Why did you start the Top 100 poll?

The first Top 100 list appeared in DJmag in 1993 to celebrate the 100th edition of the magazine. Back then, the list was compiled through reader votes plus the views of staff, contributors and members of the international dance music community. There was no numerical ranking due to the way the list was compiled, and it was simply a collection of 100 DJs respected and commended for their work in the dance music scene.

Two years later, in 1995, the Top 100 poll was thrown open solely to the public vote. That year the magazine received 700 postal votes and Carl Cox was voted No.1.

Since then the poll has run annually and as dance music’s reach continues to touch new parts of the globe so too has the number of electronic music fans voting continued to grow year on year. Last year, we received more than 345,000 legitimate votes from over 200 countries, which is a staggering figure, really.

Who’s getting your vote this year?
I never vote and tell! Actually, I always leave voting until the last day just in case I hear a DJ totally rocking the shit out it on the weekend before voting closes. I'm quite militant about voting for the DJs who've impressed most over the last 12 months rather than favourite DJs of all-time.

What makes a Top 100 DJ?
Let’s get one thing straight — this is not a list of the Best DJs of the World — that’s a whole different ball game, one that would be virtually impossible to define. The Top 100 DJs is purely a snapshot of a DJ’s popularity in any one year, based on the opinions of those people who vote. In a nutshell, it’s a popularity contest. Forget ‘Best DJ in the World’, this is the No.1 most popular DJ, according to our poll. The Top 100 DJs poll is a bit like Marmite — you either love it or hate it.

What is the best thing about being editor of DJ Mag?
Taking all the flak that comes when the Top 100 results are published each year. Trance haters complain about the dominance of trance DJs in the poll but most often these are the very people who think they're too cool to vote. If you don't vote then fuck off with your complaint about the results. Winds me up.

What surprises have we got in store for this year’s top 100 result?
With our sister DJmags now in print in Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Lithuania, I reckon we could see a few local heroes in those territories creeping in this year.

So who is the unlucky member of staff that gets to count the votes?
That job belongs to Special Julius, our 54-year-old work experience who lives under the stairs in our office. He counts the votes when he's not catering to the DJmag team's every whim or flogging shit CDs from the office down Camden Market for our 'booze & bother fund'.

What is currently playing on your CD player in the office?
Shitloads, there's always a fight for the office stereo. Here's a taster...
Chase & Status 'More Than A Lot' (Ram Records)
Justin Martin 'Chaos Restored 2' (Buzzin' Fly)
Streetlife DJs 'Saturday Night Raver' (Streetlife)
Skream 'Watch The Ride' (Harmless)
Headhunter 'Nomad' (Tempa)
Steve Bug 'Bugnology 3' (Poker Flat)
Various 'R&S Records: In Order To Dance' (R&S)
Yo Majesty 'Futuristically Speaking... Never Be Afraid' (Domino)

Why should people come to your top 100 party?
'Cos it's a laugh! There's nothing better than getting twisted on a school night. Dunno why it still feels naughty after all these years but it does. The party is at Ministry of Sound, London, and we're working on the line-up now. We'll have a great selection of DJs playing across the trance, techno and house genres. We've also bagged the hottest ticket in town to perform - but we can't reveal who just yet.

"And then, of course, there's the after-party where everything starts to seriously screech sideways. The rave bus will be back in full effect to ferry the mid-week messers from Ministry to the after-party - which is a bit of an experience itself. If you're coming along, make sure you book at least Thursday off work please - I've heard too many stories of people being sacked for not turning up to work the day after the Top 100 party!