12 Phoenix DJs to watch for in 2026

In 2025, promoters and event planners curated a rich slate of dance music events. These parties that got crowds working, sweating and collectively having good times weren’t just in big venues around the Valley. We’re talking bars, clubs and underground spots all over town.

Whatever your favorite genre may be, whether it’s deep house, hip-hop, dubstep or Afrobeats, the Phoenix scene is filled with local talent regularly putting themselves out there to share their unique tastes with the world. 

While it’s impossible to highlight the dozens of DJs booking gigs in the area, this list offers a diverse taste of those who made big waves in 2025. Be sure to look out for them in 2026.

1. AJA Cruz

If you’ve frequented C.A.S.A. in Tempe, Club Lumen’s Morning Rave events, or any of the local after-hours parties in Phoenix, you’ve probably caught an AJA Cruz set. 

With over six years of skin in the game and around a year of producing her own work, Cruz secured her first mainstage spot on the Better Together stage (a festival headlined by EDM artists Dom Dolla and Odesza), which unfortunately did not pan out due to the festival’s weather-related cancellation.  

Still, Cruz is looking forward to continuing to push herself out of her comfort zone this year as she works on releasing new music, working on hosting her own events, and traveling outside the Valley more.

“I’m excited to keep refining my sound and musical identity,” Cruz says. “I want to level up my range and become even more confident in taking creative risks.”

2. Alice.km

With a uniquely ethereal, broken-beat house sound, DJ Alice.km has spent the last decade behind the decks and, at the turn of the decade, tried her hand at production. This year, she’s been popping up in venues across Arizona and multiple U.S. cities.

Alice had a series of wins in 2025: headlining Tempe Jam, a community music event; playing her largest show to date as an opener for LP Giobbi at Walter WhereHouse; and releasing a string of singles. Alice is continuing to explore collaboration opportunities and play at new venues, while also finding time to better balance her professional and personal endeavors. 

“I’ve found myself pulling many very long days to make sure I get time in the studio,” she shares. “But my goal is to tip the scale into being a full-time musician, which will make this balance easier.”

3. Ava Jane

AVA JANE’s hypnotic, high-energy techno sound and dark aesthetic have already given the artist a brand recognizable across Phoenix raves. Though AVA JANE, Ava Sorensen, off the decks, has only been DJing for about a year, she has already secured festival and show slots on last year’s Decadence lineup and Breakaway Arizona’s Skysill Rooftop pre-party. 

While Ava has already achieved high success in her first working year as a DJ, she’s looking forward to making 2026 an even bigger year for herself, including more shows, more cities, and releasing her own music.

“I’m focused on pushing myself creatively so every set feels intentional, elevated, and unmistakably mine,” Sorensen says. 

4. Codee

Codee Ceballos, a.k.a Codee, is just as much a curator as she is an emcee. Known best for “Club CODENAME,” a series of themed parties hosted at venues ranging from downtown Phoenix’s Club Contact to the Case Study Coffee Lounge’s Case & Friends series, her brand combines upbeat, bouncy mixes with her fem and queer-forward third spaces. 

While Codee has been around decks her whole life, with her father performing as a DJ in her youth, she didn’t feel particularly drawn to the art until around three years ago. In 2025, Ceballos honed her focus even further on working professionally as a DJ, booking events and hosting her own, including one of her first CODENAME EVENTS, GIRLCODE: Kittens Only.

“I am a DJ, but I am a creative first,” Ceballos says. “It’s super important to me to always tell a story through anything I do.” 

This year, Codee hopes to take her shows outside of Phoenix and work more on promoting herself and her brand. Of course, the Valley can expect to see more Codee-crafted events like Club CODENAME in 2026. 

5. EMPUT

Emily Lopez, better known by her stage name EMPUT, loves pink and Hello Kitty, as well as aggressive dubstep tracks and bassy beat drops, which set her apart in the Phoenix DJ scene. Hailing from Yuma, Lopez works as a banking analyst full-time but makes time for a busy DJ career on weekends, regularly playing at after-hours events like After12 and opening for other dubstep artists at local shows. 

Though Lopez has only been mixing for four years, she’s only reached new peaks this year, opening for the widely-followed Level Up at the Marquee Theatre, as well as Kill The Noise at Sunbar, and joining the Sorry Papi Girls Only Rave lineup at The Van Buren this summer, her debut at that venue. 

Lopez’s goals this year? Pushing out more music, making more connections and inspiring other women to enter the DJ and music production industry. 

“We need more women in the bass scene!” Lopez says. 

6. Ghidorah

Brandon Navarette is a huge Godzilla fan, so much so that he developed his stage name after King Ghidorah from the movie franchise. 

“I chose Ghidorah because a lot of dubstep sounds remind me of the crazy noises the monsters would make in those old Godzilla movies I grew up watching,” Navarette says. “Like the real grungy, dirty wubs that give you a stink face when you hear the drop. 

Ghidorah made his festival debut in 2025 after winning the Goldrush DJ competition, a showoff at Sunbar, which landed him an opening sunset slot on the main stage. 

But Navarette didn’t start as Ghidorah. In 2023, a few months after attending his first festival–Decadence Arizona–Navarette got into DJ-ing. For the next year, he would be spinning house tracks and hip-hop mixes locally under the name “Terpsi” before discovering his passion for playing bass music.

In December, Ghidorah released his first original track, “LOCK’D & LOAD’D,” which was well-received on social media and Soundcloud. This year, while Navarette is focusing on amping up the music side of things, he hopes to improve his work-life balance. 

7. JMAU5

Jesse Maron, known on-stage as JMAU5, is a veteran in the rave scene and one of the artists burning brightest in Arizona’s drum and bass scene. Having been in the scene for the past 2 decades, Maron is known for what he describes as “Dad-Rock Dubstep” as well as his d’n’b remixes. His most popular this year was a Creed flip that has garnered almost a million combined streams.

JMAU5 was seen on multiple lineups last year, from Decadence AZ to supporting artists like Chase & Status, Kayzo, and more. He made appearances at two sets of Insomniac’s Bassrush. Maron looks at 2025 with fondness on many ends–performing some of his largest sets, meeting his favorite artists, and learning to enjoy the moment better. 

“I want people to know when they are shuffling my music without looking at the screen what is playing,” Maron says. 

8. J-ME-LEE

Balancing a full-time academic and music career alongside motherhood, hobbies, and a social life is a challenge, but Jamie Barnes makes it look easy. With a vast library ranging from bounce to house music to jazz, and a love for playing both digital and vinyl, J-ME-LEE’s style is quirky, playful and down-to-earth with a musical versatility that has booked her gigs across Phoenix music spaces this year. 

Following a stint in media and entertainment journalism, Barnes decided to shift focus to DJ-ing and music production. Today marks ten years since Barnes started DJ-ing. Now she has residencies across Phoenix, including at Gracie’s Tax Bar, Valley Bar, and Boycott bar, as well as hosting her own events, such as the recurring Soul Synthesis at Crescent Ballroom, a R&B, jazz, and electro fusion event filled with tributes, original music, and more. J-ME-LEE also played festival stages in 2025, playing the silent disco at Goldrush Music Festival and booking a main stage slot at Better Together before its cancellation.

 While the cancelled gig was a blow to Barnes, her other wins this year have her feeling optimistic for 2026–particularly as she prepares to graduate and focus on her career more exclusively.

“I’ve been dabbling (with making music) a lot over the past year, but my time is so limited because I’m doing the full-time thing with school on top of DJing and trying to balance motherhood, you know,” she says. “There’s gonna be so much more time…(to) enjoy resting, enjoy traveling and to expand more outside Arizona with DJing.”

9. LIVVIEP

Similarly, Olivia Pantangco, or LIVVIEP, stays busy: a full-time DJ career (that’s now leading into production), a full-time academic career, and near full-time responsibilities as a sorority sister. This year is looking to get even more hectic for the DJ as she prepares to open the main stage for Breakaway Arizona and produce more music in 2026, something she took up last year.

Since starting her career a few years back, Livvie P aims for her sets to defy genres. Pantangco considers herself a lover of music and both her sets and production blend UKG, house, bass, and more. 

Her unique sound has brought her to open for DJ Diesel (a.k.a. Shaquille O’Neal) at ASU’s Devilpalooza, to perform in her hometown of San Diego for the first time, and to open for artists Longstoryshort and Taiki Nukight. In 2026, Pantangco says people can expect new music drops while she begins her search for a record label. 

“I still have such a long way to go and a whole lot to learn, but that just makes me more excited for where my sound will be,” Pantangco says.

10. Southpaw

When Daniel Herrera, better known as Southpaw, saw Skrillex b2b Fred again b2b Fourtet at Coachella in 2023, he had already been DJ-ing for six years, but that set inspired Herrera to begin producing his own music.

As Southpaw, Herrera doesn’t confine himself to what he plays. Though he leans into house and techno, he occasionally mixes in trap or dubstep. His main goal is to create high-energy sets that get people on the floor moving.

From taking the stage at Decadence AZ to supporting Deorro, 2025 saw Southpaw play notable shows. Outside of making music, Herrera runs Daycare Sessions, an underground collective that hosts a series of after-hours events, one of which featured a surprise appearance by DJ BOLO. 

“In 2025, I decided to fully bet on myself and go all-in on my brand,” Southpaw says. “I’m incredibly grateful for the support I already have, and I want to make sure I’m taking the Southpaw project to the next level (in 2026).”

11. T4YANA

For Tayana McIntosh, DJ-ing started as a deep love for collecting and curating music.McIntosh deems herself a “cultural zeitgeist,” finding that her sets draw from early Detroit and Chicago club sounds and global dance music, not to mention her father, who worked as a DJ.

McIntosh, known behind decks as T4YANA, started her career seven years ago in queer alternative bars and venues, but has recently gotten the chance to break out into larger venues, including opening up for Zack Fox’s sold-out show last fall, her first time playing on a stage. McIntosh has also been playing venues across Phoenix, including Gracie’s and Club Contact.

2025 saw McIntosh pushing herself to say yes more to different shows, and she wants that trend to continue into this new year. 

“I want to focus on projects and opportunities that I’m genuinely drawn to, keep learning and improving my craft, and dive into music production,” McIntosh says.

12. Not Yurs

Friends Nathan Kallen and Garrett Pedicini, aka Not Yurs, met in 2017 at a Seven Lions concert. Now, nearly a decade later, the two are powerhouses in the Phoenix DJ scene, playing their first Decadence AZ and opening for artists like Green Velvet and Tobehonest. 

Kallen and Pedicini describe the sound behind Not Yurs as a “high-tech groove,” built more around consistent flow than the quick transitions of some tech-house. Outside of DJ-ing, the guys have full-time day jobs: Pedicini works in real estate, and Kallen owns his own digital marketing firm. 

Starting the year off sailing the seas on the house-music-filled Friendship Cruise, the Not Yurs duo plan to continue the year playing shows across North and South America, releasing new music, and planning sets for upcoming Arizona festivals, including next week’s Gem & Jam. 

“Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to music, so it is essential we don’t let it fall to the wayside,” the duo wrote Phoenix New Times.