The 10 Most Underrated Producers Right Now

Determining who and what is underrated in this day and age can be tough. It's one thing to say "there's a bunch of people who should truly be into thi

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Complex Original

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Determining who and what is underrated in this day and age can be tough. It's one thing to say "there's a bunch of people who should truly be into this," but there are times where a particular artist, song, or mix are out there, but for whatever reason aren't in the collective discussion. Output that is of just as high a quality, and being pushed by major outlets, but are slept-on. That's how DAD attacked this list.

Here you will find artists who have had tracks released by A-Trak, have performed on SiriusXM, and have produced with Tiesto. Producers with albums under their belts and solid Internets followings. Some might be on the come up, while others are in their own lane, marching to their own drum. Wherever their place in the grand scheme of things, these are the 10 producers that DAD feels you need to be speaking more about in 2013.

Andrew Bayer

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Origin: Washington, DC

Notable Tracks: "Nexus 6"

Underrated might not be the right word for Andrew Bayer because to some extent it seems like he's chosen to fly under the radar, but even still, the Anjunabeats producer is often overlooked. Within the Anjunabeats family, Bayer is a key ingredient. Progressive house might be his calling card, but he's not scared to dip away even into something as leftfield as his tune "Nexus 6," a tune that was released in 2011 but would fit perfectly within the beats music scene landscape.

Showtek

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Origin: Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Notable Tracks: "Slow Down"

As producers of hardstyle (or something close to it), Showtek absolutely dominated with their infectious melodies and raucous party-starter sensibilities. Since leaving that scene, Showtek has moved towards a house sound and after co-producing Tiësto's "Maximal Crazy," Showtek has slowly but surely emerged at the forefront of the latest wave in house music. Or have they? They've were responsible for some of Miami's biggest anthems with "Slow Down" and "Cannonball" (their collaboration with Justin Prime), they've got a forthcoming release on OWSLA with Noisecontrollers (including a remix from Tiësto). They also played numerous Miami Music Week parties including their own sold-out Showtek and Friends pool party... so what gives?

INTERVIEW: SHOWTEK TALKS MIAMI MUSIC WEEK, WORKING WITH TIESTO, AND TOURING IN THE U.S.

TJR

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Origin: San Diego, CA

Notable Tracks: "Funky Vodka"

TJR's "Funky Vodka" was a chart-dominating wildcard, and his recently released edit of Will Sparks' "Ah Yeah!" has achieved similar success, yet if we say the name "TJR" to you, you probably don't know who we're talking about.

The masses definitely know TJR, but they don't know why they do. Pitbull famously took the original "Funky Vodka" and working with TJR, they turned it again into his own pop version, "Don't Stop The Party." The single has since gone on to be certified double-platinum. Not to be phased, TJR said "'Funky Vodka’ is probably the track I’m most proud of; it was pretty cool to see an old school sample-based house tune make it to the overall #1 spot on Beatport." TJR's "Ah Yeah" edit dominated the charts, with his most recent monster "Ode To Oi" doing the same. The Dutch horn-laden electro house banger just missed the cut for our 2013 Miami anthems feature, but it was right there getting dropped at least four times at this year's Ultra. Perhaps in time we'll see more of TJR, and we can only hope.

Oliver

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Origin: Los Angeles, CA

Notable Tracks: "MYB"

Although Oliver had our attention long before the release of their Mechanical EP; it was this magical compilation of musical excellence that really turned our heads. And with the recent release of a video for Beatport topping song "MYB," we're surprised their name isn't in everyone's mouth. Just check out the full spectrum of sets from Ultra to see the sort of love their peers have been dishing out lately as evidence of U-Tern and Oligee's musical prominence and if you're STILL asleep on these two, then hold on a hot minute while Fool's Gold pumps out even more of their funk-tronic in '80s sex-tape format. Their style is in between "I need a Daft Punk meets Justice fix" and "when did robots learn the art of funk," which makes hope you're already pressing download.

Schoolboy

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Origin: Los Angeles, CA

Notable Tracks: "Checkmate" / "Aftershock"

His 2012 was by all accounts a smash success, but for some reason Schoolboy has yet to really catch on in a huge way. With his devastating dubstep remix of "Antidote" (the super-collaboration between Knife Party and Swedish House Mafia), Schoolboy started finding his ways into dj sets around the world. Following that up with his own solo release EP on Excision's Rottun Recordings, a few more official remixes on Steve Aoki's Dim Mak and his most recent two monumental singles and you've got the makings of someone who is going to pop big time. Part of what makes Schoolboy so special is that while he brings a punishing force with his bass, he has not done so at the cost of melody and harmony. More than that, Schoolboy does it at different tempos and different styles and he's got the catalog to prove it. Hopefully his Silver Lining EP with James Egbert will get more people noticing his output.

Melé

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Origin: London, UK

Notable Tracks: "Beamer"

Calling a 19-year-old producer underrated might seem like ludicrous but listen to this kid's tunes and you know why he's on this list. He's already been supported by the likes of Annie Mac, Toddla T, and Hudson Mohawke, and he's also Sinden's protegé. Combining a retro analog warmth with a hip-hop feel and a future bass sound design, Melé had been ahead of his time when he first popped onto the scene a few years ago, but now the music is catching up with him and we know he's one of the top. He's on Sinden's GRIZZLY, he's done a mix for LuckyMe and his originals are just on another level. He's got the material to tour on, so why isn't he? As the future bass/beats scene continues to grow, perhaps there'll be room for Melé.

Branchez

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Origin: New York, NY

Notable Tracks: "Treat You Right" / "Feel Me"

With the great trap explosion of 2012 came a plethora of trap "producers," although the majority of them could be considered clones. The blueprint was simple: grab some 808s, a batch of Trap-A-Holics samples, and some simple patterns and wham, a genre was born. While some stood out (Baauer, Flosstradamus), there were a serious batch of weak acts, cluttering up the genre to the point where many thought the sound would have been dead at this point. Producers like Branchez? He's one that keeps us excited about the growing scene.

While some trap producers might only dig as deeply as last year's rap hits for inspiration, Branchez' love of samples is deep. And he'll quickly dip from a standard, quirky 808 banger to something completely unique, throwing in an off-kilter loop that totally rearranges what you consider "trap," which is probably why he doesn't necessarily consider his music trap. Compared to the other producers many would consider to be his peer, his name isn't out there as tough... yet he's already been featured on SiriusXM's Shade45.

Moon Boots

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Origin: USA

Notable Tracks: "Sugar" / "No One"

As an elite member of small, but universally bad ass, record label, French Express, Moon Boots has the good fortune of counting himself among the few who were "born exchanging hype for currency, not chasing lifestyle for limelight." Peers on this label include other young heavy-hitters like Chris Malinchak, Jonas Rathsman, Isaac Tichauer, and Perseus. His style is funky, subtle, and leaves the you begging for a kick that will leave you surprised and delighted every time you hear it.

Amtrac

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Origin: Morehead, Kentucky

Notable Tracks: "Those Days"

When you're sharing stages with Skrillex, Skream, Crookers, Boys Noize, Brodinski, and Gesaffelstein, your music ranges the gamut from soulful deep house to inventive trap, and you're officially remixing acts like Bondax and Azari & III, it's safe to say you're doing well and the right people know who you are. Still, Kentucky-born DJ and producer Amtrac isn't as well known as his pedrigree might have you believe (or as it rightfully should). With a little bit of luck, a few more of the right placements (a loose affiliation with the OWSLA boys doesn't hurt for visibility), and the work ethic that's led to a catalog of infectious house tracks, Amtrac will continue to climb the ladder to sit alongside EDM's household names.

Ta-Ku

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Origin: Perth, Australia

Notable Tracks: "Diamond Mouth" / "BrokeAs"

Maybe it's the fact that Ta-Ku is from Australia. He's been featured on Boiler Room multiple times, knocked out the second POTATO guest mix (after Moby set the series off), and his massive "Diamond Mouth" was catching spins from Baauer on BBC Radio 1 and Rinse FM - all in the last year. He's one of those producers who, if you're in the know, you're loving his work, but even then there's a feeling that people are still not ready for his work. LFTF dropped his Make it Last EP, where he was straight updating Keith Sweat tracks for today. He's trap, but adds a different edge to it. It's cinematic turnup, with an ear for lush melodies and undeniable groove.

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