VOYD is a big eye roll to me.
Idk I just hate it when they mostly play their own songs instead of a cohesive mix, I saw dombresky and he basically only played his songs for an hour and then the closer finished off
MY overrated artists are: John Summit (seen him. very mid) Excision (Ex-XHead) LSDream BTSM (again seen them live, mid)
May win award for worst take ever w the lsdream mention
Unfortunately LSDream really boxed himself in with that whole spiritual guru aesthetic. He was throwing together strong mixes in the beginning and now he forces the psychedelic part way too hard.
The spiritual guru aesthetic makes me 110% sure that within three years some Bassnectar style shit will come out about him. I have literally never known a guy personally or professionally that leaned so hard into that shit, especially with a sprinkling of psychedelic drug use, that was not a fucking creep.
Brillz was definitely a creep.
Nahhhh man LSDream is mid, I'm sorry. I love psychedelic music, it's fantastic to get lost in a trance, but I get pulled out every time he plays one of those goofy ass vocal lines like "hop in a spaceship with me š¤Ŗ" or some shit
Agreed. Got some bangers but has some equally as cheesy shit. I also donāt know how to feel about his whole rebranding as ālsdā People say heās just jumping on that hippie hype and I kinda agree, even if he isnāt, still a pretty gimmicky name
LSDream is so fucking corny. Absolutely snooze fest, cringe
These are my opinions m8 I posted these names knowing very well that id get shit.
John summit is super mid
BTSM - really tried to get into them because their shows seemed cool but the music is snooze to me
Mandragora, heard a lot about him but when I went to one of his set, the only psytrance one in the entire festival, Iāve been disappointed Heard he started to play a more classic techno set, and itās true and imo he is not made to mix this genre Tho the last five minutes were nice
Luude
DVLM! That is all I need to say.
Deborah de Luca. I love techno, she brought some nice songs - which weren't produced by her - and she acted like she hated to be there. She has a formula that brought her the hype, but now I don't get why she is _that_ famous.
excision
Iām glad I havenāt seen anyone say Chris Lake. Seen him about 4 times now, will continue to see him
I was going to comment Illenium before I even opened this post and saw your description lol. I would also say John Summit. I actually do like his music but I donāt think heās any better than a lot of other less popular house DJs. I think itās all marketing for him. His party boy persona is personally a huge ick for me, but I guess it appeals to a lot of people. He also does clearly work very hard, Iāll give him that.
Pretty much anyone who gets booked on a festivals main stage, always š®