MUSIC

Top 10 Dance/Electronic Albums of 2010


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Published: Dec 29, 2010

1. V/A
Night Slugs Allstars Volume 1
(Night Slugs)

Night Slugs had a simply excellent year, stacked with sick releases one after another. This comp is a cool one-stop to get an overview of the grimy, tropical "gutter house" sound the label has been championing. Get this.

2. V/A Bangs & Works Vol. 1: A Chicago Footwork Compilation (Planet Mu)

I can't deny that the resurgence of juke and ghetto-tech sounds excites me. It's great to hear new sound palettes and approaches to the classic dance formula. This comp gives lots of bump to get ya body into.

3. Terror Danjah
Undeniable
(Hyperdub)

One of the forefathers of grime had an awesome year with a number of singles, EPs and this album. This shit has groove for days and a nice variety of instrumental and vocal cuts.

4. Cam'ron & Vado
DJ Drama presents Boss of All Bosses 2.5
(Gangsta Grillz)

Not necessarily dance music, but plenty of fire. Was a tough call between volumes 2 and 2.5, but "Speakin' Tongues" put this one over the edge. Drug rap forever!

5. Guido
Anidea
(Punch Drunk)

Known for pioneering the "purple" sound in dubstep (alongside Joker and Gemmy), Guido comes very correct with his debut full-length. The depth and swagger displayed here will keep ya ears happy to be attached to ya head.

6. Starkey
Ear Drums and Black Holes
(Planet Mu)

Sometimes I almost wish Starkey was not my friend or business partner, so that I could more unabashedly espouse on his talents. Well, anyway, dope music speaks for itself.

7. Leftside/Dr. Evil
Split Personality Vol. 1
(Self-released)

My fave dancehall reggae tape this year. I'm usually not super big on tongue-in-cheek music, but this shit is hot and got a lot of play, with 44 tracks helping me trudge through work I didn't wanna be doing.

8. Wiley
Zip Files
(self-released)

Obviously, the dynamic of the music industry has been constantly changing since the advent of mp3s, and here the ever-enigmatic Wiley throws another curveball. After firing his manager, on Twitter he drops 11 zip links with more than 200 tracks, for free. Clearly not everything is A-material, but there are certainly a lot of gems.

9. BD1982
Let's Talk Math
(Seclusiasis)

I was really trying to not put this on here — cuz it was released on my label — but there was a few-month period this year where I listened to this so heavy that it connects strongly with 2010 to me. There's a great cohesive listening journey here. Take it with a boulder of salt, if you must.