December 2, 2024
My taste in music has evolved quite a bit over the years. When I was much younger, I loved rock. Mostly the kind of thing you'd find on the radio. As I got older, I found myself exploring other genres exposed to me through YouTube and Pandora. I dabbled in indie rock (it was big at the time), trip hop (I was about 15 years too late), and eventually electronic (Monstercat, Skrillex, Deadmau5 were huge on the internet back then). Nowadays, I mostly listen to electronic music, EDM specifically. I went ahead and picked out some of my favorite albums. Most of them skew pretty recent, cause I love new music. These albums are in no particular order, and I have one album max per artist.
Dislaimer: this article's pretty long, and it's also pretty stream-of-conscious. But, if you like electronic music, definitely check out some of these albums!
Dabin has lots of great music, and some other great albums, but the nostalgic, upbeat Wild Youth is probably my favorite. I just love this album. It feels so hopeful and makes me feel kind of like a kid again. There's hints of melancholy, too, but it has such great energy so it's still feel-good. The various vocal features are also so wonderful. My favorite track is probably Youth (Love Yoe Mase).
God damn this album has a lot of songs. Like there's 18. Well, they're pretty much all bangers. I must confess that I just love Giuseppe De Luca's voice, and this album features him quite a lot. So many of these songs feel like they're just dripping with emotion. They all have a certain kind of energy to them. It's a trance album, but the vocals feel almost angry (in a good way). High energy, and a great playlist for a workout. My favorite track here is probably Stardust and Madness. Love the vocals, and it's such a banger.
Alright, alright, alright, you knew I was gonna get some Porter in here. I actually love Porter's new stuff. Both his Nurture album and brand new Smile :D albums are great in their own completely unique ways. But I gotta pay respect to one of the albums that really got me into EDM. Listening to it today, it still holds up super well. So much interesting variety on this album, and so much to love. My favorite track here is probably Lionhearted, since it's nostalgic for me and I love the vocals (but it was really hard to pick!)
This album is a masterpiece of production. Seriously, every sound feels hand-picked, and the vocals are absolutely spectacular. It's a very chill album, and is great to have on in the background for almost any activity, and it's great to dance to. My favorite track here is probably SBCNCSLY. Great vocals and the track just has a great groove to it. I can't help but bob my head along.
God damn. If Skrillex were on a quest for fire, I'd say he sure as shit found some with this album. This mf come out the gate swinging with some absolute bangers. Super high energy through the whole album while still providing a cohesive story from song to song. Good amount of variety so you don't get bored, too. Skrillex always has these great bass-y sounds in his songs that cut through everything and sound amazing. Really hard to pick a favorite here, but I'm gonan go with Supersonic. You can really feel the Noisia influence here, with the super interesting and noisy drops, but Skrillex still cuts through with the punchy kicks. Just love it.
Man, if you want a feel-good album, this is it. It's absolutely euphoric. Really love the sound design here. Lots of high energy tracks, but with a nice groove. It's super easy to listen to, and you just won't skip any songs. My favorite is probably Mania. I just love the build-up here, and the drop when it finally lets go is a great payoff.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Fred again is super popular and liking his stuff is pretty cliche these days. But the Actual Life albums he's put out are so emotionally moving, and I really do love them. The third probably has the best songs overall, but I really love the story the first two tell. Actual Life 1 seems to be about caring for a sick partner, and all the complex emotions that come with it. Actual Life 2, in contrast, is actually a breakup album for that same relationship. The two together tell such a complex and interesting story, really matching the complexities of.. actual life.
As much as I love Actual Life 2, and I feel like its themes of breakup are much more applicable to most people (including me), I just feel like the emotions expressed in Actual Life 1 are just so much more powerful. It tells the story of falling in love, and how challenging that love can be in times of crisis. It's a story of another person's struggle, but it's also a story of Fred's second-hand experience with that struggle. Having found myself in a similar (through fundamentally different) experience, it just resonates with me.
There are lots of beautiful tracks here, but without a doubt my favorite is Me (Heavy). Everything from the sound selection, composition, vocals, and especially lyircs are seriously moving. "I wanna run in there and steal you out. Unplug the wires and kiss your mouth". Like, god damn, this is so fucking sad. I have people in my life I love very much, and the thought of them struggling like this just kills me. And the line, "I'm so tired of being strong" is just... way too real. It's really, really hard to watch the people you love struggle in their life (however they're struggling) when you know there's nothing you can do to help them.
I also really, really love Lydia (please make it better). "She's rarer than you would believe. Use every drug you need. Please bring her back to me." I can't even begin to describe how not-prepared I am to lose a loved one. When I listen to this album, I see myself standing there in front of them while they lie in bed, praying for them to get better.
But even after all this, we can see things still didn't work out. In Actual Life 2, we know this relationship didn't last. Fred's partner's sickness may not have taken her, but she left anyway. It just shows that life really is so complex, and even going through something like this with someone may not be all it takes to make it work. That... Is just so sad.
Okay! Wow, how about something a bit more light-hearted after that one. Flume is an.. interesting artist. Again, he goes way fuckin' back with me. I remember listening to his original self-titled album, another one that helped get me into electronic music. It's a great album. I also really love Skin (so many catchy songs). But this mixtape just got somethin'. I don't know what, but I kinda love listening to it. It's like an experience. Look, I'll admit some of the songs just aren't that enjoyable to listen to. But, the sounds are just so interesting, and the composition is still pretty damn good. Like some of the sounds just hit so damn hard. My theory is that this is actually a comedy album, cause some of these songs are funny as hell. My favorite might be Spring. This track kinda reminds me of oldschool Flume, but it's got some newer elements mixed in that just make it kinda fun.
Another absolute classic. This album has no bad songs. No, really. I'll admit that some are better than others, but I genuinely like every song on this album. It has such an upbeat, poppy sound, while also blending in a lot of great EDM elements. Runaway (U & I) is super famous and is definitely one of the songs that really got me into EDM. But, my favorite here is Water. It feels so emotional, and I really love the melody.
This one is hot off the presses, but is absolutely full of great tracks with novel sounds. I'll admit, a lot of the songs can get a bit heavy for me, but I really love the way they're all blended together on this album. And the sound design is absolutely nuts. So many interesting sounds an compositions. To me, it's really got that late gen-z feel with a few hyperpop and new-age emo elements that I actually like quite a bit. Definitely worth a listen, and great for the gym. My favorite track, hands down, is HEART123. Genuinely an amazing song, with some of my favorite sound design I've ever heard. I really like the repeated "Eureka!" and "We love you!" throughout the album. Really ties the whole thing together.
In a similar vein, though a few years earlier, Mona San's Brainchild is definitely inventive. I'm a big fan of the sound design in this album. It reminds me of some of the older lighter bass songs from Wavedash or Ganz crossed with some trap influence and harder stuff in there, too. And it's got some great energy, I'd say. It just feels like someone's musical experiment where they had a lot of fun, but also produced some great tracks. The enthusiasm in it is palpable, and it makes the whole album fun to listen to. I really like Hi Everyone. It feels like a genuine introduction and the track has a lot of energy and great sound. Honestly, I'm quite sad Mona San hasn't produced much else lately. Hoping he comes back with another great album like this one.
I mean, ya gotta include this one, I tells ya. It's another one that I listened to early in my EDM days. Mostly drum and bass, but there are some harsh electronic sounds cutting through, and some great buildups and melodies. Not all drum and bass, though. Got some classic dubstep (brostep, sorry) thrown in to mix things up. Love the vocals, too. Controversial opinion, but my pick of top song is The Island, Pt II (Dusk). The first part is great, but it's a little tame for my tastes. Part 2 goes absolutely hard and I love it. Much more fun.
Okay, putting this one in here is kind of cheating. It's basically an anthology of a bunch of Droeloe's greatest hits, or at least a combination of a bunch of EPs. But it's really good. I really like a lot of Droeloe's stuff. They've got a pretty unique sound that differentiates themselves from most other artists. It's kind of fun and bouncy, but it's got some good energy, and the vocals are often beautiful. I really like the visual aspect of Droeloe, too. I'm kind of sad the duo split up for that reason. I actually think the music hasn't quite been as good since. Anyway, my favorite track here is probably Sunburn, but there's a lot of great stuff to choose from.
This one is not nearly as "electronic" as the rest of the albums here, but I think it still fits the bill. It's such a great album, too. I really love how the intro flows into the first song, and I absolutely love the strings mixed with electronic elements. This is another one of those really early albums that helped to get me into EDM (eventually). Lots of Bonobos other albums are great, too, and it was hard to pick a favorite album. I went with this one because of its relevance to me earlier in my life and because it just has so much character. I love Kiiara, but my favorite track is probably Black Sands. It just feels like I'm some old-timey sailor pining for a long-lost love. Or maybe I'm sitting in a little French cafe in Paris? I can't decide, but I love how it goes from low energy and chill to exciting and saxophone-y
A relatively recent album from Juelz here. I've been following his music for awhile, but it really feels like he came into his own with this album. The sound throughout is cohesive, but still exciting and fresh with each song. The songs all have amazing energy and great buildups. This album also does what Weight of the World does with its recurring vocal segments. Love that for some reason. This album just makes me want to go all out. Great for workouts or as a pump-up. My favorite track here is Divination. Absolutely masterful buildup and the release absolutely fucking kills. Such an underrated album, and I can't wait to see what Juelz cooks up next.
Ok, this is THE album. The one that entered me into another world of music. I don't think I knew what sounds could possibly exist in the world of electronic music before I heard this album. It's so abrasive and inventive with its sound while still being accessible and interesting to people new to the genre. It still holds up super well when listened to today, and I really like the blend of acoustic elements mixed with the heavy electronic sound. Fortune days is probably my fave here. It's got a great groove and a unique sound.
A joint adventure between Kaskade and Deadmau5. I feel like this is one of those albums that you can just get lost in. Like, turn on, tune in, chill out. So many great tracks that make for easy listening. It's one of those "night drive" type albums, and I love that. Some of the tracks are pretty upbeat, while others much sadder. But the beat remains as the one centralizing figure of all the tracks, letting you just kind of meld with the album. My favorite's gotta be Escape. It's just too good, man.
If you wanna talk about underrated artists, Mat Zo is like the king. God damn, this man does not miss. So many great tracks comin' out left and right from this fucker. I just have to go back to Damage Control, though. What a breathtaking album. It came out over a decade ago, but it's one I'm just discovering now. There's this kind of ethereal feel to this album right from the very beginning. It has a special kind energy, idk, I can't explain it. I think if you put this one on, it's hard to stay in a bad mood. I'm not actually sure how he packed in so many interesting different sounds into one album, but, by God, he did it. Wait, it's even got trip hop!? Hard to pick a favorite here, but if I had to, I'd go with The Sky. It's like a whole journey in one song. Good times.
I guess I gotta include this one. I've listened to this album a shitload the past year. K?d was one of those artists everyone was talking about right from the very beginning. Lose Myself was such a bop, and this dude came out of nowhere with it. But then I feel like he got real quiet for awhile. We got a few tracks, but just not that many for awhile. Well, at least I wasn't paying so much attention. But this album came out recently and I've been loving it. It's still got that signature glitchy sound and plays around with different tempos. I just really love the energy and harshness here. At the same time, there's some noticable flaws with the production in a few tracks.. Not sure what happened, but I still love the album. Favorite track is IN YOUR EYES (Instrumental).
Now this is a big one. This is probably actually one of the albums that launched electronic music into the mainstream circa 2012 with its titular track, Clarity. A lot of bangers on this one. Seriously, Zedd absolutely killed it with this one. I love True Colors and his new album, Telos, too, but nothing tops this one in my mind. Beautiful vocals throughout, amazing melodies, and the ticking clock sound to tie it all together. A masterpiece. My favorite track is probably Spectrum. Honestly I just love Matthew Koma's voice, I'll admit it.
Damnit, it's impossible to pick an Odesza album. They're like the GOATs of releasing a whole album that absolutely fucking rules, and then when you hear it live it's somehow even better. I really love their drumlines and shit. I'll still never forget hearing A Moment Apart live and the incredible transition from the intro to the titular track. Incredible. Odesza's albums have, in a sense, felt a bit like growing up. With each new album they've released, their sound has gotten a bit more "mature". I don't actually know if that's a good thing, because their earlier albums feel like like being young, and that's a pretty damn good feeling. So, with that, I had to pick In Return. It's not quite as childish as Summer's Gone, but not so adult-y as A Moment Apart or The Last Goodbye.
Instead, it's this beautiful in-between. Like that part of your life where you've finished school and maybe you're not so sure what comes next. It's scary to be sure, but has there ever been a part of your life where you felt so free? So unbounded? In Return, too, is unbounded, and filled with an optimistic yet melancholic sound. Will, by the end of the album, I have figured out what I want to do with my life? Maybe so, but maybe not. Either way, it will have been a good time. So, so hard to pick a favorite track, as they're all so good. But I'll go with Memories That You Call. It's incredibly energetic, and feels like it mirrors life's happiest moments.
Ok, this is technically Odesza, but this is a different band so I can include this album, too. My blog, my rules, sorry. Anyway, love this damn album. I feel like Odesza just came out of nowhere with this heavy, punchy, beautiful sound. The synths used here are really great, and I love the chill-but-not-chill vibe it all gives off. It's like Odesza, but violent. I really love Dawn for its vocals and lighter, vibier tone.
Kind of a crazy album. In a good way. Wolfgang Gartner was another one of those artists that kinda got me into EDM. This album has so many fun songs and has a very positive, dancey energy. This album is just pure electronic. I don't know how else to describe it. It's like I'm getting electrocuted when I'm listening to it. It's got that oldschool EDM saw wave-heavy sound. I'll admit some of the songs can sound a bit dated today, but it's still a pretty great album. My favorite here is probably The Way It Was. It's got a great groove and builds up the energy really well.
There are so many great albums by Disclosure, man. It's really hard to pick a favorite. But I gotta go with Energy simply because, yeah, this album has got some fucking energy. You could dance to this one all God damned night as far as I'm concerned. Seriously, it's a club album, through and through. I think I just like how not poppy this album feels (except the two tracks with Khalid). I'll pick My High for my favorite, because, yeah, don't fuck up my high.
Honestly, I recently discovered G Jones through this album, but it's pretty damn good. I gotta say. It is absolutely filled to the brim with bangers, and the sound is far from ordinary. This is one of those "journey into sound" albums, except instead of it being a nice little walk in fairyland it's more like that scene from Willy Wonka where they take the boat into hell and everyone freaks the fuck out (including me watching as a kid). Wubby and hard, but still exciting and fresh and it has plenty of chiller more melodic tracks mixed in there. Honestly this feels like an album from the future. My favorite track is Understanding the Possibility. Love the way it starts and I really like the transition from the chiller part to the absolute hard shit that smacks you upside the head
This album's pretty new and honestly has been making waves. I've been familiar with Eliminate through a couple of his previous songs, but this album is actually so damn good. It's honestly a love letter to the internet, but moreso the current generation of internet denizens. It starts out with a banger, but don't be fooled. There is a shitload of variety here, from the trap/phonk of EGOTRIP to the dancier SMSOU. Favorite here is the titular Get Off the Internet. I just love the ~hey stupid idiot~. What can I say, I'm nothing if not a stupid idiot who spends way too much time on the internet.
God DAMN, Joyryde came out swinging with this one. Like holy shit the number of bangers on this album is just wild. I love Joyryde because his songs feel almost like a whole journey, and he'll suddenly switch genres mid-song and switch up the tempo. This MF keeps you on your toes. Anyway, this album goes fucking hard as hell and never ceases to put some energy in me. Goes great in the gym, or if you're trying to pump yourself up for a night out, but it's also super danceable. SELECTA 19 is a standout track for me. The way it builds up to the drop is fucking excellent, and I really like the ethereal ~SELECTA~ portions.
It's really hard to pick just one album from Rufus Du Sol. Seriously, every one of their albums is filled from top to bottom with amazing tracks. There's nothing better for if you want to chill or just set the mood. I picked Bloom because I think it's got the highest concentration of great tracks compared to just good ones. Plus, the tracks in this album just all mesh so well together. This is my desert island album, honestly, 'cause I feel like I could listen to it forever. Hard to pick a favorite, but I absolutely love You Were Right. Upbeat, but also somehow downtempo and it's just so damn catchy. Innerbloom is amazing, to be sure, but it takes so long to build up. Don't get me wrong, that's a good chunk of what makes it so great, but I gotta be in the right mood for a 10 minute song.
This album has a hell of a legacy. Nero dropped this one a decade ago and then basically peaced out. It was groundbreaking at the time. Frankly, it still is. If you were around on the internet in 2011, there are some pretty good odds you heard this album somewhere, or at least a few songs from it. It's pretty much great tracks from top to bottom and set the floor for 2010s EDM. Some of the tracks are a little dated at this point, but it still sounds pretty great, and has aged much better than most EDM from that time. Promises and its famous Skrillex remix are standouts here, but my favorite's gotta be Doomsday. I just love how the album starts out with this, making sure you know shit's about to get real.
Oh, by the way, Nero just released a new album called Into the Unknown and it's really fuckin' good. I still put Welcome Reality here because of its legacy, but honestly Into the Unknown has been one of my favorite albums this year, so definitely give it a listen!
Listen. There ain't no party without Arty. Arty's been making some of my favorite progressive house tracks for a long ass time. This album is a bit of a mix of his progressive house stuff and some darker less traditional sounds (which are also pretty good). I think I'm still a little in denial that the progressive house era ended like 10 years ago, but I really love Arty and his sound is some of my favorite of the genre. Without a doubt, my favorite track here is Say My Name. It feels like a declaration: "I am Arty" and it really exemplifies his sound. Great energy and super danceable.
I hesitated to put this one in here because it's almost not EDM? Like, this is basically straight up pop. We've got several songs in here that pretty much everyone alive in the 2010s have heard. But this album is pretty damn good. There are so many tracks you could call anthems in this album, and it's one of the albums that really worked to popularize electronic sound in pop. God, listening back to this one is seriously like taking a ride in a time machine. I have no idea how there are so many classics in one album, but, hey, here we are. Impossible to pick a favorite, but Feel So Close is just so good. Nostalgic in the best way. Oh, and did you know that Calvin Harris was Scottish? Now you do.
It wasn't easy picking one Mitis album! I've always said Mitis doesn't make a bad song. Seriously, I can listen to just about any one of his tracks and enjoy myself. 'Til the End, to me, is like the culmination of Mitis' early career. It was the first album he put out, but he had put out a lot of singles and EPs previously. It's got some of the best examples of the ethereal, bright sound he's become known for (that I guess he's tried to switch up a little as of late). Melodic dubstep as a genre, frankly, hasn't aged super well. I think it's because it's so repetitive ans same-y, but this album stands out in the genre regardless. I really love the melodies and the use of piano and the sound that I can only really describe as "bubbly". This album's for all you MrSuicideSheep fans (IYKYK). Anyway, favorite track is By My Side. Really love the vocals Tedy provides.
I fuckin' love this album. It's one of those albums that's just a great journey from start to end. So many good tracks, and it's pretty varied from start to finish. It's a summer chillin' album, but it also a pump-up album. It's danceable, but it's mellow. I really don't understand why it's not more popular than it is, because Tchami really knocked it out of the park with this one. I guess you can call it a house album, but, man, it's so much more than that. Easily my favorite on the album is Buenos Aires. I was introduced through this album through that song in one of his live sets, and it's just so energetic and lively. It felt like the track of the summer to me.
Virtual Riot has some of the best sound design in the game, honestly. He's got some of the punchiest kicks and cleanest bass sounds. He's like some kind of synth wizard. Anyway, this album has been growing on me since I first listened to it. It's got some really great tracks, and is a bit of a mix between absolutely wild, hard ass shit and some really chill songs. Lots of interesting sounds on this album, and definitely a good one for the gym. My favorite part of the whole album is the last ~30 seconds of Ridiculous, but I guess that doesn't really count as my favorite song, so I'll pick Stealing Fire as my favorite track. It's got some great sound design and comes out swingin' so I respect it.
Hang on, hang on, HANG ON. Does this one count as electronic? You better believe it does, you son of a bitch. This is one of them Beastie Boys ass, Megazord Beyblade rippin' kinda Danny Phantom albums, motherfucker. Just put this one on and try not to be ripped into another dimension-- that dimension being 2002, your friends' basement, playing Game Cube games on one of those rocking floor chairs (you know the ones). These MFs say it best: so saucy they musta been a stromboli in a past life. But for real, though, I love the old fashion lyricality combined with modern synths and tight sound design. I gotta go with BUSSIT, 'cause the synths got me OFF GUARD when I started this album and I respect that.
Alright, alright, that's it. I added way more albums here than I first intended, and listened to a shitload of old albums and new albums. It's been fun, but I think that's quite enough. I highly encourage checking out all these albums. At least give some of the lesser-known ones a shot. I think discovering new music is one of life's joys, so don't miss out.