Dance music dominated this summer, from club hits to DJ sets featuring big IDs like Martin Garrix’s Ultra set at Ultra and Tomorrowland sets which were both listed among this year’s most-viewed tracklists.
Many producers drew inspiration from the past, with Eurodance and hard house from past decades being revived in contemporary music production.
Swedish House Mafia’s Paradise Again
Swedish House Mafia kicked off the 2010s EDM boom, dominating not only dance music festivals but mainstream pop culture as well. Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso took progressive and electro house typically heard only at clubs or electronic music festivals to a mass audience.
SHM disbanded in 2013, leaving behind several platinum singles. Although they reunited for an appearance at Ultra in 2018, it took them until 2022 to release Paradise Again, their first full-length album since 2012.
Paradise Again goes far beyond their earlier work with its trance-inducing drops and builds; which seems almost childish now–to explore all corners of electronic music spectrum. From bass-heavy techno on Gesaffelstein-like “Mafia” to orchestral intrusions from Jacob Muhlrad-produced “Lifetime”, Paradise Again seamlessly transitions between popular features (Ty Dolla $ign, 070 Shake) and experimental beats.
“Moth to a Flame,” from Weeknd’s collaboration with Abel Tesfaye and Pulsing Disco is an intoxicating combination of hedonism and nihilism that proves more sinister than what could have been achieved separately while fitting perfectly within their album’s wider themes.
Acraze’s “Do It To It”
Dance music reached full circle a decade later in 2017 as it demonstrated exceptional creativity and quality on studio productions and festival stages alike.
Acraze discovered Cherish’s 2006 R&B song “Do It To It” on YouTube and quickly produced a rough house edit of the track, quickly going viral as a TikTok dance hit. The track soon made waves across streaming platforms and radio stations alike, becoming No.1 on Shazam’s Global Dance tally and topping 20 on UK Official Chart; additionally winning iHeartRadio’s 2021 Dance Song of the Year title made this hit one of 2021’s biggest hits.
Acraze’s success has catapulted him into the limelight, amassing over 12 billion streams worldwide and earning his first Gold single with “Do It To It.” The producer is currently on an arena tour featuring premier shows such as Ultra Music Festival. Additionally, Acraze remixed Sam Smith’s GRAMMY-winning No. 1 “Unholy” Ft Kim Petras as well as receiving support from industry giants including Tiesto, Diplo, DJ Snake, Steve Aoki Chris Lake Zedd Martin Garrix among many others – truly making him one of our dance music trance pioneers!
Oliver Tree & Robin Schulz’s “Miss You”
After several years of pandemic-induced doldrums, dance music burst forth this year and heralded an unprecedented period of creativity and innovation. Notable highlights from 2022 included several sonic touchstones that redefined EDM and pop in novel ways as well as groundbreaking Black artists foregrounding their lived experiences through major hits like jungle DJ Shygirl’s Nymph and UK producer/DJ Honey Dijon’s celebratory house album Black Girl Magic.
Southstar and Oliver Tree’s dispute over “Miss You,” released via Sony B1 Recordings, cleared with their label while Schulz’s version through Atlantic Records has yet to clear; even as it climbs Spotify charts and is being serviced to pop radio. The disagreement centers around Southstar clearing his version through his label while Schulz’s still has not.
Latino pop has also continued to demonstrate its versatility, with Mexican singer Girl Ultra shifting away from R&B with her hit El Sur EP and Argentine producer Bizarrap becoming widely-renowned by combining dance music and hip-hop beats into his work. Remezcla looks back on 10 memorable dance songs released during 2022.
Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal’s “B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)”
Though cliche, 2022 was undeniably the year dance/electronic music was everywhere. By browsing “New Music Friday” tweets from artists like Seven Lions and Jason Ross, REZZ, Kaskade, Moore Kismet and more it became apparent that many artists were contributing something new and innovative to its ever-evolving soundscape – like jungle DJ Shygirl’s Nymph and TSHA Capricorn Sun, offering bold personal experiences while others, like David Guetta and MORTEN using memories to shape their vision of future rave parties.
From underground DJs and mainstream singers alike, dance music has been an ever-evolving genre, with worldwide charts filled with the music of underground DJs as well as mainstream singers alike. Few tracks encapsulated this period more perfectly than Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal’s “B.O.T.A.” (Baddest of Them All). Taken directly from Coffy (1973 Blaxploitation film featuring Pam Grier as Coffy with its tagline “the baddest one-chick hit squad that ever hit town”, this song’s bubbling synths and taut organ stabs are equal parts sinister while Eliza Rose’s vocal flitting between cutesy purr and femme fatale all while being carried along by an endless wave of claps and bassline.
kx5’s “Escape”
Although 2022 hasn’t seen the dance music industry reach its former heyday, it has certainly never been healthier. By fusing diverse sounds from pop, hip-hop and Latin, dance music’s creativity has been evident across every corner of music world; live performance artists continue to push club music’s limits further still.
Joel Corry started 2019 off strong as he transitioned his musical focus from mainstream dance floor candy to deeper Future House grooves, something which set him apart from mainstream producers while expanding Trance music’s envelope in 2022. Joel proved this with the release of a remix package for “Meet Her At The Love Parade”, showing that classic Trance hits such as this still have enough energy to get dance floors moving.
Deadmau5 and Kaskade reunited as Kx5 in 2022 and made waves among progressive house fans with their debut single, “Escape,” featuring Hayla. It proved an explosive start to their project that is already fulfilling their promise of studio releases leading up to their debut album release in 2023.
Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.”
As 2022 came to a close, it’s worth reflecting back on just how dominant dance/electronic music was during 2022. The creative surge that had defined previous pandemic years returned full force across studios and stages alike; there truly was something for everyone!
Girl Ultra’s transition from R&B to Mexican disco sounds expanded the sonic palette, while Argentine producer Bizarrap made his mark mixing EDM with hip-hop beats – quickly becoming an industry mainstay – while Drake embarked on his house pilgrimage, visiting Black Coffee’s Ibiza residency and Keinemusik parties while Palestinian DJ Sama’ Abdulhadi closed Coachella mainstage mainstage performances.
At the same time, UK club music exploded. New versions of rave and UK bass inspired new fans. Four Tet was successful in his streaming royalty dispute while fellow electronic maestros such as Seven Lions, REZZ, Kaskade, Moore Kismet and Pauline Herr released multiple releases at once.
Fred again made headlines this year with the success of his intimate night-stalking Actual Life series and Boiler Room London set, both becoming internet phenomenons. 2023 will bring more opportunities for Fred as an UK producer who excels at drum & bass, dubstep, and trance music production.
David Guetta & MORTEN’s “Future Rave”
David Guetta and MORTEN have become an incandescent musical duo that’s breaking ground with their “Future Rave” sound movement. Through this exploration of sound they have released two groundbreaking tracks together – “The Future Is Now” and “The Truth”, that continue to redefine dance music’s sonic landscape. Now gearing up to start their official residency at Hi Ibiza this summer their commitment to pushing limits is evident and their musical journey progresses apace.
2022 has seen DJs and producers increasingly look backward for inspiration in their craft, from hard dance of German artists DJ Heartstring and Marlon Hoffstadt to Dutch artist KI/KI’s reinvented Eurodance; many producers have taken note of decades-old hard house, Eurodance and trance influences to add something fresh and new into their sets.
Hypaton Productions has also taken up the mantle, producing ingenious revamps of classic 90s songs that have gone viral online, featured by top football teams, news agencies and celebrities around the globe on Instagram feeds. Plus new original tracks coming down the pipeline! It looks like Hypaton and its Future Rave revival may only just be beginning!