Friday, 05 March 2010 05:26

Next Generation DJ, the global DJ talent search, has announced its first-place winner: the sister duo Maya Vanya.

The Croatian-born, New Zealand-based pair beat out over 3500 competitors for the top slot in the contest, an initiative by Pioneer DJ, Beatport and DJ Mag, and hosted on the music and social networking platform Letsmix.com.

With more than 350,000 votes cast by over 190,000 people, the NGDJ jury—Deadmau5 manager Dean Wilson, Ultra Records’ David Waxman, Sebastian Ingrosso, Beatport founder Jonas Tempel, DJ Mag editor in chief Ben Murphy, and Pioneer DJ’s Mark Grotefeld—had their work cut out for them when it came to whittling down the finalists. But the sister act handily rose to the forefront thanks to a mixture of sultry Caribbean rhythms, punchy 4/4 grooves, and the DJs’ own exclusive edits.

“Whenever and wherever we’re on stage with the Swedish House Mafia, our first priority is always to create that hands-in-the-air vibe that simply screams ‘PARTY’. Hearing these ladies DJ, that’s just what I felt,” says Sebastian Ingrosso.

Tasked with coming up with a mix to fit the theme, “The New Sound of Miami,” Maya Vanya stayed true to the city’s multicultural heritage, with selections ranging from Kocani Orkestar to the Very Best to Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Their ability to bring together everything from tropical music to fidget house reflects an exciting development in club culture, where urban and Latin music are fusing more and more with electronic dance music.

“Maya and Vanya show a definite understanding for the crossover sound of urban and dance music that will dominate clubs and airwaves in the years to come,” says David Waxman.

Their mix isn’t just impeccably put together; one listen to its energy and you know that they’ve got that elusive quality required to be superstar DJs in a crowded field. “Maya Vanya swept the NGDJ competition in both style and substance. They have all the right components for becoming a worldwide brand,” says Dean Wilson.

Next Generation DJ will help them do just that, awarding the sisters a contract with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, one of the world’s top entertainment agencies. Their coming out party takes place at this year’s Winter Music Conference in Miami, where they’ll play the DJ Mag party to an audience of some of the dance-music industry’s heaviest hitters.

The Tel Aviv-based Frenchman Jeremy G took second place with a mix traversing house, techno, minimal, and even a few edits of his own, while the Swedish/Argentine DJ and singer/songwriter Adeline Supreme grabbed the third slot with a blend of house, soul, and saxophone melodies.

Check out Maya Vanya’s winning mix, ‘The New Sound of Miami Mix’, in the player blow, and read an interview with the winners here.

MayaVanya ‘The New Sound of Miami’ mix for Letsmix.com NGDJ Comp Final from MayaVanya at Letsmix.com.

Source: beatportal