30. The Naked and Famous – “Punching in a Dream” (2010)
This song is a great stress reliever I find, as you can pour all your anger and frustration into this song where the warping synths are interspersed with driving and thrashing guitar and Alisa Xayalith sing/screaming over them. Once it’s all over, and you’ve got it out of your system, things do seem better – and things don’t seem as futile as punching in a dream anymore.
29. Technotronic – “Get Up! (Before the Night is Over)” (1989)
I underwent a kind of 90s revival this year, with lots of great songs from a decade dominated by Eurodance making their way into my library and I think this is the pick of them. Shamelessly poppy and so catchy because of it, it’s a tune that really does what it sets out to do – to make you dance and sing along despite how unsubtle it is compared to modern music.
28. Martin Garrix – “Proxy”
As envious as I am of Martin Garrix’s phenomenal success at the age of 18, I can’t deny that his house music is incredibly good. This song, released for free no less, does a great job of showcasing his talents – with a signature two-stage drop that’s one-part hard-hitting electro house and one-part more groovy and melodic deeper house. Also available as a free download!
27. GotSome feat. The GetAlong Gang – “Bassline” (Main Mix) (2013)
Indeed it does have a good bassline, with it anchoring a slow and sultry rap that incorporates a few higher paced breakdowns into it. There’s a dark and mystical atmosphere to the song which I really like and the way in which it always keeps you on your toes is really interesting.
26. CHVRCHES – “We Sink” (2013)
Thudding into life with a drum beat that keeps hammering away through the whole song, Lauren Mayberry’s vocals skip over the beat beautifully and create a cheery atmosphere that leaves a smile on your face. It’s such an uplifting song with the synths and the overall feeling of togetherness melding into a perfect representation of pop happiness.
25. Sub Focus – “Turn Back Time” (2013)
Riffing off a classic house tune from DJ Steve “Silk” Hurley, “Turn Back Time” does a great job of bringing a pounding deep bass to a nice electronic melody with the typically great backing vocals of a Sub Focus song behind it. As everything winds up and the drums get faster, it leaves you hanging perfectly for the minimalist drop that leaves you pretty stunned.
24. ZHU – “Faded”
A song that starts out quiet and slow quickly changes into something that sounds much sinister but just as sexy when the deep, pounding bass breaks through. It’s a tad repetitive and after that first hit it never recovers the shock value that it had, but the slightly mystical feeling to it doesn’t leave you in a hurry.
23. Duke Dumont – “Won’t Look Back”
I think Duke Dumont’s at his best when he tries to take on the darker side of dance music, and with “Won’t Look Back” he does it and then some. With the 80s style strong soul in the background stretched over a piece of signature deep house that never gets repetitive as it rises and falls throughout the song, it’s a catchy dance song that was well-deserving of being number 1 this year.
22. Porter Robinson – “Flicker”
The Japanese influence on Porter Robinson’s new album is seldom as apparent as in this gem, with the kawaii-esque vocals that repeat “I’m trying to find what’s the most important” in Japanese being strangely catchy. The way in which he experiments with different sort of beats which range of the video game soundtrack style at the start to the loud, foreboding crashes and plinking guitar towards the end – it’s got a very distinct sound to it that’s exceptionally addictive.
21. Porter Robinson – “Divinity”
An incredible opener to a spectacular album, “Divinity” was the first sample of Porter Robinson’s new blend of atmospheric and dance music and it was divine. Hard-hitting when it needs to be, gentle and building when otherwise – it manages to create the sort of uplifting and mind-clearing effect that Porter was going for with his new brand of tunes and is something special to behold, especially for the first time.