Chart courtesy of The Economist

Whether there’s a narrative in the trajectory of dance music in 2009 is open for interpretation and snide remarks, but even a cursory glance at the lists compiled LWE’s staff suggests this year’s been full of excellent music. The most mentioned by far is STL’s nuance-filled “Silent State,” with various cuts from Ben Klock and Black Jazz Consortium following behind. Peter Van Hoesen’s “Attribute One” and album tracks from Martyn’s Great Lengths were also well represented. What made your top 10 list? What did we overlook? We look forward to reading your thoughts (and the rest of an already enjoyable year for dance music).

Bill Bearden, Contributing Writer

01. Joker, “Digidesign” [Hyperdub]
02. Starkey, “Gutter Music” [Keysound]
03. El-B, “Son De Cali” [Soul Motive]
04. Rude Kid, “Window Cleaner” [Earth 616]
05. 2562, “Embrace” [3024]
06. Martyn, “Yet” [Tectonic]
07. Untold, “Sweat” [Hotflush Recordings]
08. Toastyboy, “On Something” [Halo Beats]
09. Caspa & Rusko, “Soulful Geeza” [Dub Police]
10. Rusko, “Moaners” [Sub Soldiers]

Per Bojsen-Moller, Staff Writer

01. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
02. Floating Points, “Love Me Like This” (Nonsense Dub) [R2 Records]
03. Holger Zilske, “Druckraum” [Playhouse]
04. DJ Koze, “Mrs. Bojangels” [Circus Company]
05. Intrusion, “Little Angel” [echospace [detroit]]
06. Martyn, “Hear Me” [3024]
07. Cooly G, “Love Dub” [Hyperdub]
08. Mount Kimbie, “Maybes” [Hotflush Recordings]
09. Burial & Four Tet, “Moth” [Text Records]
10. Moderat, “Rusty Nails” [BPitch Control]

Chris Burkhalter, Staff Writer

01. Scott Grooves, “Detroit 808” (Panther Dub Delay) [Natural Midi]
02. Isolée, “A Nightingale” [Diynamic Music]
03. Santiago Salazar, “Arcade” [Macro]
04. Black Jazz Consortium, “New Horizon” [Soul People Music]
05. Kode9, “Black Sun” [Hyperdub]
06. STL, “Six In A Row” [Smallville Records]
07. Peter Van Hoesen, “Attribute One” [Time To Express]
08. Even Tuell, “Untitled A1” [Workshop]
09. Joker, “Digidesign” [Hyperdub]
10. Urban Tribe, “Gencon” [Trust]

Peder Clark, Staff Writer

01. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
02. Tevo Howard, “Without Me” [Beautiful Granville Records]
03. Jus-Ed, “Our Children” [Kinda Soul Recordings]
04. Wbeeza, New Skank [Third Ear Recordings]
05. John Daly, “This Is A Lonely Beat” [Drumpoet Community]
06. Dplay, “Huub Sand” [Running Back]
07. Bruce Ivery, “Rush” [Stilove4music]
08. Ben Klock, “Before One” [Ostgut Ton]
09. Levon Vincent, “Six Figures” [Novel Sound]
10. Shake, “Levitate Venice” [Morphine Records]

Shuja Haider, Contributing Writer

01. Mutant Beat Dance, “In A Daze” (Eric D. Clark Vocal Version)
[Discos Capablanca]
02. House of House, “Rushing to Paradise (Walkin’ These Streets)” [Whatever We Want Records]
03. Walter Jones, “I’ll Keep On Loving You” [DFA]
04. Shake, “Indagoo” [Morphine Records]
05. Floating Points, “Love Me Like This” [R2 Records]
06. Disco Nihilist, “A1” [Love What You Feel]
07. The Future, “They Call Me” [Sect Records]
08. Theo Parrish, “Space Station” [Sound Signature]
09. Norman Nodge, “Attitudes” [Marcel Dettmann Records]
10. Soul Clap, “Conscious” [Wolf + Lamb Music]

Anton Kipfel, Staff Writer

01. House of House, “Rushing to Paradise (Walkin’ These Streets)”
[Whatever We Want Records]
02. Kode9, “Black Sun” [Hyperdub]
03. Tensnake, “Holding Back (My Love)” [Running Back]
04. Osborne, “Wait A Minute Now” (Arto Mwambe remix) [Spectral Sound]
05. Efdemin, “Acid Bells” (Martyn’s Dark Mix) [Métisse]
06. Anton Zap, “Mon 16_46” [Uzuri]
07. Gravious, “Jupiter Jazz” [Highlife Lowpoint]
08. Cooly G, “Love Dub” [Hyperdub]
09. Moody, “Freeki Mutha F cker” [KDJ]
10. Peter Van Hoesen, “Attribute One” [Time To Express]

Kuri Kondrak, Contributing Writer

01. Santiago Salazar, “Arcade” [Macro]
02. Mr. Done, “Diamond” [Altered Moods Recordings]
03. Keith Worthy, “Deep Sea” [Aesthetic Audio]
04. Anton Zap, “Spain” [Uzuri]
05. Alex Agore, “Memories” [4lux]
06. Black Jazz Consortium, “New Horizon” [Soul People Music]
07. Chicago Skyway, “Heavens” [M>O>S Recordings]
08. Tony Lionni, “Found A Place” [Ostgut Ton]
09. Kuba, “Message From Earth” [Matrix Records]
10. DJ Sprinkles, “Sisters, I Don’t Know What This World Is Coming To”
[Mule Musiq]

Will Lynch, Staff Writer

01. Bruno Pronsato, “The Make Up The Break Up” [Thesongsays]
02. Wolf + Lamb, “If U Had” (Shaun Reeves Edit) [Wolf + Lamb Music]
03. Delano Smith, “Synergy” [Third Ear Recordings]
04. Anton Zap, “Deeper” [Quintessentials]
05. LoSoul, “Deuce” [Playhouse]
06. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
07. Black Jazz Consortium, “New Horizon” [Soul People Music]
08. Danieto, “Tres” [Impar]
09. Steinhoff & Hammouda, “You Are” (Jus Ed U.Q. Euphoric Remix)
[Smallville Records]
10. Dplay, “Browse” [Drumpoet Community]

Chris Miller, Staff Writer

01. Peter Van Hoesen, “Attribute One” [Time To Express]
02. Geiom & Appleblim, “Shreds” [Berkane Sol]
03. Kassem Mosse, “Workshop 08 B1” [Workshop]
04. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
05. T++, “Audio1995#8” [Apple Pips]
06. Mount Kimbie, “Maybes” [Hotflush Recordings]
07. Deuce, “Twerp Wiz” [Ostgut Ton]
08. Donnacha Costello, “Fathoms Deep” [Look Long]
09. Untold, “I Can’t Stop This Feeling” [Hessle Audio]
10. Ben Klock, “Before One” [Ostgut Ton]

Steve Mizek, Editor-in-Chief

01. Black Jazz Consortium, “Whats Up With the Love” [Soul People Music]
02. EQD, “Equalized #002B” [Equalized]
03. Ben Klock, “Subzero” [Ostgut Ton]
04. House of House, “Rushing to Paradise (Walkin’ These Streets)” [Whatever We Want Records]
05. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
06. Âme, “Ensor” [Innervisions]
07. Martyn, “Elden St.” [3024]
08. Tensnake, “In the End (I Want You to Cry)” [Running Back]
09. Peter Van Hoesen, “Attribute One” [Time To Express]
10. Bodycode, “Imitation Lover” [Spectral Sound]
11. DJ Koze, “Mrs. Bojangels” [Circus Company]
12. Baby Ford, “No Day” [Perlon]
13. Christian Vance, “Tiger Snake” (Quarion remix) [Perspectiv]
14. The Chain, “Geo” [R&S Recordings]
15. Matthew Styles, “Palladium” [Horizontal]
16. John Roberts, “Bodywork” [Feel Music]
17. Rick Wade, “Ricky’s Groove” [Laid]
18. St. Plomb, “Flight Back” [Contentismissing]
19. Urban Tribe, “Gencon” [Trust]
20. Mountain People, “Mountain 007.1” [Mountain People]

Jordan Rothlein, Staff Writer

01. Martyn, “Right? Star” [3024]
02. Sideshow ft. Paul St. Hilaire, “If Alone” (Appleblim & Komonazmuk remix) [Aus Music]
03. Deuce, “Twerp Wiz” [Ostgut Ton]
04. Untold, “Anaconda” [Hessle Audio]
05. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
06. Cooly G, “Love Dub” [Hyperdub]
07. Milton Bradley, “Dystopian Vision” [Do Not Resist The Beat!]
08. Frozen Border, “01 Untitled B” [Frozen Border]
09. Matias Aguayo ft. Lerato, “Pata Pata” [Cómeme]
10. Ben Klock ft. Elif Bicer, “Goodly Sin” [Ostgut Ton]

Colin Shields, Contributing Writer

01. Appleblim & Geiom, “Shreds” [Berkane Sol]
02. Ramadanman, “Humber” (Sven Weisemann remix) [Apple Pip]
03. Theo Parrish, “Space Station” [Sound Signature]
04. N/A, “Variance” (Function Edit) [Sandwell District]
05. Levon Vincent, “Six Figures” [Novel Sound]
06. Bodycode, “What Did You Say?” [Spectral Sound]
07. Luke Hess, “Agape Dub” [Modelisme]
08. Kevin Gorman, “Cyclic” [Mikrowave]
09. Shake, “It Erased Me” [Morphine Records]
10. Kassem Mosse, “Workshop 08 A1” [Workshop]