RA Poll Top 50 Tracks Of 2014

In the end it all comes down to great tracks. As an art form, electronic music lifted the track above the artist and the album as perhaps no other type of music ever has. Available to anyone and everyone (save the odd limited bit of vinyl), tracks make DJing the radically democratic art form that it is, and their constant, relentless influx keeps things interesting year after year, decade after decade. In 2014, as in every other year, tens of thousands of tracks poured onto the internet and into shops around the world. Here are 50 of our favourites.

• • 50.
  • 
  • Omar-S  Frogs
    FXHE Records Disco and acid don’t often sit side by side, but they worked together beautifully in one of the weirdest cuts of Alex Smith’s illustrious career.
• • 49.
  • 
  • Josh Wink
    Are You There (Ben Klock Remix)
    Ovum Recordings The tracklist for Ben Klock’s fabric 66 had trainspotters scrambling for Discogs when it dropped back in 2012. In a mix stacked with exclusives and rarities, Klock’s rework of Josh Wink’s “Are You There” stood out. Finally given an official release on Ovum Recordings in April, it was rinsed by techno’s top tier. Deeper and more linear than the original, this was Ben Klock putting a modern stamp on a rave classic.
• • 48.
  • 
  • 2 Bitches From Queens
    Delkab Ave (Beat Mix)
    H.O.T. Records This throwback house bomb showed just how effective the right vocal sample (“Chante…”) can be.
• • 47.
  • 
  • The Bug
    Function feat. Manga
    Ninja Tune “Function” was the heaviest, most in-your-face tune from one of the year’s best albums.
• • 46.
  • 
  • Voices From The Lake
    Velo Di Maya
    The Bunker New York More of a “piece” than a “track,” this A-side from Donato Dozzy and Neel felt like an overture to a cosmic opera.
• • 45.
  • 
  • Genius of Time
    Juno Jam
    Running Back We could talk about the plump kicks, the catchy melody, the tropical sheen and so on, but goddamn did this one just make you want to DANCE.
• • 44.
  • 
  • Kyle Hall  Our Love
    Wild Oats Crunchy, corroded, new wave-flavored house—with stuff like this coming out of your studio, you can get away with calling yourself Kyle Mother Fucking Hall.

• • 43.
  • 
  • Shackleton
    Freezing Opening Thawing
    Woe To The Septic Heart“Freezing Opening Thawing” was another strange and beautiful transmission from one of electronic music’s boldest visionaries.
• • 42.
  • 
  • Holly Herndon Chorus
    RVNG Intl.Holly Herndon’s music is conceptual, post-modern and rooted in academia. But as “Chorus” showed, it can be all those things and still be gorgeously immersive. A kaleidoscope of audio snippets culled from her “daily browsing experience,” “Chorus” was by no means a cerebral comment on technology—it was glitchy, melodic and wonderfully disorienting. To better grasp the idea behind it, get a load of the mind-bending video.
• • 41.
  • 
  • C.P.I. Proceso (Barnt Remix)
    Hivern Discs
    This year’s most incendiary acid line came from Barnt, a master of strange club music.
• • 40.
  • 
  • Head High Megatrap (Real Mix)
    Power House
    Throw a dart at Megatrap‘s tracklist and you’d hit a tune worthy of inclusion here—but “Megatrap (Real Mix)” really nailed Head High’s boom-and-bliss vibe.
• • 39.
  • 
  • Lnrdcroy Sunrise Market (Extended Version)
    Pacific Rhythm
    When “Sunrise Market” first appeared on Lnrdcroy’s excellent cassette album Much Less Normal, the only thing wrong with it was its length—at less than three minutes, it was a teasing slice of gently euphoric house. Thanks therefore goes to new Vancouver label Pacific Rhythm, who gave an extended version of the tune a very welcome vinyl pressing.
• • 38.
  • 
  • Edward Skating Beats
    Giegling
    The skipping, irresistible centerpiece to one of the year’s finest albums.
• • 37.
  • 
  • Andrew Ashong Special
    Which Way Records
    The title track from Andrew Ashong’s second EP evoked the languor of a summer afternoon.
• • 36.
  • 
  • Randomer Huh
    L.I.E.S.
    Chock full of noise and gristle, “Huh” was the perfect way for L.I.E.S. to celebrate its 50th release.
• • 35.
  • 
  • Daniel Avery All I Need (Roman Flügel Remix)
    Phantasy Sound
    As the best remixes do, Roman Flügel gave a fresh perspective on this belter from Daniel Avery while retaining the magic of the original.
• • 34.
  • 
  • Donato Dozzy & Tin Man Test 7
    Acid Test
    “Test 7” is exactly what you’d imagine a Tin Man and Donato Dozzy collaboration to sound like—tender, hypnotic and timeless.
• • 33.
  • 
  • Percussions KHLHI
    Text Records
    The sub-aquatic bassline, the off-kilter bleeps, the infectious sample—when you find out that Percussions is an alias of Four Tet it suddenly all makes sense.
• • 32.
  • 
  • Sailor & I
    Turn Around (Âme remix)
    Life and Death
    Life And Death’s biggest hit of 2014 was worlds away from the stormy house of Tale Of Us or Mind Against, leaning instead on festival-sized hooks and synth pop vocals courtesy of Sailor & I. The original had its charms, but it was Âme’s remix of “Turn Around” that truly stood out. A stripped-back bed of synths and hands-in-the-air pads allowed the oh-so-catchy vocal to roam free and imbed itself into the minds of clubbers the world over.
• • 31.
  • 
  • Daniël Jacques End Of My World
    Mistress Recordings
    Mistress Recordings’ Discogs page describes the label as a place for “secret weapons,” which suits this beautiful and bewitching club cut to a T.
• • 30.
  • 
  • Tessela Rough 2
    R&S Records
    If in 1993 the UK rave outfit Fantazia booked military drummers to perform at a party, it might have sounded like this devastating latest single from Tessela.
• • 29.
  • 
  • FKA twigs Two Weeks
    Young Turks
    Little in popular music sounded as lush and sophisticated as this track from LP 1, FKA twigs’ standout 2014 album.
• • 28.
  • 
  • Dopplereffekt Delta Wave
    Leisure System
    Even before we’d heard Hypnagogia it felt significant. This split 12-inch from Berlin’s Leisure System brought together electronic auteurs from two generations. In one corner was Objekt, the young producer who’d been twisting the electro template into new and exciting forms; in the other was Gerald Donald, the most influential artist to ever work within the sound, and his collaborator To-Nhan Le Thi. You can see what we thought of Objekt’s track below, but for Donald, “Delta Wave” had all the hallmarks—crystalline production, glassy FM synths, nervous energy—of his many masterpieces.
• • 27.
  • 
  • Ten Walls Walking With Elephants
    Atlantic Records
    No one does drama like Ten Walls, and “Walking With Elephants” was the most successful example of his style yet.
• • 26.
  • 
  • Theo Parrish Footwork
    Sound Signature
    “Footwork” sat among Theo Parrish’s long list of classics as an understated, late-night paean to moving your feet.
• • 25.
  • 
  • Floating Points Nuits Sonores
    Eglo
    “Nuits Sonores” is Floating Points in big-room mode—as elegant as ever but with a little fire under its ass.
• • 24.
  • 
  • Aphex Twin
    Minipops 67 (Source Field Mix)
    Warp
    The first Aphex Twin single in almost a decade perfectly recaptured the can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-it beauty of his classic work.
• • 23.
  • 
  • QT Hey QT
    XL Recordings
    With this single, SOPHIE and AG Cook proved that there are killer pop instincts underneath all their high-concept shenanigans.
• • 22.
  • 
  • Recondite Caldera
    Hotflush Recordings
    By this point Recondite, our number one live act of the year, knows a thing or two about making bangers. He also knows that you can’t force it. “Caldera” is one of his most explosive tracks yet, but rather than just blowing things up, he gently teases them out. By the time the sonorous melody comes gliding in after four minutes of eyes-down building, it feels completely natural.
• • 21.
  • 
  • Frank & Tony feat. DJ Sprinkles Companion
    Scissor & Thread
    Two masters of sultry deep house got help from a third to make this year’s most affecting slow-burner.
• • 20.
  • 
  • Leon Vynehall Butterflies
    Clone Royal Oak
    Vynehall delivered some of 2014’s lushest house cuts on Music For The Uninvited, but his Royal Oak 12-inch took the cake for his most uplifting production.
• • 19.
  • 
  • Moodymann
    Lyk You Use 2 feat. Andrés
    KDJ
    On an album committed to showcasing KDJ at his lewdest, “Lyk U Use 2” was a welcome moment of vulnerability, and a slice of ecstatic, shuffling Motown as only Moody can do it.
• • 18.
  • 
  • Bruce Not Stochastic
    Hessle Audio
    Hypnotic and unrelenting, the mantra-like A-side of Hessle Audio’s sole 2014 release pounded its way up this list through sheer force of sound.
• • 17.
  • 
  • Efdemin
    Parallaxis (Traumprinz’s Over 2 The End Version)
    Dial Records
    As far as we can tell, this new age-inflected epic has absolutely nothing to do with the Efdemin track it’s supposedly reworking, but we’d never complain about a new tune from one of the moment’s most exciting and enigmatic producers.
• • 16.
  • 
  • Telephones Blaff
    Running Back
    Released in May, “Blaff” had summer anthem written all over it, and even if the days are growing dimmer where you are, it’s as good as a sun lamp at fighting off winter blues. Try playing the lead cut on Henning Severud’s masterful Running Back debut and not grinning. Between the groovy tempo, the balmy chords, the playful ping-ponging of the melody and the rolling builds, this track just exuded good feeling.
• • 15.
  • 
  • DVS1
    Black Russian
    Klockworks
    Lean, pumping, atmospheric techno to get lost in—in other words, what Zak Khutoretsky does best.
• • 14.
  • 
  • Floorplan
    Never Grow Old (Re-Plant)
    M-Plant
    Whoever played the church organ on Version 2.0 of Robert Hood’s gospel-tinged club-destroyer has surely melted more brains than any other church organist in history.
• • 13.
  • 
  • Jack J
    Something (On My Mind)
    Mood Hut
    In case you ever wondered what it feels like to get stoned and strut through Vancouver on a breezy spring afternoon.
• • 12.
  • 
  • Herbert
    One Two Three feat. Rahel
    Accidental
    Super-sexy, low-key house from a master of the form, that was made fantastic by Rahel’s vocal performance.
• • 11.
  • 
  • Leon Vynehall
    It’s Just (House of Dupree)
    3024
    “It’s Just (House Of Dupree)” is one of those tracks that obviously knows how good it is. The ballroom intro, the feel-good bassline, the extended coda that eased in like a post-coital cigarette—it all seemed to be delivered with a knowing, self-satisfied smirk. And rightfully so. Infectiously bright, bubbly and slick, the centerpiece of Leon Vynehall’s Music For The Uninvited was a groove you wish would never end.
• • 10.
  • 
  • Moderat
    Bad Kingdom (DJ Koze Remix
    Monkeytown Records
    The original version of “Bad Kingdom” was the most epic moment on Moderat’s 2013 album, II, and it quickly became a highlight of their live show, too. Then they handed it over to DJ Koze. In his hands, the track was stripped down and rebuilt as a warbling, teasing, end-of-night anthem that DJs—and crowds—couldn’t resist.
• • 9.
  • 
  • Caribou
    Can’t Do Without You
    City Slang
    “There’s one constant in the music business: a hit is a hit.” That quote may come from a fictional TV gangster, but it’s true. Some songs just have that certain something: you like it right away, and you’re singing it to yourself for weeks on end. “Sun” was great, “Odessa” was seriously catchy, but “Can’t Do Without You” is Caribou’s hit. See? Just reading the name gets it stuck in your head.
• • 8.
  • 
  • Barnt
    Chappell
    Hinge Finger
    “Dun/ Dun dun dun dun dun/ Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh/ duh-duh-duh-duh dun…” It’s not poetry, exactly, but however you parse the propulsive hooks of Hinge Finger’s latest club weapon, you can’t deny the power of the message. Few tracks are as immediately recognizable from the moment they inch into the mix—and so effectively uniting as it tears out of the soundsystem.
• • 7.
  • 
  • SOPHIE
    LEMONADE
    Numbers
    “LEMONADE” was the crest of 2014’s cute tidal wave, and its popularity is remarkable given how weird it is. A confusing rush of plunging basslines, popping bubbles and an addictive chorus, it sounded like it was built with rubber bands that can’t quite hold it all together. That nutty, chaotic arrangement made “LEMONADE” a fascinating piece of music, whether you viewed it as a slice of deconstructed pop or simply a dance floor bomb.
• • 6.
  • 
  • Marco Shuttle Sing Like A Bird
    Time To Express
    “Sing Like A Bird” was the hit that began Marco Shuttle’s biggest year yet. The Italian producer didn’t do anything dramatically different to attract this attention, he simply reduced his formula down to its pure essence: subtle atmospherics and a hypnotic bassline that went on for eternity. This one had a cherry on top with its haunting vocal, which seemed to twist and turn in different ways each time you played it.
• • 5.
  • 
  • Mumdance Take Time feat. Novelist
    Rinse Recordings
    It seems like every year our ear is caught by one very particular sound. It was there in Objekt’s “Cactus” in 2012, and last year we heard it on Joy Orbison’s “BRTHDT – TIP!” It’s the one that goes, ahem, “WOMP.” That said, it was the chemistry between Mumdance and Novelist that made “Take Time” work so well. They performed the track live for RA Sessions in May, and even before the track was released it felt like grime’s next wave had its anthem.
• • 4.
  • 
  • Gesloten Cirkel Submit X
    Murder Capital
    You could argue for the inclusion of practically any track onSubmit X, but the title cut truly nailed the album’s essence: electro drums slammed, ghoulish vocals and barely-there melodies distorted, and the gritty atmosphere seemed to leave everything covered in stains. Within about three and a half minutes, it’s all over, but that’s all the time you needed to get any dance floor completely on board with the abuse.
• • 3.
  • 
  • Floating Points
    King Bromeliad
    Eglo
    “King Bromeliad” starts with a recording of, er, “King Bromeliad,” captured at Plastic People during a Floating Points set. That probably made it this year’s most meta tune—and the switch-up into the beefier studio version one minute in was inspired. What followed was sublime and spacious, and yet another sparkling addition to Sam Shepherd’s flawless discography.
• • 2.
  • 
  • Traumprinz
    All The Things
    Giegling
    You knew from about four seconds in, when the first chord change hit, that “All The Things” was the real deal. On the surface it was standard deep house: 4/4 beat, hi-hats, pianos, a diva sample. But under the hood something different was happening. Like much of Traumprinz’s music, this track is sincere in a way that sets it apart from most club music. It almost feels too personal to play at a party, which is exactly why it was so good.
• • 1.
  • 

Objekt
Ganzfeld
Leisure System

Let’s be clear about this: the bassline on Objekt’s “Ganzfeld” is the reason it was our favourite track of the year. It was the sort of simple, life-affirming riff that shoots goosebumps across your arms. It only hit every eight bars, so the sense of anticipation for its return was immense. It’s the element that tipped the track over from “great” to “incredible.” But as with most of TJ Hertz’s music, the stuff going on in the background was arguably even more impressive. Hertz told us earlier this year that his tracks go through as many as 80 different versions before completion; listen to the first 30 seconds of “Ganzfeld”—the wonderful multi-tracked pads, the complex layers of synthesis—and you could tell he wasn’t exaggerating.

“Ganzfeld” was the B-side on a spilt 12-inch with Dopplereffekt, and it was released in the same month that Richard D. James returned with his first new music as Aphex Twin in years. Hertz would probably cite both artists as key influences, but it was telling that “Ganzfeld” and Flatland, his debut album, which was released the following month, felt in no way overshadowed. 2014 was the year Hertz emerged as a major force in electronic music, and “Ganzfeld” was his crowning achievement.

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