In this article I will reveal to you the best and most popular electronic dance music of the year. This will be a short run through of some of the highlights and artists who have made an impact on dance music this year. Hopefully, this will give you some direction in deciding what you want to listen to this year and who you might like to hear it from. Let’s start with Disclosure, who have managed to take their unique style and electronica sound and push it into the mainstream.
Having spent some time watching their videos for the singles they have released so far, I think the biggest single so far is Without You. Although the video looked quite poor when they first released, I’ve since been convinced that the visual was actually quite good. The song was slightly slow, but the singer’s delivery added a certain something to the song, which is important if you are to create a memorable electronic dance music video. The video looked like a massive sci-fi movie set in the future, which is not a bad thing really.
Disclosure also released another fantastic track on their debut album titled Collar. This song sounds like something from LCD or The Weeknd, but Disclosure bring their own unique sound to the table. The vocals are distorted, almost like a distorted vocalist trying to come out of her own head. The song has an introspective sort of vibe, but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. It’s quite interesting to note that Disclosure doesn’t really play their instrumented versions of the songs live, so you can expect a lot of weird mash-ups.
Next up is the Swedish House Mafia song Everybody Dies in Just 3 Minutes. This track is quite hard to describe, as it is a beautiful, lengthy love song that will really have your head spinning. The vocals are very soft and soothing, almost sounding like they are melting in your mind. This track is probably one of my favorites from the Swedish House Mafia’s discography, if not the best. You can also expect a lot of dance music-inspired songs from this band.
Another artist that has been making some noise lately in the studio is producers Aaron Spectre and Mike Cazale. Their debut single called Reach was recently re-released through Astral Records. I had the opportunity to hear this track during a free preview run in London. This track is definitely worth checking out, but be prepared to be hypnotized by its gentle melodies. This is one of the top-notch rappers out there right now, and if you’re looking for some good hip-hop beats, this is the guy for you.
Finally, we have the collaboration between Disclosure and the producer/singer-songwriter David Gutta. The album titled Memories Don’t Matter is due out anytime soon via Astral Records. The leadoff track is entitled Hold Me Now, and the song is off Disclosure’s last album, Remember Me. If you like Disclosure and you love dance music, this is a must-listen for sure.
That’s it for this quick list of this year’s top artists and albums. I can’t wait to hear what they come up with next. What songs do you think will be topping the charts next year? Let me know in the comments section.
