#50: Apashe - Dead (ft. Yizzy)/Rain (ft. Kroy)
In a bit of a cop-out, I've combined two Apashe tracks to save me from picking just one. I feel justified in this act because Apashe did the same himself as part of his live performance of Renaissance (see here). Fitting together perfectly, "Dead" and "Rain" showcase the kind of killer orchestral and cinematic quality that makes Renaissance such a stunning success. Teeming with drama, these are both momentous tracks that make masterful use of their unique vocal features. And while awesome on their own, as is each track in Renaissance, they are better together.
I swear, if The Pointers Sisters were to release "Automatic" today, it'd assuredly be part of all year-end lists. The quality with which Tensnake is working is obvious, but he and Fiora have done a brilliant job with this faithful, funky house cover. While it doesn't have quite the same life as the original, this succeeds through its moody, rolling groove and reliable dancefloor delivery.
One of my favourite Afterlife tracks. Tender, touching techno that warms the cockles of your heart. In fact, it clearly has a heart and soul, something rare in techno. While the eyes and ears are drawn to the bright sparkling top notes, the importance of the subtle strength of the strings and the deep foundation of the drums cannot be understated. Majestic and monumental.
There aren't many more cool creations in this list. DnB is both inherently cool and undeniably in vogue, but the use of a standing bass and an organ is just so stylish. Befitting of its name, the shadowy underworld imagery is rife. It sounds as though it were the theme for a show called Galactic Gumshoe. But beyond the impeccable aura, Rolodex reminds us of his legendary status with a clinic on DnB delivery.
I still go back and forth on which is my favourite cut from the epic Unity compilation, but most times I end up here. A story I want to be told over and over again, there's just something so beautiful and inviting about Alfa Romero's rollout. It cradles you in its strident synths, swaddling you with its warmth and resplendence. Even though it waivers throughout its sensuous serenade, it strikes me as confident and calm, setting sail for the unknown. Just like Mathame above, and so many other Afterlife tracks, this succeeds in showcasing the soul in a techno record.
#45: 45 Roller - Rain
A bit of a cheeky inclusion here as 45 Roller takes the 45th spot. It just goes to show how arbitrary a list like this is. That said, these are all good tracks, equally worthy of our praise and attention. As I said when I first wrote about this in August, Shy FX keeps the soul of the original sample which gives the whole track an incredible, organic feel. Much like the actual rain and the vinyl crackle, each element in Shy FX's bag of tricks is used to fantastic effect, keeping the track tight and full of feeling.
While the original is all kinds of epic and of undeniable quality, I'm far more fond of this version. It's clear Lamorn had fun with the remix as it oozes with a childlike wonder and an ingenuous fascination. Playing with more organic instrumentation, the new direction is both beautiful and undeniably groovy. The acid turn is a tremendous touch, as are the guitars, but I have to say it's the drums that tie everything together, and while there's nothing groundbreaking about them, they hit just right every single time.
A mainstay on my year-end lists, you can always trust Alex Metric to strike gold when he releases a seven-minute remix. Bringing his beautiful and bounding style to the already resplendent warmth of Roosevelt's "Sign," this is a match made in heaven. In fact, it feels like heaven. Billowy and bright, there's an undeniable exultant feeling that radiates throughout this holy harbinger. Every time I hear it now, I think back to blasting it in my car at sunset, the one time I hung out with a friend this summer. Simple bliss.
One of my favourite drum deliveries of the year. Several times I've mistaken this for the #4 track in this year's list, another track that features both actual breaks and the lyric break. There's a great infectious energy throughout this club mix, one that is plenty strong enough to have you breaking out your favourite dance moves regardless of your location. It's got everything you could want from a modern dance track: silky strings, driving drums, pristine piano and an awesome, uplifting aura. Man, is it ever easy to enjoy this one; a real punchy pleasure.
Retro rainbow resplendence. One of my favourite soundscapes of the year, the picture Petar Dundov paints with this remix is so tremendously bewitching. The cascading synths shimmer beautifully atop the driving low end, which in turn gives the track the feeling of flying. "Tangerine Dream" tears towards the ever-distant horizon like some kind of early arcade game. Yet another track that helped me conquer every hill that I approached on my many bike rides. A high-octane hallucination.
From the first cymbal splash, this driving disco number delivers shot after shot of adrenaline. While the onslaught of energy this track offers is front and centre, the slow, calm chords are the key to its captivating emotional quality. There's no letdown in this, in fact, it's full-blast from start to finish. Just like last year's inclusion in this list, "Falling Deep In Love," my favourite part of this Horse Meat Disco offering is the drum work. Whether the rhythm, the varied sounds or the fabulous fills, the percussion here is perfect.
I feel as though a lot of tracks like this have dominated 1) this list and 2) my overall listening habits. The bleepy, epic techno/progressive/melodic house has been a favourite of mine for years, but it seems to have especially thrived this year. At worst, this is one of the best tracks of its kind, at best, a breathtaking display of penetrating progression and rambling wanderlust. Its percussion is both precise and propulsive as its lead dances and dazzles. It is both gigantic and graceful, simple yet sublime.
An absolutely jacking odyssey. While it boasts a banging wall of sound, it's the subtleties and the playfulness in the lead line that make this such an electrifying affair. Ever since I first heard The Black Madonna play it late last year/early this year, I was struck by its apparent familiarity. I still cannot put my finger on it, but there's something about its melody that reminds me of a track from my past. Either way, the warped and wavering lead is entirely awesome and propels both this track and me into hyperspace.
The one and only track from 2019 to make this list. Somehow I missed it last December, but once I finally rode its waves, I did not get off quickly. While it seems most prefer the even more ominous and dramatic original version, I'm too partial to this breaks mix to pass it up. The strings are a thing of wonder and certainly warrant the track's inclusion in this list, but the bustling breaks and the additional acid in the back half make this thrilling narrative even more exciting.
Among the year's hottest artists, this is not the last time you'll see TEED in this year's list. Likewise, Jessie Ware seems to finally be getting the love she deserves as I've seen mountains of praise for What's Your Pleasure? Of the many incredible remixes of her work, this one stands confidently above the rest. A strong single in itself, "Save A Kiss" has been transformed into an electro odyssey, delivering on so many levels. It's both delicate yet driving, banging yet beautiful, strong yet soft and smooth. I cannot get enough of its energetic and playful second half; it's my pleasure.
One that has more of a-a break and start / doom, cha-cha-cha, doom, cha-cha-cha. Man, I love that intro. Hearing either Sub Focus or Wilkinson map out the idea and then immediately hearing it come to life is just awesome. It, of course, is another one of my favourite drum deliveries of the year, immediately catchy and used to great effect. The way the dynamic duo surrounds it with the emotive strings (including a real cello played by Andrew Morgan), scintillating modular melodies, bumping bass, and of course immaculate vocals, is pure magic.
As much as I love SOPHIE at her most emotional and introspective (think "It's Okay To Cry"), her club-focused productions are just so sick. So even without clubs, this one warrants inclusion in year-end lists. Reeking of sweat and throbbing with bass, it's not hard to imagine a sardine can of a nightclub going absolutely bonkers for this raucous remix. While it's more or less pedal to the metal throughout, there are a couple points that get me going more than others. Check the bustling section at about 3:42 and the later sick licks at 4:11. A wild ride, one that I hope to encounter in its proper environment some day.
#33: Bullion - Yawn
About as far from the last track as you can get. Not hard or twisted in any way, rather Bullion's brilliance appears in this track's lush laidback buoyancy. While I never got the chance, I can only imagine how dreamy this would be as you float down a lazy river. Actually, I can attest to its quality as a carefree cruiser, winding down a bike ride with the breeze at your back. In a year we all want to sleep away, this one is about as cool and cozy as they come.
#32: Aera - Way Out
This EP is absolutely overflowing with fluorescent flourishes. I had "Brackets" in this list until I decided to cap each artist at one original and remix. Whether the can't miss sound in this is actually a harp or not, I don't really care, but I do love to imagine it being played by one. The rippling rainbow resplendence of it is so bloody cool, especially as it's pitted against the other rattling and clattering percussive hits. I don't think I've ever heard a track quite like it, but after Prana I know I'll be keeping my ears and eyes peeled for more Aera.
Just like BluePrint above, there's something about this track that sends me back in time. I would've sworn that I'd heard it before this year. Despite double and triple-checking its status as a 2020 production, there's still some doubt in my mind. Regardless, the retro and nostalgic quality of this Chambray mix is what makes it so enjoyable. The design is absolutely divine as though handed down from the heavens. It rings bells of bliss that oppose its title, filling its listeners with a calm and quiet confidence. Without question, one of the brightest and most inspiring tracks of the year.
Again I found myself struggling to decide which Tale Of Us track to include in this list, but after some wavering, I landed on this in part because of the way the vocals play against the downright dirty bassline. The grit and grind Tale Of Us and Anyma bring to the track is absolutely killer. But in the end, it's all about the synths and their work in maintaining the track's ominous, dramatic and destructive arc. Like "Hollow" in the previous section, the intensity is overwhelming, making it perfect for fisticuffs.
In part because of this incredible immersive remix, I was able to realize that "Anywayz" is my favourite original from HiRUNDiN. The vocals are immaculate, the lyrics prescient, and Avalon Emerson leverages both here. Her new bed is brilliant and bouncy giving off a strong 80's aura that sucks me in every time. And that's the real magic of Emerson's crafting, she winds the ever-evolving production so effortlessly into both your ears and your soul. By the time you realize it, you're in the middle of the floor doing some embarrassing interpretive dance. But fear not, the world keeps turning, anywayz...
A rare occasion where I'm only here for the radio edit and not the extended mix. If this track is candy, give me all you got and put as much of it in my mouth as you can. There's something about it that feels like a guilty pleasure, which I think I can consolidate into two points: 1) it's on the poppy side of things and 2) it's just so unabashedly fluorescent and rave-like. But hey, I'm here touting it as one of the top 30 tracks of the year and I do love it so. It's therapeutic in its all-out dance energy, beautiful in its bleepiness and immaculate in Easton's treatment of the vocals. As we continue to get closer to the top of this list, I find myself clamouring for clubs and you better believe this one would kill there. It's even got a built-in fog machine!
#27: Moonwalk - Salem
Where I found this track or who Moonwalk is I don't know, but boy, am I glad I found it. It's the kind of expertly crafted epics that seem to grace this list every year. The slow-burning progression and ingenious interplay that Moonwalk has authored here is simply stunning. You wouldn't think a nearly seven-minute odyssey would be so utterly intriguing or gripping, but I'm here to tell you that it's an absolute trip taking in its awesome arc from start to finish. Whether it's the plethora of percussion, the commanding chords, the dark, ominous atmosphere or the spellbinding synths, everything is in its right place, making each subsequent element that much better.
A clinic in the power of the piano in a house track. I still can't listen to this and not pretend to play along. And once I start that, the rest of my body is soon to follow. Before long I find myself spinning in ecstasy as Dukwa guides me to the next plane of existence. Now, of course, the track is so clearly centred around that lead line, but it wouldn't be ranked this high if Dukwa hadn't delivered it in such seamless fashion. One good turn warrants another as each loop around the piano launches us into a new progression with a new mix of percussion, strings, vocals and atmosphere. A perfect cliffhanger before the final 25!
Note: #'s 57, 52, 45, 44, 40 missing on Soundcloud and #'s 53, 51, 42 missing on Spotify.