Best of 2010

Electro:

This was probably the hardest genre to pick a #1 tune of the year. So many releases, remixes and collaborations and so many new djs/producers emerging. Two of the most notable newcomers are featured here. Skrillex gets my vote for best electro song of the year but I didn’t know which one to choose from. He dropped his debut album and has been touring with Deadmau5 while holding down 8 of the top 10 most popular downloads on Beatport for awhile, not too shabby. He is paving the road with his melting pot of sound incorporating electro, house, dubstep and hardcore rock into his music. A true pioneer that definitely deserves to be recognized as the best new comer of 2010.

Skrillex – Kill Everybody

Runner Up: Porter Robinson is another newcomer who came out of nowhere to turn the electro/house scene on its head. This is my favourite of his productions this year and we can expect much more from this young guy.

Say My Name – Original Mix

House:

As I prep for the annual New Years blowout I think back to the past year in House music. The genre has burst into the mainstream with artists like David Guetta, Alex Gaudino, SHM and Chuckie breaking out into the top 40. Deadmau5 dj’ed the MTV Music Awards, Swedish House Mafia collaborated with Usher at the VMA’s… what is the world coming to? A lot of people get down on artists like Deadmau5 for ‘selling out’ and there seems to be a lot of respect lost for those who choose to bring their music to the mainstream. We as music fans despise when our beloved artists are known and loved by the masses. The result is a rejection of anything the ‘sell out’ touches and can even lead to a distaste for the genre of music as a whole. I wonder if the rise of House music in the mainstream will lead to an extinction of the genre within the years to come. Will the EDM fanatics push away from House and influence the development of new genres? Or will the mass population take over as reigning house heads? Regardless if Guetta keeps releasing top 40 hits, and Deadmau5 continues to become so commercialized that little kids are dressing up like him for Halloween, my love for House music will never stop.

On that note, my pick for best house track of 2010 is anything but mainstream. This is a relatively unknown remix that has been listened to countless times over the past year. It brings a disco feel to it and has a very nice buildup that will make you dance uncontrollably. Unreal vocals from VHS or Beta mixed with some heavy hitting house beats… turn this shit up!

VHS or Beta – All Summer In A Day (Turbotito Remix)

Runner Up: Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP came out of nowhere with this dance floor filler. This is easily one of the most played out tracks of 2010. I was a late fan of this one but none the less it made big waves this year.

Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP – We No Speak Americano

Progressive House

Easily my favourite EDM sub-genre and definitely one of the most popular. Prog house fans are all about the buildup and the big drops. This was definitely the hardest category to pick from so I went to my Itunes most played list. My pick goes to the Axwell & Henrik B Remix to the already excellent tune from Adrian Lux. ‘Teenage Crime’ got a lot of love on the beatport charts and for good reason. This one goes through a roller coaster of buildups and drops and is another example of Axwell’s ability to turn everything he touches into gold.

Adrian Lux – Teenage Crime (Axwell Remix & Henrik B Remode)

Runner Up: Max Vangeli & AN21 had absolute monster years and earn my vote as best up and comers in the house industry. This is just one of their bombs from 2010

Switchfoot- Always (Max Vangeli & AN21 Remix)

Dutch House

Also called Dirty Dutch, this sub-genre of House music originated in the Netherlands from the unique sounds of Chuckie, Afrojack, Alvaro and Sidney Samson (to name a few). The distinct repetitive and high pitched synths common in Dutch house were a major hit at WMC 2010 and have led the way for a major dutch movement throughout the house scene.

I detested the dirty dutch upon first listen but it along with dubstep have grown on me throughout the past year. My pick for best track goes to Afrojack for his monster- ‘Take Over Control’. My pick for breakout dj/producer definitely goes to Chuckie as he has been responsible for bringing this genre into the limelight with some big time remixes including the one below.

Afrojack ft. Eva Simons – Take over control

Runner Up:

Lil Jon Ft. Claude Kelly – Oh What A Night (Chuckie Remix)

Dubstep

I will be making the rounds with my favourite tracks of 2010 categorized into the most popular genres of electronic music. Prog House, Tech House, Electro House, Dutch House, Dubstep, DnB, Minimal, Trance, and Breaks will be covered over the next 6 days.

First up, dubstep. This genre has quickly made its way into the mainstream in 2010. It has traveled from the UK, to your parents car radio with no end in sight. With guys like Rusko, Skream, Nero, and High Rankin making big moves this year, we can only expect dubstep to take off and transform into many new things in the years to come. The melting pot of genres has led to many djs and producers crossing over into the dark side with Deadmau5, Skrillex and even Ambassador Beats favourite Adam K dabbling in dubstep.

My vote for best dubstep track of 2010 is Nero’s remix to Plan B- The Recluse. With Nero also getting the nod for breakout artist of the year.

Plan B – The Recluse – Nero remix

Runner Up: High Rankin and Evolve or Die take the Sarah McClaughlin tranced out classic and turn it on its head. Big tune!

Delerium – Silence (High Rankin & Evolve or Die Remix)

Drum & Bass

Drum & Bass has quickly grown on me within the past year and I can credit the fellas over at Hospital Records for getting me hooked. High Contrast was the first dj/producer to peak my interest with his remix to Adele’s ‘Hometown Glory’ (see below) and since then I have grown fond of the sub DnB genre of Liquid Funk. The melodic, atmospheric sounds and soothing vocals attached to the typical 160 bpm gives the more aggressive sounds a new feel. Then along came Netsky to the Hospital Records team. In 2010 he released his debut album which won Best Album at the DnB Arena Awards where he also took home best newcomer producer. Hospital Records won best Label and for good reason. They have successful brought DnB back into the limelight and to the forefront of electronic music. My vote for best Drum & Bass track goes to Netsky- Escape.

Netsky- Escape (feat. Darrison)

Runner Up: Nu:Tone & Logistics give the UK rapper some much needed energy on this one.

Devlin ft. Yasmin- Runaway (Nu:Tone & Logistics Remix)

Adele – Hometown Glory (High Contrast Remix)

Breakbeat:

First off, both these tracks were not released in 2010, but I do have justification for this. Breakbeat has been in a steady decline since the rave scene of the early 90′s and has become synonymous alongside Drum and Bass and Dubstep. As of late, artists who typically produce jungle, dnb and dubstep are using breakbeats throughout their productions. Case in point, Skream’s remix to the popular track from La Roux. This track has been huge for breaks and was even featured on an episode of Entourage this year. With acts like Magnetic Man, Sub Focus and Nero all crossing over between these sub-genres of electronic music, we can only expect breakbeat to make its way back into the limelight.

La Roux – In For The Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey Remix)

Runner Up: This tune packs some unreal bass and energy. At first listen it sounds straight DnB but it definitely encompasses that prototypical breakbeat pattern. Crank this

Sub Focus – Last Jungle

Mashups

Mashups have easily become one of the most popular ‘genres’ of music within the past year. The art of mixing together 2+ songs has led to an abundance of djs and producers emerging into the forefront of electronic music. The surge in demand for mashups has led to a vast array of quality, with most of it verging on bush league. Few artists have proven to be consistent in the mashup world and my vote for best mashup artist goes once again to The Hood Internet. Their mashup of DMX vs. The XX is by far the best mashup of the year and shows how two polar opposites can mesh so well together.

The Hood Internet – The XX Gon’ Give It To Ya (DMX x The XX)

Runner Up: Pheugoo’s mashup of Adele vs. The Prodigy has the perfect buildup and the perfect breakdown.

Pheugoo- Hometown Bitch (Adele vs The Prodigy)

Well it’s that time of year, when we look back on the year that was and the music that brightened our days. 2010 was a great year and had a lot of surprises and good times. I’ve been spending the last couple days going through all the music I listened to this year, which is no easy task. I’ve narrowed my favourite albums list to a top 32 and am progressing from there.

I am going to break it down into three broad genre based top 10 album lists. A Rap/Hip Hop Top 10 featuring Drake, Shad and of course Kanye West. A Rock Top 10 that holds Underoath and I The Mighty, and finally an Indie Top 10 which hosts Two Door Cinema Club and many others. Each list will be released a few days a part to allow you to fully check out each list in it’s entirety. Remember this list is no one’s but my own. You may not agree with my picks but it is my job to bring you what I enjoyed in hopes that you find something that you missed but will love.

Along with those I will also be posting a Top 10 Songs of 2010 list. The Conductor and I will be doing a 2010 Wrap Up Webisode that will be posted on New Year’s Eve. It will have my top 5 favourite songs as well as The Conductor’s top 5 picks. That’s a lot of music coming at you in a short amount of time, so forget your finals and pay attention to Ambassador Beats.