7) Good Will Prevail – GRiZ
Brimming with thirteen funk infused electro-bangers, GRiZ’s fifth album Good Will Prevail is the kind of LP that grabs your attention. The instrumentally inclined producer has carved out a sound all his own ranging from future funk to electro-soul, all with an intrinsic dance edge, and here we see him at the top of his game.
Tracks like “My Friends And I” and “Wicked” offer up a perfect marriage of distortion laden dubstep and funky instrumentation, while songs like “PS GFY” and “Feelin’ Fine” take the album’s swagger to new heights. In a time where too many producers are willing to play it safe, GRiZ throws caution to the wind and wins big with his undeniable charm.
6) Self Assemble – Mat Zo
Mat Zo followed up his impressive debut album this year with an equally enticing sophomore outing in Self Assemble. It’s tough to get a dance record right, but Zo remedies this by interspersing the tracklist of Self Assemble with cinematic interludes that contrast the longer efforts. While tracks like “The Enemy” and “Soul Food” impress with their funky upbeat vibes, it’s the interludes that serve as some of the album’s most interesting moments, as they put Zo’s masterful sound design on full display.
Of course there’s no shortage of upbeat tunes to keep Self Assemble balanced, with harder edged offerings like “Stereo No Aware” and “Ruffneck Bad Boy” bringing plenty of grit to the table. There’s a little bit of everything present on the LP, which helps it to feel like a proper record and a memorable one at that.