30. MK x Jonas Blue x Becky Hill – “Back and Forth”
As always, this MK song is one of the best pure dance songs of the year. He’s enlisted Becky Hill, who you’ll remember from Oliver Helden’s “Gecko (Overdrive” a few years ago, and Jonas Blue, purveyor of very forgettable tunes, to make what is a really fun and simple song.
The lyrics tell a story of a relationship that’s breaking down, but there seems to be something holding them together, as everything sounds rather warm and the drops seem soft and energetic at the same time.
29. Silk City – “Electricity” (feat. Dua Lipa)
In a year of collaboration, this one features three amazing artists coming together – Diplo and Mark Ronson under the moniker of Silk City, accompanied by Dua Lipa.
Calvin Harris has being trying to corner the 90s revival market, even enlisting Dua on “One Kiss” as featured earlier, but this song does the job far better. It’s got a really nice flow throughout the song, not pacing itself too hard as a dance song, but also not taking things too slowly either. Dua Lipa’s vocals are allowed to shine through, while the fantastic production that you’d expect does it’s best to enhance every element of the song.
28. Dynoro & Gigi D’Agostino – “In My Mind”
Taking a dance classic and making another remix of it, Lithuanian DJ Dynoro has done very well with his first major hit. It’s an overwhelmingly dark sound this song has, but it really does work to instil a powerful and ominous sound throughout. The drop’s distinctive melody is still there, and while it’s not as triumphant or as fun as the originals, it really captures the imagination.
27. Camila Cabello – “Never Be the Same” [2017]
Another one from Camila Cabello’s sterling first solo effort, this takes a slower and more emotional look through a relationship, and showcases her vocal range from the rather deep verses to the soaring choruses.
I think this one does a brilliant job of showing a range of emotions as well involved in a relationship, and the chorus showing the depth of feeling and yearning she feels within that. There’s a signature voice crack in the choruses that makes this all the more real, and helps make it the magnificent song it is.
26. Superorganism – “Everybody Wants to Be Famous”
One of my favourite new artists from this year is Superorganism, whose brand of weird electronica sets them apart stylistically but also gives them some tunes that you just wouldn’t find anywhere else. Arguably the most normal of them is “Everybody Wants to Be Famous”, which bubbles along whilst having a sense of angst and drama that still feels so upbeat all the way through.
25. LCD Soundsystem – “i want your love”
LCD Soundsystem made a phenomenal return last year with American Dream, but as good as hearing their new stuff live has been, one of the new highlights of their shows has been their cover of Chic’s classic “I Want Your Love”. Luckily for fans like me, they recorded the tune as part of their Spotify Sessions in September.
Segueing smoothly from one of their finest tunes, “Home”, Nancy Whang takes the lead on this disco-driven love song and nails it perfectly. The classic LCD style of building a song up makes what’s already a good song into one that feels like theirs from the beginning.
24. Ariana Grande – “thank u, next”
Yet again it’s been a rather tumultuous year for Ariana Grande. She’s had to deal with more than her fair share of tragedy in 2017 & 2018, but still she’s managed to increase her profile as probably the pop icon around with her album “Sweetener”.
As if that wasn’t enough though, months later she released “thank u, next”, which is a mature and incredibly sympathetic worldview of forgiveness for the people in her life, boiled down into a perfect 3-minute pop song. It’s no wonder that it’s taken on a life of it’s own in pop culture, and been an earworm for just about everyone who’s heard it.
23. Tim Berg – “Seek Bromance” [2010]
Before the name Avicii became one of the most recognised dance artists in the world, the man went by a shortened version of his own name. This initial demo laid the foundations for the style of music that went on to make EDM in his own image, and has a rawness to it that makes it all the more appealing.
Even eight years on, it sounds fresh and contemporary, in a way that almost all of Avicii’s songs do, and that’s why it’s been nice to rediscover this for 2018.
22. Sigala – “Just Got Paid” (feat. Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor & French Montana)
Payday is arguably the best day of the month, and the feeling of getting off work on the last Friday of the month with your bank account that bit healthier is pretty unbeatable. “Just Got Paid” takes this feeling and adds some brilliantly catchy beats to it, and some suitably twee lyrics that send you off into the night ready to take on the world. This will always be able to pick you up, even if you’re hungover and that payday is still weeks away…
21. Cheat Codes & Little Mix – “Only You”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I actually quite like Little Mix. This song has the bonus of taking one of their songs and making it seem like a remixed version, with Cheat Codes supplying a more solid EDM rush through it all to make it that bit more interesting.
It ebbs and flows nicely and then the drop is really good, bridging the gap nicely between a pure pop song and one of Cheat Codes’ more dance-orientated ones.