2008: Top 50 EDM Tracks Of The Year

Submitted by sljiva on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 06:00
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  1. Again awesome year for electronic music (and music in general). More and more people are complaining about the quality and how music was better in the 90's, but I think we're getting much more good albums per year than before. The sad thing is, I'll mention this for the millionth time, it's much harder to get through ever growing amount of shit music to find these good albums. I'm mentioning albums the whole time, cause I've been mostly listening to them this year, so the good amount of tracks from this list are actually the best tracks from albums I've been listening. I just didn't have the time or will to go through all the digital downloads that had been released to find something interesting. And here's the list:
  3. Hecq - I Am You (Ambient)
  4. Released on: Night Falls
  5. Slowly developing and unfolding dark beauty, this is one of those anthemic tracks like Conquest Of Paradise that are usually played while slow motion of some historically important achievement is being shown on television.
  6. Wisp - Cultus Klatawa (IDM)
  7. Released on: Katabatic EP
  8. Very fast and explosive tune with neat programming and beautiful haunting melody that sprawls through all tempo and mood changes in the track.
  9. Derek Carr - Letters (Neo-Detroit/Deep Techno)
  10. Released on: The Digital Space Race
  11. Warm and melodic cut with so many perfectly executed layers and wistful atmosphere that will recall some of the finest 90's ambient music.
  12. The Bug - Poison Dart (Dubstep)
  13. Released on: London Zoo
  14. Omar-S - The Further You Look - The Less You Will See (Neo-Detroit Techno)
  15. Released on: The Further You Look - The Less You Will See EP
  16. Fennesz - Saffron Revolution (Ambient/Experimental)
  17. Released on: Black Sea
  18. Ø - S-Bahn (IDM)
  19. Released on: Oleva
  20. Move D & Benjamin Brunn – Mothercorn (Dub/Deep Techno)
  21. Released on: Songs From The Beehive
  22. Another Electronic Musician – Five (IDM)
  23. Released on: Five
  24. Autechre – chenc9 (IDM)
  25. Released on: Quaristice
  26. Headhunter & Ekelon – Timewarp (Dubstep)
  27. Released on: Various Artists - Mary-Anne Hobbs Presents Evangeline
  28. Leonid – Mora (Dub Techno)
  29. Released on: Mora EP
  30. Adam Beyer – Simulated Usage (Techno)
  31. Released on: Simulated Usage / Mod EP
  32. The Black Dog – Witches Ov (Downtempo)
  33. Released on: Radio Scarecrow
  34. The Flashbulb – Warm Hands In Cold Fog (Breakcore)
  35. Released on: Soundtrack To A Vacant Life
  36. Sten – Way To The Stars (Minimal Techno)
  37. Released on: The Essence
  38. Portishead – Machine Gun (Trip Hop/Experimental)
  39. Released on: Third
  40. Shed – Slow Motion Replay (Dub/Deep Techno)
  41. Released on: Shedding The Past
  42. Matias Aguayo - Minimal (DJ Koze Mix) (Deep House)
  43. Released on: Minimal EP
  44. M83 – Couleurs (Progressive Trance)
  45. Released on: Saturdays=Youth
  46. Richard Bartz – Diamond Girl (Tech House)
  47. Released on: Speicher 61 EP
  48. Amon Tobin – Shut Down (IDM)
  49. Released on: Shut Down EP
  50. Intrusion – Intrusion (Dub) (Dub Techno)
  51. Released on: Intrusion / Reflection EP
  52. Martin Buttrich – I Lost My Wallet (Tech House)
  53. Released on: I Lost My Wallet EP
  54. Zomby – Mu5h (Dubstep)
  55. Released on: Mu5h / Spliff Dub (Rustie Remix) EP
  56. Jimmy Edgar - Wanna Do It (Edit) (IDM)
  57. Released on: Divine Edgar EP
  58. Move D – Drøne (Dub Techno)
  59. Released on: Drøne EP
  60. Process - City-Zen (Neo-Detroit Techno)
  61. Released on: Various Artists - Traum 100
  62. Alter Ego – Gary (C2 Remix) (Techno)
  63. Released on: Gary EP
  64. Blame - Stay Forever (Drum & Bass)
  65. Released on: Stay Forever / Strikeforce EP
  66. Venetian Snares – Miss Balaton (Breakcore)
  67. Released on: Detrimentalist
  68. CRC - Archon (Neo-Detroit Techno)
  69. Released on: Various Artists - Viewpoints Chapter One
  70. Clark – Penultimate Persian (IDM)
  71. Released on: Turning Dragon
  72. ISO68 – Snaut (Downtempo/IDM)
  73. Released on: Space Frames
  74. Mathew Jonson – Symphony For The Apocalypse (Techno)
  75. Released on: Symphony For The Apocalypse: New Age Revolution EP
  76. Tayo – March Of The Soundbwoyz (TRG Remix) (Dubstep)
  77. Released on: March Of The Soundbwoyz EP
  78. Dubshape – Droplets (Early Night Mix) (Tech House)
  79. Released on: Droplets EP
  80. Obsolete Music Technology - Evening Star (Neo-Detroit Techno)
  81. Released on: Evening Star EP
  82. Len Faki – Death By House (Tech House/Techno)
  83. Released on: Various Artists - Cocoon Compilation H
  84. Underworld – Parc (Tech House/Techno)
  85. Released on: The Bells The Bells
  86. Hercules & Love Affair - Blind (Frankie Knuckles Dub) (Deep House)
  87. Released on: Blind EP
  88. Squarepusher – The Glass Road (IDM)
  89. Released on: Just A Souvenir
  90. Petar Dundov – Desert Island (Techno)
  91. Released on: Escapements
  92. Sleeparchive – Meson (Minimal Techno)
  93. Released on: Hadron EP
  94. Pendle Coven – Exigen (Dub Techno)
  95. Released on: Iamnoman EP
  96. Dreist - BingBong (Techno)
  97. Released on: BingBong EP
  98. Kontext – Falling To Weightlessness (Breaks/Glitch)
  99. Released on: Falling To Weightlessness / Aeromonarchs Attacks EP
  100. Henrik Schwarz & Âme & Dixon – D.P.O.M.B. (Version 1) (Deep House)
  101. Released on: D.P.O.M.B. EP
  102. Stewart Walker – The Stiff Materialist (Minimal Techno)
  103. Released on: Powdered I Ching EP
  104. Minilogue – Snake Charmer (Tech House)
  105. Released on: Snake Charmer EP
khriz01/14/2009

Another quality list, always look forward to these year lists you make. Will definately be downloa...err obtaining a fair few of these :) The latest Autechre album also sounds interesting.

sljiva01/17/2009

Thanks. And just download whatever you can (it's all pretty good), as long as you actually buy at least one album you find interesting.

And yeah, Quari is awesome. I'm currently around 15th listen and it's still improving and growing on me with every new listen (which can't be said for a lot of other albums released in 2008).

T1dusss05/13/2009

M83 – Couleurs (Progressive Trance)

I wouldn't call that trance :)

sljiva05/13/2009

How would you call it then?

T1dusss05/26/2009

progressive house :)

it's house all the way

sljiva05/30/2009

Arguing about what genre this track should have been put under completely misses the point M83 tried to make with it, and it doesn't really matter if it's house or trance, what matters is the mood, feelings and images you experience while listening to it. How people will label this track was probably the last thing on producer's mind, and I bet he'd laugh pretty hard if he sees this pointless discussions. I labeled it just because I label all the tracks on my annual lists (I'm definitely stopping with this practice from now on), and I labeled it prog. trance because... well it's trancey but not in that cheesy modern trance way. So, the bottom line is go ahead, call it progressive house, I'll just call it great music.