20. Pittsburgh Track Authority, “Untitled”
[Pittsburgh Tracks] (buy)

2011 may have marked their first two records, but 2012 felt like the year that Pittsburgh Track Authority really shook things up. It’s no wonder the trio slipped into second place on our Top 5 Artists Who Defined 2012 list. Showcasing the same cogent arrangement as the Archipelago and The First Four EPs, the instantly-recognizable “Untitled” lazily topped their output these past 12 months. It’s easy to see why: with its soaring disco strings and rich, bloop-laden hook, the track’s many cooperative layers are almost impossible not to get tangled up in. At a time when dance music is spending as much time looking back as it is looking forward, “Untitled” was a true slice of timelessness; at once both nostalgic and contemporary. But more than that, it was just damn catchy. (Nick Connellan)

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19. Trance Yo Lie, “Cosa C’e’ Sotto?”
[Wania] (buy)

Some tracks don’t need much. “Cosa C’e’ Sotto?” is the first and only track by Trance Yo Lie, a project that may or may not be comprised of DJ Sotofett and Madteo (who appear on the flip). It essentially gets by on a wooden kickdrum, weedy trills, and a murkily croaked monologue, with any development secondary to the sustained narcosis. Why has such a low-key release warranted a rare repress from Sex Tags Mania’s Wania imprint? Ridiculous Discogs-fueled demand, for one. But more so it’s the piece’s singularity — next to so many overstuffed tracks, “Cosa C’e’ Sotto?” is instantly seductive. (Steve Kerr)

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18. Kowton, “Des Bisous”
[Pale Fire] (buy)

Considering that Kowton’s discography thus far has taken an adventurous trajectory of unsettling and danceable rhythms and ideas, it’s testament to his unfailing originality that “Des Bisous” came as a bit of a shock. Fueled by low, petrol-stinking kicks and dilapidated snare drums, its palette of insectile percussion twitches with static electricity. Abrasive orchestral string samples seem to suggest Detroit techno breakdowns being relayed through a cheap radio, stretched into crude shapes which simultaneously reference the energy and aesthetic of grime gone by. Backed with a challenging dub version that pulls its elements further into abstraction, “Des Bisous” stands as a rousing example of new club productions. (Gwyn Thomas de Chroustchoff)

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17. Tin Man, “Manifesto Acid”
[Absurd Recordings / Acid Test] (buy)

Releasing nothing less than two genre-defining LPs over the course of 2012, Oliver Bristow’s Acid Test made one of the boldest statements of 2012. Building on Recondite’s gorgeous, slow-burner of a full-length, On Acid, the Los Angeles-based record label released Neo Neo Acid not long after, arriving courtesy of the label’s most celebrated contributor: Tin Man. On an album that is more obviously suited to the dance floor than the producer’s usual fare, one track in particular bucks the trend, achieving its understated potency via a policy of diligent, even-handed control. Framed around a smooth, subtle synth line so gracefully infectious that it feels instantly timeless, this record presents a tapestry of sound overridden with guttural, mechanical swirls with a dexterity so elegant the result is nothing short of captivating. As LWE’s Steve Kerr so aptly put it in his review of the LP earlier this year, “some of the album’s best moments are when the 303 is toned down to introduce other elements.” Nowhere on this LP is this more apparent than on the majestic “Manifesto Acid.” (Carlos Hawthorn)

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16. Elgato, “Zone”
[Hessle Audio] (buy)

Elgato’s most instantly obvious assets are clarity of production and a subtle sense of composition, but plenty of other producers understand this, as well. What sets him apart is his inimitable narrative skill, more interested in opening up new possibilities of garage’s legacy than wittily stitching together reference points into a road map of UK club music. In 2012, Elgato’s anaerobic abstractions continue to operate in barely audible frequencies, further developing his very own grammar and presenting a more than welcome alternative to more generic exercises in the bass landscape. His contribution for Hessle Audio, the prowlingly minimalistic “Zone,” bravely trods at a tempo of 118 BPM without any kicks or tangible melodies, creating something heavier and more stately from a quite narrow set of elements. The threatening sub-bass throb, disturbing on each listen despite its regularity and gravitas, only abides by the jacking rules of the high end and the commanding vocal snippet. But counterintuitively, it’s what “Zone” only implies — and not what it does — that really makes it one of the best tracks of the year. (Dino Lalic)

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