Your favorite Chicago producers are back again, recapping their favorite sounds from 2017.

As we do every year at this time, The Sights And Sounds asked some of Chicago’s favorite music producers to share their favorite tracks from the previous year.

The seventeen artists making choices this year claim a wide range of electronic music sub-genres, from bass music to house music, trance and hardstyle, to future bass and more. We asked them to choose one track that stood out as their favorite and tell us why – and to share their favorite memories and accomplishments from 2017.

Scroll down to read what your favorite Chicago producers had to say about music in 2017:

Written & Curated by: Xonic
Featured photo by: Yoder Productions

AIRBORNE

Member: Aaron Davidson (Co-founder, Delimiters)

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: “Launch Sequence” played on FSOE 525 by Aly & Fila, Opened for ATB at The MID, Tracks signed for release in 2018 on UltraViolet and Discover White, Founded The Delimiters, Closing set at Annex.

Favorite Track of 2017: Future Disciple – Adventure to the South (Robert Nickson Remix)

“This track brings back all of the feelings I felt when I first listened to trance in the 1990s. It’s got a great beat and drive and the melody is super catch and can’t get it out of my head. This is what trance means to me today – classic vibes with modern production. The new golden age.”

AUTOGRAF

Members: Mikul Wing, Louis Kha, Jake Carpenter

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Played Coachella and EDC for the first time, played Electric Forest again, started clothing line “A” by Autograf, toured worldwide, booked 2018 “Caution Live” tour

Favorite Track of 2017: Autograf – Sleepless in NYC

“This track came out right after my move to NYC this summer and help marked a new chapter in my life.” – Mikul Wing

BENTLEY DEAN

Members: Alex Bentley-Dean

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Mau5trap WAF007 release (charted #2 on iTunes dance & #1 on Beatport electro house)

Favorite Track of 2017: No Mana – Main’s Groan

“I find the track to have a unique drive to it. The sound design is different and interesting, there’s really not a lot of people making music like that.”

D2A

Members: Brian Rosin (owner, Giallo Musica)

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Playing at Annex, Estate, Key Club and Primary, Expanded Giallo Musica’s artist lineup, premiered several original productions on Beatport including “All the Colors of the Dark”

Favorite Track of 2017: Tube & Berger feat. Kingdom – Burning Road (Original Mix)

“The breathy melody on the synthesizers mixes with spacious vocals to create a song that makes you feel like you’re dancing on air. I also like that by playing with the BPM you can turn it from a deep, late night track to a better-moving, more tech-sounding track.”

DOGMA

Members: Daniel Kelly

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: New collab with Figure debuted at Lost Lands Festival to 30,000 people, Freaky Deaky with Zomboy & Dack Janiels, Surprise b2b set with Yookie at Webster Hall right before the venue closed, NSD Black Label Tour, Kreep Show Tour, Jurassic Tour

Favorite Track of 2017: Trampa – Rocket Fuel

“I was on stage at Electric Forest when Trampa opened with this and watched about 20,000 kids go up harder than anything else I saw the entire weekend. This track is THE dubstep banger of 2017.”

HI FIVE

Members: Bryan Gorecki

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: “This year I’ve been playing almost exclusively with my brother Who Cares. We’ve done festivals such as North Coast and Mainstage of Spring Awakening, and played shows frequently at places like The Mid, Annex, and Evil Olive.”

Favorite Track of 2017: Apashe – Bad Queens ft. Gabriella Hook (DISKORD Remix)

“Diskord went way off the wall from their usual style, and flipped it into a bass house anthem. Big Shout out to them and Kannibalen Records. They’ve been killing it.”

JSQUARED

Members: Josh Ramos, Josh Ravesloot

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Spring Awakening Music Festival, bass tent at North Coast Music Festival

Favorite Track of 2017: JSQUARED & Malcolm Flex- We Brought The Party

““WBTP” was special cause it’s the first track of ours that charted on a major platform (Beatport).”

LøBø

Members: Sam LoBosco

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Charted on Beatport’s Top 100 dubstep next to Datsik, Riot Ten, Zomboy and Snails. Performed at 515 Alive Music Festival and Spring Awakening, performed b2b and collaborated on a track with MAKK

Favorite Track of 2017: TYNAN – Heretics

“Tynan isnt only killing the game right now but he is also very unique to his craft. His sound design is like no one else out there and he is slowly becoming a household name. This track is heavy and one of my absolute favorites in 2017! Be looking out for more from him!”

MIELO

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Spring Awakening Music Festival, signed with Spin Artist Agency

Favorite Track of 2017: BAYNK – What You Need (feat. NÏKA) (Mielo Remix)

“This is my favorite release because it’s the most parallel sound to what I have in store for 2018.”

MILK N COOKS

Members: Adrian Westwood, Dorian Westwood

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Playing Summer Camp Music Festival once again. (“It was the highest energy, best set, biggest crowd to date that we experienced at that fest.”)

Favorite Track of 2017: CVBZ – Vicodin

“To us, it’s the perfect non generic vibey pop track, 3 minutes of unique fresh feeling bliss that’s danceable as well as something you can chill to.”

OZMITS

Members: Jeff Osimitz

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: The Cosmos 2-Track EP hit #1 on the Beatport Progressive House Charts. Featured Artist for Proton Radio, Received Support from Cosmic Gate, Direct support for Jason Ross at Sound-Bar Chicago, Played Prysm Chicago, releases on Elliptical Sun Music, Nueva Recordings

Favorite Track of 2017: Grum – Shout (Original Mix)

“Have a ton of music I would love to list however this song steals it. A mix of everything I love in Progressive House music. Takes a timeless vocal and turns it into a dance floor destroyer.”

RAAKMO

Members: Spencer Raak

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Spring Awakening Music Festival (Bass Kitchen Stage), Porn and Chicken Dance Parties, productions supported by Saymyname, Junkie Kid, Skellism, Chuckie

Favorite Track of 2017: Travis Scott – Goosebumps ft. Kendrick Lamar (Crisis Era Remix)

“I picked this track because it blends Travis Scott’s hit with the high energy world of hard music. It maintains the familiarity of a popular hip hop track while introducing heavy and hard hitting sounds. That type of combination is really fun to play out and always gets a great response from the crowd.”

SN0WMASS

Members: Ian Snow

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Highlights: “Finished two albums worth of music, put together a team, rebranded, refocused, went full snowman.” Played Global Dance Festival, Beta Nightclub, Provided support for Ghastly at the Mid, played House of Blues

Favorite Track of 2017: Inzo – Visionaries ft. Novet

“Just when I thought future bass was dead, my dude INZO came in hot on the collab with Novet. Some future bass-bounce-melodic hip-hop sheit all crammed into one fire track. Plus the message hits right at home – “focused on the enterprise, positively energized.”

STEVE GERARD

(1/2 of Servante)

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Reaction NYE, Spring Awakening Music Festival, playing Green Velvet’s Relief stage at Mamby on the Beach, 4 releases out on major labels this year, all charting top 50 in their respective genres

Favorite Track of 2017: Trus’Me – Our Future (Answer Code Request)

“Instead of giving a reason why I liked the track, I’d rather give you more suggestions. Techno track of the year is Jamie Anderson – Event Horizon (Satoshi Fumi Remix), and if you want to hear the best album of the last six or seven years, listen to Circa Survive – The Amulet.”

TSUNAMI

Members: Erik Johnson (owner, Afterlife)

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Collaboration with Mike Vale released on Toolroom Records’ Ibiza 2017 compilation and was supported by Mark Knight, opened for Tiesto during Lollapalooza official pre-party, Booked and supported Sander Kleinenberg, Roger Sanchez, Nora En Pure, Umek, Prok & Fitch, The Crystal Method, and EDX for Afterlife.

Favorite Track of 2017: Biscits – Real Low (Billy Kenny Remix)

“While it wasn’t the biggest track of the 2017, I would have to say I picked it based on considering it my “secret weapon” track of the year. I dropped this in the majority of my sets over the past few months and it was an instant game changer in making the room go absolutely bananas”

WHO CARES

Members: Jon Gorecki

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Spring Awakening Music Festival (main stage), North Coast Music Festival, direct support for Flux Pavilion and Joyryde, track supported by Fedde Le Grand

Favorite Track of 2017: NOISIA – Get Deaded (Moody Good Remix)

“Something about this song just gets me really on a different level. The sound design and technical aspects are incredible and the arrangement is killer. Something about a really fantastic dubstep track really gets me going, despite leaning more towards house myself.”

WIN & WOO

Members: Austin Woo, Nick Winholt

2017 Highlights & Affiliations: Played 20-stop fall tour nationwide, Electric Forest Festival, Something Wonderful

Favorite Track of 2017: Big Wild – When I Get There

“Such a jam, we played it in most sets this year. Was really pumped to see him put out some more solid music after “Aftergold”! Good vibes.”

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