The 10 Best EDM Songs Of 2016

Despite the persistent rumors of EDM's imminent decline, dance music enjoyed a successful year in 2016, both from a critical and commercial point of view. The melding of pop and EDM that we saw alchemizing in 2015 fully solidified throughout the year, as evidenced by massive crossover hits like The Chainsmokers' "Closer" and Major Lazer's "Cold Water" with Justin Bieber. While the biggest dance music releases of the year had a tendency to feature radio friendly vocal collaborators, we've also heard a lot of producers pushing the envelope as the ever changing EDM landscape continues to evolve, with future bass arriving full force as the "it" genre of 2016. Compared to the burgeoning days of the EDM boom around 2009-2010, we're seeing producers offering up a lot more sonic diversity while taking a less rigid approach to genres, too. A lot of new faces made their mark in 2016 as well, bringing along with them a renewed sense of creativity and a forward thinking perspective that defined dance music's output throughout the year. The following list will serve as your guide to the 10 best songs EDM had to offer over the last twelve months, culminating with our pick of the best dance music song of 2016. 10) "Purple Lamborghini" - Skrillex featuring Rick Ross Skrillex and Rick Ross scored a hit earlier in the year with their collaboration “Purple Lamborghini” for the Suicide Squad soundtrack. Featuring a music video that involved the two musicians palling around with Jared Leto’s Joker, “Purple Lamborghini” is the kind of guilty pleasure banger you can blast on repeat. The track serves as another of one of Skrillex’s forays into the world of hip hop, while still delivering plenty of those “old Skrillex” vibes to satisfy on a physical level. Rick Ross dishes up some fittingly aggressive rhymes over booming 808 subs and ominous horn melodies, before squelchy bass riffs grind against massive trap rhythms in the drops. It’s not exactly a groundbreaking effort, but Skrillex loads “Purple Lamborghini” with enough firepower to make your subwoofers bark, making the song a success on a visceral level. 9) "Alone" - Marshmello Following up on his successful debut in 2015, Marshmello had another massive year in 2016 due in no small part to his smash summer hit “Alone.” Currently the song has over 200 million plays on YouTube, a fact that's indicative of just how huge the mellogang has become, which is basically the point that the music video for “Alone” drives home. “Alone” represents the culmination of Marshmello’s particular brand of gooey future trap, complete with deep bass tones and playful vocal chops set against kinetic rhythms. Some short but sweet pitch shifted vocal samples appear throughout the song to instil its message of loneliness, while the anonymous DJ crafts a sublime barrage of uplifting melodies and punchy drum hits. 8) "Let You Get Away" - Shaun Frank Shaun Frank is one of those names you should be taking note of as we move into 2017. The multi-talented producer established himself as a force to be reckoned with on a number of top notch singles throughout the year, catching listeners by the ear with his catchy brand of dancefloor magic. His collaboration with DVBBS and Delaney Jane on “La La Land” proved a hit in its own right, while Frank also helped to pen one of the biggest songs of the year, “Closer” by The Chainsmokers. His pair up with vocalist Ashe on “Let You Get Away” is a memorable outing that sports as much radio appeal as it does dancefloor sheen. Shaun Frank is no stranger to getting the most out of a pop hook, and he crafts an enticing production behind Ashe’s voice, filling the mix with upbeat hip hop rhythms and wiggly synth plucks, before nosediving into rowdy trap drops with quirky horn samples. 7) "Cold Skin" - Seven Lions And Echos Seven Lions took us by surprise when he announced back in October that he had a collaboration on the way with rising electronic duo Echos. Echos have been steadily gaining steam with their blend of drifting, downtempo productions and captivating vocals, and it speaks volumes to their talent that an artist of Seven Lions’ stature would enlist them on a track. The resulting “Cold Skin” is a hypnotic melding of their respective styles and easily ranks as a standout song from the last year. On “Cold Skin,” Echos’ Lexi crafts some haunting vocal hooks, layered over a serene assortment of icy synth melodies and organic rhythms. Few electronic acts are capable of injecting the kind of emotion into their music that Seven Lions and Echos dish up with ease on their collaborative effort, making for one of the more intriguing joint efforts throughout the year. 6) "In The Name Of Love" - Martin Garrix featuring Bebe Rexha A far cry from the type of big room material that brought Martin Garrix to prominence on his breakout single “Animals,” his summer collaboration with Bebe Rexha on “In The Name Of Love” was a major release that had the goods to back up the hype. Serving as the next step in the evolution of Garrix’s sound, “In The Name Of Love” is a great song thanks in no small part to Bebe Rexha’s sorrowful vocal contributions. Like The Chainsmokers’ “Closer,” the song utilizes the future bass meets bittersweet pop formula that became all the rage in 2016, as Garrix transforms Rexha’s acapella into a soaring melody layered over encapsulating chord splashes. While it's a sound that became absolutely over-saturated as the year pressed on, “In The Name Of Love” serves as one of the stronger offerings in this vein due to its over the top emotive quality. 5) "Arsenic" - Malaa and Maximono Malaa proved to be a dominant force in 2016, gaining support from French mainstays like DJ Snake and Tchami while resonating with club oriented audiences with his crime drenched G-House style. Characterized by muted, plucky bass tones, dark atmosphere and minimal 4x4 rhythms, the sound caught on with club goers, with Malaa becoming the (masked) face of the latest trend in house. And nothing embodies his mastery of the style better than his Maximono collaboration “Arsenic.” “Arsenic” takes off as a captivating excursion in dark, atmospheric house. The constant pounding of beefy kick drums serves as the rhythmic backdrop, as Malaa and Maximono layer in ghostly siren sequences and muffled bass notes. The effect is an intoxicating dancefloor cut that eschews the usual glitz of house in favor of a more vibey approach, a quality that has helped set Malaa apart. 4) "Purple Gusher" - Rezz REZZ was undeniably one of the breakout stars of 2016, finding a foothold among dance music fans with her hypnotic brand of industrial techno while captivating audiences with a slew of festival appearances. She dropped the Something Wrong Here EP this fall, brimming with six pummelling new tracks, including the impressive “Purple Gusher.” “Purple Gusher” embodies the qualities that have pushed REZZ’s production skills to the forefront, with slowed down four on the floor rhythms set against head rattling synth bass rhythms. With some ominous female vocal samples and haunting synth sequences sprinkled in for good measure, “Purple Gusher” offered up some much needed grit to contrast the light hearted future bass sounds that dominated the second half of 2016. 3) "So Long" - Slushii featuring Madi At this point, it’s no secret that the future bass formula dominated in 2016, becoming the latest EDM genre to fall victim to over-saturation. It’s not hard to see why the style became so popular over the last year, and luckily there were still a few producers who managed to offer up some innovation to the increasingly overcrowded market. Slushii is one such producer, and along with an impressive output in 2016 overall, his collaboration with Madi on “So Long” was one of the year’s standouts. Part of the reason Slushii has gained the kind of momentum he has is because of his ability to conjure up emotional melodies in addition to delivering top tier production quality. “So Long” is the perfect example of his bittersweet melodic approach, as he layers fluttery future bass synths against a nostalgic motif, punctuated by some seriously crisp drum hits. Couple that with some sublime music box samples and you have a formula for emotive dance music gold. 2) "Generationwhy" - ZHU Serving as the title track to ZHU's debut album from earlier this year, "Generationwhy" is the kind of song that leaves an immediate impression on you. The track would go on to receive an ambitious music video/short film with a dark, dystopian vibe, contrasting the hedonistic lyrics and dance friendly production present in the music. "Generationwhy" is a futuristic pop tune with a solid dance backbeat layered beneath catchy falsetto vocal hooks. The delayed tones of pristine synth melodies drip against a plucked chord progression, as ZHU offers up a lively rhythmic section. "Generationwhy" managed to carve out an identity all its own, further cementing ZHU as one of the best producers of the moment while standing out as one of the finest dance tracks of 2016. 1) "Shelter" - Porter Robinson and Madeon Porter Robinson and Madeon stunned listeners at the end of the summer when they released their first ever collaboration, titled “Shelter,” by surprise, followed by the announcement of a tour of the same name that is currently sweeping the nation. As musicians, Porter Robinson and Madeon share a number of qualities, both serving as forward thinking producers with a knack for composing heartfelt melodies, so it only seemed natural when the two finally teamed up on a track together. And boy did they dream up something magical with “Shelter.” We’re treated to a perfect marriage of their respective styles as they craft a production full of bittersweet vocaloid hooks, gorgeous synth work and upbeat rhythms that never detract from the song’s emotive content. Today's electronic music climate can at times seem more populated by producers than artists, and songs like "Shelter" remind us that there doesn't need to be a distinction between the two. Of all the collaborations that happened in 2016, the pairing of Porter Robinson and Madeon felt the most natural, and their work on "Shelter" easily represents a high point for dance music in 2016.