DJ Dara

Ireland native and longtime New York resident DJ Dara has had untold influence on the taste and purchases of drum 'n' bass DJs across the nation for the past 12 years. He's one of the core managers at the seminal record shop Breakbeat Science, which operates both online and as a physical store in Manhattan. And Breakbeat Science has long been a go-to hub for the drum 'n' bass scene.

But Dara is no shy record geek shrinking behind the counter, watching others live the dream. He stands tall — at six feet four inches, really tall — as a DJ, with a consistent traveling schedule. Later this year, he'll head out on the ninth installment of the annual Planet of the Drums Tour with MC Messinian and fellow top drum 'n' bass DJs AK1200 and Dieselboy. The show is their big-room reaction to the dwindling popularity of their genre, proving year after year that the bass is just too mighty to be thrown in some dark backroom at the party.