Hometown: Brooklyn

Why He Matters: Just a year ago, Murphy was headlining at Virgin FreeFest as frontman of LCD Soundsystem, part of the band's farewell lap that culminated in an epic series of shows in NYC. He makes a return to Merriweather Post Pavilion this year, but as a DJ -- which is what he did before LCD took shape as a band.

How He Wowed Us This Year: While he'll only be DJing at Freefest, we are still reeling from LCD Soundsystem's spectacular farewell in April. "Decked out in a rumpled tux, clutching his trademark vintage mic, Murphy cut a bizarro-Sinatra figure, and by the time the drums kicked in for 'Dance Yrself Clean,' [Madison Square Garden] was throbbing in a way it hadn't since John Starks was in uniform." wrote SPIN's Steve Kandell

LISTEN: James Murphy DJ set on Beats in Space

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