4) Woman – Justice
After a five years hiatus, Justice returned in full force this year with their third LP Woman, a sprawling post-disco opus led by singles like “Safe And Sound” and “Randy.” On Woman, the French electro duo offer up a logical progression from the funk tinged blog house sound that brought them to prominence a decade ago.
Across ten tracks, Justice eschew electronic textures in favor of intricately produced instrumental dance tracks that touch on the disco hallmarks that have so informed their sound. Woman was easily one of the more anticipated records of the last year, and luckily Justice are able to cash in on that hype with a satisfying romp that justifies the lengthy break between albums.
3) 3 – Netsky
Led by the liquid funk single “Rio,” Netsky’s third album, the appropriately titled 3, ranked as one of the more notable efforts to come out of dance music in 2016. The Belgian producer refines his drum and bass leanings with undeniable pop appeal, as he crafts emotive productions that allow his vocal collaborators to soar.
Songs like “Who Knows” and “Birds Of Paradise” offer up moving melodies and somber vocals layered over cascading breakbeats, bringing a sense of gravitas that we don’t get enough of in electronic music. The dnb oriented material is broken up by efforts like “Go 2” and “Leave It Alone,” which bring a funky edge to the record and add some rhythmic variation. Overall, 3 is a solid outing that helped bring the often under-appreciated drum and bass genre to prominence in 2016.
