Let's be honest: albums reigned supreme in 2024. The Ubiquitous Festival Anthem was in short supply—especially when you consider last year's rich bounty. As such, the list below follows a more gentle curve, with nods to ambient, R&B and oddball tunes from all around the globe. Dubstep and downtempo get a strong look-in; traditional house and techno, perhaps controversially, less so.

But that's not to say the list lacks dance floor heft—you only have to look as far as incendiary floor-fillers from the likes of 1OO1O, Thoughtforms and TAAHLIAH & Elouiza. And then there's our #1, which sits somewhere between the club and the beach party. It's also the second time this artist—on this occasion, in collaboration with one of our favourite vocalists—has clinched the top spot since 2022. They must be doing something right.

— Carlos Hawthorn

[25]

Bomb Tech 49

Eastern Margins

Like gqom and raptor house, budots is finally joining the modest list of regional dance music genres gaining global recognition. Originating in the Philippines in the early '00s, the street-pioneered sound combines trancey techno and house with fat bass, high-pitched synths and lots of air horns.

Now, pioneer DJ Love is showing off a new mutation of the classic sound with "Bomb Tech 49." Fittingly called bomb-tek, this offshoot is more techno-driven and undeniably harder, darker and leaner. Whereas the traditional stylings tend to be chirpier and whimsical, blippy effects, this strain, full of springy basslines and looped drums, takes budots off the streets and into the club. - Nyshka Chandran

[24]

Nuovo Testamento

In My Dreams (Powerhouse Mix)

Eskimo/N.E.W.S.

"In My Dreams (Powerhouse Mix)" is the early '90s Italo house classic that never was. Pairing sugary, Latin freestyle-inspired vocals with huge piano stabs à la 4 For Money's "It's a Moment in Time," it's the kind of turn-of-the-decade anthem you'd expect to hear soundtracking grainy archival footage from Cocoricò or Quadrant Park.

Except "In My Dreams" isn't from the '90s—it's a new release from contemporary synth pop outfit Nuovo Testamento. Dismiss it as frivolous if you like, but doing so won't diminish the truth: this track is custom-made for massive, life-affirming rave moments. - Michael Lawson

[23]

Sam Goku

Temple Arp

Dekmantel

Like many great techno tracks, "Temple Arp" is a marathon, not a sprint. Stretching out over seven minutes, this beatific roller hooks you in with a cosmic intro that builds tension like a thriller. Sam Goku's previous releases, such as 2021's Tanggu and 2021's East Dimensional Riddims, have demonstrated the Munich-based producer's eye for the finer details.

"Temple Arp" is the stunning zenith of this meticulous approach: softly padded kicks and constellations of otherworldly synths work seamlessly to lull you into a trance, plotting a dubby voyage of epic proportions that favours nuance over heft. - April Clare Welsh

[22]

Leonce

Not Here For It

Morph Tracks

It's one thing to produce a dance track. It's quite another to permeate it with the sheer essence of the club, transporting listeners to the dankest dance floor they've ever been on. Atlanta-based producer Leonce's incandescent banger "Not Here For It" uses effervescent keyboard arpeggios and infectious diva vocal samples ("here, here for you") to convey bodily liberation on a visceral level.

When the beat drops, you can almost feel the sweat bead on your brow, as Leonce flexes not only his production chops, but his keen understanding of what makes the most seasoned ravers go off. - Cameron Cook

[21]

TAAHLIAH & Elouiza

Boys

untitled (recs)

Nothing hits like a sexy a cappella line—and TAAHLIAH and singer Elouiza delivered on "Boys." Fans of TAAHLIAH's bolshy, playful DJ sets may have been surprised by the introspection of her debut LP, Gramarye, but TAAHLIAH still made room for "Boys," the glossy, seductive club cut she's been teasing since 2022.

Elouiza's smouldering vocal—"These boys, they all want me / They all want to get in me"—is adorned with a growling bassline, crashing kick drums and plasticky neon synths, resulting in a perfect balance of cheeky yet tough. If 2024 served us up a track for stomping around the city feeling hot, this is it. - Katie Thomas

[20]

1OO1O

Del Salsódromo al Rave

self-released

What happens when you throw "Talento de Televisión" by salsa legend Willie Colón into a blender with Nightcrawlers' '90s house anthem "Push the Feeling On"? Possibly the most fun you can have on a dance floor.

Mexican producer 1OO1O has been steadily ascending with his tropi-fusions of salsa and breaks, expertly folding the Caribbean genre's rhythmic principles into techno and bass music—all with a puckish wink. But "Del Salsódromo al Rave" takes this formula and intensifies the flavour. A base layer of Nightcrawlers' immediately recognisable synth line, a dash of Colón's warming trumpet ensemble, all bound by pummelling, hip-vitalising kicks at 150 BPM. Delicioso. - Rachel Grace Almeida

[19]

INVT & Introspekt

Seismic Activity

ec2a

The global club music cross-pollination was in full flow long before Miami duo INVT and neo-garage innovator Introspekt decided to make music together, but the resulting EP, Tectónica, is nevertheless one of the explosive statements in recent memory.

It's a quality three-tracker, but opening cut "Seismic Activity" is the one that truly stands out as the jewel in the crown. The trio find a rousing middle ground between their respective styles of Latin-fortified tech house and buoyant UKG, enhanced by a slowed-down sample from Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It." This is dark and lusty 2-step capable of, well, shattering dance floors the world over. - Michael Lawson

[18]

HiTech

SPANK!

Loma Vista

HiTech know how to keep cool under pressure. This is key to the trio's marriage of heart-palpitating ghettotech with laid-back rapping: their ability to float atop 150 BPM sizzlers with pure control. "SPANK!" pushes that contrast to the max, overlaying a dizzying central bongo loop with programmed keys, synth flares and laser FX.

But it runs on GDMRW and King Milo's verses, traded off drill-style in attempts at getting their hands on a triple threat: "She got beauty / She got brains / She got booty all in that thang." Sure, "bend it over, let me spank," isn't the subtlest come-on, but HiTech's flow makes it seem almost elegant. The end result is as sexy and tactile as the palm-to-ass communion. - Hattie Lindert

[17]

Claire Rousay & Lala Lala

please 5 more minutes

Thrill Jockey

There is an inherent melancholy in having to ask for more time; an underlying sense of defeat in prolonging the inevitable. And though experimental composer Claire Rousay is not above having to “beg” for it, as she candidly croons on electronic ballad “please 5 more minutes”—a standout from this year's sentiment—she wrings clear-eyed dignity out of an act of vulnerability.

Combining purposeful guitar with heavily Auto-Tuned vocals, Rousay modifies the self-described "emo ambient" textures of her early work into a cyber-folk vignette that pierces your heart and subverts your ear. Its emotional clarity is overwhelming; the track abandons words for a climax of hymnal chords which slowly fade into a denouement of silence. Time, as it must, has run out. - Jake Indiana

[16]

Joker

Juggernaut

Kapsize

2024 was filled to the brim with throwbacks to that foggy period in the late '00s when dubstep was being transformed. This British bass revival also meant that when Joker dropped a 140 BPM monster, he'd arguably never sounded more contemporary. "Juggernaut" is classic Joker: ethereal strings and anthemic horns twist over sparse drum programming and distorted bass so nasty it could make Howard Stern blush.

What keeps "Juggernaut" from being a nostalgic victory lap is how he turns everything up to 11. He's had big drops before, but nothing as gargantuan as the lift-off a minute into "Juggernaut." This is "Tron" for a whole new generation. - Henry Ivry

[15]

Moktar & Saad El Soghayar

Haraka حركة

Astral People

"Haraka حركة" is a monumental convergence between Moktar and Egyptian Mahraganat luminary Saad El Soghayar. Translating to "movement" in Arabic, the track is a unique and powerful meeting point of two street-born genres that embody celebration, cultural resistance and community. Moktar has weaved El Soghayar's wedding anthem into a tapestry of traditional darbuka rhythms and drum & bass, creating a rhythmically rich dialogue of tension and release.

Moktar has managed to span meridians, creating a knockout that echoes the venn diagram of heritage and contemporary dance music. From Cairo's DIY block parties to London's pirate radio, "Haraka حركة" is a testament to how the underground has always spoken the same language, no matter where it calls home. - Ramsey Tawil

[14]

Tinashe

Nasty

Tinashe Music/Nice Life

Janet Jackson owns the word "Nasty." But you know what? The economy's rough. You can forgive her—even thank her—for leasing it out to Tinashe, who didn't take on stewardship of the word lightly.

Tinashe's "Nasty" is both an impeccable Janet tribute—minimal, casual and freaky in all the right places—and a marker of what you can achieve if you tell the major label pop ecosystem to do one and chart your own path instead. It's the kind of song that seems forgettable at first listen and totally indispensable by your third, in part because it's so confident. Unlike so much pop this year, "Nasty" is so unbothered about proving itself to you that it's easy to dismiss at first glance, even as its rubbery bassline and off-kilter vocal samples build and build. Dismiss it at your peril. - Shaad D'Souza

[13]

Carré

Fawn

SPE:C

Los Angeles bass enthusiast Carré elevated her skills in the studio this year. Following stellar releases on Beatrice M.'s Bait and Fast at Work, Air Sign EP was the standout. Sandwiched between a pair of heavier bangers, its comparatively low-key B-side, "Fawn," is a masterful distillation of her signature technoid dubstep. Moving at a subtly brisker clip than traditional 140, the track's bass pulses, spiralling vocals and dubbed-out drums shift and cycle, evoking the earth-rattling march of a giant.

After 80 seconds of moody table-setting, a playful series of plucks erupts seemingly from nowhere, skipping up and down in pitch. Then, as quickly as it arrived, this cute riff is gone, displaying Carré's deft control over arrangement. For anyone curious about dark and minimal dubstep's evolution over the past decade, this is the place to start. - Tom Gledhill

[12]

Kim Gordon

BYE BYE

Matador

Kim Gordon landed the coldest industrial trap record of 2024, you say? Why not. Where earlier instances of the downtown icon fringing electronic music were speckled in hiss—see Ciccone Youth's insouciant Madonna flip "Into The Groovey" or far-out noise excursions with illbient pioneer DJ Olive—"BYE BYE" is incredibly forthright.

It's loud, both in the offhand banality of Kim Gordon rapping a pre-trip checklist (turtleneck, milk thistle, vibrator), as well as the collision of synth stabs, abrasive guitars and a beat that knocks like a cinder block to the head. Gordon can evidently sell anything. And if you figure the former frontwoman of Sonic Youth has no business being on an RA end-of-year list, well, I can think of two words she might use to bid that sentiment adieu too. - Gabriel Szatan

[11]

Mk.gee

Breakthespell

R&R

If we're being honest, part of Mk.gee's appeal is that you can't understand a word he's saying. Throughout his dazzling debut album, Two Star & the Dream Police, the New Jersey-born artist's warbled vocals are at points barely decipherable—prioritising atmosphere over precision, which cloaks his music in a quixotic, almost Jai Paul-ish mist.

On "Breakthespell," his voice melts into the heavily delayed guitars and billowing synths he's become known for. Once you finally manage to decode lyrics, they only heighten the hazy ambience, as he anguishedly calls out: "I can't win / And I won't end." The agent of his heartbreak is unclear; although if the song title offers any hints, it might even be Mk.gee himself. "Breakthespell" may not provide clarity, but it doesn't matter—this is the sound of catharsis. - Bella Aquilina

[10]

Charisse C & DJ Kwamzy

Morning Sun

Abantu

It was almost inevitable that Charisse C, one of the UK's leading ambassadors for amapiano, would eventually step out from behind the decks and into the vocal booth. "Morning Sun" is her bright take on the beloved genre, buoyed by airy vocals that create a sense of spiritual peace. But those sparkling notes soon transform into a moody dance floor heater, channelling the irresistible drama of amapiano and 3-step's percussive patterns.

With Kwamzy on the assist, the pair created a hybrid anthem that represents the vibrant sounds of contemporary South African dance music. As well as being an excellent entry into the canon, "Morning Sun" represents Charisse C's natural progression from DJ to fully rounded artist—and she makes it look effortless. - Jesse Bernard

[09]

Mica Levi

slob air

Hyperdub

You never know what to expect from South London composer Mica Levi. Their last solo record, 2021's Blue Alibi, was a spiky, lo-fi grunge affair, while their score for Jonathan Glazer’s 2023 chilling film The Zone of Interest unleashed nightmares through experimental found sound.

This summer, Levi once again opted for unpredictability with their Hyperdub debut, the 12-minute dream pop epic hypnotically circles around a loop of undulating synths, a rumbling bass hum and an assertive, locked-in beat. Occasionally, the transcendental melody is interrupted by a slight key change or the growing swell of indecipherable voices, but it's never enough to unseat the song's steady, meditative pace. "slob air" is like watching the sun rise on the top deck of the bus after a bleary night out—life-affirming. - Steph Philips

[08]

Thoughtforms

Tubes

Thoughtforms

Uruguayan artist Fernando Zapico, AKA Z@P, has been steadily drip-feeding low-slung, acid tech house into the catalogues of niche labels for years. Now, his endeavours have culminated on Red, a statement of intent on own imprint. The EP's sharpest cut, "Tubes," features a classic proggy synth line that syphons off inspiration from techno, electro and wave, intertwining pulsing synths with metallic rhythms that pitter-patter across the four-four grid.

While the rest of the EP nods towards some of the nostalgic signifiers defining today's zeitgeist—consider the mesmeric bounce of Kalahari Oyster Cult's output—"Tubes"' insatiable groove is the real winner. It's easy to imagine it ripping at the height of a raucous party, the crowd swaying to its heaving beat. - Chloe Lula

[07]

FKA twigs

Eusexua

Young

In 2024, pop stars shaped culture not only through their art, but by outright defining social mores and public behaviour. Tinashe's "Nasty" allowed an anxiety-ridden generation having less casual sex to try on a slutty persona and Charli xcx's carefree BRAT paved a green road from the club to the Vice President's office.

As the sun began to set on late summer, avant-pop visionary FKA twigs also chimed in with the sultry mystique of "Eusexua," the title track from her forthcoming album. While muted techno kicks thump in the distance, the song immediately introduces us not only to a feeling (which twigs describes as "the pinnacle of human experience"), but also an entire cinematic universe full of alien tattoos, silver statement jewellery, seven-inch Pleasers and sheer lingerie. twigs has always sung around the dance floor's periphery, but on "Eusexua," she's never sounded so sure of her place in the heart of the club. - Kiana Mickles

[06]

RHR & Logan_OLM

Diagonal (Dub Mix)

Nice & Deadly

It's almost too easy to make a club incinerator with Logan_olm on the mic. The London MC has proven time and again that his fierce flows can dominate any beat. In 2024, he met his match in São Paulo funk export RHR, who spent years observing the UK scene from almost 6,000 miles away, fusing his learnings with Brazil's diasporic rhythms. So when he finally got in the ring with Logan, what was the result?

The pair's rowdy team-up, "Diagonal (Dub Mix)," vaults straight out the blocks with disorientating sample chops and a chest-caving rumble, laying the perfect foundation for the MC's righteous assertions of his own ability to storm onto any track and make himself heard. Stomping bass that slips off its axis; flecks of flanged synth; percussion that reaches for tamborzão—it's a whirlwind of energy. "Diagonal (Dub Mix)" is the sound of São Paulo and London colliding spectacularly. - Nathan Evans

[05]

Joy Orbison

flight fm

Hinge Finger

There's always one: doggedly ubiquitous, memed halfway to oblivion, the international overplayers' anthem. Our answer came in record time this year, after "flight fm" landed on January 17th and confirmed that Overmono's Dobermanns would be treated to 12 months of much needed R&R. Dance floors haven't exactly been light on wallopers cribbing their sub action from darkside jungle and speed garage lately, so to understand why "flight fm" went supernova, it's worth paying attention to what the song doesn't do.

"flight fm" is no-nonsense enough to make the track it might be modelled on, Si Begg's "Revolution No 1," sound positively cluttered. A dainty pre-tremor, some skippy drums and that enormous, grungy bassline—done. Incredibly effective. Vast pockets of negative space compelled others to fill in the blanks, which is why everyone from ropey TikTok remixers to Future and even The Chainsmokers (yes, seriously) mobbed in. What Joy O understands more than most is that a killer hook only represents half the battle. You still need the nous to clear everything else out the way and let it roll. - Gabriel Szatan

[04]

Snakeskin

Waiting

Mais Um

Snakeskin's second album, They Kept Out Photographs, reflects on a tumultuous year in Lebanon, fuelled by a sense of anger, melancholy and defiance. Its pièce de résistance is the ominous and introspective "Waiting," which features one half of the duo, Julia Sabra, reciting an excerpt from Lebanese poet Etel Adnan's To Be in a Time of War. The words, profoundly poignant on their own, transform simple ongoings of daily life into acts of resistance during wartime.

Paired with strong drums, the track opens with an eerie beat reminiscent of a church bell or a loud clock tolling the arrival of doomsday. The combination of Sabra's gradually distorting voice, the increasingly aggressive rhythm and almost mundane lyrics is deeply hypnotic, immersing us in Snakeskin's alternate reality. Yet, like a silver lining amid the heaviness, chimes add a subtle brightness, hinting at the resilience that quietly endures beneath the agony of living through destruction. - Tamara Saade

[03]

Objekt

Ganzfeld (Djrum Remix)

Kapsela

Djrum vs. Objekt? The nerds were salivating. Djrum vs. Objekt on "Ganzfeld"? Tongues were practically on the floor. The ten-minute odyssey gets the gong for the year's glitchiest anthem, shapeshifting its way through tender piano, Syro-style turbulence and half-time freakouts with an exhilarating level of detail and unpredictability.

"Giving something a completely new context is, in some ways, the name of the game," Djrum recently told RA. He was talking about DJing, but you can tell he applied the same philosophy to this remix, transforming Objekt's much loved electro classic into a swarm of breakbeats and squiggly left turns. Few could have nailed it so hard. - Carlos Hawthorn

[02]

James K

Blinkmoth (July Mix)

AD 93

This year, no artist has made downtempo more appealing than New York producer James K, whose breathy, lilting vocals have floated across some of 2024's best music. It makes sense that amid sustained geo-political violence and economic turbulence, we'd again find solace in shoegaze—music that slows the anxious heart while holding a mirror to deep-rooted angst we prefer to leave unspoken.

"Blinkmoth (July Mix)" commanded repeat listens this year for an instantaneous pull that sucks you into the muted vortex of James K's romantic solitude. As she sings about the endless transference of love, a trip-hop beat glides and gallops, tactfully situating us in the '90s. But really, it's the heavenly vocals that we're here for. Her delivery glistens with the Elizabeth Fraser effect: carried foremost by feeling, the curvature of her indecipherable lyrics capture the fleeting moment in which euphoria sinks into quiet melancholy. Additions like this to the electronic shoegaze revival should give any non-believer proof of its enduring relevance. - Kiana Mickles

[01]

Nick León & Erika de Casier

Bikini

TraTraTrax

A great pop song is like a charm: compact and entrancing, a daydream corked and uncorked at will. If it can't guarantee good fortune, it can at least transport a listener somewhere they feel lucky to be. And no song in 2024 made as great an escape as Nick León and Erika de Casier's "Bikini."

"It leaks into the music somehow," León said earlier this month of growing up by the ocean. The Miami native describes his compositions as spaces to inhabit rather than stories; a personal stamp strong enough to transform any output he lends his hand to, be that ambient (Gloria) or perreo heaters (Rompediskoteka). De Casier wields similar scene-setting skills: she wrote one of 2023's stickiest earworms, New Jeans' "Super Shy," without ever sacrificing her signature delicate style presented to perfection on 2019 breakout album, Essentials.

An anthem like "Bikini" was always on the cards for the pair: their last collaboration, the Dionysian "Ex-Girlfriend" with SHYGIRL, nailed the body-first composition of Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's best work. Harp-like keyboard notes pierce the clip of a bassline, plunging into deep dembow as elegantly as four-on-the-floor. Embracing de Casier's crystalline mezzo-soprano, "Bikini" pushes sound into pure sensation: sand between toes and lips on goose-pimpled skin. When she was a teenager, "going to the swimming pool was the worst thing I could imagine," she told Mixmag in 2021. A decade-plus later, "Bikini" comes alive in the shedding of those inhibitions: why hedge around the pool, when you could head straight for the sea?

Despite "Bikini"'s deft movement between shifting rhythmic patterns, the track still manages to capture a profound sense of pause. Trying to make sense of the changing tides—"Lookin' out there / Tryin' to find a meaning"—de Casier only finds herself recentered "with the wind in my hair, just breathing in the air." It's these atmospheric tendencies that take "Bikini" from the track of September to the track of the year. Before León and de Casier, artists from Otis Redding to Kelela have gazed "out there," hoping to find some sort of solace in the meeting of water and sky. And in a year so rife with misery, there are plenty of reasons to be fearful for the future. But "Bikini" charts a different course—it's a three-minute appeal to just be. - Hattie Lindert

Listen to our playlist of best tracks of the year: