This year, most of the world returned to dance floors with a full force, and with that came the return of The Anthem. These were the tracks that made a trusted cameo appearance in almost every set across a summer of festivals and into the winter club season.

Among the usual suspects were textural techno rippers from Pariah and Rhyw, explosive drill-techno from Skin On Skin and ebullient trance-leaning techno from Maara. There was Nikki Nair's effortless genre fusions, cross-country Afro-club music from SHE Spells Doom and, of course, any number of tracks by Nick León, whose style of Latin techno became one of 2022's most dominant trends.

It wasn't all about thundering showstoppers, though—shier, suppler offerings from DJ Python and Utada Hikaru with Floating Points put forth a more demure side to electronics, perhaps as a nod to the strictly homebound nature of years prior. The radio was full of dance music too, with Beyoncé dipping into ballroom and house while Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal scored a UK number-one with one of the year's most inescapable tunes.

Dance music's goliath homecoming has been one of light-hearted liberation: pop's reignited love for four-to-the-floor and the underground's flirtation with pop edits says it all. Though the pandemic waned, other global challenges, such as the ongoing Ukraine war and cost-of-living crisis, moved to the fore, proving that listening remains a momentary miracle amid the forever-evolving tides.

Track of the Year

- TraTraTrax
  Nick León feat. DJ Babatr - Xtasis
  
  If 2022 belongs to anyone, it's Nick León. The Miami producer is at the forefront of a new wave of 305-area artists who fuse together the city's unique tapestry of Hispanic cultures—and its deep connections to Latin America—with its robust dance music history. León specifically mixes influences from reggaeton and perreo into what is sometimes termed "Latin tribal techno," but whatever you want to call it, there's no denying the appeal of "Xtasis," the track most of us heard out on dance floors more than any other, by a country mile.
  
  "Xtasis," a collaboration with Venezuelan raptor house pioneer DJ Babatr, is a good example of the intercontinental cross-pollination happening within this scene. The percussion plays a trick, both four-on-the-floor and broken at the same time, at a chemically-enhanced pace with distant vocal wails that add a lysergic flair. But "Xtasis"—and its accompanying Pearson Sound and Doctor Jeep remixes—really clicks with the old-school organ bassline that drops in at about the two-minute mark. It's something so simple, so familiar and, frankly, genius, that by the time the kick drum drops back in, the room should be in a frenzy. If it isn't, then you're probably in the wrong place. —Andrew Ryce
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud

- Warp Records
  Kelela - Washed Away
  
  It's a special, and rare, moment when music drops and completely disrupts the flow of the internet. This was the case with Kelela's "Washed Away," her first single since she put out her acclaimed debut album Take Me Apart five years ago. During the hiatus, she looked inward and studied literature on misogynoir, Black labour and racial capitalism. Suffused in hazy pads and reverbed vocals that sound more like mantras than vocal refrains, "Washed Away" could be perceived as the release of all this collective pain. In a recent interview with Dazed, Kelela described the single as a "heart check-in," a song recorded to "send out a clear message to Black people, who are my core audience and who I intend this music for, that you n***as are worthy." Message received. — Kiana Mickles
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Voam
  Rhyw - Honey Badger
  
  On paper, "Honey Badger" shouldn't work. Its main drum line moves in and out of time with the impatience of a toddler hammering at a sequencer. The sole synth—the closest the track has to a melody—is aggressively abrasive, as if it were made from a substance somewhere between quicksand and sandpaper. But I'll be damned if it isn't one of the catchiest tracks I've heard all year. Undeniably weird, but equally infectious, if you heard the track out (and odds are you did if you went to a festival this summer), it sent every crowd into full blown meltdown. Walking away from any set where it was deployed meant that there were punters with their heads still spinning trying to shriek along to those metallic snares. —Henry Ivry
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- AD 93
  A+A - Eternal September
  
  Both times I heard "Eternal September" this summer I didn't know what it was. On each occasion, it was sunrise at a festival, those blissful hours when time seems to stand still as the sky changes from milky to glowing. It's an ideal track for those hazy moments, with swathes of lush organ chords and fluttering high notes that swoop around like birds with silk wings. When Avalon Emerson and Anunaku (AKA TSVI) shared the upcoming release online, Midland commented on the former's Instagram saying: "I have played these songs and had a nice time while doing so!" To which I thought: I have danced to these songs and had a nice time while doing so! —Katie Thomas
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Livity Sound
  DJ Plead - Come Quick
  
  DJ Plead usually plays and produces slick, percussive zingers that meld traditional rhythms from the Middle East with high-tempo dance music. But on his second offering for Livity Sound, the Nervous Horizon core member switches out his frenzied pace for a more pared-down tone. Drums remain his core ingredient but the mood is more whimsical, making the record feel more like a score to a picnic in the park rather than a party. Despite its light-hearted nature, "Come Quick" is still loaded with sharp corners and jolting melodies—a true day to dusk record. —Nyshka Chandran
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- More Time
  Ahadadream - Spaceship
  
  Imagine Lunice, DJ Lag, Roska and Benga linking up for a recording session, and you start to get a sense of what "Spaceship" sounds like. On an EP filled with massive, celebratory tracks, Ahadadream's "Spaceship" was colossal. Every few bars it felt like he was shifting his reference points. What starts as a UK-funky-meets-gqom hybrid morphs into a dubstep throwback with its airy, descending melody. But then the xylophone chimes and upbeat snares capture the maximalism of TNGHT records. As the inadequacy of comparison should make clear, though, "Spaceship" is sui generis, announcing the arrival of a new torchbearer for all things big and bassy. —H.I.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Voam
  Pariah - Caterpillar
  
  It's been a few years since Pariah put out any solo material (he's primarily active as one half of Karenn alongside Blawan). It's been even longer since he released dance music in his own right. Caterpillar, then—which came out in June on Voam, the label he runs with Blawan—is an exciting interruption to this interlude. The hypnotic title track is capital-T techno, but it's heavily textured and nuanced, layering dense modular noodlings with a repeating guttural squelch that sounds more like an off-the-cuff live rip than the polished veneer of most of today's peak-time output. Flanged-out percussion, sizzling analog stabs and a spacey, Pole Group-like synth lead make it the ultimate selection for breaking open a late night set. —Chloe Lula
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Incienso
  DJ Python - Angel
  
  At first listen, it's almost unbelievable that Brian Piñyero, better known by his pseudonyms DJ Python and Luis, creates his ambient reggaeton in Ridgewood, Queens. "Angel," off of his EP Club Sentimientos, Vol. 2, has a lot of heart and an even gooier center in its sonic embrace of supple electronics. The ten minute-plus track feels like a weekend-long sojourn into a daydream far from the Halsey L stop, as lush—almost levitating—synth pads breathe deeply around pattering tablas and soufflé riddims. Within its sumptuous depths, there's an earnest, refreshingly unironic appeal to softening, unfolding and tenderness. —Whitney Wei
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Big Saldo's Chunkers
  Sally C - Downtown
  
  When Sally C released the second EP on her label Big Saldo's Chunkers back in April, the tracks had already been doing the rounds for almost a year. Most notable was "Downtown," a big, brash, in-your-face hip house roller that encapsulates what Sally C and her pals mean when they refer to a "chunker." This is functional, no-nonsense dance music that does exactly what it needs to: make your body want to move and groove. The vocal samples are textbook—"Put the needle on the record" and "Do you want to dance?"—but they're a consummate companion for a tune designed to keep the party pumping, proof that less isn't always more. —K.T.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- n goes to infinity
  Nikki Nair - Step 2
  
  It's hard to imagine following dance music in 2022 and not hearing at least a handful of Nikki Nair tracks. The genre-hopping polyglot was everywhere with everyone, establishing a tight but all-over-the-place sound that blends electro, drum & bass, jungle and footwork. Case in point, "Step 2," which kicked off Nair's own label n goes to infinity. It starts out as hectic uptempo acid jungle track, before crescendoing into a halftime breakdown full of metallic skronks and other aural detritus. It's like walking from a FABRICLIVE night into a Daedalus set circa 2011, and then finishes off with a sprightly techno-jungle jig that feels completely of the moment—an era that Nair is helping define with each new release. —A.R.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Bambe
  GiGi FM - Manas (PST)
  
  GiGi FM's first signed EP, Magnetite, supposedly holds "spiritually-charged techno mantras." While that may conjure a suite of vaguely spiritual motifs, we get none of that on this kinetic four-tracker. "Manas (PST)" embodies her aesthetic most distinctly, nodding subtly to the artist's sometimes collaborator, Donato Dozzy, with its deeply tribal percussive intro. The rest of the song is beguilingly simple; the propulsive kick-and-tom pattern continues uninterrupted under a single-note cowbell, never changing except for a brief drop about two-thirds in. GiGi FM, an alumnus of both the New York City Ballet and the Alvin Ailey Theatre, has said that the release is a testament to the ritualistic relationship between movement and music. This synergistic dynamic is elegantly elicited on the EP's A2, which is trance-inducingly danceable. —C.L.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Hyperdub
  Heavee - Sonic Warfare
  
  Heavee's Audio Assault was probably our favourite record on Hyperdub this year, with six tracks of inventive hybrid footwork that capture the label's ethos to a T. The best example was probably "Sonic Warfare"—which shares its name with Kode9's book—a blend of jabby footwork drums, eerie synths and a melodic motif that stutters and fades like electrical interference. —A.R.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Allergy Season
  Physical Therapy - Emotional Rescue
  
  Physical Therapy spent the last four years working diligently behind the scenes on his label, Allergy Season, as well as releasing records via a slew of his other aliases (Car Culture, DJ Overnite and Fatherhood, his project with Michael Magnan, to name a few). His last release under his original moniker, the 2015 EP Million Years Crushed, was deep, busy and granular. His latest album, Teardrops On My Garage, sounds like a subdued version of Physical Therapy. The garage-inspired chopped vocals are pitched-up and sweet, the melodies resonant and rich. My personal favourite, "Emotional Rescue," is an edit of Tru Faith's "Let The Beat Hit 'Em," that brightens the source material's original vocals with a sparkling melody and rollicking breaks. —K.M.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Self-released
  Isabella Lovestory - Exibisionista
  
  Reggaeton has been undergoing a renaissance in the electronic music world in recent years as artists like Rosa Pistola and the trio Sangra Nueva dissect dembow loops with a toolbox of global club rhythms, producing a kaleidoscope of sub-genres. Among those fringe styles is perreopop, and Isabella Lovestory is one of its leading faces. Here, her sultry lyrics and cam girl aesthetic take on an almost spooky air thanks to producers Nick León and Kamixlo who inject elements of dub and industrial into classic dancehall patterns. Transforming what would have been a regular pop song into a deadly dance floor weapon, the trio are a bright example of reggaeton's futuristic sector. —N.C.
  
  Listen:
  Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Rosebud Recordings
  Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal - B.O.T.A.
  
  If, when one of SASS played "B.O.T.A." at around 8 AM on the Sunday morning of Love International, someone had said to me: "This tune's going to be #1 in the UK," I probably would have laughed and suggested it was time for bed. "B.O.T.A." was the summer's most ubiquitous tune, yes, but in my universe of clubs and festivals. Or so I thought. Skip to Friday, September 2nd, 2022, and Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal had scored the UK's 1,400th #1, the first-ever for a woman British DJ. The percussion is simple and buoyant, the chords are warm and the vocal is catchy as fuck; "B.O.T.A." is a flawless summer bop. —K.T.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- HIJINXX
  Nia Archives - Forbidden Feelingz
  
  British jungle revivalist Nia Archives began her astronomical year releasing a slew of hits du jour and ended it by winning a MOBO award in the ceremony's very first electronic/dance music category. "Forbidden Feelingz," an accelerated Amen break-laden single off her eponymous EP, combines elements of dub and reggae with a distinctly rough-and-ready, old-school UK feel. Nia Archives enthusiastically borrows vintage sensibilities, so the spectre of sound system culture still haunts this one, but to a timeless and earwormy effect. —W.W.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Radiant Love
  Maara - Lezzies In A Jacuzzi
  
  Montréal-based Maara has cultivated a fun and femme queer aesthetic that found an appropriate home on the Berlin label Radiant Love. Her EP on the imprint, Goddess Within, features four Goa-leaning trance tunes accompanied by whimsical titles like "Mommy's In Trouble" and "Goddess Within (Give It To Me Daddy)." But it's "Lezzies In A Jacuzzi" that takes the cake for name and substance alike. This anthem layers heavily gated vocals over a throbbing kick and swooning, euphoric pads. Thoughtfully-placed flourishes—a breakbeat fill, a call-and-response arpeggiated synth—elevate this song from cheesy crowd-pleaser to considered dance music production. If the Canadian artist is pointing her ship towards prog, then we're jumping on board. —C.L.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Soundcloud
- Half Baked Records
  Margaret Dygas - Butterfly Effect
  
  The best minimal tracks are all about attention to detail, so it should come as no surprise that Margaret Dygas' "Butterfly Effect" clocks in at 9:09. The track is immersed in the micro world of details as she dilates and contracts looped conga drums, 909s, a creeping synthline and stormy pressure from her subs. Simple but effective, Dygas approaches these elements with a surgeon's precision as she moves them up and down in the mix. This was Dygas's first 12-inch in over half a decade, a welcome return of one of minimal's weirdos-in-chief. "Butterfly Effect" is a reminder of the strange sense of wonder that only the best minimal can create, where it feels like a loop could go on forever. —H.I.
  
  Listen:
  Soundcloud
- Epic Records
  Utada Hikaru - Somewhere Near Marseilles
  
  The year's greatest grown-and-sexy jam came out of an unlikely collaboration between the biggest J-pop star of all time and UK house producer Floating Points. Starting with the flicker of an acid line, "Somewhere Near Marseilles" unfolds over 11 minutes of exquisitely produced house, bobbing and glimmering in all the right places. Hikaru sings what feels like three different choruses in a mixture of English and Japanese, glamourously exhorting their lover to meet them in Marseilles as an in-between point between London and Paris. "Let's go fast, then go slow," they repeat over the constantly morphing instrumental track. It's a snippet of luxury and contentment that feels as lush as the song sounds, only improved by Hikaru's impeccable vocal performance—the way she sings, "I'm in London / You're in Paris" is both commanding and effortlessly cool. It's rare that the pleasures of pop and house music come together this well, a cosmopolitan adult contemporary jam made for the most amourous hours of the night. —A.R.
  
  Listen:
  Apple Music / Spotify
- Self-released
  Kush Jones - BX Bounce
  
  Growing up in New York, it's nearly impossible not to be inundated by different strains of music. The summer streets come alive with reggae and hip-hop; house music wafts in through FM radio or from the cracked window of your longtime neighbour. The vital life force and diversity of the city's sounds has coloured Kush Jones's discography over the years. He typically releases music—drawing from house, jungle, footwork and hip-hop—independently at a fast clip. One of his many works from this year was 6 Days, an EP that was written in, you guessed it, six days. Within a record that shifts rapidly between house and juke, the highlight comes from the pensive pads, idle, honey-sweet melody and subtle percussion on opener "BX Bounce," embodying the very best of New York's intangible cultural heritage. —K.M.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp
- Columbia Records
  Beyoncé - BREAK MY SOUL
  
  When Beyoncé released the first single from her album Renaissance, souls weren't the only thing she broke. The internet, arbiter of half-baked opinions, waxed enthusiastic about house music's reinvigoration within the commercial mainstream. In many ways, "Break My Soul" was formulaic in its hitmaking: it flung gruff yak'ing samples of New Orleans bounce legend Big Freedia ("release ya trade / release the stress / release the love / forget the rest") into a looping bassline inspired by Robin S.'s 1990 smash "Show Me Love"—even tapping into the post-pandemic cultural zeitgeist of saying "fuck it" and quitting your job. But the key to any liberation anthem is confidence, not necessarily originality, and Beyoncé stands on the shoulders of the tried-and-true house heroes that came long before her to successfully ignite the masses. —W.W.
  
  Listen:
  Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Gudu Records
  Peggy Gou - I Go (Soulwax Remix)
  
  In the remix circuit, Soulwax hold a god-tier status. Known for transforming pop, indie and rock classics into expansive dance music epics, the Belgian duo don't take themselves too seriously, tending to zero in on hands-in-the-air euphoria. Their reworking of Peggy Gou's "I Go," is fun-loving to the core, but it's also a potent warehouse banger. Teasing out the original's delicate vocals and retro synths against a fierce, almost mechanical bassline, the remix balances both light and heavy textures with a masterful touch. The breakdowns are on-point, the quirky bird call sample is delightful and there are no boring moments. Soulwax strikes again. —N.C.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Hessle Audio
  Shanti Celeste - Cutie
  
  As an illustrator, Shanti Celeste has a predilection for bright, happy hues—a blush pink to be precise, if we use her latest EP artwork as a reference. Her Hessle Audio debut adds a welcome splash of colour for the label in the form of two tracks and a Central remix that fizz with winsome positivity. Opener "Cutie" is the standout, idiosyncratically Shanti in its nimble drums and gossamer pads, with a pitched-up, corkscrew of a vocal she recorded herself. It skips along at 140 BPM, settling in the playful sweet spot where heads-down, driving house meets radiant and beatific textures. —K.T.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- FFRR
  Skin On Skin - Burn Dem Bridges
  
  It seems unbelievable that it took someone this long to combine UK drill and techno as perfectly as this. It only took an Australian to do it. In a year that saw his star rise almost absurdly rapidly—and deservedly so—Skin On Skin blew us away with "Burn Dem Bridges," which samples a Sav'o and Horrid1 track and saddles it onto an urgent techno beat with an addictive descending bassline. The whole thing sounds ready to blow at any minute. It's remarkable how a rhythm can change the cadence of a vocal so much, and in Skin On Skin's hands, both drill and techno sound completely fresh, fiery and unstoppable. —A.R.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Mainframe Audio
  Two Shell - home
  
  Impersonators showed up to their Boiler Room to play a pre-recorded set. Their first interview was taken off the internet in mere hours. Two Shell blew down the doors of 2022. And while some of their gimmicks may split opinions, "home" was a unifying track beloved by the dance music community. The single marked a new direction for the London duo, setting them apart from their peers by creating a completely singular sound where bubblegum pop meets UK bass. A frothing breakbeat at 160 BPM drives the track under its SOPHIE-reminiscent vocal, meanwhile its neon melodies burst like fireworks across the stereo spectrum. "home" will be remembered the way "Hyph Mango" was, marking the entrance into some unknown, but exciting era of UK club music. —H.I.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Self-released
  KH - Looking At Your Pager
  
  In many ways, 2022 was a massive year for pop music. Underground club producers have long played out cheeky edits of '90s chart-toppers in their DJ sets, but it felt more prominent this year. Under his KH alias, Four Tet brilliantly reworks 3LW's "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)," autotuning the original lispy vocals against a mean bass synth and a cooing, sparkling melody that feels straight out of a nursery rhyme. It's teen pop in holy matrimony with garage-like beats, plus a faint hint of dubstep—a combination that only someone like Four Tet could pull off. —N.C.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- All-centre
  SHE Spells Doom - Bossano
  
  "Trying to see how African rhythms combine with techno for me is an experiment," said Wamya Tembo AKA SHE Spells Doom in an interview with the Zambian press. "[I like] seeing how far you can push it while still making people want to dance." His latest Afrobeat techno tune, "Bossano," toys with tension with the poise of a tightrope walker. Bursts of percussion ruffle the song’s militant batida march, punctuating every bar of sci-fi synths while also teasing the ruckus of a street party throughout. Like an ellipsis, it brings you to the edge of your seat—or rather, the tips of your toes. —Joseph Francis
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp
- Cómeme
  Paurro - Galavisión
  
  This lean breakbeat house number serves as a definitive introduction to Paurro's dynamic sound. Combining UK garage and dub influences with psychedelic effects, "Galavisión" is the kind of immersive groove that lends itself to escapist fantasies. Whether hearing it at home or at the club, it's easy to be transported into a lush dream state, one where pleasure and instinct hold more currency than logic. Paurro understands the power of skippy rhythms and low-end frequencies, letting them shine without indulging in too many choppy breaks. With its clear '90s influences and rollicking drums, "Galavisión" is perfect for both peak time and after hours. —N.C.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Butter Sessions
  Jennifer Loveless - Around The World
  
  Galloping, loopy house abounds on this Melbourne producer's EP for home-turf label Butter Sessions. "Around The World" encapsulates the experiences of being a contemporary jetset flâneur, whose lackadaisical saunters are replaced with fast-paced globetrotting. This all seems immediately interpreted through glitchy, disembodied vocals—like filtered announcements over an intercom—and roving, rotund basslines that seem to spend the entire seven-plus minutes attempting to catch up with themselves. Loveless's perspectives bounce—quite literally—in palpable optimism. There's an dazzling array of life out there to see, and simply not enough time to see it all. —W.W.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Hinge Finger
  Joy Orbison - Pinky Ring
  
  No year-end list is complete without a Joy Orbison banger. If the South Londoner's talent is distilling pockets of the hardcore continuum into original bitesize chunks, "Pinky Ring" is a particularly golden nugget. Breaks, drum & bass, post-dubstep, possibly even electro? It's all in there, and yet the track feels anything but retro. Making the past sound fresh and futuristic could well be Joy Orbison's greatest skill. —Carlos Hawthorn
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify

Track of the Year

Kelela - Washed Away

Self-released

Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal - B.O.T.A.

Self-released

Columbia Records

Self-released