IT Awards: Top Producers of 2008

So the end of the year is upon us, and it is time for the first annual IT Awards. Many great sounds and artists have emerged over the past year, showing the world just the full potential of edm culture. To be a standout producer, one must not only create tracks that translate well in a club atmosphere, but also be audibly appeasing to any listener at home on the couch. This list isn't meant to prove anything, but more to catalog our favorites of the year! <@:o)

10. Peter Horrevorts - The 25 year old producer from Holland has really made a name for himself in 2008, as if 2007 wasn't big enough. Remixing tracks from the likes of the Timewriter, Secret Cinema, Roger Martinez, Michael de Hey and more, Peter has brought a nice, lucious sound to progressive techno/house. His track Tween was featured on Global Underground 3 and his tunes were backed by techno labels such as Kanzleramt, Plastic City, Music Man and Tribal Vision. Peter has been more than a favorite this entire year; he's been a new found inspiration.

9. Jeff Samuel - When one thinks about the placement of techno producers, especially as far as minimalism goes, Ohio isn't necessarily the first region of the United States that comes to mind. Jeff Samuel has changed that mentality, though. An eventual Seattle transplant, now Berlin resident, Jeff Samuel has firmly placed his name next to the likes of some of the best producers out this year, especially with his Gurd EM EP and our personal favorite, his involvement with Dub Taylor's track Afterparty Blues, which is featured on the album Humatron. Jeff ends 2008 with a bang; Gammalt Skrap leaves us wanting more for 2009...

8. Adam Beyer - What really needs to be said in a snippet about Adam Beyer? The man is techno. Year in and year out, Adam makes some of the biggest tracks that techno has to offer. This year alone saw California Gold, Marionette, his remix of Slam's Staccatto Rave and many others. With his own label, Drumcode, putting out top quality releases from the likes of Kyle Geiger, Christian Smith/John Selway, Joey Beltram, Steve Lawler and many others, it's no wonder that Adam and crew is on top of the techno game. As always, 2009 is sure to be another great year for the Swedish dj.

7. Marco Sarto - His myspace profile says that, in addition to techno, Marco's sound is "tropical" and "psychobilly". The Italian producer knows his tracks stand out from the rest; they're smoothe and sexy, minimal yet maximal. With releases on Polar Noise and Circle Music, we saw some pretty awesome releases from Marco this year. All in Berlin features some haunting melodies that are hard to escape. Marco shows us that just because the description might be minimal that the moods provoked don't have to be.

6. Bombilla - Never have I been so impressed with an artist who released his first release the day I found it than I have been with 22 year old German producer Bombilla. In fact, he recently won "Best Newcomer" from the Bodensee Music Awards. His first official release, Happy Caps EP, was released on Tanzbar Digital and received acclaim from numerous djs. Watch out for this kid in 2009, because something tells me he has more up his sleeve.

5. Martyn - If one paid attention to the overall progession of electronic music in 2008, then it's pretty hard to miss the fact that Dubstep made quite the impression on music. From grimey, wobbly dubbish 2-step sounds to techy breakbeats, dubstep seems to be a bit of a broad definition these days. Martyn has managed to come from the dnb community with a fresh outlook on dubstep. Many of his recent live mixsets have consisted of a good amount of house/techno as well. With collaborations with other progressive dubstep artists suchas 2562, I think it's safe to say that dubstep is here to stay.

4. Kriss - Whether an artist chooses to release his/her own work for free has been an on-going debate for a while now. While many musicians constantly push to fight against piracy blogs and other websites, a whole new collective of musicians have emerged to push their own music for free. With a number of releases on Beatport, Italian techno producer Kriss decided to release his minimal/dubby tracks from his recent No.Mad EP on netlabel giant UnfoundSound Records. With just one listen, any techno guru will quickly put this EP on a pedestal higher than most top 10 releases one might find on the bigger release websites. It's smart, quirky and the tracks have a lot of appeal. Thanks for your release, Kriss!

3. Dub Taylor/Tigerskin - Progressive, maximal techno has seemed to always separate itself from the more minimal, housey techno. Producers either make huge club tracks, sure to see the light of day on the charts of man, while others tend to stick to more minimal, loungey style tracks. German producer Alex Kruger has made it clear that through a number of different monikers, including Dub Taylor and Tigerskin, that anything is possible. The earlier part of this year saw huge tracks such as Holy Grail and Peter's Secret Weapon under the Tigerskin name, while Dub Taylor released his album Humatron. Alex is no rookie in the game though, which leads us to believe there is more heavy swing and light grooves ahead.

2. 2562 - An area code in the Netherlands. See also: A dubby/techno producer from said zip code who has completely stunned thousands. With his full release Aerial, it's not just dubstep. It's not just techno. It's not quite anything that can be summed up in a few words, aside from magical. His viral mix got us hooked, featuring original tracks paired with tracks from producers such as Shed, Convextion and Martyn.

1. Loco Dice - Nobody has impressed us more, as far as tracks go, in 2008 than Loco Dice has. From 7 Dunham Place and its array of techno sounds right down to all of the remixes and even to his 2008 Essential Mix, Loco Dice is clearly a man who knows what he is doing. A hip hop producer and dj turned dance enthusiast, I don't think we have to worry about LD skipping around to any other genres any time soon. I think the only thing we have to worry about from the Brooklyn producer is when his next release(s) will be!