By: Jordan Calvano

5. The Upbeats - Diffused (Opiuo Remix)

When Opiuo touches something, you can best guarantee that shit will turn to gold. He’s got the Midas touch, minus the whole part about warping your wife and everything you love into golden statues. Opiuo is a boss, so he figured out how to center these powers strictly towards music. With “Diffused,” we witness the man himself transform a drum ‘n’ bass banger into a glitched out body of sound. These fields might seem worlds apart, but the Melbourne resident bridged them like it was Terabithia. Retaining the original’s shattering darkness is where Opiuo struck compatibility. Building off The Upbeats framework, bestowing his unique sensibilities to the mix, and unleashing deep funk for the masses. Check our interview with the man from earlier this month!

4. Odesza - My Friends Never Die

We’re making some predictions for 2014. By this time next year, Odesza will be one of the most loved and talked about artists in electronic music. Seriously, mark your calendars. The Seattle based duo “Started From The Bottom” in the wee months of 2013 with the remarkable spread of Summer’s Gone, hopping on tours with respected artists across the country and even opening shows in arenas for Pretty Lights. “My Friends Never Die” isn’t just a song; it’s a damn mantra. Complete with radiant sidechain, surging drum patterns and shimmering vocals, this daring tune is an anthem for our current youth. Shine high. Take chances. Make love. Jump higher than the next. 

3. Au5 & Fractal - Subvert

Au5 & Fractal have stumbled onto something monumental. Their names were new to most at the beginning of 2013, but that has all taken a massive turn for the better since. Thinking about the uncontainable progression these two young bloods have mainlined almost hurts our heads. How can two human beings create music that is so complicated, textured, and impactful without destroying every speaker system and eardrum on first contact? How did these two producers get so good? Sorry for asking all these questions, but there are just perplexing mysterious we can’t seem to solve right now. “Subvert” is musical methamphetamine, instantly speeding up your heartbeat within seconds. Your forehead starts to sweat. Fingers clutch anything in sight, and all you can manage to say is “Now check this out.”

2. The Glitch Mob - Can't Kill Us

December 2013 has been a damn good month. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues just dropped, and now we get a new single and release date from The Glitch Mob! What did we do to deserve this? It’s been three and half years since we received a new album from the gods of modern glitch, and the waiting just kept becoming more and more excruciating. Would their sequel to Drink The Sea ever drop, was everything we knew about this world a lie? Then, just when some seemed to give up hope, the word started to spread. Fragmented images, mysterious dates, and finally something we can plug into. “Can’t Kill Us” is another unequivocal mantra, basically reaffirming to the music industry that meticulously textured music like this takes time. Like Guns N’ Roses once said, “All we need is just a little patience.” Regardless, February 11th couldn’t come soon enough.