From: Los Angeles, USA
DJ style: “Bass music.”
Best known for: “My first big single, ‘Street’.”
Fave tune of 2018: “My favourite track for live sets is Excision & Space Laces ‘Rumble’, my favourite to listen to is ZHU & Tame Impala ‘Live My Life’.”
Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2018: “WAVEDASH! These boys are next level!”

Like all the acts in our poll, NGHTMRE is a workaholic who plays at least 10 shows a month. He’s also released ‘Save Yourself’ with The Chainsmokers and remixed Flosstradamus & Smokepurpp in the last 12 months.

“Also, I’m known for my hair... sort of,” says the well-coiffed American, who uses Ableton for his dizzying live shows and has released on Mad Decent and Skrillex’s OWSLA before now. Despite those associations, this year he also stepped out and launched his own label with SLANDER. Called Gud Vibrations, it “will be releasing music from some of our favourite upcoming artists as well as our own new music”.

Next to his big room progressive and electro sounds, NGHTMRE also branched out into hip-hop this year with a new EP in collaboration with Pell, a rapper from New Orleans who he’s always loved listening to. “The songs we wrote are heavily influenced by the style of hip-hop that I grew up listening to,” he says, before admitting one low point of the year. “Getting food poisoning before my show in Argentina is probably my worst memory.”

Words: KRISTAN CARYL