There’s nothing like going down a deep nostalgia rabbit hole and breathing life into classic tunes that forged our current music tastes. Many of us were first discovering the beautiful scene of electronic dance music as we were coming of age. Those memories are particularly sweet, and we’re about to head back in time to reignite them.
Below is a list of some of our favorite cuts from 2010, a year when artists who are now top-of-the-bill headliners were just making their debut, pioneering sounds that we had never heard before. Enjoy!
1. Rusko – Hold On (Sub Focus Remix)
The combination of euphoric vocals mixed with filthy, cutting edge bass lines made for some unforgettable moments on the dance floor. Everyone has at least one memory of this drumstep remix by Sub Focus being dropped in a set somewhere.
2. Big Gigantic – Sky High
Big Gigantic was blowing people’s minds with their blend of sax-laden, hard-hitting jams when they released their debut album in 2010. “Sky High” was the perfect thesis statement for Big G’s fresh sound that ended up winning over thousands upon thousands of fans.
3. Gimme Shelter (Zeds Dead Remix)
Remixing timeless classics was one of the foundational pieces of EDM, and a specialty of Zeds Dead. They were still producing electro house around this time, but when Zeds Dead began dropping dubstep remixes like this one, it changed everything.
4. Excision & Downlink – Heavy Artillery
One of the first releases on Excision’s Rottun Recordings label was a statement for what was to come. “Heavy Artillery” did it’s job cementing Excision and Downlink as some of heaviest acts in dubstep.
5. deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner – Animal Rights
Two electro-house legends on the same track made for a guaranteed banger. Once that main synth line came in around one minute mark, you knew it was time to turn up.
6. 12th Planet – Reasons (Doctor P Remix)
To this day, Doctor P’s remix of “Reasons” still has one of the nastiest dubstep synth lines we’ve ever heard. Dropping this one in a set is sure to send everyone back to their dubstep glory days.
7. La Roux – In For The Kill (Skrillex Remix)
Skrillex’s meteoric rise first began in 2010. He not only released his debut Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites EP at this time but a flurry of remixes such as this one that would go on to shape the American EDM scene over the next few years.
8. Flight Facilities – Crave You (Adventure Club Remix)
If you are an EDM fan in any capacity, you have probably heard the staple that is Adventure Club’s remix of “Crave You.” This glitchy, downtempo banger showed just how much power and emotion could be packed into one drop and continues to be an anthem to this day.
9. Band Of Horses – Funeral (Butch Clancy Remix)
This song was remixed by so many, but Butch Clancy sealed the deal with a simple but beautiful melodic dubstep edit.
10. Duck Sauce – Barbara Streisand
I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but I still will randomly find myself singing this melody for no apparent reason. This song came out 12 years ago.