The 2026 DJ Mag Top 100 DJs, revealed yesterday, has once again sparked discussion around the presence of trance in the annual ranking. These conversations are nothing new, and it is worth remembering that similar discussions have accompanied the genre and the poll for many years. But beyond the numbers, as we know, the wider story of trance tells a very different one
The new DJ Mag Top 100 DJs has finally been revealed, with David Guetta topping the 2026 ranking (with Mrtin Garrix #2 and Anyma #3), and, as happens every year, it has sparked plenty of discussion. For the trance scene in particular, the result leaves room for some reflection: eleven artists associated with the genre have made the ranking. On its own, however, as we will see, that number is certainly nothing new.
Armin van Buuren remains, after twentyfive years in a row, firmly inside the Top 10 at #7, followed by Tiësto at #22 and Paul van Dyk, who climbs to #35. ATB is at #63, while Ben Nicky makes his debut at #66. Vini Vici are at #71, Giuseppe Ottaviani at #78 and Ferry Corsten rises to #83. Above & Beyond take #87, Marlon Hoffstadt is at #97, while KI/KI closes the trance presence at #100 as a new entry.
At first glance, this result might seem rather distant from the numbers trance is showing in other contexts: The genre is clearly going through a new phase of interest, with an increasingly visible presence at festivals and clubs, while a new generation of listeners and artists appears to have rediscovered its language.
So, could there have been more trance in the 2026 DJ Mag Top 100 DJs?
Before reaching a conclusion, it is important to remember what this ranking actually represents and, above all, what it has represented throughout its history.
The Top 100 DJs was launched in 1993, but it was not initially a public vote: the first edition was an editorial selection by DJ Mag. From 1997 onwards, however, the ranking has been determined by votes from electronic music fans. Yet even after the vote became public, the results continued to reflect the same high standard that had defined the late 1990s and early 2000s, when trance was at the heart of electronic music and its leading artists were consistently competing for the top positions. Looking at how it has evolved puts today’s result into a different perspective. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, trance held an absolutely central position in the ranking. Tiësto, Paul van Dyk and Armin van Buuren all reached #1, during a period when the trance scene was one of the most powerful forces in electronic music as a whole.
What has changed today is not necessarily the importance of trance within electronic music. What has changed is the generation of listeners and, above all, the way artists are perceived by a global audience.
The Top 100 is not a technical ranking, nor is it designed to determine which DJ produces the best music or possesses the greatest artistic abilities. It is a public vote and, as such, inevitably reflects what manages to engage that audience the most at a given moment. And this is where the numbers for trance become interesting.
The eleven names featured in the 2026 ranking tell very different stories: there are artists who built their careers during the golden era of trance, such as Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Paul van Dyk and Ferry Corsten. There are names that have maintained a consistent presence in the ranking across different generations, and there are newer artists representing an entirely different audience. The debut of Ben Nicky at #66 and KI/KI at #100, for example, reflects a part of the trance scene that did not exist in the same form when Armin, Tiësto and Paul van Dyk were dominating the top positions.
The fact that trance has not occupied the top of the Top 100 for several years does not necessarily mean that it has lost its audience: it also means that this audience now represents only one part of an electronic music landscape that is much broader and more fragmented than it was twenty or thirty years ago.
For this reason, perhaps the question should not simply be how many trance DJs managed to enter the Top 100: instead, we should ask ourselves how accurately this ranking can actually describe what is happening within a musical genre. And this is where the answer becomes more complicated.
The DJ Mag Top 100 DJs primarily reflects the success and popularity of artists in the eyes of the people who take part in the vote at a particular moment. It is not necessarily a barometer of the health of a genre, nor can it capture its evolution on its own.
If we look at trance beyond the Top 100, the picture becomes considerably broader: increasingly crowded festivals, a new generation of producers and DJs, a growing presence of the genre at major events, and a young audience that continues to discover and reinterpret its language.
So yes, perhaps we could have seen a few more trance names in the 2026 Top 100 DJs. But ultimately, it may be far less important than it seems.
Because the history of trance is not decided by a ranking and perhaps, to truly understand where the genre is heading, it is much more interesting to look at what is happening beyond it.