Top 100 Tracks Of 2019: 25-1

Conclusion of the list started Monday: from 100-76, which also includes my disclaimer/preamble. The middle sections can be found here: from 75-51 & 50-26. Soundcloud playlist here and Spotify here.

#25: London Elektricity - Final View From The Rooftops (ft. Cydnei B.)
I still remember the first time I ever heard London Elektricity. A friend showed me "All Hell Is Breaking Loose" and I lost my mind. While it took a touch longer for this track to send me into such a tizzy, I was indeed left in awe. Of course it's incredibly crafted, showing off Tony Colman's exceptional aptitude, but more than that it's immersive, building an uber cool and ridiculously detailed world around you. Its magic is like the scene in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince when Dumbledore rebuilds Slughorn's house.

#24: Peggy Gou - Han Pan
Another year, another incredible couple of tracks from Peggy Gou. While it seems most prefer "Starry Night," once again I'm drawn to the b-side. Really either could make the cut but there's just something about "Han Pan" that tickles my fancy a touch more. The driving quality of its groove, the propulsiveness of its percussion and the gorgeous, almost regal, quality of its overall mixture is truly magical. It's got Gou's genius written all over it, and I for one can't wait for next year's batch of brilliance.

#23: Polaris - Kessel Run
My favourite DnB track of the year, this one is utterly wondrous. Its atmosphere is euphoric, dazzling through its diverse and long list of instruments. It roars and purrs, sprints and spins, floats and flails. It has and does it all. Sax solo? It's got that. Disco strings? That too. Its brilliance is simply unavoidable, uplifting and energizing each listener five minutes at a time.

#22: Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now
Easily my favourite pop track of the year. You know it's good when it gets remixes from the likes of Purple Disco Machine, Dom Dolla and others, yet none come remotely close to the captivating and seamless quality of the original. I had a fight with a friend on NYE when he said there must be a ghost producer (he mentioned Calvin Harris), but whether it's Ian Kirkpatrick alone or not it's one of the best productions of the year. There's endless details and it flows ridiculously well, oh and how about that bass line? My god.

#21: Daphni - Sizzling (ft. Paradise)
Dan Snaith is back in a big way. We've got a couple new Caribou tracks already and there's an album right around the corner. However his Daphni output has been the winner. Growing out of a DJ tool, this one is an instant sensation. Its energy is ridiculous, just like its catchiness. Pressing play is like setting the dance-floor on fire causing each dancer to stomp out the flames in glorious unison. A wicked original from Paradise, Snaith has added the perfect electronic touch and wound up with an unstoppable weapon.

#20: Citizen Kain - Indigo
Speaking of weapons, here's the first of two from Tale Of Us' Afterlife Voyage Mix to make this closing section. An obvious and epic banger, everything about this track screams power. The drums and bass absolutely hammer away, while even the brighter, top end percussive bits deliver a crisp metallic crack. The synths are ridiculously sick, made even better by the banging bottom end. The build is beyond big and with it the drop must be even bigger, and Citizen Kain has certainly delivered. It'll leave your head spinning, jaw agape, while you pick up your teeth with a broken arm. Techno doesn't get much better than this.

2017's Inaugural Electronic Music Awards (Preview)

I've written about the Grammys and Junos before, focusing on their electronic categories, but always lament the lack of coverage they get, as both opt to announce those winners on their side shows. I've since wondered whether we should care about these award shows at all, since they so often leave a bad taste in our mouths (fans and artists alike). Everyone one knows about the DJ Mag Top 100 lists and the controversies they entail, particularly the so called "DJ" list that in the end is a popularity contest among producers, not DJs. Perhaps as a protest, two new award shows have arisen: The Goldie Awards (backed by A-Trak and THUMP, focusing on DJ and Beat Battles) and The Electronic Music Awards (backed by Paul Oakenfold and TV4, showcasing all that is electronic music). For the purposes of this post, I'll focus on the latter as the anticipation grows in the 3 weeks prior to the event.

Originally announced in January of 2016, as the Electronic Music Awards and Foundation Show, and set for broadcast on FOX, this seemed as large and legitimate as anyone could possibly hope. However in the following months the event was postponed for more than a year, renamed and relegated to a Twitter broadcast. The previously 7 categories have grown to 11, and the winners will be announced live September 21st starting at 7:47 PM PDT. So now let's take a look at those categories and their nominees. Note that I won't be making predictions today, but merely digging into the categories and nominations themselves. See the image below or find the direct link to the noms here.

As you can plainly see, the list of names here is absolutely packed with powerhouse producers, deserving DJs, and awesome artists. The organizers have done a good job of separating categories from Producer of the Year to DJ of the Year, and Live Act of the Year. However I wonder about the New Artist of the Year category, as arguably every act has been big since early 2016, if not before then. But since this is the first edition, I'll give them a little leeway in what new means.

Looking through this list it's clear that the same people who would argue that award shows are mainstream, could easily make that argument again here. There are no names that I'm unfamiliar with. It's absolutely jam packed with big names, but at least to their credit those big names come from all over the place. It's not just top 40 radio wannabes or techno titans. There's deep house, hip hop, electro and of course, what continues to be the style of the moment, future bass.

As always I wonder about how these names were chosen, and further how the winners will be decided. The official statement is that "nominees and winners are voted on by sixty-seven members who were selected to represent all aspects of the electronic music community, in a two-round voting process." But who selected these members? And how well are they balanced? Now, I don't mean to claim that there's collusion or foul play, I just always advocate for more transparency. And no matter what people will bitch and moan about this or that. The positive (and value of any award show) is to showcase worthy talent. Sure you can claim that some of these artists need no more showcasing, but their impact is undeniable, and ought to be recognized as such. Now back to those categories.