“Castles in the Sky,” an iconic example of trance music, features catchy synth hooks with Marsha’s emotive vocals to form an unforgettable track that has become an undisputed classic in its genre.
Burial’s 2007 album Untrue served as an unsettling vision of the future. His style combined breakbeat madness and house music momentum, along with unexpected R&B licks and thick basslines into an unnerving whole.
1. Afrojack & Eva Simons – “Take Over Control”
Dutch DJ/producer Afrojack took the world by storm with this electrifying club-banger featuring singer Eva Simons. It quickly become a favorite on dance floors throughout America and proved that heavy bass music could be as beloved as pop, rock, or R&B music.
As opposed to many early dubstep bangers, this one wasn’t intended as an upbeat anthem; rather, its filtered synths and pulsing bassline served to introduce Americans to the spastic sound that would come to define dubstep genre.
Pendulum’s mesmerizing drum & bass opus remains one of the decade’s boldest musical experiments. Blending deep house with glitch techno, this track is both captivating and transcendent at the same time. Additionally, its lyrics made reference to Daft Punk videos, making this track all the more iconic – an essential must-listen for fans of electronic music!
2. Nero & Alana Watson – “Promises”
Alana Watson brings an emotionally captivating topline to this surprising yet emotional take on dance music. Although its production may shift between hammering rock-influenced synth motifs, distorted bass, and thunderous percussion – its buildups are designed to leave room for Alana’s vocal runs; an indicator that its producers understand how best to work with singers.
Nero made their mark as an electronic duo in 2011 with their debut album Welcome Reality, catapulting them to the forefront of EDM culture. Since then, however, they have remained relatively quiet but occasionally tease fans with single releases or live shows.
On their second album, The Thrill, the trio shed most of the drum n’ bass elements that had made them famous in favor of a more accessible, mainstream sound.
3. Rihanna & Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
Rihanna and Calvin Harris made EDM mainstream through this song, making it a commercial phenomenon while ushering in dubstep and minimal music towards the end of this decade.
This track marked the debut of electronic/dance music into mainstream pop music, sparking an upward trend over time as hip-hop acts such as Dizzee Rascal and So Solid Crew joined.
Electropop was birthed when artists combined synth-based sounds with rock-inspired instrumentation like on this track by British duo Justice. Its manhandled tempo swings through lots of microhouse syncopation and playfully noisy forays to produce a powerfully stirring breakup ballad; their most successful single was included on 2012 album 18 Months with them writing lyrics themselves!
4. Swedish House Mafia – “Save the World”
As a trio, they’re back and better than ever! Their setlist was flawless; special effects (including an indoor firework display ) were mind-blowing; and their audience sang along every word!
17 tracks showcase a mixture of present and past EDM styles, from “Frankenstein”, featuring A$AP Rocky, to the more upbeat vocal tracks such as “Heaven Takes You Home”, which introduces new vocalists and more accessible drops into their classic sound.
Although there may be slow points on this album, it remains captivating throughout. Hip-hop songs like “Moth to a Flame,” a duet with The Weeknd and Ty Dolla $ign entitled “Lifetime”, demonstrate their ability to make mainstream music; past hits like “Save the World” have been updated for fans’ listening pleasure and “Frankenstein,” their final track with Connie Constance shows an adult side to them as well.
5. Cash Cash & Bebe Rexha – “Take Me Home”
The 2000s was a pivotal decade for dance music’s global appeal. Producers pushed boundaries of sound while pop stars dabbled with electronic-heavy tunes; there was something for everyone here!
While many artists sample music in their productions, few managed to do it with such playful abandon as Australia sextet The Avalanches did on their whimsical album Since I Left You. With over 900 samples that seem to float along on its own cloud – from horse neighing and theremin to soprano choirs – The Avalanches managed a magical hour-plus journey!
Silence (Airscape Remix) by Delerium featuring Sarah Mclachlan was released as a single in 1999 and quickly became one of their biggest hits of all time, becoming a must-listen for fans of vocal trance music.
6. Barba Streisand – “Barba Streisand”
With five decades of a remarkable career under her belt, Barbra Streisand remains one of the most beloved figures in American culture. She has won multiple accolades such as an Emmy, Oscar, and Tony award.
Deadmau5’s classic electronic music track, MacinTalk is an Apple Inc. speech synthesizer used throughout.
Swedish heavyweights Sebastian Ingrosso and Alesso teamed up with American singer John Martin for this uplifting festival-starter song, and still receive huge crowd reactions today. This track serves as an example of how dance music can become mainstream through collaboration; its chorus is powerful while build-ups are massive; perfect to hear at your next big club gig – truly iconic dance hit of the 2000’s!
7. Mat Zo & Porter Robinson – “Easy”
Mat Zo is an indisputable dance-music superstar, an artist who subverts overblown arena-trance with intimate, emotionally compelling tracks that provide relief for its listeners. While his sounds boast synth-drum runs and timbral techno textures, his true artistry comes through when crafting something non-inertial for an immersive listening experience.
His 2013 album Damage Control showcased this range perfectly, with songs spanning from soft guitar riffs to ambient synth chords and everything in between. “Easy,” an absolute gem from that album, perfectly blends both elements: It samples vocals from an iconic UK garage song; while repeating “Loving you is easy,” which seems simple but actually contains deeper meaning that is revealed through music itself. Furthermore, its arrangement truly excels – one of the finest trance songs from 00s; listeners simply can’t get lost within its musical depths!
8. Afrojack & Steve Aoki – “No Beef”
Roland led this shift with its TB-303 bassline synthesizer, creating the iconic acid sound which propelled rave culture and early acid house music production.
Sampling was another trend that propelled electronic dance into mainstream popularity, but few artists used sampling with such freedom as The Avalanches did on 2004 hit Since I Left You (over 900 samples in an hour-plus track that seemingly floated on its own).
Hip-hop and modern EDM share an inextricable connection, evident by classic tracks such as So Solid Crew’s 1992 hit “Rock Your Baby” or Dizzee Rascal’s 1994 chart-topper “I Got You.” Additionally, this list features songs by mainstream artists not necessarily classified as electronic/dance that possess notable electronic influences (think beats that thwack).
9. Knife Party & Dirty South – “Internet Friends”
Dubstep pioneers XLN put out their debut album to hit number one on the charts in 2005, creating a timeless masterpiece blending acid house, techno and dub music into an addictive headrush. Tracks like “Dark & Long” combine house beats with sticky reverb while mixtape anthems like “Cowgirl” loop computer bleeps over staccato percussion for mixtape hits that stand the test of time.
Madonna’s celebration of new motherhood remains one of the most beloved dancefloor anthems in electronic music history, thanks to ethereal vocals by Alana Watson and Nero’s pillow-time breakbeats, Euro-trance synth splash and sampled blips from unknown sources – making for a timeless classic which continues to light up dancefloors today.
10. Alesso & Ruben Haze – “City of Dreams”
Hip hop’s advent saw elements from funk, dub and rhythm and blues combined with electronic music. Hip hop pioneers such as Grandmaster Flash would use turntables like instruments – for instance chopping Chic’s Good Times into rap tunes to create new forms of musical expression.
Sampling has become an integral component of electronic music, enabling musicians to use samples of sounds and instruments to craft entire new songs with them. An outstanding example is Australian sextet The Avalanches’ 2010 album since I left you, which included over 900 samples in total!
As the US was fighting back against rave culture with its RAVE Act, Europe started creating more commercial dance juggernaut. The early 2000s witnessed electro house’s explosion: producers mixing disco vocals with pop vocals for big room beats that still can be found at dance tents around the world today. Listen to Swedish House Mafia and Ruben Haze’s upbeat track which can still be heard today at dance tents around the globe!