For the second year in a row, the shutdown and stop/start reopening of the global dance scene made us consider the function of dance music itself.
Certainly the genre’s most traditional mode of consumption is through massive speakers at clubs and festivals, and — finally — that did type of consumption did happen this year, as venues cautiously welcomed back fans after going dark during the pandemic. Despite this return of live music, the fact remained that during much of 2021, gathering en masse was still often taboo — an existential challenge that persists as we once again survey shutdowns with the rise of COVID-19 infection rates. For many in the dance scene, the question remained: what was music intended to make large groups of people dance together really for, when that music cannot be played in its natural habitat?
In 2021, this question was answered in a thousand ways: the energetic lift you felt when blasting a new track through your headphones, the sense of joy inherent in playing music really loud in your car, the connection you felt when passing a song to your friends, those moments during your work-from-home day when you realized you were nodding your head to the beat. While the function of dance music in 2021 was largely personal, the freedom and catharsis inherent to this genre remained available, even if we were dancing on our own.
Here are Billboard‘s picks for the 40 best dance/electronic songs of 2021, presented in alphabetical order by artist.
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ACRAZE, "Do It To It"
One of the biggest dance hits of the year was built on the 2006 Cherish R&B single of the same name, as New York producer ACRAZE broke out with the concise two minute and 37-second dance tutorial (“Bounce with it, pop with it, lean with it, rock with it”). The dance scene was particularly wild about high-profile sampling this year, with artists like Chris Lorenzo and Jamie Jones scoring hits via heavy lifts from The Mamas & The Papas and Soft Cell, respectively, but this year no sample “did it” more successfully than this bouncy and utterly undeniable jam. — KATIE BAIN
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Austin Millz & Aluna, “Gold”
While many New York City neighborhoods are synonymous with various subgenres of dance and electronic music, Harlem hasn’t traditionally been one of them. DJ/producer Austin Millz is poised to change that: after boosting his profile with remixes for artists like Louis the Child and Grouplove, Millz drafted Aluna for the resplendent hip-house/soul jam, “Gold.” A studio savant, Millz keeps the genre-bending fresh, aligning himself with a century of culture remixing that itself is quintessentially Harlem. — ZEL MCCARTHY
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Bleu Clair, AC Slater, Kate Wild, “Green Light”
When two bass music producers collaborate, we don’t typically expect a piano house bop. Perhaps it’s the influence of singer/songwriter Kate Wild, but on their first release for Tiësto’s Musical Freedom label, DJ/producers Bleu Clair and AC Slater deliver the catchiest club track of their discographies to date. Remixes from Flava D and 12th Planet bring the bass back for those who missed it, but even in its original form, this track is house perfection in under three minutes. — Z.M.
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Caribou, “You Can Do It"
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo As Caribou’s mastermind Dan Snaith put it to Billboard in November, “You Can Do It” is the work of a “naive optimist.” Produced in response to the excitement Snaith felt about the COVID-19 vaccine then released in August, with the world tentatively opening up again, the song combines lush synth chords with a gleeful vocal refrain that never pauses for breath. While it might’ve stuck out on Caribou’s 2020 album, Suddenly, “You Can Do It” perfectly met its moment. The music video of cute dogs frolicking through fields didn’t hurt, either. — JACK TREGONING
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The Chemical Brothers, “The Darkness That You Fear”
After giving us one of the best albums of 2019 with No Geography, the Chemical Brothers spent much of the pandemic in rave limbo. By April 2021, though, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons were ready to let some light in. Released as a standalone single, “The Darkness That You Fear” is much more optimistic than the title suggests, anchoring light-as-air vocals with that distinctive Chems heft. The brilliant music video by director and animator Ruffmercy combines archival nineties rave footage with hand-drawn animation, creating a welcome pop of color and joy. — J.T.
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Chris Lake & NPC, “A Drug From God”
Chris Lake’s releases were limited this year, with the U.K.-born, L.A.-based artist issuing just two edits and two original singles in 2021 — but what he dropped hit hard. The heaviest dose of dance floor hedonism came via “A Drug From God,” Lake’s November collaboration with NPC, the A.I. girl group project from Grimes. “Money, power, beauty, fame / Choose your weapon to beat the game / Money is power, and art is fraud and love is just a drug from God,” Grimes announces in one of the dance scene’s realest lyrical declarations of the year, while Lake creates a foundation for this topline with a woozy, wind-up production that itself hits like a rush of serotonin to the brain. — K. Bain
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Cosha & Shygirl, “Lapdance From Asia”
Though her critically acclaimed Mt. Pleasant project dropped in July, Cosha finishes 2021 as enigmatic a figure as she started it. The debut from the Irish chanteuse kept listeners rapt and guessing throughout, aided by producers like Vampire Weekend’s Rostam, U.K. underground techno up-and-comer Loraine James, and Mura Masa. The latter helms standout “Lapdance From Asia,” in which a surprisingly subdued Shygirl undulates over refreshingly live percussion. Indeed, Cosha’s penchant for unpredictability is matched only by the seduction of her sound. — Z.M.
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DJ Minx, “Purse First”
There’s a scene in the 1996 movie The Birdcage in which Hank Azaria’s Agador asks Christine Baranski’s Katherine, “May I take your purse as usual… or for the first time?” The line has become a sort of code within gay communities for when you don’t know if someone is out. After decades on the techno scene as a DJ, producer, and label head, DJ Minx made it clear on “Purse First”: she is out, proud, and unafraid to get loud. — Z.M.
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Duke Dumont & Channel Tres, “Alter Ego”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo In Duke Dumont and Channel Tres’ fire summer collaboration, we learn both their artist names are their alter egos. (“Everybody needs an alter ego,” Dumont declares as the track heats up.) Propelled by a bouncy, pulsing beat, spacey synths, programmed hand claps and the Compton vocalist/producer’s lyrical flexes, “Alter Ego” was the perfect track to get hyped as we ventured back to clubs with our vaccine cards and rusty social skills. British tech house maestro Dumont dropped “Alter Ego” as part of his long-running For Club Play Only EP series, and it was also one of six fire collabs Channel spit pure swag on in 2021. — ANA MONROY YGLESIAS
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Elohim, “Go Through It”
The only good thing about 2020 was the collective social uprising. Racial and gender inequality? Stupid jobs that underpay and overwork? Not talking about the stifling anxiety we all totally feel? We’re done with that, and L.A.-based producer/singer/truth-teller Elohim was, too. On “Go Through It,” from the second installation of her trio of 2021 Journey To The Center Of Myself EPs, she puts a funky dance beat to her BS — “I don’t care what you think/F–k what you people think/I gotta go through it/So let me go through it” — and invites us all to dance through the darkness. As 2021 also sometimes demonstrated, there’s light on the other side, and seeing basking in it is worth the battle — especially when Elohim brings the soundtrack. — KAT BEIN
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Farruko, “Pepas”
Puerto Rican rapper Farruko came through with a multi-format smash when he released “Pepas” in June, with the song simultaneously hitting No. 1 on both the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and Hot Latin Songs charts. Among the song’s team of producers was rising Colombian producer Victor Cárdenas, who pushed genre boundaries by infusing the sinewy track with Colombian guaracha, his Latin take on tribal house. Farruko’s mighty voice turned this ode to raging the night away (lyrics translate to “wild, drugged, what a freaking vibe!”) into a global anthem, with DJs including David Guetta, Tiësto and Benny Benassi all remixing the hit. — LUCAS VILLA
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Felix Cartal & Karen Harding, “Only One”
Never one to delay his fans’ gratification, Canadian DJ/producer/songwriter Felix Cartal delivered most tracks from his fourth LP, Expensive Sounds For Nice People, in advance of the album’s June drop. Amid the bounty, Karen Harding’s well-heeled soprano makes “Only One” a standout. It not only emerges as the big roller among a string of substantial singles from Cartal, it also sits at the apex of an album that the world’s biggest pop producers would be wise to envy. — Z.M.
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Flight Facilities & Channel Tres, “Lights Up”
With seven years between albums, Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell of Flight Facilities knew the first single off their new LP, Forever, had to make waves, and “Lights Up” aced the assignment, full stop. With one track, the duo reminded fans of their connection to heavy disco and their effortless ability to blend genre lines. Channel Tres is another artist with that skill, and his silky-smooth raps coast on the chunky grooves like an aircraft gliding at 35,000 feet. — HARRY LEVIN
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Fred Again & The Blessed Madonna, “Marea (We've Lost Dancing)”
An unimaginable three-word statement in the electronic world following any year but 2020, “We’ve Lost Dancing” was a bitterly undeniable fact of the pandemic’s first year. An inspired move, then, by U.K. producer Fred Again to turn the phrase — sampled via a voice memo from acclaimed house DJ the Blessed Madonna, whose real name (Marea Stamper) lends the song its main title — into a rallying cry for one of the year’s most undeniable bangers, with an unforgettable and impressively resilient synth hook twisting around Stamper’s laments. The song was a breakout hit, but it doesn’t feel like a victory lap — with the light melancholy of the backing groove and the anxiousness remaining within the vocal sample comes a sort of implied warning: And if we’re not careful, we could still lose it again. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER
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Gorgon City & DRAMA, “You’ve Done Enough”
Heartbreak is a window to the soul, and Gorgon City convey that message brilliantly in the lead single from their escapist, pandemic-era LP, Olympia. Featuring Chicago-based R&B-meets-dance duo DRAMA, this highly percussive and fast-moving vocal cut transcends the realm of party-ready house and emerges as an anthem about perceived self-worth. Sometimes the only way to build a new world for oneself is to burn the old one to the ground. Who’s got a match? — M.V.
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Illenium Feat. iann dior, “First Time”
On his Grammy-nominated 2021 LP Fallen Embers, future bass leader Illenium leans into his emo/pop-punk influences with featured collaborators including Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge and Angels & Airwaves. But iann dior will not be left out of this aspect of the album, with the rapper singing his vocals on love anthem “First Time” with the nasally tone and cocky assurance familiar to anyone who’s ever shopped at Hot Topic. These vocals play over the soaring production that has become Illenium’s signature, altogether creating a single one simply can’t help but sing along to. — K. Bain
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Jax Jones, “Feels”
If bliss and endorphin-releasing sunshine had a sound, “Feels” would be it. The single is taken from Jax Jones’ Deep Joy EP — and we’re entirely here for anything that feels this, well, joyful. The vibrant tune takes a nod at the ‘90s house scene, rich with the feeling of freedom in pursuing the perfect night out of dancing. As parts of the world begins to slowly reopen, “Feels” is just the effervescent bop we all need to settle back into our groove. — GABRIELLE NICOLE PHARMS
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Jessie Ware, “Please”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Jessie Ware’s fourth album, What’s Your Pleasure?, may have topped Billboard’s Best dance albums of 2020 list, but she wasn’t done just yet. On the LP’s deluxe edition, bonus track “Please” brings bubbling ‘80s-inspired electronics, a swelling gospel chorus and romantic fantasy — but instead of doing the pining, Ware makes them work for her affections with her sultry murmur: “Heaven’s where we’re headed / I meant it when I said it / If you want yours, I gotta get mine.” Please and thank you. — K.R.
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Jungle Feat. Bas, "Romeo "
U.K. electronic duo Jungle expanded their terrain for third album Loving in Stereo this year, seemingly re-energized by adjusting to a newly collaborative approach. Dreamville rapper Bas joins in the fun for album highlight “Romeo,” a joyous, rope-jumping jaunt with the same kind of open-air enthusiasm that’s breezed through the last couple Avalanches albums. Unlike the Basement Jaxx classic of the same name from 20 years earlier, this “Romeo” doesn’t have love on its mind, but Bas does spit with the brio of a man who has had enough of keeping quiet about all this stuff: “2010 they tried to end me, glad to see the bullets off/ 2020 Grammy-nominated, bet we going off.” – A.U.
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Kah-Lo, “Fire”
Nigerian singer-songwriter Kah-Lo offered a clear warning on this June anthem, announcing, “Look, don’t touch the merch/You could get burnt, and it’s safety first/Burns on your tongue when you quench your thirst/Bitch is on fire, we on high alert.” She wasn’t kidding. A standout single from Kah-Lo’s excellent debut EP, The Arrival, this pulsing killer-queen anthem is as scorching as its title, and we are all the match when this busts over the dance floor. — K. Bein
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Kylie Minogue & Dua Lipa, “Real Groove” (Studio 2054 Version, Initial Talk Remix)
Last year, Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue teamed up with Dua Lipa for a new version of “Real Groove,” from Minogue’s 2020 album Disco. Then in March, Japanese producer Initial Talk remixed this collaboration, turning it into a true duet. Their previously layered vocals were separated, which allowed the women to play off each other in the ’80s-centric edit. Initial Talk also backed this dream team with retro synth-pop reminiscent of Minogue’s early days and completely in line with Lipa’s Future Nostalgia aesthetic. The irresistible remix felt familiar, yet fresh, while reiterating Queen Kylie’s staying power on the dance floor. — L.V.
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LP Giobbi & Kaleena Zanders, “Carry Us”
You want a sound to describe the year? This spine-tingling collaboration from the piano house queen and power-soul maven is that tune, capturing the rising action and urgent freedom cry of every vaccinated partygoer who felt the courage to gather elbow-to-elbow with music lovers once again. LP Giobbi — who had a breakout year, with what felt like a constant stream of piano-charged dance floor fire — contributed melodic stabs, while power-lunged vocalist Kaleena Zanders possessed a fighter spirit that’s the level of “yes” we wanna take with us into 2022. — K. Bein
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LSDXOXO, "Sick Bitch"
Months before LSDXOXO’s “Sick Bitch” was announced as the lead single from the producer’s Dedicated 2 Disrespect EP, the song went viral on TikTok thanks to a clip from a VTSS livestream in which LSDXOXO drones, “I’m a sick bitch and I like freak sex.” A sweaty warehouse anthem, it revels in its raunchiness with tongue firmly in cheek, providing a soundtrack to unabashed personal expression for ravers and TikTokers alike. — K.R.
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Marshmello & Nitti Gritti Feat. Megan Thee Stallion, “Bad Bitches”
Marshmello and L.A.-based duo Nitti Gritti swing for the fences with this tech-house heater from ‘Mello’s 2021 surprise-drop album, Shockwave. Here, thick bass rolls like a riptide, while glitch-y synths and propulsive percussion give this one a nearly out-of-control vibe before Megan Thee Stallion drops in to announce, “If you a motherf–king hot girl, no matter what season it is, make some motherf–kin’ noise.” The production trio then proceed to do exactly that, taking an already hyphy track up another few levels and into pure deliriousness. — K. Bain
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Mikey Lion, “Above The Clouds”
Mikey Lion built the whimsical, psychedelic community of Desert Hearts in the dust with his three cohorts, Marbs, Porky, and Lee Reynolds. But with the release of his excellent debut album, For The Love, he took his solo career to new heights. “Above The Clouds,” the album’s opener, ascends far beyond the drum-heavy tracks he composed for the Desert Hearts dance floor, with melodies that glimmer like that first bit of sun after the end of a storm, and a bridge of urgently funky piano stabs that add levity to the soaring production. — H.L.
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Mila Jam, "It's Raining Them"
In the nearly 40 years since it was first recorded by west coast disco duo The Weather Girls, “It’s Raining Men” has been interpreted by many disco divas and gay icons — from RuPaul to Geri Halliwell — but remained largely unchanged through it all. That is, until trans artist Mila Jam made a simple change to Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer’s lyrics, transforming the song into a gender-inclusive anthem. “It’s Raining Them” earnestly celebrates dance floor diversity without losing the original’s fabulous camp. — Z.M.
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Moore Kismet & WYN, “Rumor”
Written on the night that the singular teenage producer Moore Kismet contemplated suicide, “Rumor” is an emotional trap cut that cuts deep indeed. WYN’s rich vocals convey a devastating narrative that’s sure to resonate with anyone who’s felt terrified of the prospect of simply being themselves. Powerful lyrics paired with Moore Kismet’s inimitable sound design treatment made this manic, glitch-laden production one of the year’s most moving (and memorable) singles. Thankfully, Moore Kismet didn’t succumb to the ruthless whispers of a hurtful rumor, and bass music is all the more interesting these days with them as a major player. — MEGAN VENZIN
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Muzi, “Interblaktic”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo “Afrofuturism has a way of cancelling dope artists… because it means we are only dope in the future,” Muzi told Pan African Music in an interview. “I think that we’ve always been great and are presently great too…” On “Interblaktic,” the South African artist oozes confidence and swagger as fluid as the Chicago-house-inspired production his vocals skywalk over. “Interblaktic” is equal declaration and celebration of Muzi’s self and people, punctuated by an ultimatum: “Love it or move over.” — K.R.
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Octo Octa, “Find Your Way Home”
On her Bandcamp page, Octo Octa describes her mission as, “Constantly attempting to make work that will have you smiling, crying, screaming, and dancing.” Released in February of this year on the T4T LUV NRG label she runs with Eris Drew, the producer’s She’s Calling EP features three songs that ride that emotional rollercoaster. “Find Your Way Home,” the EP’s eight-minute centerpiece, is pure jubilation, switching from chunky, head-down house to tingly atmospherics to wobbly breakbeats. In other words, “Find Your Way Home” is a pure expression of the generous, body-moving energy Octo Octa brings every time she DJs. — J.T.
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PinkPantheress, “Pain"
A university-age TikTok sensation with an apparent fondness for dance hits released just before she was born, U.K. singer-songwriter PinkPantheress had one of the year’s most delirious pop releases in debut LP To Hell With It, a 10-song set clocking in at under 19 minutes. The album was led with breakthrough single “Pain,” a sublimely resigned and smartly understated hit about obsessing over a relationship that went sour quicker than expected: “You told me it wasn’t over, and that we’d be together soon/ But was this before or after you told me to leave the room?” The sample of Sweet Female Attitude’s 2000 hit “Flowers” is inspired not just for its irresistible garage bounce, but for the way PinkPantheress’ gently stalkerish energy here twists the memory of that song’s ecstatic original hook (“I’ll bring you flowers in the pouring rain/ Living without you is driving me insane”) to something weird and obsessive — while sounding sweet enough that you still can’t help feel for her as she offers her final round of dejected “La, la-la-la-la, la-la”s. — A.U.
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Porter Robinson, “Look at the Sky”
Music is a friend to lonely souls, and that sentiment feels particularly true among the fandom of Porter Robinson. When the earnest artist sings “Look at the Sky,” it all at once feels like a warm hug and a shoulder to cry on. The song — released in January as the fourth single from his hotly anticipated and well-received sophomore album Nurture — is bombastic yet tender, a rally cry that encourages all of us to simply look up and find beauty in the moment, however light or dark that sky may be. Nurture may have gotten snubbed by the Grammys, but the album and this — one of the LP’s brightest and most resonant jams — brought joy to many. — K. Bein
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Purple Disco Machine, Moss Kena, The Knocks, "Fireworks"
Hearing Purple Disco Machine, The Knocks and Moss Kena’s “Fireworks” in the middle of February didn’t just feel like early summer — it felt like hope. The funky bassline and tropical steel drums are enough to daydream of future island getaways, but it’s the childlike chorus seeking “better days and tomorrows” that hits you deeper than expected. Its optimism transcended dance floors as well, getting play during the Grammy awards broadcast as well as on CBS bumpers. — K.R.
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Rezz + Deathpact, “Chemical Bond”
Canadian EDM queen REZZ teased her fourth album, Spiral, by leading with its first track, “Chemical Bond,” featuring return collaborator and the mysterious producer Deathpact. A carnival-esque quick and dirty (under two-and-half minutes!) bass-rattler, “Chemical Bond” hits hard in its brief time span and sets the tone for the rest of the equally captivating (and banging) LP, for which the LED-glasses-rocking DJ/producer brings in eight more collaborators to her fun house, from Metric to Dove Cameron. The song also found Apple getting experimental, when the company used it in a recent commercial for the new Macbook Pro. — A.M.Y.
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RÜFÜS DU SOL, “Next To Me”
Over four studio albums, Aussie trio RÜFÜS DU SOL have developed a signature sound forged on lush walls of sound, resonant melodies and earnest lyrics about the highs and lows of love. These elements come together with particular effectiveness (and effervescence) on “Next To Me,” the lead single from the group’s fourth album, Surrender. This one is all about longing, with singer Tyrone Lindqvist embracing the gently masculine with lyrics about the glory of the warmth of your hand in his, as gradually building beats and a release that feels like being enveloped by a warm wave adds heft to this swirl of emotion. — K. Bain
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SG Lewis & Nile Rodgers, “One More”
Let’s face it — we were straight-up thirsty for all-nighters following the bleak era of 2020 where such luxuries came few and far between. “One More” thus felt like a fantastical throwback when it dropped at the top of 2021, as it heralded a bygone feeling that seemed unreachable as clubs sat shuttered. Now it ‘s the oh-so-relatable banger that we deserve to hear via amplified sound. Wrapped in the sparkly, nu-disco strums of living legend Nile Rodgers, “One More” tells the story of how the simple choice to stay for one more song can transform a fun night into a truly unforgettable one. Oh, how we missed the shenanigans. Thanks for keeping the dream alive, SG. — M.V.
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Shift K3y Feat. Tinashe, "Love Line"
It’s rare when an established artist truly reintroduces themselves, yet in 2021, London-based DJ/producer Shift K3y did it — twice. In January, he delivered a bouncy, yearning club banger with house siren Karen Harding in the form of “Morning” for Ultra Records. Then in April, he returned with a bouncy, sassy, electro banger with R&B siren Tinashe (who ought to be making more dance music) in the form of “Love Line” for Positiva Records. Shift K3y, we hardly knew ye! — Z.M.
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Skrillex, Starrah, Four Tet, “Butterflies”
The bonafides on this record are almost an embarrassment of riches. In addition to the three artists on the track, pop songwriter Bibi Bourelly picks up a writing credit here, too, forming what could be considered the year’s least likely supergroup. The result is a pop song that sounds like it’s been turned inside out, seared on its side, and massaged hypnotically by Four Tet’s beat-making fingers. Can this be the future of pop music, please? — Z.M.
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Swedish House Mafia, “Lifetime”/”It Gets Better”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Just when all seemed dark in the world, in came supergroup Swedish House Mafia shining as a beacon of hope with two brilliant bangers, “It Gets Better” and “Lifetime,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and 070 Shake. Unveiled days apart in July, the singles were the first releases from SHM in eight years. On the anthemic “It Gets Better,” there are elements of bass-heavy techno, a clanging drop, and a thumping bass line that feels more nighttime Berlin rave than the sunny music festival vibe of the “Don’t You Worry Child” of yesteryear. But does it really get any better? It does. The group then dropped “Lifetime,” a mesmerizing earworm with dreamy synths and a body roll-inducing beat. While we don’t know what the future holds, we do know SHM’s debut full-length album, Paradise Again, will come just in time. — G.N.P.
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Tokimonsta & VanJess, “Say Yes”
Floetry’s 2003 seductive jam, “Say Yes,” got a smooth update courtesy of Tokimonsta and Nigerian-American sister duo VanJess, who added sophisticated future house production and a lot of warm vocal “mmmmm’s.” The result was an altogether enticing fresh take on a throwback worthy of the attention. “The original ‘Say Yes’ was a song that encompassed the deeper meanings of openness and love,” Toki said when the song was released in June. “Though the pandemic has been challenging, I felt inspired to tap into that introspection and reinterpret this song with the help of the incredible VanJess.” — K. Bain
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Uniiqu3, “Microdosing”
Though she may have crowned herself the Jersey Club Queen, few would dare contest Uniiqu3’s throne. In advance of her Heartbeats EP in October — her first release on U.K. indie Local Action — the DJ/producer/rapper from Newark dropped a handful of singles, including the pulsating “Microdosing,” in which she directs a lover to “stop microdosing my love.” Was it also a command to us listeners? If so, the beat alone offers ample justification to mainline whatever sound she wants to deal. — Z.M.