Best Dance Tracks of 2012: Editors Choice
It’s the end of the year, which inevitably means a “best of” list, so we got together and knocked heads over who were our favorites. While we’re laser-focused on EDM, that’s a pretty large tent these days. Getting those camped in its various corners to agree about what sparked their fire in 2012 was tricky, although some clear winners did rise to the top. Our team includes a mixed bag of trap heads and house fanatics; pop-star gazers and underground dwellers; bass heads and drum fiends. But we managed to come together and finish this list without hurting each other too badly.
Enjoy the sweet fruits of our labor and feel free to chime in with your top picks in the comments.
Azealia Banks – ’1991′
When we started talking about who should make it onto this list, Miss Banks‘s name rose to the top early. Although she’s a rapper, Banks got her start with the help of some EDM favorites like Lunice and Diplo, placing her firmly in our orbit. This particular throwback jam was produced by Machinedrum, a popular name among basement-dwelling electronic crowds.
TNGHT – ‘Higher Ground’
Speaking of Lunice, the TNGHT collabo project with Hudson Mohawk was another clear choice for our team. Both of these artists caught our attention for their instrumental hip hop beats years before trap became a common part of the EDM lexicon. And they still do it right, as evidenced by this here banger.
SHM – ‘Don’t You Worry Child ft. John Martin’
It’s not all rap-meets-the-festival in our offices though. We also love some fist-pumping euphoria. And who’s better for that than these Scandinavian Mafiosos? No, not Ikea! We’re talking Swedish House Mafia, buddy. “Don’t You Worry” specifically. The trio may be splitting up, but this will remind us of summer love for years to come.
Girl Unit – ‘Club Rez’
We also dig ourselves some underground. This footwork influenced, arpeggio laced, airy synth filled club-killer grips your nostalgia firmly and drags in unwillingly into the next century. The futurists over at Night Slugs released “Rez” as the follow up to Girl‘s famous “Wut” single.
Four Tet – ‘Ocoras’
Play On Soundcloud
Four Tet manages to find new relevancy in every new phase of electronic music’s ongoing evolution. Lately, his sound poses an alternative to lung-crushing King Kong bass, opting instead for warmth and intricacies detailed with tiny sounds. We like to turn our eyes from the spectacle of giant, blinking ice cream trucks and lazer shows to reflect on the smaller joys in life once in a while. It’s about perspective, you know?
Boys Noize – ‘What You Want’
Play On Soundcloud
You had to have known that the Noize would make it to our little list. And this track off his latest album, Out Of The Black, really captures a lot of what we love about the guy. It’s full of crunchy basslines, robo-vocals, and electro melodies that remind us of an ’80s replicated with the benefit of hindsight (and better technology). Come back soon!
Flosstradamus – ‘Rollup (Baauer RMX)’
Play On Soundcloud
This could easily have been a Top 10 Trap Trax of 2012 if we weren’t careful, but we made sure to switch it up. Still, we had to include some trap, there was no helping it. And Baauer‘s name has been on the tip of everybody’s tongue this year — not just among us, but around the world. We’ve all heard this one, right? Cool, so blast it again.
Zedd – ‘Spectrum’
Apparently, we’re not the only fans of Zedd‘s “Spectrum”: It just recently climbed its way to the top of the Billboard charts. What’s not to love about soaring synths, pulsating drums, and time-traveling women? This one can set off a field of dreams, soundtrack a road trip, or brighten up a workday all at once.
Hardwell – ‘Call Me A Spaceman’
When aliens finally make contact, we’ll have Dutch House to thank. What else captures humans’ undivided attention so effectively? We chose this as our message to the stars. Hardwell knows what we’re talking about.
Major Lazer – ‘Jah No Partial’
Thank Jah for Major Lazer. If it wasn’t for them, who’d to bring reggae to the party? Although this one just dropped, we had to include it on the list. Look at what those vibes did to the crowds! That’s what our office looks like when we play this too. Seriously. We’ll post video of our CEO stage-diving off a desk shortly.
WANT TO ADD SOMETHING TO THE LIST? INCLUDE IT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
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About DJZ 10
The DJZ/10 is a collection of ten DJs that we think you should know about now. Some of them are already familiar to you, others you may have never heard of. The list is not based on (1) a secret computer algorithm, (2) social media popularity, or (3) payola. Every month or so we get together to decide if somebody from the broader A…Z directory is about to break out and should be included in the DJZ/10, or if somebody already on the list, for that matter, is “phoning it in” and deserved to be replaced by another DJ who is more worthy.
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