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Dutch DJ Nicky Romero is a major name in the EDM world, thanks to his ambitious yet accessible productions fusing progressive house with pop. Following early career remixes of tracks by artists like David Guetta and Hardwell, the video for his single "Toulouse" became a viral hit in early 2012, and he broke through a year later with "I Could Be the One," his U.K. chart-topping collaboration with Avicii. Since then, he's become a major attraction at festivals, including Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Ultra Music Festival. He's also co-produced songs for major pop stars like Rihanna and Britney Spears, in addition to collaborating with Chic's Nile Rodgers on the 2015 single "Future Funk." Romero runs the successful Protocol Recordings label, as well as its Protocol Radio podcast. Through his label, he's released collaborations with Nervo, Deniz Koyu, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and others, as well as solo releases like the 2022 EP Perception. He also makes progressive house under the name Monocule, including 2025 single "Don't Let Go."

Nick Rotteveel was born in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands in 1989. Early experience as a drummer in a marching band helped develop his gift for rhythm, and by his teens he was playing a mixture of R&B and house tracks to appreciative Dutch audiences. In 2008, he began to issue club-oriented instrumentals on small labels such as the fledgling Once Records, before going on to sign tracks to larger labels like Toolroom and Spinnin'. David Guetta soon took notice and e-mailed Romero out of the blue with a request for him to remix a track that he was working on. The pair finally met up during a Guetta DJ set in Ibiza and struck up a close friendship that eventually led to the award-winning Frenchman tutoring Romero in the art of merging pop aesthetics with club music. There was an increase in press attention when Romero's remix of Guetta's Kelly Rowland collaboration "When Love Takes Over" began to circulate in 2009. Further support from fellow Dutch DJs such as Hardwell and Fedde Le Grand led to much more remix work in 2010, including a Romero revamp of Kylie Minogue's "All the Lovers."

The year 2011 saw him expand into the European festival circuit, while early the following year he landed another prestigious remix assignment when he worked on Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin'." That summer a main stage appearance in Belgium at the Tomorrowland festival further cemented his reputation. Romero started Protocol Recordings, a label devoted to releasing material by up-and-coming dance music producers, in May 2012. Around this time, the video for his single "Toulouse," featuring several people in Guy Fawkes masks walking around Hamburg, was uploaded to YouTube, eventually attracting hundreds of millions of views. Later in the year, he was asked to produce a track for Rihanna's Unapologetic album. Further mainstream success ensued when he collaborated with Swedish DJ Avicii on the Noonie Bao-fronted track "I Could Be the One." Hundreds of thousands of copies of the single were sold worldwide, and by February 2013 it had reached the number one spot in the U.K. singles chart.

Romero scored further hits with "Symphonica" and the Krewella collaboration "Legacy." By the end of the year, he co-wrote and produced Britney Spears' song "It Should Be Easy" from her album Britney Jean. Romero collaborated with Dutch vocalist Anouk for a 2014 single called "Feet on the Ground." He co-produced two songs on Guetta's 2014 album Listen, as well as a track on Japanese band Sekai no Owari's 2015 album Tree. The year 2015 also brought single collaborations with Danny Shah ("Lighthouse") and DJ duo Stadiumx ("Harmony") as well as a remix of One Direction's "18." In 2016, Romero collaborated with Chic's Nile Rodgers on a single called "Future Funk." Subsequent collaborations included 2017's "Sober" with Cheat Codes and the following year's "Here We Go (Hey Boy, Hey Girl)" with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and "Me on You" with Taio Cruz.

In 2019, Romero teamed up with singer/actress Olivia Holt for the dance-pop single "Distance," DallasK for "Sometimes" featuring XYLØ, DJ Florian Picasso for "Midnight Sun," and Stadiumx for "Love You Forever" featuring singer/songwriter Sam Martin. He also issued a remix of Kygo and Rita Ora's smash hit "Carry On." Romero launched his Monocule alias with the EP Vol. 1 in 2020, followed by Vol. 2 the next year. As Romero, he released collaborations with Deniz Koyu, Timmy Trumpet, Armin van Buuren, Teamworx, and several others. In 2022, he released the EP Perception as well as singles like "Techtronic" and "Stay a Little Longer" (with DubVision and Philip Strand). Singles such as "Turn Off the Lights," "Forever" (with Nico & Vinz), "All You Need Is Love" (with Jonas Blue and Nico Santos) appeared in 2023, as well as the Nightvision EP.

In 2024, Romero released over a dozen singles, with some of the most heavily streamed including "Tomorrow Comes" (with Deniz Koyu and Jaimes), "Where Do I Go" (with Vikkstar, Alpharock, and Oaks), and "Here We Go Again" (with Timmy Trumpet and GESES). Romero's Monocule alias released "Don't Let Go" (with WHAT EVA) in 2025. ~ James Wilkinson & Paul Simpson

British DJ, producer, and songwriter Guy James Robin (aka Jonas Blue) is known for his electronic dance and tropical house tracks infused with a hooky pop sensibility. He first broke through with his 2015 cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" featuring Dakota, an international hit that topped both the U.K. and Billboard dance charts. More Top 20 U.K. singles followed, including "Perfect Strangers" with JP Cooper, "Rise" featuring Jack & Jack, and "Mama" featuring William Singe, all of which paved the way for his 2018 full-length debut, Blue. He has remained a chart regular, collaborating on tracks like "Younger" with HRVY, "Mistakes" with Paloma Faith, and "Don't Wake Me Up" with Why Don't We. The summer-ready "Mountains" with Galantis and Zoe Wees arrived in 2024.

Blue was born in 1989 in Chelmsford, Essex, England. He started playing music around age seven, learning the flute and saxophone. By his teens, he had discovered electronic dance music and began exploring DJing, production, and remixing. He first caught the attention of the industry with his reimagining of Tracy Chapman's 1988 hit "Fast Car." Adding a tropical house tint to the plaintive, bittersweet acoustic original, Blue enlisted the talents of young British singer Dakota, whose sultry vocals helped carry the song to the top of 17 international charts, including number one slots in Australia, Scotland, and both the U.K. and U.S. dance charts. In 2016, Blue released "Perfect Strangers," the follow-up to his global smash, featuring JP Cooper on vocals. The single landed in the Top Ten internationally and was followed by "By Your Side" with Raye. The following year, he issued "Mama," his collaboration with Australian pop vocalist William Singe. That track would appear on Electronic Nature: The Mix 2017, a compilation of favorites from the DJ's own live sets. In addition to his own hit singles, the collection included his spins on songs by Galantis, Zedd, Ellie Goulding, Disclosure, and more.

In 2018, Blue released the feel-good house-pop tune "Rise," which saw him collaborating with Nebraskan Vine stars/pop duo Jack & Jack. That song and most of his previous singles were compiled into the full-length album Blue in November of that year. The non-album single "What I Like About You" featuring Theresa Rex was released in early 2019. He continued to issue stand-alone singles for the rest of the year, including "Ritual," a collaboration with Tiesto and Rita Ora, and "Younger" with HRVY.

The following year, he teamed up with Paloma Faith for "Mistakes" and MAX for "Naked," and later issued the compilation, Est. 1989. 2021 marked the arrival of another EP, Cyan, which featured collaborations with EDX, Alex Mills, and Mark Villa, among others. In 2022, he returned to the Top 30 of the U.K. and Billboard dance charts with "Wake Me Up," a collaboration with Why Don't We. He also released "Perfect Melody" with Julian Perretta and "Always Be There" with Louisa Johnson that year. In 2024, he delivered the euphoric "Mountains" with Galantis and Zoe Wees. ~ Matt Collar & Neil Z. Yeung