This might just have been the team-up of the century. On the 25th of August, 2014, the legendary Afrojack joined forces with then-dance music prodigy Martin Garrix for the anthem ‘Turn Up The Speakers’. The result was an enormous main stage, peak time, big room breaker of the highest possible quality which has earned its place as a mainstay in both artists’ live sets. No matter where or when it’s played, this single will send a crowd into a frenzy.
Martin Garrix has risen to global stardom in pop as well as electronic circles – and yet he’s far from being done. Dance music’s freshest talent has headlined festivals around the globe, founded a label and mentored other artists and won the #1 spot in DJ Mag’s Top 100 three times in a row. His passion, ambition, drive and maturity remain unmatched in the world. ‘Animals’, released June 2013 was a breakout success and a game-changer for the music industry. Reaching #1 in the UK and many other territories, it proved that a hard-hitting, dance floor-oriented track could reach pop status, ultimately reaching over a billion streams across several platforms.
Nick van de Wall, aka Afrojack, is one of the most internationally successful DJs and producers to emerge from the Dutch dance music scene. A constant fixture of EDM festivals as well as the Top Ten of DJ Magazine’s annual Top 100 DJs poll, he has scored platinum-certified international hits such as ‘Take Over Control’ and ‘The Spark’, additionally co-writing or featuring on worldwide smashes by Beyoncé, David Guetta, and Pitbull. Originally producing more stripped-down electro-house instrumentals during the 2000s, his music became more ambitious and maximalist by the early 2010s, helping inspire the moombahton subgenre and gradually incorporating pop, hip-hop, and R&B influences. His proper debut studio album, 2014’s ‘Forget the World’, included guest appearances by Snoop Dogg and Sting. Since then, he’s maintained a prolific release schedule as both Afrojack and NLW, somewhat returning to his earlier, more underground sound with recordings such as 2018’s ‘Press Play’. Today we celebrate the 33rd birthday of Afrojack by revisiting his top 10 releases.
