Despite the persistent rumors of EDM’s imminent decline, dance music enjoyed a successful year in 2016, both from a critical and commercial point of view. The melding of pop and EDM that we saw alchemizing in 2015 fully solidified throughout the year, as evidenced by massive crossover hits like The Chainsmokers‘ “Closer” and Major Lazer‘s “Cold Water” with Justin Bieber.
While the biggest dance music releases of the year had a tendency to feature radio friendly vocal collaborators, we’ve also heard a lot of producers pushing the envelope as the ever changing EDM landscape continues to evolve, with future bass arriving full force as the “it” genre of 2016.
Compared to the burgeoning days of the EDM boom around 2009-2010, we’re seeing producers offering up a lot more sonic diversity while taking a less rigid approach to genres, too. A lot of new faces made their mark in 2016 as well, bringing along with them a renewed sense of creativity and a forward thinking perspective that defined dance music’s output throughout the year.
The following list will serve as your guide to the 10 best songs EDM had to offer over the last twelve months, culminating with our pick of the best dance music song of 2016.