2021 was an anomaly for dance music.
The lion’s share of 2020 was spent imagining how releases would translate to the in-person club culture format again, and this challenge carried over well into last year. With the live-performance calendar in limbo from January thru the spring and summer months of 2021, artists continued to explore creative ways to proceed with their production craft less the time constraints of touring schedules. The music released throughout last year consistently reflected the ingenuity that resulted from long and unimpeded periods in the studio.
Although in-person music programming was non-existent at the beginning of 2021, original repertoire was given a head start effective January 1, when Hardwell and Blasterjaxx released “Bootshaus ID” that made Dancing Astronaut‘s Top 100 releases of last year that also included the likes of. Gorgon City and DRAMA’s “You’ve Done Enough”, Bleu Clair and OOTORO‘s “Beat Like This”, Porter Robinson‘s “Look at the Sky”; ILLENIUM, Nurko, and Valerie Broussard’s “Sideways”; Alesso’s “Somebody To Use”; Ophelia Records‘ “Pantheon”; RL Grime and ISOxo‘s “Stinger”; Dom Dolla‘s “Pump the Brakes”; and David Guetta, MORTEN, and John Martin‘s “Impossible”.
And for the complete list of Dancing Astronaut’s Top 100 EDM songs have a look below:
21AREA21
24LP Giobbi & Born Dirty
2HEARTsKnock2
AarenaISOxo
AcrobaticSIDEPIECE
AffectionBoys Noize & ABRA
After You (feat. Calle Lehmann)Gryffin & Jason Ross
The Age of Love (Charlotte de Witte & Enrico Sangiuliano Remix)Age of Love, Enrico Sangiuliano & Charlotte de Witte
Alive (Heimanu Remix)Zeds Dead & MKLA
All NightTonja Holma
All That Remains (feat. Fractures)Sultan + Shepard
All We HaveSG Lewis & Lastlings
Almost HomeAbove & Beyond & Justine Suissa
Anywhere (feat. shYbeast, PLYA)SLANDER & Au5
Ask MeDuck Sauce, A-Trak & Armand Van Helden
Beat Like ThisBleu Clair & OOTORO
Beyond BeliefsBen Böhmer
BlinkKohmi & KinAhau
Blue DreamZHU
Bootshaus IdJaxxwell
BreatheBlanke
California Dreamin’ (feat. High Jinx)Chris Lorenzo
Care About UPauline Herr
Change It (With Liel Kolet)Last Heroes & Liel Kolet
Come AlivePendulum
Dancing Alone AgainShadient & fknsyd
Die for You (Zedd Remix)VALORANT, Grabbitz & Zedd
Disappearing Now (feat. Chandler Leighton)Nurko
Do It To It (feat. Cherish)Acraze
DominosElderbrook & Louis The Child
Drivin Thru the Night (Jai Wolf Remix)Petit Biscuit
A Drug From GodChris Lake & NPC
Enter The WorldJuelz & JAWNS
Eternity (feat. Lena Leon)Tchami & Habstrakt
Feeling This WayRay Volpe
FlourishMoore Kismet & Laxcity
Free Again (Axwell Cut)Jay Robinson & Axwell
F**k U Love UAlison Wonderland
GhostHex Cougar & Heimanu
Ghost in the MachineTrivecta
Green Light (feat. Kate Wild)AC Slater & Bleu Clair
Griztronics II (Another Level)GRiZ & Subtronics
GrouploveAnden & Yotto
Hard StreetWax Motif, ALRT & Nessly
Haunt Me V.2Kaskade & The Moth & The Flame
Human (feat. Echoes)John Summit
HypnocurrencyRezz & deadmau5
I KnowTSHA
Impossible (feat. John Martin)David Guetta & MORTEN
Jack MachineDombresky & Noizu
Last Thought (feat. MKLA)Sonny Fodera & Vintage Culture
Lies (feat. Raphaella)MK
Life on HoldNora En Pure
LighthouseOCULA
Look at the SkyPorter Robinson
Love Me Now (feat. Zoe Wees)Kygo
Make Me FeelJohn Summit
Moth To A FlameSwedish House Mafia & The Weeknd
NosediveJon Casey
Nuclear LethargyLane 8
OctaviaROSSY
One More Day (with Chandler Leighton)Jason Ross, Blanke & Chandler Leighton
One MoreSG Lewis & Nile Rodgers
Only One I NeedWilliam Black, HALIENE & Thomas Laurent
On My KneesRÜFÜS DU SOL
Out of Reach (feat. Sansa)Cristoph & Yotto
PantheonBlastoyz, Dimibo, Jason Ross, Kill the Noise, Seven Lions, Trivecta & Wooli
Pump the BrakesDom Dolla
Rainy AprilSpencer Brown & Qrion
RampageHoney & Badger
ReflectionsArchaellum
ResistAce Aura & Subtronics
Returning To You (feat. Alison May)Seven Lions & Andrew Bayer
Ring the AlarmDJ Snake & Malaa
RollercoasterLove Regenerator, Solardo & Calvin Harris
RUNAWAY (feat. Josh Rubin)REAPER
Run (Acoustic)Dylan Matthew & Kai Wachi
ShadowsSeven Lions, Wooli & AMIDY
Shady IntentionsNGHTMRE, Zeds Dead & Tori Levett
SidewaysILLENIUM, Valerie Broussard & Nurko
Slow (feat. KARRA)KSHMR & Mahmut Orhan
Silver Lining (Dubvision Remix)Andrew Rayel
Somebody To Use (Club Mix)Alesso
Something’s about to go downAnti Up
SONG SIXDeathpact
Starbright (feat. Trella)Dabin
StingerRL Grime & ISOxo
Story Of My Life (feat. Trippie Redd) [Heavy Edit]ILLENIUM & Sueco
Streets (Disclosure Remix)Doja Cat & Disclosure
Supersonic (My Existence)Skrillex, Noisia, josh pan & Dylan Brady
SymphonyAspyer
Taste of You (feat. Dove Cameron)Rezz
Waterfall (with Runn) [feat. RUNN]RIOT & Far Out
Void; Reciprocate, LoveWavedash
We Know Who We Are (Midnight Kids Remix)Said The Sky & Olivver the Kid
Where You AreEMBRZ & Lizzy Land
Wish It Was You (feat. Cate Downey)Audien
Without Me (feat. Danni Carra)MitiS
Won’t Let You GoMartin Garrix, Matisse & Sadko & John Martin
You’ve Done EnoughGorgon City & DRAMA
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Weston Woodbury