15 Remarkably Notable Dance 12″s of 2013

Ok…so this was a pretty hard list to compile this year as there were truly TRULY a phenomenal flurry of amazing singles and remixes from industry stalwarts, comeback kids and mysterious newcomers.

I typically limit the list to 12. But frankly, this year I had trouble narrowing it down to even 15, as it was a phenomenal year in dance music.

There were big albums and big singles by big names which were remarkable, but with this I wanted less to create a list of “perfect things” and more of a range of tracks I found myself revisiting over and over again all year.

Tracks I particularly recall folks responding to or asking about. Tracks I would listen to on repeat, at times, for 40+ minutes on end trying to decipher the feeling.

It’s a pretty personal rundown and not every track may be your idea of party music, but I believe every single one of these tracks make a lasting impression.

They run the gamut from insane experimental Acid to spacey Scando Disco (with and without Samba) to Horror Disco to damaged bubblegummy Freestyle. (I even included a track that came out a couple of years ago that would have potentially remained a mystery to me for the rest of my life if Mule Musiq hadn’t reissued it as part of a retrospective.)

This list could easily have been 5 times as long, and considering the continuing growth and progress of Dance Music culture worldwide I am extremely excited to see what surprises 2014 has in store.

What tracks made an impression on you in 2013?

1. Lifting Weights – Pepe Bradock (Acid Test)

2. New York is Alright (Dr. Dunks Remix) – TV Baby (Ellum)

3. Strandbar (Samba) – Todd Terje – (Olsen)

4. Hold Up (ft. Joe Goddard) – Osborne (Ghostly Intl.)

5. Untitled – Paul Woolford (Hotflush)

6. Le Domaine Reserve du Colonel (It’s a Fine Line Remix) – Francis Bebey (Born Bad)

7. Drogato – Tambien (ESP Institute)

8. Witches – Rouge Mecanique (Pyramids of Mars)

9. Fear of Numbers (Leo Zero Alternative Dub Mix) – Footprintz (Visionquest)

10. Crybaby J – Jordan GCZ (Off Minor)

11. Do It Anyway – Locked Groove (Hotflush)

12. C with No Name – PBR Streetgang (Futureboogie)

13. Relocate (Psychemagik Remix ft. Henrietta Thrillionaire) – Kauf (Cutters)

14. Lifeissin (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) – Carmen Villian (Smalltown Supersound)

15. BIPP – Sophie (Numbers)

*** HONORABLE MENTION RELEASED IN 2011 BUT RE-RELEASED AND DISCOVERED BY ME THIS SUMMER: Lost Area (DJ Sprinkles Empty Dancefloor Mix) – June (Mule Musiq)