New EDM Artists to Watch in 2012

2011 was an exciting year in EDM with a number of crossover artists achieving massive success, such as Skrillex, Diplo, A-Trak, Avicii, Kaskade, and a number of others. While many of these bigger names are continuing to gain popularity, there are a number of lesser-known artists that are making their way on to the electronic music scene due to collaborations with well-known artists, remixes of popular songs, or simply their own releases that have been well-received. You may have started seeing or hearing about some of these artists recently, while others may still be too far from mainstream success to be known to a significant amount of listeners. Regardless, listed below are some of the best "freshmen" to look out for in the coming months:
(information compiled via MTV):

Alesso
Groomed by Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso was without a doubt one of 2011's hottest new names. Now, with no fewer than six hit releases and remixes under his belt, the young Swede has all of the necessary weapons to crush it in 2012.

Arty
Expect big things from U.K. label "Anjunabeats'" young Russian phenom. Arty burst onto the scene with hits "Around the World" and "Kate," as well as killer collabs with Mat Zo and Matisse & Sadko. 2012 promises to be a marquee year.

Deniz Koyu
A blazing new talent, Deniz Koyu shocked the scene last year with numbers like "Tung!" and a collabo with Johan Wedel on a remix of James Blunt's "Dangerous." Koyu kicks off 2012 with a "tri-laboration" that roped in Fedde le Grand and Wedel on the track "New Day," and he's set to keep heating things up.

Madeon

You can read about producer Madeon in our artist look here.  

Hardwell
The 23-year-old DJ/producer has been tickling the decks since the age of 13, and 2011 proved to be his breakout year. Hardwell smashed it early on in '11 with Tiësto on the megahit "Zero 76," but he also knocked out solo cuts "Cobra (Official Energy Anthem 2012)" and "Encoded." He's one of the hottest talents in the game, and certainly worth tagging as one to watch in 2012.

Knife Party
Under their dubstep-inspired production moniker Knife Party, Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen of Pendulum hit big on the Swedish House Mafia collaboration "Antidote." And although Knife Party are just getting started, their stellar re-warbles for Porter Robinson and Nero, and original current hits like "Internet Friends" and "Firehive," prove there's much more in store from the Aussie duo.

Nicky Romero
With David Guetta and Fedde Le Grand in his corner, Nicky Romero had a DJ set staple early in '11 with his remix of Green Velvet's "Flash." Romero also hit home runs with solo singles "Camorra" and "Toulouse." Fans can expect a banger or two to drop this year with assists from Monsieur Guetta.

R3hab
A member of the Afrojack camp, Dutch newbie R3hab works for artists Rihanna and Katy Perry. He also put his special touch on Sander van Doorn's "Koko." And R3hab's monster pairings with Swanky Tunes and Max C on "Sending My Love," and with Afrojack on "Prutataaa," support our conviction that he's got a huge year to come on his hands.

Tommy Trash
Ok so maybe he's not a rookie in the purest sense, but after years of cranking out grimey, loopey, textured tunes, Tommy Trash broke though and rattled everyone's eardrums in '11 with original heaters 'Future Folk,' and, 'The End' capping off the year with a 4th quarter remix bomb of John Dahlback's "One Last Ride."

Zedd

With tunes like "Shave It" and a collab credit on "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," not to mention his remix of SHM's "Save the World," Zedd's production foundation is rock solid. And you know what else is cool? He's edgy enough to totally reinvent a song like Edvaard Grieg's classical composition "In the Hall of the Mountain King" — or "Doveregubben," the theme to video game "Zelda" — and make it work in the club! For Zedd, things are looking good in 2012.

*Artist names that appear in blue text are top picks chosen by EDM Tracks