DJ Magazine recently released the results of their Top 100 DJs for the year 2005 poll. While there was relatively little movement among the top tiers, the big news is that perennial #2 Paul van Dyk managed to unseat three-time #1 Tiësto from the top spot. Ferry Corsten, Sasha, and Van Buuren practically retained their spots. Trance music is still king of roost having five DJs championing the genre among the top 10. (That number doesn’t include former trance DJs Sasha and Digweed.)

Herewith are the Top 10 DJs linked to their Wikipedia articles:

1. Paul van Dyk

2. Tiësto

3. Armin van Buuren

4. Sasha

5. Ferry Corsten

6. John Digweed

7. Hernan Catteneo

8. Deep Dish

9. ATB

10. Carl Cox

Anyway, the problem I have with this kind of reader poll is that I believe many of the votes came not because those voted for were exceptional DJs but more because they produced good music. I think the success of these so-called superstar DJs can also be attributed to their skills as either music producers or music remixers. In my estimate, the proportion of votes is on 50% DJing and 50% producing/remixing.

What makes a good DJ is one who not simply beatmatches, but is one who is able to read the clubbing crowd and to lead them to the dance floor, providing an epic journey that is not too repetitive and with an excellent pacing of songs. That said, Tiësto deserves some accolade for his successful DJ mixes In Search of Sunrise, so it’s probably a well-deserved recognition for him.

Among the top ten, it’s only Hernan Catteneo whom I haven’t encountered or heard about. Deep Dish does great remixes of popular songs while I bought ATB’s Long Way Home single and Paul van Dyk’s Reflections album and TOOL/Connected single. Ferry Corsten’s brand of trance is a little on the too sickly sweet side for me, while I haven’t really heard any of Sasha and Digweed’s music, during either their trance or post-trance days.

Anyway, I’m tempted to buy Deep Dish’s 2005 album George is On so I can gauge their music producing skills. And I think I’m going to spend some time sampling the songs of the top 20 DJs via P2P. I find it interesting to explore music this way.