We’ve already discovered what 30 odd top DJs have picked for their tune of the year. Now it’s time for our our own team to tackle the hardest possible decision and dig deep into their own percy collections and celebrating their favourite tunes of 2016.
Bottom line: it’s a stupid list. Picking ONE tune to define a year? It’s impossible… We’ve missed out hundreds of really exciting, forward-thinking tracks by doing it this way. But when you put them altogether it actually paints a really apt picture of electronic music in 2015: from the poppy allure of Alison Wonderland to the physical rhythm pulsations of Skeptical’s Imperial by way of straight up D&B filth, dubstep funk and cinematic halftime, between the team we’ve taking a succinct snapshot of the year.
What’s your favourite tune of 2015? Let us know in the comments box..
Alison Wonderland – Games (Astralwerks)
I can’t think of a single tune this year that’s made me want to get up and dance as much as this one, taken from Alison Wonderland’s awesome debut album Run. It’s everything I love about dance music condensed into three minutes of insanely catchy beats. (Mike Atkin)
Caspa & Rusko – Blouse An Skirt (Sub Soldiers)
We were the first to learn of Caspa and Rusko’s timely reunion way back in the summer, Caspa just casually dropped the news while chatting about his third album 500 as if it was no biggie. Of course it was a biggie… And they’re making sure their reunion is executed with class; They’re not battering the big shows or lashing out track after track after track in the hope something catches, instead they’re adopting the less is more, quality over quantity all artists should consider. And it all started with Blouse An Skirt; a swaggering jam primed with synth horns and chunky groove and cheeky sample, it instantly smacks of both of their signatures: Caspa’s heaviness and Rusko’s rudeness. Above all, it FUNKS. (Dave Jenkins)
Dimension – Whip Slap (MTA)
Does much really need to be said? Ever since it was sent to DJs, you can’t stop hearing it out, and people still aren’t bored of it! It always goes off. (Luke Hood)
Eptic – Spellbound (Never Say Die)
Eptic’s Spellbound was one of the few tunes that displayed little trouble dominating both the festival stages and underground circuit. This tune essentially embodies every aspect of this producer that I’ve come to appreciate: , the wicked vocal samples, and an incredible ability to defy all musical logic or reason. It’s all so… how do you say? Perfect. (Barrett Nelson)
Kimyan Law – Chai (Blu Mar Ten Music)
One track to define the whole year? This was THE hardest choice to make but I eventually decided on Kimyan Law’s production. The use of strings, voice and (lack of) drums tick all the boxes and makes Chai an atmospheric masterpiece. A track fit for a Hollywood blockbuster and, for me, the best of 2015.(Reuben Hunt)
DRS ft. LSB & Tyler Daley – The View (Soulr)
Choosing only one tune from a year that has thrown up a glut of blinders wasn’t easy, but after much deliberation I just had to go with this one. In a relatively short period of time LSB has asserted himself as one of the finest producers around, and there was only going to be one outcome when he linked up with an MC regarded in equal stature. The duo, along with vocalist Tyler Daley, sent shivers down the spines of pretty much everyone with this thought-provoking pièce de résistance and prompted heartfelt singalongs from emotional ravers on hundreds of dance floors across the world. Everything is spot on; the lyrics, the drums, the piano, the way it makes you contemplate your own existence on this planet… (erm, too much info?) Props to LSB for reminding everyone that D&B can be one of the most emotive genres around. (Robin Murray)
Noisia & The Upbeats – Omnivore (Vision)
This track’s a classic case of a little brother being overshadowed by his bigger and fatter elder brother: released on the same EP as Dead Limit (which is universally acclaimed as the tune of 2015), Omnivore has been flying under the radar for a lot of people… it’s easily one of the hardest and underrated tunes of 2015! (Sampo Kaskia)
Sigma – Slow Down (3 Beat)
There have been some massive tunes on my playlist over 2015, but in the last month, this one came out of nowhere and blew the others out of the water. Sigma created this new-age/old school drum & bass sound that took me by surprise. Paired with some melodic vocals, I’ve been won over. Another aspect to this song that makes it so important to me is how big in North America Sigma are becoming. Their long awaited album Life features some massive names in music, and their sound is mainstream-friendly enough to help push the drum & bass culture to this side of the pond. (Tabitha Neudorf)
Signs – Acid Test (Piranha Pool)
For the 2015 favourite track the search was on for something with incredible groove, interesting sound design, solid production, a strong drop and that will easily fit into a DJ set; it goes without saying that it needs to set the dance on fiyah. Acid Test by Signs made the task simple; with this stormer of a track they have been able to do all of this and more with effortless execution. The French trio have sharpened their teeth, dived in head first and made the Piranha Pool deadlier than a Bond villain’s darkest dreams. (Matthew Chapman)
Skeptical – Imperial (Exit)
Deciding on my favourite tune of 2015 was no easy feat. I decided to choose the track that I had been chasing for what felt like a lifetime – Skeptical’s Imperial. The ever-elusive tune: We’ve all had one. A tune you hear for the first time that leaves you scrambling around the dance floor shouting “WHAT IS THIS??”, only to be met with blank stares and shrugs. The white whale, taunting you with its nameless, infectious rhythm. Imperial was most definitely my white whale, eluding me for close to a year – its hypnotic drums and tribal rhythm teasing me relentlessly.
For the longest time it seemed that no one on this planet could ID the tune, so when I finally got my hands on it, it made it all the more special. Proper tribal riddim. Skeptical continues to make sounds that make my face react as though I’ve just eaten the world’s most sour lemon. Forward-thinking and truly unique, if you haven’t had a chance to hear this one rattle through a club sound-system then you haven’t lived. Better luck next year. (Maja Cicic)
