As the year unfolded, the promise of more and more artists unveiling their visionary approaches saw attainment, as 2014 became a year for change and making a strong statement in this ever-competitive Dance Music industry. Artist albums, have and always will be, a method of bringing to life a concept – the telling of a story – an artist sees fit. This year has been albums aplenty. with many legendary acts even letting their debut albums come to light.
As part of our ongoing special feature, where we count down the Best of 2014, in this next edition of #Beatsof2014, we take a look at the Top 10 Albums of 2014.
10. TIESTO – A TOWN CALLED PARADISE
Tiesto was perhaps one of the first to completely embrace the growing ElectroHouse genre after becoming one of the biggest Trance superstars of all time. While his fans remain divided on whether or not that was the right move, one cannot deny this Dutch superstar’s impact on the sub-genre. Once renowned for his euphoric melodies, Tiesto discovered his own penchant for club-driven music and dictated his path to the top garnering critical and commercial acclaim. Post Kaleidoscope (2009), which first saw him dabble with the pop-trance genre, Tiesto made his gradual yet definitive shift towards Progressive and Big-Room house and his album this year A Town Called Paradise was everything but the consensus of that journey. With only two tracks previously heard from the album, ‘Red Lights‘ and ‘Wasted‘, the 14-track album is loaded with collaborations from top-notch producers and vocalists, giving his fans much to cheer and laud about. As Tiesto continues his relentless march towards Dancefloor dominion, ATCP will be a significant step towards the return of the King.
9. PLASTIKMAN – EX
Rarely does an artist get a chance to construct music that has more significance to an architectural space than any other lagging soundtrack ringing in the background. When Richie Hawtin‘s was invited by influential Belgium fashion designer and artistic director at Dior, Raf Simons, to perform for the Guggenheim’s annual fundraiser, Hawtin holed himself at the prestigious Guggenheim Museum for 5 days and curated new music rigorously. So influenced was he, by the art and sculptural effects of the architectural space that he was able to weave a story through his productions in tune with the space around him. Thus was born ‘EX‘ – one of the finest musical journeys of 2014. Stitched together to be heard as a continuous LP, the album was released under his Plastikman moniker giving Techno fans around the world much to cheer about. Hawtin had a splendid year otherwise as well, leave alone a speaker incident later in the year, but he remains undeniably one of the most respected and reputed artists for bringing his passion and vision to life, in everything he does.
8. SKRILLEX – RECESS
Having won 6 Grammy Awards, started his own Record label and becoming the influence and role model for artists around the world , there was little that 26 year old Sonny Moore hadn’t accomplished. Yet, the dream of having his own debut album eluded him, until finally, the Dubstep superstar caught up with his dreams, and ‘Recess‘ was unleashed to the world. The album saw one of the most unique marketing strategies, when an AMA Reddit session circled back to his website where a talking alien face, based on the Apple emoji, played short samples from album tracks when you clicked it. A mobile app was released, called Alien Ride, on the same day which features an arcade-style game, where as the countdown reached zero, the first song from the album was available to stream through the app. This continued in regular 30 minute intervals until the entire album was streamable for a limited time via the app. Involving his fans in this unique way, he created quite a buzz over social media causing quite a tizzy on that fateful day! However the 11-track album was more befitting to the artist’s legion of masterpieces, as it contained some of his best work – a testament to it was the fact that it became his highest charting of his career. A visionary with a penchant for experimentation, Skrillex has always defied categorization and this year was no different for the megastar as he continues his stay at the top.
7. DILLON FRANCIS – MONEY SUCKS, FRIENDS RULE
There was a phase in the year, where you could be forgiven to believe, that Dillon Francis was the only producer releasing music. Such was his dominion this year, as the adored musical genius consistently remained in the news, whether it be for his many collaborations or the release of his highly-anticipated album ‘Money Sucks, Friends Rule‘. The pioneer of moombathon and moombahcore, Francis’s album was laden with massive collaborations with the likes of Major Lazer, Martin Garrix, Mad Decent label-mate DJ Snake, rapper Twista, Panic! at the Disco‘s Brendon Urie and more. Delayed by nearly 3 months, Francis continued to unveil track after track through the year, keeping his fans continuously in the loop as he timely unveiled the array of new music he had been sitting on. One of the hardest working producers of 2014, he caused much glee among his Indian fans when it was announced that he would be gracing the shores of Goa with his presence. A fantastic year indeed for the producer, and 2015 is only looking better!
6. DEADMAU5 – WHILE (1<2)
Let’s face it. Whenever Deadmau5 produces an album, he must be on the year’s best list! And this year would be no different, as his mammoth album ‘While (1<2)‘, saw a magnanimous reception from fans and critics alike, as the gargantuan 25-track double disc album found its way to conception this year. The album found a balance of delivering the best of both sides of Zimmerman – one that eventually concocts dance-friendly music like no other, meant for Dancefloor euphoria and the other that pushes his artistic innovation to curate sonic textures that have never before been experienced. The fact that an album can hold tracks of such depth and variety is not a modern day producer’s practice, and Deadmau5 delivers to his promise of electronica excellence through this album, proving once again, that besides all the vocal exchanges he might be having on social media – Zimmerman is still one of the shining lights of the Dance Music industry.
5. DAVID GUETTA – LISTEN
It’s just been an intense year for Guetta. Riding on the wave of commercial success, the legendary Frenchman kicked away the personal roadblocks in the best way he could – making new music. And 2014 was all about new music from Guetta. From unveiling tracks at Tomorrowland, to world premieres on radio shows, Guetta made sure he was constantly in the news for his music. Taking a traditional path towards the Deep House genre towards the closing stages of the year, his peak came with the release of his 14-track extravaganza that featured collaborators form other genres such as R&B, hip hop, alternative rock and pop worlds such as Sam Martin, Emeli Sandé, The Script, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, Nico & Vinz, Ryan Tedder, Sia, Magic!, Bebe Rexha, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ms. Dynamite, Elliphant, Birdy, Jaymes Young, Sonny Wilson, Vassy, and Skylar Grey. It also features additional production from Guetta’s frequent collaborator Giorgio Tuinfort, Avicii, Afrojack, Nicky Romero, Showtek, and Stadiumx among others, with additional writing credits from Jason Evigan and The-Dream among others! Getting together all his friends and frequent partners, 2014 showed to the world that a David Guetta track will always find room for itself on the charts, dancefloor, festival arena and your heart!
4. KNIFE PARTY – ABANDON SHIP
Knife Party took us on such a tumultuous ride with news of their album ‘Abandon Ship‘, that at some point some of us were surely pulling our hair. With news of their album coming as early as last year, the album took more than its usual time in post-production, as fans waited with bated breath before a string of delays resulted in an ‘accidental’ pre-release of the album. The album was the duo’s first, and Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen did more than kindly to give their fans an immersive experience of their vision and approach. The album features no collaborators save Bryn Christopher‘s vocal work on ‘I See Monstas‘. With their 70-minute set at EDC, which included new tracks from Abandon Ship in both demo and studio form; Rob Swire releasing a teaser for “Boss Mode“; “Resistance” being released for free and “Begin Again” being released as the album’s second instant grat in September – the album and Knife Party continuously stayed in the news and deservedly so. The album maintained their eclectic style of Electro house fused with elements of dubstep and drumstep while allowing plenty of innovation and never-before-heard tracks from the celebrated duo.
3. CALVIN HARRIS – MOTION
He came. He saw. He conquered. Undoubtedly, 2014 was Calvin Harris‘ year. From becoming highest paid DJ, to breaking numerous records through his fourth studio album, Harris remained in the top stream of Superstar producers who did everything right this year. The album featured collaborations with esteemed musicians such as Ellie Goulding, Ummet Ozcan, Big Sean, R3hab, Gwen Stefani, Haim, Tinashe and All About She. It created history when three tracks from the album, ‘Blame‘, ‘Outside‘ and ‘Summer‘ all reached the Billboard Top 10 at once – and this was before his album even released! The 15-track album featured his traditional style of Electro and Progressive House with a few tracks taking a leaf from his Disco House days and bringing back some memories.
2. PORTER ROBINSON – WORLDS
In a year of experimentation and the birth of superstar producers, one name that stood out as producer extraordinaire was young and restless Porter Robinson. His album garnered so much discussion and debate that everything about it was sure to be scrutinized and carefully analyzed. However, Robinson rose to the challenge and gave the world one of the year’s most original and melodically constructed LPs through his debut album ‘Worlds‘. None were disappointed and noone complained as Robinson constructed synth heavy musical pieces that were not loyal to dancefloor or easy-listening, but constructed an ambiance of its own through its thoughtful sonic-driven lush production jewels. Making a conscious shift from his bass-driven complextro style into a more alternative emotive electronica style, Robinson completed a 12-track album without any production assistance before setting out on his promotional Worlds tour. Dismissing the traditional Festival DJ appearance, he chose to curate a specific live-instrumental experience, a vision that saw fruition through his much acclaimed North American tour. An artists, free from stereotypes, and charting his path as it seems, 2014 was the year for Robinson, where he broke free from his shackles and set the course of history he desires.
1. ABOVE & BEYOND – ACOUSTIC
In an era of nonchalant Dancefloor anthems and beat driven euphoria, British Trance legends Above & Beyond put all the breaks on their wheels and took many a stride in a different direction when they unveiled their euphoric album ‘Acoustic‘. Through a year of Group Therapy DJ sets and performances, track after track was unveiled, in anticipation of one complete journey through the album released from earlier this year. Featuring twelve of their biggest Trance hits, reshaped and re-performed by renowned vocalists and backed by talented orchestral musicians, ‘Acoustic’ was a firm reminder that beatless electronica can remain as emotive and liberating as its synth-laden counterparts, when it comes to good music and emphatic songwriting.
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