By: Jordan Calvano

5. The Floozies

If GRiZ plays his cards right, Liberated could follow in the footsteps of Pretty Lights Music and be the next great underground record label. So far they’re two for two, boasting Rebel Era and Tell Your Mother on their tight-knit but growing roster. The Floozies’ album was something else. Undeniably funky from start to finish, and you can literally taste the duo’s desire to contrive abounding music. Livetronica fans just couldn’t get enough from the brothers this year, and why should they? There is enough floozie to go around people, but jump on their ship quick before the whole globe has taken notice. Tell your friends, your teachers, and that one kid at the gym that always looks at you funny. But most of all, tell your mother! Literally, that’s a requirement.

4. heRobust

There’s a certain duality rooted deep within each successive track from heRobust. Music that makes you want to dance the night away, yet straying far away from mindless electronic music category. Bass-laden anthems that tend to leave venues in absolute wreckage, yet still brimming with passion and absolute emotion. There’s a fine dividing line between the two sides, and Hayden Kramer has uncovered the perfect middle ground. 2013 saw our superhero releasing three EP’s (one with Two Fresh), a fierce collaboration with gLAdiator, and mouth-watering remixes for artists like ill-esha, Borgore & Carnage, and Candyland. Damn son, wher’d ya find (time to make all) this?

3. Au5 & Fractal

Au5 & Fractal have been putting out some of the most cutting-edge, melodic tunes in any realm of electronic music these past twelve months. Their shit just makes you want to travel into space and battle aliens in the future. With a lightsaber. And with Marty McFly. While riding a hoverboard. The line between heavy and euphoric has never been this bleak. Whether they’re working together or alone, it’s clear that Austin Collins and Brady Wiggins have a distinct thought process that seeps right from their brain into each trenchant track. From Au5’s single on Viper Recordings to Fractal’s handiwork on BT’s stunning album, along with their countless individual and collaborative releases on Monstercat. Welcome to bass music boys. We are so glad to have you.

2. Disclosure

Did you know that Disclosure’s spellbinding music is actually good for your health? It’s true. 10 out of 10 doctors recommend their luscious tunes for depressed patients. Their worldwide takeover started this year with “Latch” ripping across international airwaves. People couldn’t get enough. We couldn’t get enough. Why would you want to get enough? From there, it was entirely evident that Disclosure’s brand could only expand exponentially with each month. Then Settle dropped, and everyone else’s music just didn’t taste as fresh. Like a well-prepared steak paired with a porter in the wintertime. Like walking alongside a gorgeous girl as the sun sets. Like Sam Smith’s immersive vocals towering above Disclosure’s serotonin heightening instrumentations.