Seeing as we’re a Chicago based music blog, we though it only appropriate to reach out to some of the Windy City’s most talented and prominent DJs and artists and ask them what they thought of music in 2013. Choosing their top 5 tracks of the year wasn’t an easy task for some of these guys, but the picks are in and now you can find out what some of the hottest tracks of 2013 were through the eyes of some of the best talent in Chicago! Some artists have expounded on their choices, which I’ve included as well. So keep on reading and enjoy the sound selection below.
Anthony Attalla
1. Audio Junkies – Bird On A Wire (Original Mix)
2. Hunter_Game – Don’t Feel The Presence (Original Mix)
3. Jamie Jones, Luca C – Tonight In Tokyo (Breach Remix)
4. Foals – My Number (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)
5. Andhim – Boy Boy Boy (Original Mix)
Kalendr
1. Tritonal – Now or Never ft Phoebe Ryan
2. Inphinity & Kalendr – Lost In The City ft Tamra Keenan
3. EC Twin, Kalendr ft Koko Laroo – Set The World On Fire
4. Dannic – Clobber
5. Damitri Vegas, Like Mike, Moguai Mammoth
Milk N Cookies
1. Martin Garrix – Animals (Milk N Cookies Remix)
2. Milk N Cookies – Mastadon
3. Milk N Cookies – Titanic
4. Milk N Cookies – Ghosts
5. Milk N Cookies – Fall Semester
1. Marvin Gaye – Grapevine (Autograf Remix)
2. I Am Legion – Choosing For You
3. Disclosure – You & Me (Flume Remix)
4. Midnight Conspiracy & DJ Funk – Tits In My Face ft. Fast Eddie (CENOB1TE Remix)
5. Wuki – Jolt
Orville Kline
1. Disclosure – Latch (Original Mix)
2. Flosstradamous & DJ Sliink – Crowd Control (Original Mix)
3. Porn And Chicken – Bone Spaceman (Mashup)
4. David Falk – House Of God (David Jones Remix)
5. Meowski666 – Meow Machine (Original Mix)
Animale
1. Disclosure – Voices
2. Avicii – Long road to hell
3. Eric Prydz – Everyday
4. Knife Party – EDM Death Machine
5. Hardwell – Apollo
Manic Focus
1. Exmag – Tilt Mode (Feat. Gibbz)
2. GRiZ – DTW To DIA (the Travels Of Mr. B)
3. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – Can’t Hold Us Ft. Ray Dalton (Big Gigantic Remix)
4. Kill Paris – Catch You
5. Michal Menert – Eventide [Elements: Part 3]
*Honorable mention: Break Science – Seven Bridges EP
Edamame
1. Jordan Rakei – Imagine (Moods remix)
Moods, a producer from the Netherlands, is near the top of my list of favorite producers. He took the already amazing vocals of Jordan and added his touch of hip-hop influenced chilled out vibes to turn this track into one of the catchiest songs I heard this year. It literally gets stuck in my head multiple times a day.
2. Disclosure – Help Me Lose My Mind (ft. London Grammar)
With the help of London Grammar’s vocals, this was hands down one of the grooviest and most 80’s sounding tracks I heard this year. It always made me dance.
3. Handbook – Sand Through Fingers
I love literally just about everything that Handbook releases, but this track especially makes you feel like it’s summertime.
4. Toro y Moi – So Many Details (Remix ft. Hodgy Beats)
I’ve been a big fan of Toro for a while now, and when I heard So Many Details of his newest album Anywhere In Return, it pretty much blew all of my past Toro y Moi favorites out of the water. THEN I heard the remix he did of his own track with Hodgy Beats and it blew the original out of the water!
5. Bonobo – Antenna
Bonobo is another one of my favorite producers out there who has mastered the organic feels. Off of his newest album The North Borders, he has a track titled Antenna which has a perfect blend of organic sounds and atmosphere accompanied by a soft voice merely saying different “ooohs”. It has almost an Asian vibe to it, which I’m a big fan of.
DangerWayne
1. Disclosure – Latch (Original Mix)
2.CLMD feat. Froder – Stockholm Syndrome (Original Mix)
3.Hot Natured feat. Anabel Englund – Reverse Skydiving (Original Mix)
4. Tritonal – Still With Me (Seven Lions Remix)
5. Moguai – Champs (Original Mix)
Kings Of Class
1. Prok & Fitch – Diva (Original Mix)
2. Fussy Boy Vs. Example – We’ll Be Golden Back (Kings Of Class Smashup)
3. Dusky – Rise For Love (Original Mix)
4. Tradelove – Street Player (Club Mix)
5. Mark Knight & Funkagenda – Man With The Red Face (Rene Amesz Remix)
Xonic
1. Mat Zo – Lucid Dreams
Zo released his album “Damage Control” this year to much critical and fan acclaim. This ethereal, melodic, and energetic track personifies the wide range of sound Zo has come to master.
2. Green Velvet – Bigger than Prince (Hot Since 82 Remix)
The deep house genre saw a huge surge in popularity in 2013 and few artists saw more success than Hot Since 82. His rework of this Green Velvet track ranks at the top of the list to listen and to play in a variety of club environments.
3. TJR – What Up Suckaz
2013 also saw the rise of the “melbourne bounce” genre of dance music. Few tracks saw more commercial success than this TJR banger, due to its extremely energetic drop and near flawless composition and production.
4. BT – Skylarking
Grammy award-winning producer BT has enjoyed the utmost respect of his peers for many years now, and this beautiful journey of almost 11 minutes of wordless light progressive adventure is a great example of why.
5. Madeon – Technicolor
The 19-year old whiz kid of the intelligent pop-dance music scene continues to astound with his production and composition. Technicolor is brilliant, dynamic, energetic, and moving. A personal favorite that I started my set for several big shows with, including North Coast Music Festival.
Bill Basil (Billy the Kid)
1. Thomas Schumacher feat Catlin Devlin – Every Little Piece (Hot Since 82 Remix)
2. Artful Dodger – Please Dont Turn Me On feat Lifford (Disclosure Remix)
3. UMEK – Cvile Mi Jaja
4. Bones & Tom De Strip – Shake & Bake
5. Dj Bam Bam – Barbaric
Augie De LaRosa
1. Groovebox – Brooklyn
2. Mark Knight – House Negro
3. Filterheadz – True Light
4. Phunk Investigation – Vroom (David Penn Remix)
5. Mikel E. & Soulrack – Orange Room (Technasia Queen’s Day Remix)
D1rty No1ze
1. Disclosure – When A Fire Starts To Burn
2. The Chainsmokers – Talk is Cheap (Marquee Sunrise edit)
3. Seven Lions – Strangers
4. Bruno Mars – Locked Out of Heaven (Sultan & Ned Shepard)
5. Breach – Jack (Taiki & Nulight remix)
GoodSex
1. Toxic – Melanie (Cestladore remix)
2. Lorde – R0YAL5 (HUGLIFE remix)
3. Flight Facilities – Stand Still ft Micky Green (Wave Racer remix)
4. Florence And The Machine – You’ve Got the Love (XX remix)
5. AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It (Dj Snake remix)
1. Urban Soul feat Roland Clark – Have A Good Time (Monkey Safari Remix)
2. Calvin Harris feat Ayah Marar – Thinking About You (Firebeatz Remix)
3. Michael S. & Audien – Leaving You (Original Mix)
4. Just Blaze & Bauuer – Higher
5. Calippo – Spend Time Well (Original Mix)
*Honorable Mention: Major Lazer – Get Free feat Amber of Dirty Projectors (Yellow Claw Get Free Money Remix)
1. Adam Curtain – Sea Things (Original Mix)
2. Pleasure Victim – Preschool Tea Party Massacre (Original Mix)
3. Anek – Come Out To Play (Sante Remix)
4. Hot Natured – Reverse Skydiving feat. Anabel Englund (Original Mix)
5. Fuckpony – Bongo Porn (Tale Of Us & Jay Haze Remix)
1. Feed Me – Death By Robot
2. AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It (Dj Snake Remix)
3. Dillon Francis – Without You Feat. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
4. Diplo, Imanos & Faustix ft. Kia – Revolution
5. Avicii-Hey Brother – (Syn Cole Remix)
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