Top 10 Trance DJs: Why Armin van Buuren Leads a Loaded Field

Trance has always rewarded endurance over flash, and this Top 10 reads like a genre that never stopped building. Ranked by DJ Radar credit score, the list runs from 938 at the top to 840 at the bottom — a 98-point spread across ten names, with the real crush of contenders packed into the upper half.

The Dutch summit. Armin van Buuren takes #1 with a 938 credit score and 11,940 votes, narrowly ahead of Tiësto, who lands at #2 on 921 and 11,880 votes. That's a 17-point gap at the very top and only 60 votes between them — as close as this countdown gets at the sharp end. Both are from the Netherlands, and between them they anchor a Dutch presence that also includes Ferry Corsten at #6 (878). It's a reminder of how much of modern trance's DNA traces back to one country.

Germany's quiet depth. No nation places more names here than Germany, which claims four spots: Paul van Dyk at #3 (912), Marlon Hoffstadt at #5 (899), Markus Schulz at #8 (854), and ATB at #10 (840). Paul van Dyk's profile carries something none of the others list — a festival_count of 252 — a stat that speaks to sheer stage mileage. Marlon Hoffstadt is the youngest-feeling entry in the top five, his 899 score arriving alongside 10,950 votes, one of the higher vote tallies on the board.

The British contingent. The United Kingdom lands two: Above & Beyond at #4 (904) and Paul Oakenfold at #7 (868). Above & Beyond sit just off the podium, their 904 score and 10,620 votes keeping them firmly in the conversation with the leaders. Oakenfold's 868 comes on a lighter 8,110 votes, but his instagram following of 794,057 is among the largest here outside the top two.

The tight finish. The closest race on the whole list isn't at the top — it's at the bottom. Giuseppe Ottaviani, the sole Italian entry, edges ATB for #9 by a mere two points, 842 to 840. Ottaviani gets there on 7,707 votes; ATB actually posts more votes (8,377) yet lands a hair behind on credit score, a neat illustration of how these rankings weigh more than raw popularity.

Reading the middle. From #3 down to #10, the scores fall in steady increments rather than cliffs — 912, 904, 899, 878, 868, 854, 842, 840. There's no soft spot in this field; every drop is single or low-double digits. Markus Schulz at #8 and Ferry Corsten at #6 both sit inside that gentle slope, veterans holding their ground against fresher momentum.

What this ranking captures is a genre in rude health across three countries and multiple generations. The top two are Dutch icons trading blows within 17 points; the middle is a German-heavy pack refusing to give an inch; and the tail is a two-point photo finish. Trance, on this evidence, is anything but settled.