What a year it has been for Electronic Dance Music and House music! With charts being topped globally by talent new and seasoned, the growth of EDM and House in 2011 was amazing to see. Let’s hope next year brings even bigger and better things. But seeing as this is an article on all things House, I will try and focus on specifically on the genre. So initially I thought I’d give you my essential top 10 tracks of the year but that figure had to be revised to 15. So here goes then, the House tunes you should have in your collection. (Disclaimer: It’s been a long year and I’m a man. Therefore there may have been things which have been left out or forgotten, but this is unintentional!)
15) Dirty Talk (Bamboom’s Big Room Mix) – Wynter Gordon. Well I had to include something of my own design in this chart! But when I dropped this mix in Elements Lancaster, it did go down rather well so it can have the last spot in my chart. The reason I chose to bootleg it was because I wanted something harder with an electro edge and I was a little disappointed with Laidback Luke’s remix. But it is a free download for all you lovely people!
14) Marry The Night (Afrojack Remix) – Lady GaGa. Unbelievably good! Afrojack has had a big year and his documentary/interview was most enlightening. He hasn’t been as active this year in terms of production but this remix shows his incredible ear for blending almost classical with dirty Dutch House. It was the piano in the track which won me over and I didn’t know that Afrojack could play so beautifully. The vocal is impressive too. Kudos!
13) Stonger (Stronger Club Mix) – Erick Morillo, Eddie Thonewick & Shawnee Taylor. What purists would believe to be more traditional house, this soulful, beautiful smash truly deserves a spot on my chart. The lyrics are so uplifting and he thumping funky drop leaves Morillo and co. to be a force to be reckoned with! This is the follow up record to last year’s brilliant ‘Live Your Life’ which was awesome too.
12) Knas Is Coming Home (Marco V Mashup) – Steve Angello vs. Diddy Dirty Money. This is the work of a genius! This funky, vibrant yet mind-blowing mashup is a dancefloor weapon wherever you are. The lovely build is broken down with Steve Angello’s Knas which never fails to make body parts move.
11) Titanium (Alesso Remix) – David Guetta ft. Sia. Alesso strikes again! Guetta’s original mix was half decent but Alesso came with him melodious, big room touch to create a hands-in-the-air anthem! Sia’s vocals are amazing and Guetta’s fairly average drop is switched for a large feelgood synth-charged chorus.
10) Love Is Darkness (Original Mix) – Sander Van Doorn ft. Carol Lee. This guitar driven banger is heart-wrenching yet warm and Lee’s vocals draw you in. It has a trancey feel of which Sander Van Doorn is an expert, but the slower tempo and the regular beat and bassline mean this is firmly within the House category. And it does so well! The emotion of this track is overwhelming and the hook gets in your head and your heart. It’s a personal favourite of mine.
9) Beautiful People (Original Mix) – Chris Brown & Benny Benassi. This crossover anthem has excellent vocals and the trademark Benassi pumping house feel. The way this tune infects people, including my mother and father, is just astonishing! Who care’s if it is mainstream? If a song is very, very good (which it is), then it deserves recognition which I believe it has gotten.
8) Save The World (Original/Knife Party Remix) – Swedish House Mafia. This was one of the most eagerly awaited songs of the year… and for good reason! It has almost reached iconic status in the EDM scene for the massive hook which is so singable and so memorable! When I was DJing at a Silent Disco (for DiversityFM, thanks to all who attended, it was an excellent night!) there was not a person who wasn’t singing it. The Knife Party remix is a club destroyer and works so well when dropped at a suitable rave point. I think the SHM and Knife Party collaboration ‘Antidote’ deserves a mention here as it is very good indeed and the video is brilliant, but sadly it doesn’t make an individual appearance upon my chart. Actually, the same goes for Knife Party’s ‘Internet Friends’. Brilliantly innovative and available free as part of the 100% No Modern Talking EP from their website. Get it now!
9) Prutataaa (Original Mix) – Afrojack & R3hab. Afrojack makes another appearance upon my chart with this hard, filthy Electro/Dutch House slammer which I most eagerly awaited after seeing the studio video way back in like February or something. The massive build with the bendy plucks rising up to the massive break are punctuated with the brilliantly simple, yet devilishly effective ‘WOO!’ sample. Afrojack’s trademark big kicks and growly basslines perfectly compliment R3hab’s heavy synths making this one of my sounds of not only the summer, but of the year too! Both have had a big year but R3hab has been touring like crazy, and his energetic sets show his huge potential. His track with Swanky Tunes and Max C ‘Sending My Love’ was also a banger this year but sadly my chart is nowhere near large enough to accommodate for everything!
8) Bounce (Original/R3hab Remix) – Calvin Harris ft. Kelis. The iconic tune and fabulous vocals from Kelis means that this is a surefire winner with pretty much anyone. It’s been a massive year for Harris and his unique sound truly dominated the spotlight when he dropped this track. Play it, sing it, love it. R3hab mix… well, need I say more? For the harder floors.
7) Aphrodisiac (Hard Rock Sofa, Ivan Roudyk & LT Freak Club Mix) – DJ Ivan Roudyk feat. Shena. My anthem of the summer, a feelgood, sunny, summery track from a huge number of artists! If you haven’t heard this, then get listening! Shena’s delightful vocals are blended with some fine synth work resulting in a big, beautiful and magnificent track!
6) White Noise/Red Meat (Original Mix) – Dada Life. Accompanied by one of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen, Dada Life released this, one could say, obese record into the mix and what a record it is! With those ultra sausage fattened basslines and the in your face melody, this truly is a masterpiece of a record. Dada Life are a mental duo and I predict further big things for them next year!
5) Unison (Original Mix) – Porter Robinson. Porter Robinson is a name you should be hearing a lot of in years to come. Unison is one of the standout tracks of the year for me, with its distinctive riff and its seismic bassline! This song rattles the crap out of my house and well, out of pretty much anywhere with a half decent sound system! Porter produced this on FL Studio which myself and Dubplex amongst many others use. So I suppose there is a slight bias involved here, but hey, it’s my chart!
4) Set Fire To The Rain (Thomas Gold Remix) – Adele. The emotion of this track is truly breathtaking. The poignant piano, the perfect mixdown and the astounding vocals from Adele send shivers down one’s spine. And then, there is the drop. It’s like Scarlett Johansson’s figure. Just astounding!
3) Pressure (Alesso Remix) – Starkillers, Alex Kenji & Nadia Ali. The original was a much more minimal affair, rather like Bob Parr. However, when Alesso had finished with it, the track had been transformed into Mr Incredible. Apologies for the analogy, but it really is difficult to describe how staggering this track is! Nadia Ali’s hypnotic vocals combined with the stacked up synths and pounding bassline made this top the Beatport charts!
2) Levels (Original Mix) – Avicii (ft. Etta James). Its nearest rival for the most memorable tune of 2011 is of course, Bounce. And guess what? It wins! Avicii is the most gifted producer of his age and his future looks huger than Beyonce’s arse. And that is saying something! Etta James provides the vocals which pretty much everyone knows the words to by know (although Flo Rida has shamelessly ripped off the track!) and it is extremely sad to hear that someone so gifted has terminal illness. But the track itself is a masterpiece and my mind exploded the first time I heard that iconic piano-driven riff. Words cannot describe my immense love for this track and its creators!
1) Paradise (Fedde Le Grande Remix) – Coldplay. Sneaking in at number 1 is this. My tune of 2011 came late on in the year when Coldplay came out with Paradise. It was an incredible song to begin with, but Fedde Le Grande, the sly devil used his sublime skills to provide this slick yet masterful dancefloor bomb. I was left speechless by this emotion driven, shiver-worthy that this veteran was able to conjure up. But the reason it is number 1 is because it is in my opinion, the best and most worthy track of 2011. If you haven’t heard it, you haven’t lived. And it needs to be heard on something which can do it justice.
So, to round up then, 2011 has been an awesome year for House music and also, for me, discovering classics in my library and in CDs. It’s always good to looks back and this article has already become sausage fattened enough so let me finish by leaving you with a name which represents House music to me at its very origins. “Todd Terry”. That is all. Thank you and goodnight!
15) Dirty Talk (Bamboom’s Big Room Mix) – Wynter Gordon. Well I had to include something of my own design in this chart! But when I dropped this mix in Elements Lancaster, it did go down rather well so it can have the last spot in my chart. The reason I chose to bootleg it was because I wanted something harder with an electro edge and I was a little disappointed with Laidback Luke’s remix. But it is a free download for all you lovely people!
14) Marry The Night (Afrojack Remix) – Lady GaGa. Unbelievably good! Afrojack has had a big year and his documentary/interview was most enlightening. He hasn’t been as active this year in terms of production but this remix shows his incredible ear for blending almost classical with dirty Dutch House. It was the piano in the track which won me over and I didn’t know that Afrojack could play so beautifully. The vocal is impressive too. Kudos!
13) Stonger (Stronger Club Mix) – Erick Morillo, Eddie Thonewick & Shawnee Taylor. What purists would believe to be more traditional house, this soulful, beautiful smash truly deserves a spot on my chart. The lyrics are so uplifting and he thumping funky drop leaves Morillo and co. to be a force to be reckoned with! This is the follow up record to last year’s brilliant ‘Live Your Life’ which was awesome too.
12) Knas Is Coming Home (Marco V Mashup) – Steve Angello vs. Diddy Dirty Money. This is the work of a genius! This funky, vibrant yet mind-blowing mashup is a dancefloor weapon wherever you are. The lovely build is broken down with Steve Angello’s Knas which never fails to make body parts move.
11) Titanium (Alesso Remix) – David Guetta ft. Sia. Alesso strikes again! Guetta’s original mix was half decent but Alesso came with him melodious, big room touch to create a hands-in-the-air anthem! Sia’s vocals are amazing and Guetta’s fairly average drop is switched for a large feelgood synth-charged chorus.
10) Love Is Darkness (Original Mix) – Sander Van Doorn ft. Carol Lee. This guitar driven banger is heart-wrenching yet warm and Lee’s vocals draw you in. It has a trancey feel of which Sander Van Doorn is an expert, but the slower tempo and the regular beat and bassline mean this is firmly within the House category. And it does so well! The emotion of this track is overwhelming and the hook gets in your head and your heart. It’s a personal favourite of mine.
9) Beautiful People (Original Mix) – Chris Brown & Benny Benassi. This crossover anthem has excellent vocals and the trademark Benassi pumping house feel. The way this tune infects people, including my mother and father, is just astonishing! Who care’s if it is mainstream? If a song is very, very good (which it is), then it deserves recognition which I believe it has gotten.
8) Save The World (Original/Knife Party Remix) – Swedish House Mafia. This was one of the most eagerly awaited songs of the year… and for good reason! It has almost reached iconic status in the EDM scene for the massive hook which is so singable and so memorable! When I was DJing at a Silent Disco (for DiversityFM, thanks to all who attended, it was an excellent night!) there was not a person who wasn’t singing it. The Knife Party remix is a club destroyer and works so well when dropped at a suitable rave point. I think the SHM and Knife Party collaboration ‘Antidote’ deserves a mention here as it is very good indeed and the video is brilliant, but sadly it doesn’t make an individual appearance upon my chart. Actually, the same goes for Knife Party’s ‘Internet Friends’. Brilliantly innovative and available free as part of the 100% No Modern Talking EP from their website. Get it now!
9) Prutataaa (Original Mix) – Afrojack & R3hab. Afrojack makes another appearance upon my chart with this hard, filthy Electro/Dutch House slammer which I most eagerly awaited after seeing the studio video way back in like February or something. The massive build with the bendy plucks rising up to the massive break are punctuated with the brilliantly simple, yet devilishly effective ‘WOO!’ sample. Afrojack’s trademark big kicks and growly basslines perfectly compliment R3hab’s heavy synths making this one of my sounds of not only the summer, but of the year too! Both have had a big year but R3hab has been touring like crazy, and his energetic sets show his huge potential. His track with Swanky Tunes and Max C ‘Sending My Love’ was also a banger this year but sadly my chart is nowhere near large enough to accommodate for everything!
8) Bounce (Original/R3hab Remix) – Calvin Harris ft. Kelis. The iconic tune and fabulous vocals from Kelis means that this is a surefire winner with pretty much anyone. It’s been a massive year for Harris and his unique sound truly dominated the spotlight when he dropped this track. Play it, sing it, love it. R3hab mix… well, need I say more? For the harder floors.
7) Aphrodisiac (Hard Rock Sofa, Ivan Roudyk & LT Freak Club Mix) – DJ Ivan Roudyk feat. Shena. My anthem of the summer, a feelgood, sunny, summery track from a huge number of artists! If you haven’t heard this, then get listening! Shena’s delightful vocals are blended with some fine synth work resulting in a big, beautiful and magnificent track!
6) White Noise/Red Meat (Original Mix) – Dada Life. Accompanied by one of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen, Dada Life released this, one could say, obese record into the mix and what a record it is! With those ultra sausage fattened basslines and the in your face melody, this truly is a masterpiece of a record. Dada Life are a mental duo and I predict further big things for them next year!
5) Unison (Original Mix) – Porter Robinson. Porter Robinson is a name you should be hearing a lot of in years to come. Unison is one of the standout tracks of the year for me, with its distinctive riff and its seismic bassline! This song rattles the crap out of my house and well, out of pretty much anywhere with a half decent sound system! Porter produced this on FL Studio which myself and Dubplex amongst many others use. So I suppose there is a slight bias involved here, but hey, it’s my chart!
4) Set Fire To The Rain (Thomas Gold Remix) – Adele. The emotion of this track is truly breathtaking. The poignant piano, the perfect mixdown and the astounding vocals from Adele send shivers down one’s spine. And then, there is the drop. It’s like Scarlett Johansson’s figure. Just astounding!
3) Pressure (Alesso Remix) – Starkillers, Alex Kenji & Nadia Ali. The original was a much more minimal affair, rather like Bob Parr. However, when Alesso had finished with it, the track had been transformed into Mr Incredible. Apologies for the analogy, but it really is difficult to describe how staggering this track is! Nadia Ali’s hypnotic vocals combined with the stacked up synths and pounding bassline made this top the Beatport charts!
2) Levels (Original Mix) – Avicii (ft. Etta James). Its nearest rival for the most memorable tune of 2011 is of course, Bounce. And guess what? It wins! Avicii is the most gifted producer of his age and his future looks huger than Beyonce’s arse. And that is saying something! Etta James provides the vocals which pretty much everyone knows the words to by know (although Flo Rida has shamelessly ripped off the track!) and it is extremely sad to hear that someone so gifted has terminal illness. But the track itself is a masterpiece and my mind exploded the first time I heard that iconic piano-driven riff. Words cannot describe my immense love for this track and its creators!
1) Paradise (Fedde Le Grande Remix) – Coldplay. Sneaking in at number 1 is this. My tune of 2011 came late on in the year when Coldplay came out with Paradise. It was an incredible song to begin with, but Fedde Le Grande, the sly devil used his sublime skills to provide this slick yet masterful dancefloor bomb. I was left speechless by this emotion driven, shiver-worthy that this veteran was able to conjure up. But the reason it is number 1 is because it is in my opinion, the best and most worthy track of 2011. If you haven’t heard it, you haven’t lived. And it needs to be heard on something which can do it justice.
So, to round up then, 2011 has been an awesome year for House music and also, for me, discovering classics in my library and in CDs. It’s always good to looks back and this article has already become sausage fattened enough so let me finish by leaving you with a name which represents House music to me at its very origins. “Todd Terry”. That is all. Thank you and goodnight!
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