The Best Albums of 2013

Rating albums in the electronic music sector is getting more interesting by the year. The bigger the EDM scene gets, the more it is obviously about th

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Complex Original

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Rating albums in the electronic music sector is getting more interesting by the year. The bigger the EDM scene gets, the more it is obviously about the DJ and the festival and the "moment" in the club, and less about huge singles and album sales. That's where the money really is, but for the artists, the producers who fell in love with particularly dope albums in the electronic music canon are still trying to make their statement, craft that one definitive work... or just express themselves. With a music scene that's gone back to the singles-driven market, the idea of a great electronic album is still out there, and is appreciated.

2013 saw an interesting group of albums, spread out through a number of genres, some having more of an impact in the mainstream than others. As always, we don't worry about any of those things. DAD's concern is "is this album hot?" Does this album express a particular idea better than any of the others in it's scene? Do you pick and choose between album tracks, or are you running it front to back, and continuing to throw it into rotation? These were the albums that shocked and amazed the DAD staff in 2013, and the ones that helped define this year in electronic music, for us.

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Related: The Best Albums of 2017

AlunaGeorge - Body Music

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Release Date: July 26, 2013
Label: Island

Let it be known that quality pop is possible, people! Although PBR-sippin' hipsters might tell you that the pop is the devil, there's truly no denying that AlunaGeorge's debut Body Music is one of the best albums of the year. The duo smashed on to the scene with numerous fresh singles and hot-tipped collaborations, but Body Music as a whole provided a full showcase for their talent. Between the sensual vocals and the complimenting lush beats, or the UK twist on some of that "miss independent" attitude and the accompanying rock hard percussion, Body Music is everything you need and more for a stellar album.

Moderat - II

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Release Date: August 2, 2013
Label: Monkeytown

No doubt one of the albums on this list we were sorry we got to late. With so much good music out everyday, it's a miracle this didn't fall through the cracks. And boy, Moderat made sure to remind us to never let that happen again. The collaborative efforts of Modeselektor and Apparat together manifests in a warm expansive lo-fi sound that'll have you exploring the depths of your mind and your feels. Tracks like "Versions" take on a deep, UK sound and tracks like "Bad Kingdom" take on a vocal electronic-infused post-rock-style sound that'll have you feeling all the feels.

Special Request - Soul Music

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Release Date: October 7, 2013
Label: Houndstooth

Paul Woolford has been well known in UK house circles for years and had a huge hit with "Untitled," which was released on Hyperdub in 2013. What really made him standout this year though was his stellar debut long player as Special Request. Soul Music was intended to sound like his influences as a teenager listening to pirate radio and the results are simply amazing. Drenched in elements of old school UK hardcore, breakbeat, and drum & bass, Soul Music is essentially more of what people expected from Four Tet's new album and didn't receive. There was a ton of electronic music nostalgia in the UK in 2013, and this entire LP was a top shelf highlight.

Empire Of The Sun - Ice On The Dune

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Release Date: June 18, 2013
Label: Astralwerks

Empire Of The Sun last released an album three years ago when they came out with their debut Walking On A Dream. Hard-pressed to match the success of their smashing debut, Empire Of The Sun took an old school approach by really taking the time to make a full record. Minimal touring, and heavy studio time. The result was the feel-good record of the summer in Ice On The Dune. The album is an enchanting ride through the magical world of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore's imaginantion. The irresistable hooks and extravangant nature of the record (which is best felt live, no doubt!!) made Empire Of The Sun's Ice On The Dune a must get this year.

Swindle - Long Live the Jazz

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Release Date: June 24, 2013
Label: Deep Medi Musik

Was this a straight up jazzy dubstep album? Hell no. It isn't about that, though. Long Live the Jazz was more of a feeling, channeling the cool blue hues of Miles Davis and others of that era and applying that spirit to bass music. With so many people trying to hype up dubstep (but never seeming to truly listen to it on a regular basis), Swindle's album dwelled in a weird space that featured the UK bass music scene LOVING it, but the rest of the world leaving it alone... which is a shame. If you rocked with his jams like "Forest Funk," you'll get a good idea of what to expect, although tracks like "Running Cold" and "Keep Me Warm" hinted at a soul that's been nonexistent in much of the dubstep scene over the last few years. Jazz on, Swindle.

EPROM - Halflife

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Release Date: October 14, 2013
Label: Rwina

Though EPROM's second offering is likely as baffling to the masses as his first, there's still no question Halflife was one of the best albums of the year. The Rwina Records released album features roaring bursts of personality and swag as Sander Dennis injects doses of southern hip-hop, rave, dubstep, future bass to create his own digital audio reality. The album has cemented the Portland-based beat maestro as one of today's best and important.

Chase & Status - Brand New Machine

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Release Date: October 7, 2013
Label: Virgin EMI

Chase & Status have been on an epic journey, one that few of their drum & bass class have embarked on. It's not hard to understand why; most drum & bass producers don't know how to rock outside of their lane while retaining what's "them." Chase & Status have grown from the top of Ram's class to something bigger; they know how to properly channel their influences while still expressing themselves musically. With Brand New Machine, we were treated to the sound of the early '90s rave scene, as well as dips and dives into the grittier side of bass music, from the thunderous trap of the Pusha T-featured "Machine Gun" to the apocalyptic sounds on "Gun Metal Grey." Features from Nile Rodgers and Major Lazer helped broaden the sounds of the duo, but it's when they stick to what they do best (being British), their true talent shines.

Rene LaVice - Insidious

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Release Date: February 11, 2013
Label: Ram

Drum & Bass has been in a weird spot in 2013. There's a number of talented prospects on the horizon, many of which signing to Andy C's Ram imprint. And while albums from Loadstar and Wilkinson also dropped (and also did much better in terms of chart progress), we still couldn't help but rinsing out Rene LaVice's Insidious. It was the balance of the force, the old school sensibility and homage coupled with the new school framework that drew us in. You could tell that Rene was a student of classic dnb projects like Wormhole, and could lock into those impenetrable neurofunk grooves, but he was far from bound to their confines. Rene's been around for a bit, and upon signing with Ram, it feels like he made sure he connected the heads who grew up on the darker late-'90s/early-'00s drum & bass sound, in all of it's dark, rough, and rugged energy. One for the ages.

James Blake - Overgrown

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Release Date: April 9, 2013
Label: Republic

Dismissing James Blake from any list would be a travesty; just the fact that the name most commonly associated with the "post-dubstep" movement would be ridiculous, considering how impressive his sophomore project was to the scene. With Overgrown, Blake made sure to create a realm where this sound that's obviously influenced with electronic music and the indie scene can connect, with tracks like "Retrograde" really catching fans of more soulful, laidback jams and head-nodding production lovers into a place where they can coexist. Blake thrives in a world where all of his tunes sound like happy accidents, where the joy in repetition turns into truly thought-provoking statements on song structure, heartache, and what can be done with the ever-evolving electronic sound. A true auteur, Blake is one to keep a keen eye on.

Mat Zo - Damage Control

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Release Date: November 5, 2013
Label: Anjunabeats / Astralwerks

Talk about a long-awaited project. While 2013 threw a monkeywrench in Mat Zo's progress by way of that odd song-jacking that will.i.am tried to put on as OK, Mat Zo linking with Astralwerks for the relase of Damage Control gave DAD hope that quality EDM producers still had a place in 2013. Even on an album that included huge singles like Mat's Porter Robinson collaboration "Easy," Mat Zo found a way to not only incorporate a number of dance music genres into his production, but he did so without attempting to sell out or compromising himself. If he wanted to make a garage-leaning version of "Easy," he did it. Or he worked downtempo or dubstep sounds into his far-reaching project. Mat's not concerned with barriers or rules, just quality (electronic) music, which is more of what the scene needs. Mat Zo is a promising talent, and Damage Control is a prime example of what you're missing by keeping up with the joneses.

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

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Release Date: May 17, 2013
Label: Columbia

What can be said about Daft Punk's fourth studio album, which dropped 20 years after they first seriously linked up? Not much if you only want drops. Random Access Memories won when it eschewed the qualities that make EDM pop (i.e. the shit that Giorgio Moroder is flocking to right now) and crafting an album that pays homage to the sounds that influenced the producers that influenced today's producers. An album that truly needs to be experienced during some kind of travel - a long car ride, a few missed stops on a train. Sure, "Get Lucky" was the jam of the summer, but Random Access Memories is a project that doesn't live in three-four minute spurts, but is seen as a true full-length project. It's an album that defines the term "longplayer," with gems like "Get Lucky" and "Doin It Right" being pay-offs for some of the project's more heady excursions and outbursts. One can't just throw on "Contact" and be enthralled without truly giving Random Access Memories, and it's that attention to the aesthetics of the old school that makes this album much more important.

Machinedrum - Vapor City

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Release Date: September 30, 2013
Label: Ninja Tune

Machinedrum won. If you had any problem with deciphering footwork directly from the source, Machinedrum was there to truly bridge that gap. Blending the melancholic atmospherics and more "musical" side of dance music with the junglist aesthetic and footwork-endorsing style of today, Machinedrum's Vapor City is another project that truly needs to be experienced in one sitting, following the nuances via an extended listen as opposed to dipping between the "hits." Sure, "Gunshotta" and/or "Eyesdontlie" changed your life, but if you missed the excellence that was the full-length album the resided on, you totally missed the plot. Whenever the unfiltered sounds bubble to the surface, you need someone like Machinedrum to truly hone in, find the connections between what's going on and what's escaped us, and craft something that both rides the middle and bigs up the best of all sides. Machinedrum cultivated a project that works on a number of levels, and in turn built an environment that you could dwell within, with connections to the outside world that you could easily identify with.

Gesaffelstein - Aleph

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Release Date: October 28, 2013
Label: Parlaphone

One of the producers that helped give Kanye the sound that was Yeezus ended up crafting an album that might go down as the start of the shift in the electronic music sound. An open disdain for anything termed "EDM," Gesaffelstein's Aleph takes us back to the last electronica era, where major labels were shelling out for albums that pushed the boundaries, which is what Aleph is built upon. Gesaffelstein's Bromance bredren helped cultivate this harder-edged techno sound that he aligns with on jams like "Hate or Glory" or "Pursuit," while cuts like "Hellifornia" are straight-up loc'd out G-funk manifestos. He maintains a vibe that's raw and aggressive, but isn't afraid of going downright murky for sullen jams like "Wall of Memories." Overall, Aleph plays like a film noir, all dark shadows and quiet alleys in the dead of night, nothing but that suspense and impending dread welling inside before BLAM, another cut that's gone straight for the jugular.

DJ Rashad - Double Cup

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Release Date: October 22, 2013
Label: Hyperdub

If 2013 was the year where people finally "got" footwork, DJ Rashad's Double Cup is the album that converted them. The Chicago-bred sound is complex as hell; 160BPM beats with pulsating kicks, samples that are chopped-up to be damned, and while they flow within the same circles that everything from house to trap does, footwork sits somewhere to the left. DJ Rashad didn't stray far from the formula, but with a batch of soul (and some well-placed jungle breaks), Rashad helped ease the folks that might be on the fence with the footwork scene in with an amazing array of tunes. Featuring superb jungle influences, a serious acid attack with Addison Groove, and a great hip-hop sensibility when it comes to loops, Rashad and company brought the thunder, and in turn we received one of the most accessible footwork projects to date. We're not sure if that was his intention, but either way, this will be the beginning of a new chapter within the scene.

Disclosure - Settle

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Release Date: June 11, 2013
Label: Cherrytree / Island / PMR

Did we call it? You damn right we did... you could smell the success on these guys at the end of 2012. While many see EDM as the American mainstream interpretation of dance music, DAD say Disclosure's work as a way for credible dance tracks to "pop" without conforming. And with Settle, that's exactly what Disclosure did. They hit the nail on the head properly with "White Noise," a track featuring AlunaGeorge that shot to the top of UK charts in a matter of hours. To balance things out, upfront heaters like "When A Fire Starts to Burn" were dipped in the magic that was Disclosure's love for the dance music that came before them. Strewn throughout the album are these moments; the undeniable pop-lean that they gourge themselves on, balanced out by the subtle vibes and solid beats that keep clubs packed on both sides of the Atlantic. They properly moved from strength-to-strength, to the point where we're hoping that more major labels see Disclosure's Grammy nomination for Settle and start looking for like-minded acts. After all is said and done, recognize that Disclosure is the happy medium that America needs to help balance out the mainstream dance music with the "true," soul-filled side that many grew up on.

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