By: Anand Harsh

Tim Bergling got skewered pretty hard by Andy Samberg on Saturday Night Live. It wasn't that Davvincii was entirely based on Avicii, as DJ Snake's wildly popular trap anthem gets the punchline, but Lil' Jon got to be in on the joke.

In the case of the young Swede, the backhanded slam on his stage show or lack of mixing skills (or flat out in implication that he's doing anything but mixing, mostly collecting giant bags of money), he gets no opportunity for recourse. I suppose the only recourse he needs is for pictures of his multi-million dollar home to circulate around the internet, the platinum records, and the thousands of cumulative hours of airplay he gets on radio and television each day.

When I got to interview the DJ and producer a few years back, he was sitting at #39 on the DJ Mag Top 100. By the time we said "goodbye," he had jumped to #6 and was well on his way to becoming an international sensation. He'd soon be awkwardly sharing the stage with Madonna at ULTRA while she prattled on about "Molly," and became a target for criticism of generic pop's inhalation of club music.

But the kid I spoke to back in 2010 didn't know about the megastardom--the fancy houses and the shiny records up on the wall--this was a serious artist who thoughtfully and artfully dedicated himself to his craft. And I'm sure that continues to this day, it's just that the microscope is cranked up a little stronger, and then limelight's just a little more blinding. Why does he have a target on his back? Because he's one of the best, plain and simple.

10. Dirty South ft Rudy - We Are (Avicii Remix)

Dirty South called Avicii the "breakout act of 2009." Yeah, he should know, since Avicii crushed this remix out of the fuckin' yard. You can hear the prodigy playing with space and really learning to fill the room with his anthemic sound. It's no wonder his songs are played in huge stadiums nowadays.

9. David Guetta & Avicii - Sunshine

If there was anyone else getting lampooned by the Davvincii skit, it was definitely David Guetta. Back in the day, when young Tim Berg was still on the comeup, this collab made it onto the former's Nothing But the Beat. A smash success, a pop dynamo.

8. Avicii - Penguin (Club Mix)

The Leona Lewis scandal with this track only serves to accentuate how good of a track it is. Yeah, it's got that indie vibe sound that just makes me think of cute movies like Max and Mary, but good luck getting that goddamned melody out of your head. Her version kinda sucked.

7. DJ Ralph vs Avicii - Break Da Floor

You might notice this list skews towards Avicii's early work. To tell the truth, his most exciting studio efforts stem from his earlier work in the prog and electro house fields. The pop stuff is fine, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely not for the club--it's radio friendly. Which is great. That's how you get a sick 17-million dollar pad in the Hollywood Hills. Just saying...

6. Avicii - Wake Me Up ft Aloe Blacc

Don't think lightning can strike twice? It's pretty incredible to craft the biggest song in the world--but to do it two years in a row? Aloe Blacc was toiling in relative obscurity for a couple of years, floating around LA with two weakly received albums since the mid-2000's. But with one foot-stomping hoedown of a house hit, he's the inspirational leader for all the downtrodden. Sure, he's the man, now, but first, Avicii had to wake him up.