DJ Collectives On the Rise: Highlighting Five Notable Groups
In 2016, a wave of influential DJ collectives swept across the music industry, particularly in the electronic and house music scenes. While specific high-profile collectives from exactly 2016 may not be listed in recent sources, some key groups and trends around that era included Mala Junta, Innervisions, and emergent queer DJ groups active in socially vibrant music hubs.
Mala Junta, a queer DJ collective based in Berlin, has been active beyond 2016. They expanded their scope of sounds from progressive house to free tekno and UK garage, blending international influences like Changa Tuki from Venezuela. The collective prides itself on including residents from diverse backgrounds and genres.
Innervisions, managed by Dixon, a highly regarded Berlin-based DJ and producer, has been a prominent collective for house and techno music. Dixon topped Resident Advisor’s DJ polls through 2016.
SoundCloud and queer DJ collectives were gaining prominence around this time, especially in vibrant scenes like Berlin, where they brought a diverse range of music styles and emphasized inclusivity in their lineups.
Although more recent sources (2025) highlight DJs like Afrojack, R3hab, and HoneyLuv as top artists and influential figures, the popularity of DJ collectives in 2016 was often centered on specific local scenes (such as Berlin, New York) and niche genres like house, tech house, and queer electronic music communities.
New Collectives Emerge
Other notable collectives tied to that period include Abode, a British collective focusing on tech house and creating a party-like atmosphere. They have recently moved to Sankeys Ibiza for the summer.
Regression Sessions, a newer UK collective, started out catering to students with a focus on fancy dress, cheap shots, and a house, techno, and bass-heavy agenda. They are planning to expand beyond the student sphere and into more London-centric parties, with a focus on growing their residents into 'names' on their own account.
These collectives are reintroducing fun, a sense of community, and a DIY ethos into dance music culture. They offer artists and DJs the opportunity to build networks and increase visibility on their own terms.
Radio Stations and Collectives
Radar Radio, a radio station and artist collective based in London, has a focus on finding and training their own talent. They have an in-house media team and have been influenced by NTS and RinseFM. The founder of Radar Radio, Ollie Ashley, studied Radio Production at our school.
Sister, a female DJ collective with members from various cities including NYC, London, Paris, Mexico City, Tokyo, Copenhagen, and Berlin, communicates through private forums and emails, and produces electronic podcast mixes that are broad in genre.
Elrow's International Parties
Elrow, a well-known collective based in Barcelona, is known for its international parties, particularly in Ibiza, London, and Croatia. They started as a collective of DJs focusing on humorous nights with inflatables, glitter, and other dancefloor perks.
DJ collectives have become a significant force in music in 2016, emphasising group identity over individual stars. Our school offers DJ courses in London, and when registering with us, one can access free sounds, plugins, online course samples, and other music-making tools. The free stuff provided by our school can be found on the Free Stuff page. Course advisors are available to speak with regarding our DJ courses.
- The emergence of new collectives like Abode and Regression Sessions in 2016, focusing on genres such as tech house and house, respectively, was instrumental in reintroducing fun and DIY ethos into dance music culture, providing opportunities for artists and DJs to build networks and increase visibility on their own terms.
- Beyond DJ collectives, Radar Radio, a radio station and artist collective based in London, has been instrumental in finding and training new talent, with a focus on nurturing their own talent, much like the influential collectives that swept across the music industry in 2016.
