2013 has been quite a year for dance music. We've seen house tunes hit the top of both Beatport's charts and the UK charts, and a massive merge of indie, synth pop, ambient and retro with house and techno, as well as a slight blend of pop into UK house, bringing the underground ever closer to it's nemisis, the spotlight. And if minimal was king in 2003, a decade on, melodies have taken center stage, with labels like Innervisions sweeping everyone up in its mighty grasp. So we asked our staff writers and contributors from around the globe to vote on their selections for the top tracks of 2013, and we hope the following list does the year justice. Here is 50-10.
#50: Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Skies (Maya Jane Coles Remix) - Verve Records
#49: Ducktails - Letter of Intent (DJ Sprinkles' Post Script) - Domino
#48: Juju & Jordash - A Stab In The Dark - Ostgut Ton
#47: Kowton & Julio Bashmore - Mirror Song - Broadwalk
#46: Dennis Ferrer & Janelle Kroll - Mind Ur Step (Nick Curly Rmx) - Objektivity
#45: Bonar Bradberry - 3two5 - Futureboogie
A real breakout single for one half of PBR Streetgang. The real standout in its silky, warm groove is Bonar's own vocals, but it's a leap forward in his solo production career and another stake in the ground for the brilliant Futureboogie label.
#44: Four Tet - Parallel Jalebi - Text Records
#43: Moderat - Bad Kingdom - Monkeytown
#42: Omar S - The Shit Baby - FHXE
#41: Deep Space Orchestra - The 10 4 Rule (Toby Tobias Rmx) - Fly By Night
Not afraid to throw the rulebook out the window when it comes to producing house music, Toby turns in a wonky house monster with one of the funkiest acid lines of 2013. Weapon. [James Huxley]
#40: Claude VonStroke - Can't Wait - Dirtybird Records
#39: Burial - Come Down To Us - Hyperdub
Amidst all the vinyl crackle, eerie atmospheres, haunting vocals and scattered beats that are now well know traits of a Burial tune, there’s always been melody. It might have been suffocated under all the other elements, and most of the time it was all too brief, but it was always there. On the closing track to his most divisive release to date, Burial finally frees his shackles and embraces melody in full. The result is some kind of lost trip-hop cut from the early 90s; an unashamedly beautiful and heartbreaking piece of music. Forget the social commentary keyboard warriors are getting all antsy over…just listen. – Henry Johnstone
#38: Chvrches - The Mother We Share (Moon Boots Remix) - French Express
#37: Claptone - Wrong - Exploited
#36 Guy Gerber - One Day In May - Visionquest
#35: Breach - Jack - Dirtybird
Breach isn't a new addition to our scene, he has been putting out impressive productions for a long time under Ben Westbeech, but it's this new alter ego and especially his hit 'Jack' that has made 2013 his year, even making it into Victoria Secret's Fashion Show for 2013 as the back drop for how the angels stay fit (yes it's on youtube…thank me later). I'm a sucker for a good baseline and catchy vocals and it seems I'm not alone in loving this tune. Let's Jack.
#34: Andhim - Hausch - Get Physical
#33: Midland - Trace - Aus
This year Midland fearlessly climbed into barebones design, gaining everyone’s attention with ‘Trace’. The ballsy house/techno track doesn’t fail to grip listeners with a hedonistic mix of masculine stabs and warm percussion. Despite the difference from his 2012 work, ‘Trace’ is undeniably his own; the effusive breakdown being a signature that Midland has built his name on. No surprise, ‘Trace’ has been the awaited crescendo of so many of his sets this year - never failing to delight. – Sonia Miles-Khan
#32: Nick Curly - Underground (Dennis Ferrer Remix) Defected
#31: Ob Ignitt - Oh Jabba - FHXE
#30: DjRUM - DAM Second Drop
#29: Ten Walls - Gotham - Innervisions
#28: Reach for the Dead – Boards of Canada - Warp Records
#27: Andy Ukhtomsky & Disrute - Horizons EP - Loophole Recordings
#26: Isolée - Allowance - Pampa Records
#25: Paper Trails - Darkside - Other People / Matador
Nico Jaar's Darkside project has been one of the most intriguing musical developments of 2013. Albeit the steady 4/4 pulse, their sound is so far removed from electronic music, sounding more like an ode to 70s psych rock. My pick from their debut album without a doubt is 'Paper Trails' and you need look no further than their 10-minute rendition for RA's Sessions series for a jaw dropping live performance. - Henry Johnstone
#24: F For You - Disclosure - PMR Records
One of the more catchy songs from Disclosure's overwhelmingly successful debut record, this is one that gets stuck in your head for days. Opening with a dry beat and synth line that screams the work of the English brothers Guy and Howard, the track is also one of the few on the album that features the vocals of the guys themselves. Couple that with a well constructed melody and simplistic lyrics and you've got one of the most infectious dance tunes of the year. - Georgia Hitch
#23: Agoria - Scala - Innervisions
#22: Kelela - Bank Head (Ft. Kingdom) - Fade To Mind
#21: Flume - Holdin on - Future Classic
To say that Aussie wonderboy Flume had a massive 2013 would be, erm, quite an understatement. As impressive as his the entire of his #1 platinum selling debut album is, it’s the opening track which remains its crowning moment. Wrapping up the soulful voice of 70s singer Anthony White in powerful beats and a vintage atmosphere, ‘Holdin On’ is a highly addictive slice of electronica, not least because of the catchy bass line. Keep holdin’ on to this record and keep on playin! – [Deborah Schmidt]
#20: Lone - Airglow Fires - R&S Records
#19: Feelin' - Florian Kupfer - L.I.E.S.
#18: Ten Walls - Requiem - Innervisions
#17: Move D - To The Disco '77 - Electric Minds
#16: Floating Points - Wires - Eglo
#15: Maxxi Soundsystem & Name One - One In Three - Defected
#14: MCDE - Raw Cuts #5 (Recloose Remix) MCDE
Mastered by one of New Zealand’s finest techno commodities, Recloose has stepped up this year to remix one of Motor City Drum Ensemble’s finest tracks, Raw Cuts #5. Recloose re-works the track’s choppy and gritty vibe while polishing it up to be played with confidence on any house-savvy dancefloor. Recloose’s transformation of Raw Cuts #5 is a prime example of a remix’s power to reinvent a uniquely mastered track, while managing to stay true to MCDE’s signature sexy, old-school female vocal samples and his classic mid-tempo house style.
#13: dBRm – Darnley - The Nothing Special
Out on Craig Richard’s ‘The Nothing Special’ label – rapidly becoming known for its stock of d’n’b-come-techno producers (see: Marcus Intalex as Trevino; Calibre as Dominik Martin), this altogether quite menacing track comes from dBridge and Radioactive Man. Fusing sharp percussion with a hostile sub-bass and electro-tinged snatches, this slowly and precisely tears up a big system. [Charlotte Dunkley]
#12: Mathew Jonson - Level 7 (Dixon Remix) Crosstown Rebels
#11: DJ Yellow & Flowers And Sea Creatures - No One Gets Left Behind (Konstantin Sibold Remix) - Compost Records