Hi r/edm! It’s the end of 2018 and I wanted to share my perspective on the Top 100 EDM Tracks Of 2018. I want to jumpstart people thinking about the best music that released this year (in advance of our year end voting) and generate some solid discussion. Imo, 2018 was an incredible year for dance music with loads of experimentation and change in the scene. Here are my picks for the top 100 tracks of the year, with descriptions for the top 25:

Playlist: Top 100 EDM Tracks Of 2018

1. DJ Koze - Pick Up: My clear #1 track for 2018, Pick Up features masterful sampling, complex emotional duality oscillating between jubilation and wistfulness, and a hypnotic, carefree beat. DJ Koze’s House masterpiece is guaranteed to make you dance through the night.

2. RL Grime - Pressure: The long-awaited ID from RL Grime’s Nova tour, Pressure is a brooding, powder-keg of a track that turns things up to 11. Top-notch sound design, frenetic energy, and tremendous atmosphere earn this explosive track #2 on my list.

3. G Jones - In Your Head: At #3, In Your Head is a terrifying and maximalist production with sound design that will both blow the roof off of dancefloors and make audio engineers salivate. Add to that one of G Jones’ most danceable beats and strong composition and we have one of 2018’s best heavy bangers.

4. Dabow - Play: One of the trap scene’s most brilliant producers, Dabow hit the nail on the head with Play. His beatmaking prowess is on full display: with Play, he effortlessly flexes his ability to incorporate wonky, innovative rhythms into a club-destroying track without slumping on the sound design or track cohesion. Play interweaves industrial leads with more traditional trap instrumentals and a deft use of space and silence, landing at #4 on my list.

5. G Jones - Arbiter’s Theme: With Arbiter’s Theme, G Jones rolls up his sleeves for a filthy trap banger. The song features hypnotic vocal loops, refined sound design reminiscent of the 2012 trap era (but with a facelift for 2018), and tasteful track arrangement. Arbiter’s Theme is a standout example of “less is more” production value: while the sound design and melody are executed well, G Jones avoids the “loudness” pitfall that many trap producers fall into and playfully balances his song elements to allow each track component a well-deserved moment in the spotlight.

6. Alex Di Stefano - Never Back Down (Cold Blue Remix): Cold Blue’s reimagining Of Alex Di Stefano’s Never Back Down is an uplifting trance tour de force. With tech undertones, gorgeous lead synth design, and soaring melody, Cold Blue has unleashed a devastatingly beautiful trance tune with this remix. At #6, this is my Trance track of the year.

7. GANZ - I’ll Be Gone: If you thought Future Bass in 2018 was dead, you haven’t listened to GANZ. The Dutch producer is a beacon of creativity in the saturated space, and with I’ll Be Gone, he delivers a masterclass in future bass production that draws heavily on Rustie’s signature Aquacrunk sound from the early/mid 2010s. With an almost flippantly bouncy beat, warm and fuzzy synth design, standout percussive arrangement, and addictive melody, I’ll Be Gone cements GANZ’s Place as a dynamic and highly skilled producer.

8. Oliver Smith - Java: Oliver Smith was on fire in 2018, and Java was the crown jewel of his releases. The production finesse of the Anjunabeats stalwart is on full display: gorgeous and euphoric melodies, intricate composition, and elegant lead synth design balanced against concordant piano riffs. A truly polished track, Java earns the #8 spot on my list.

9. Chris Lake & Walker & Royce - Dance With Me: Chris Lake and DirtyBird heavyweights Walker & Royce have unleashed peak West Coast Tech House with their collab. With signature robotic vocals, a blisteringly hot bassline, and sultry piano riffs, Dance with Me will have any crowd losing their minds.

10. George FitzGerald - Burns (Lane 8 Club Mix): Lane 8 took George FitzGerald’s incredible track Burns and turned the energy up a notch with his Club Remix. The track maintains the integrity of the original with its sublime vocal cuts but introduces a more lively beat with crisp hi-hats and Lane 8’s signature mellow synth palettes.

11. Party Favor & Baauer - MDR: An unlikely collaboration from the get-go, MDR is a track full of surprises. Party Favor and Baauer flexed their production chops incorporating elements of Drum & Bass and early trap into a sophisticated festival banger. While the track exudes an air of aggressive energy, it never crosses the line into mindless, in-your-face festival trap, making for a sophisticated yet lighthearted track.

12. Phuture Noize - Black Mirror Society: Dutch Hardstyle producer Phuture Noize went all out on his recent album, and the title track, Black Mirror Society, is a high-octane anthem. Boasting pulse-racing crescendos, melody so epic it makes trance DJs jealous, and very fat kicks, Black Mirror Society is my top Hardstyle track of the year.

13. Jon Hopkins - Emerald Rush: Much has been said about Jon Hopkins’ unreal talent as a composer and producer. Emerald Rush, off his 2018 album Singularity, is a carefully constructed and nuanced dance floor burner - it lacks the fiery intensity of more festival-oriented genres, but delivers its payload with gorgeous compositional progression and a slow build and release of tension.

14. ANNA - The Dansant: Dark, foreboding, uneasy - ANNA’s The Dansant is an outstanding techno banger that will destroy the dance floor at both underground clubs and festivals. The Brazilian producer’s penchant for heavy hitting, captivating techno is on full display here, with hypnotic loops and relentless percussion mesmerizing crowds everywhere.

15. Rufus Du Sol - No Place: With No Place, Rufus Du Sol have crafted a stunning and lofty dance track. The song fuses deeper club sounds, majestic brass, light, airy synths and vocals into a piece of magical atmosphere. Rufus Du Sol are masters of accessible dance music, and with No Place they’ve hit a home run.

16. Fisher - Losing It: As soon as the opening few notes hit, you know exactly what track the DJ dropped: Losing It has been the most infectious and rinsed festival anthem of summer 2018. The track’s rough bassline, deeply groovy lead synth, and crisp percussion had everyone and their mom losing it this year, and for good reason. Fisher’s hit has the swagger of tech house with massive crossover appeal, and it clocks in at #16 on my list.

17. Kölsch & Tiga - HAL: Powerhouse producers Kölsch and Tiga teamed up for a scintillating melodic techno anthem. The lead synth is lush-bordering-on-decadent, overlaying a rolling beat, looping itself (and the dance floor) into a reverie. HAL’s balance of delicacy and power earn it high marks.

18. Peggy Gou - It Makes You Forget (Itgehane): Peggy Gou took the House world by storm this year with the release of It Makes You Forget (Itgehane). The track received heaps of praise and support from DJs all over the world, and for good reason: it features a suave and sophisticated beat, chilled out vocals (in Korean from Gou herself), and a unique sound palette that appeals to both heads and casual listeners alike. It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) is the perfect mellowed out dance track to get a swanky lounge party bumping.

19. Vorso - The Imperative: With The Imperative, Vorso has delivered a potent and dynamic Halftime Drum & Bass track. The tune features creative use of sampling and sound design, an intense and gripping bassline, and contrasting but complimentary sound palettes. Vorso’s production mastery is in full flex mode here, with The Imperative giving a glimpse of the exciting potential of the growing Halftime Drum & Bass genre.

20. Richard Durand - The Air I Breathe: Richard Durand put his mastery of trance on full display in 2018, and The Air I Breathe is a standout example of this. The track features breathtaking melody, grand atmosphere, and galvanizing basslines in the drop.

21. Headhunterz - Path of the Hunter: Hardstyle legend Headhunterz returned to the genre this year and dropped Path of the Hunter, a mammoth track based on an old Japanese folk song. The track adeptly balances bone-crushing kicks with a graceful but urgent melody and bittersweet, airy vocaloid vocals. When the separated melodic and heavy elements intertwine at last in the final drop, the track achieves perfect balance and showcases exactly why Headhunterz is a legend in the scene.

22. Claude VonStroke & Eprom - Grenade: DirtyBird label boss Claude VonStroke and Bass phenom Eprom joined forces to drop one hell of a Tech House banger. The track features techy, growly synths, a swagger befitting the song’s pedigree, and fist-pump-inducing hi-hats. Grenade is the perfect track to close out a night with flair.

23. Mathame ft. Lyke - Nothing Around Us: Italian techno duo Mathame, with Nothing Around Us, have created an outstanding club track. The piece embodies the ethos of Tale of Us’ Afterlife label with larger-than-life melodies, haunting vocals, and a tinge of urgency. Nothing Around Us is one of the most addictive melodic techno tracks of the year.

24. Skeler - Tetsuo: Australian Wave producer Skeler has created a monster with Tetsuo. The track’s dreamlike atmosphere is a culmination of Skeler’s processing techniques on the liquid lead synths against a rolling low end background. Despite its slower tempo, Tetsuo is a track brimming with energy, and a perfect introduction to the Wave subgenre for newcomers.

25. Cosmic Gate & Jason Ross - Awaken: Cosmic Gate and Jason Ross dropped a monster collab with Awaken. The track’s angelic choral vocals, heavy, round bassline, and euphoric melody will have any trance fan dancing in ecstasy.

26. Darude & Ashley Wallbridge - Surrender (Extended Mix)

27. Walker & Royce ft. Sophiegrophy - All for the Gram

28. Jon Casey - Take Off

29. Brame & Hamo - Roy Keane

30. Halsey - Alone (Calvin Harris Remix):

31. Mind Against - Days Gone:

32. KaTT & blake skowron - bloodlust

33. Helvetican - Swivel

34. Shiba San & Tim Baresko - All I Need

35. Ilan Bluestone ft. Giuseppe de Luca - Let Me Know (Extended Mix)

36. G Jones - Time

37. What So Not & Dyro - Bottom End

38. Enrico Sangiuliano - Symbiosis

39. Dabow & Juelz - Flashbang

40. ZEKE BEATS & Blanke - Chaos

41. Oliverse ft. Solah - Passion

42. PYRMDPLAZA - Apocalypse

43. Giuseppe Ottaviani - Till The Sunrise (Extended Mix)

44. Dimension - Raver

45. Gai Barone - Chavah (Extended Mix)

46. ANNA - Hidden Beauties

47. Weiss - Feel My Needs (Original Mix)

48. Bicep - Helix

49. George FitzGerald - Siren Calls

50. Shades - The Saga

51. Spektre - Land of Strays

52. Paul Van Dyk ft. Plumb - Music Rescues Me (PvD Club Mix)

53. RL Grime - Feel Free

54. i_o - Lazers

55. GTA, Anna Lunoe, Dillon Francis & Wax Motif - I Can’t Hold On

56. Solardo & CamelPhat - Accelerator

57. Cold Blue - Learning to Live

58. TYNAN ft. Bright Lights - Dead Wrong

59. Headhunterz & Sub Zero Project - Our Church

60. Sumthin Sumthin ft. JAWNZA - Confused

61. Super8 & Tab ft. Sarah deCourcy - Seconds Away

62. I Hate Models - Walpurgis Night

63. Signal - 2ME

64. Throwing Snow - Trebucher

65. Au/Ra - Panic Room (CamelPhat Club Mix)

66. Will Atkinson - Seventh Heaven (Extended Mix)

67. Mad Zach - Airport Chronicles (VIP)

68. 1788-L - Pulsar Beam

69. KRANE & Awoltalk - Rift

70. KiNK - Perth (Dusky Remix)

71. Keys N Krates - Cura (Electric Mantis Remix)

72. Seven Lions ft. RUNN - Calling You Home

73. Yokaze - Brave New Worldish

74. Mefjus - The Sirens

75. KRANE & Lemay - Going Back

76. Great Dane - We Blackin Out

77. Will Atkinson - Didgeridoo

78. Super8 & Tab ft. Envy Monroe - True Love

79. What So Not & Skrillex ft. KLP - Goh

80. UZ ft. Binks - Hollow

81. Factor B - Into the Light

82. Bicep - Opal (Four Tet Remix)

83. Tiesto & Matisse & Sadko - Dawnbreaker

84. Medasin ft. Kaz Moon - Works For You

85. Wavedash - Adagio (Mat Zo Remix)

86. ZHU - Provocateur

87. Prolix & DC Breaks - Beat Down

88. George FitzGerald & Bonobo - Outgrown

89. D-Block & S-te-Fan - Twilight Zone

90. Sumthin Sumthin - Mirrors

91. Kotori & Acaer - Dead Dead Demons

92. Enrico Sangiuliano - Cosmic Ratio

93. Phuture Noize - Circles & Squares

94. 1788-L - N U / V E R / K A

95. Simon Patterson ft. Lucy Pullin - Fall For You (Extended Mix)

96. Third Party - Free

97. Hekler & Gladez - 404

98. Nora En Pure - Sphinx (Alternative Mix)

99. NWYR - Ends of Time

100. Great Dane - Break It

What do you think? What are your top tracks of the year? Did you make a list yourself? Share and discuss!