2024: The Top 10 Tracks

10)

FRESH AND NEW

Oppidan, Frisco

Oppidan's a fast-rising name in the world of UK garage, and off her newest EP "UNTITLED SINES" comes the fairly short track "FRESH AND NEW", of the same genre. Trademark beatwork and some clean synths make up quite a boppy cut production-wise, but, truth to be told, it was never really Oppidan who would take over the track here.

With Frisco comes a pristine UK rap feature that guides the track along brilliantly with its flow, and, indeed, the production from Oppidan is more than dynamic enough to supplement the vocal, giving "FRESH AND NEW" an undeniably addictive quality that never truly gets old. Despite the rather short runtime, "FRESH AND NEW" brings enough good vibes to land itself a place on the outskirts of this list.

9)

Burst Generator

Andrew Huang

Created with the revolutionary ROLI Airwave, a device that transforms mere hand gestures into actual sound, "Burst Generator" is impressive for just that alone. It's a fantastic demonstration of the capabilities of such a hardware device, but also of Andrew Huang's creativity as a producer.

This wouldn't land on this list, though, if the only thing it had going for it was that a weird device spawned it. No, the sound design on this is insane. Layered, complex, evershifting — Andrew Huang has created something incredibly satisfying to the ears, an intricate atmosphere with plenty of engaging movements.

8)

Everything (VIP)

Despersion, Taras Umansky

The original "Everything" was... pretty average, but Despersion come back with a vengeance. Teaming up with metal guitarist Taras Umansky, the Russian duo strip away the vocal and transform the original into its vicious VIP, complete with powerful neurofunk drops and a seamless integration of Umansky's heavier guitar elements for a relentless, grimy 4 minutes of runtime. Perhaps this is a dark horse pick, but I have no regrets.

7)

Chariot

The Midnight

You'd be hard-pressed to find a bad song by The Midnight, but you'd be even harder-pressed to find a reason to dislike this particular song. Gearing up for a new album, "Chariot" is the first single off what The Midnight claim to be one of their darkest records yet — and considering the outrun influences present here, I'm inclined to believe them. And if it's all tracks of this quality...

Tyler's vocal drifts across the soundstage effortlessly, always an integral part of their songs, and the production is no joke either, in its immaculate neon synthwork and brooding drops. The lyricism is fantastic, the vocal is fantastic, the mixdown is fantastic, and the way in which The Midnight blend emotion with night-time atmospheres is amazing.

6)

Sorry

Fox Stevenson

Fox Stevenson is another of those artists who can do no wrong when it comes to vocal emotion. Wry lyricism with raw meaning, born of his own vocal, is something I've come to expect from this talent, and yet "Sorry" is so much more. With a fast-paced quality to the vocal and a hook that hits you right in the feels, Fox gives this track his all. And, don't get me wrong, the DnB drops are ridiculously fun and the tempo switch at the end for a house finale is superbly done.

5)

Forest Interlude

Dyatic

Instantly into the top 5 comes a track from one of my top 5 albums, but this was just a very difficult one to overlook. Dyatic brings some of his best ideas to his debut album "The Third Kind", and "Forest Interlude" is the cream of the crop.

Dyatic posits a fantastic atmosphere and matches it with chops he scatters throughout the album, progressively layering more and more elements until the drop finally slams down in a flurry of samples at the end. Most of the elements themselves are just alright, but the progression in which Dyatic puts them together is what makes "Forest Interlude" such a brilliant track. Perhaps some of the dubstep cuts off the project were more impactful, and some of the switchups stood out more, but I cannot fault the prowess exhibited here.

4)

I Want You

Magnetude, Burr Oak

"I Want You" hosts two of the most weighted names in the current underground neurofunk scene, and it does not disappoint whatsoever. At a meaty 6:29 of runtime, both Burr Oak and Magnetude just do what they do best. A simple vocal sample and lengthy buildup to kick things off, and from there, "I Want You" is straight heat. Some of the nastiest neurofunk sections I've ever heard, some of the craziest basswork in the industry, some of the most mercilessly unrelenting pummelling of sonic grit to thoroughly fill every moment of this track. Even with such a long runtime, "I Want You" is still a very dense tune, and it'll surely go down as one of the greats of the neurofunk scene.

3)

Feeling Low

Teddy Killerz

Kicking off the top 3 is none other than Teddy Killerz, a Russian drum n bass trio who've had a phenomenal run in 2024. A run so phenomenal that they left practically every other producer in the dust everytime they released. And still, picking "Feeling Low" out of that run was an easy choice.

The opening is nothing too special, a simple vocal and minimal production to match, and with my eyes on the slightly shorter runtime, I figured it wasn't really going to go anywhere. Boy was I wrong. The minimal build opens up to one of the most creative drops of the year (by quite a margin), one you'd have to hear to believe, a metamorphosis of all the previous simplistic elements coalescing into one strong, cohesive idea that packs a punch and a generous helping of surprise to match. Teddy Killerz were likely going to receive a spot on this list one way or another, but "Feeling Low" was the clear top 3 choice.

2)

Mothman

Skybreak, Essenger

I know most people would argue that "Mothman" is most certainly not Skybreak's strongest release this year — and that'd be understandable, considering the stellar year he's had — but I would definitely disagree. He takes a more reserved approach for this one, a simple yet effective melodic dubstep approach, and placing Essenger's amazingly consistent vocal over it was a recipe for success right from its inception. To see two of my favourite artists collaborate like this was a dream realized; to see them produce a track of this technical quality was a dream heightened; and to see that quality be elevated by a set of evocative, deeply relatable lyricism was the final push to put "Mothman" at the #2 spot.

1)

Bones

Mr. Bill, Dirt Monkey, Ellika

Here we are. Number 1. My absolute favourite track of 2024. And, by a surprising certainty, it's Mr. Bill's "Bones". The first single to be released for his LP "Mechanomorphic" later in the year, "Bones" remained quite stolidly as my favourite right from its release all the way back in January — a testament to its consistency. Ellika's offbeat, almost haunting vocal proves to be the highlight of the verses, and, indeed, seems to be the highlight of "Bones" in general upon booting up the track. But you'll find that, when the first signs of Mr. Bill and Dirt Monkey's production begin to truly flourish, that's when "Bones" transitions into its greatest form.

When that first drop hits, it's simply... rich. Rich in quality, rich in sound design, rich in flavour, and wonderfully groovy to boot. The lead melody swerves through its movement in crisp fashion, impactful yet liberating, thoroughly engaging and beautifully mellifluous, weaving in Ellika's vocal into the quieter parts to bring an almost dark vibe to the song and allowing that same vocal to flourish in its verses, providing a shifting atmosphere behind it that knows where to move and when to move. And, lest we forget, that final wobbly disk scratching section is such a fun detail to throw in.