05. KMFH, “Crushed”
[Wild Oats] (buy)

There was never much chance that Kyle Hall’s debut full length album was going to be an easily digestable listen. The young Detroiter has been noted as much for his ability to throw sonic curve balls as he has for being able to produce more floor friendly tracks. But tucked away amidst the recondite bulk of The Boat Party were two shining gems: the Phyllis Hyman-sampling “Measure 2 Measure” and the even stronger “Crushed,” which makes good use of a short stretch of Zhane’s “Crush.” Over a brutally raw kick drum and razor sharp high hats, Hall filters in the strains of his source material and tweaks the components. About as simple and effective as it gets and one of the year’s best by a long shot.
(Per Bojsen-Moller)

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04. Florian Kupfer, “Feelin”
[Long Island Electrical Systems] (buy)

Undoubtedly its biggest hit in a year that saw L.I.E.S. release an astonishing amount of records, the success of “Feelin” shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Context probably matters: released at the start of 2013, after a flurry of good press and wider recognition for the New York label, “Feelin” seemed to neatly capture the trends that had been bubbling under the surface and deploy them in a jacking, floor-ready warehouse track. The blown-out 909 percussion primed it for the clubs, the minor-key chords made it resonate, and the simple vocal sample made it memorable; and while it inspired plenty of imitators, it never once lost its effectiveness. After its initial white label run flew off the shelves like cronuts, a wider repress ensured its ubiquity, and perked up just about every set that it touched. (Chris Miller)

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03. DJ Fett Burger & DJ Speckgürtel, “Speckbass”
[Sex Tags UFO] (buy)

The bizarrely named Norwegians proved yet again that Sex Tags Mania is perhaps the go-to label for cranky, homespun house imbued with severe funk, soul, and a deeply spirited delivery. After a stellar year, this 12″ dropped a month back and instantly charmed with it’s combination of spanking disco samples, the thwack of the 909, and a sense of mischief tempered by serious floor ready chops. “Speckbass” offered a wicked mix of layered samples, tropical drums and filthy slap bass alongside echoing p funk stabs. This was house music as hot as summer in New York, a slab of that will see the sweat dripping from the ceiling of filthy dives around the world. Fett Burger and Speckgurtel are making some of the most serious house music out there right now — life affirming records that move like Grace Jones in 1982. And that’s quite something. (Harry Sword)

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02. PJOTR, “True Spirit”
[Udacha] (buy)

PJOTR’s entire EP for Udacha was special, and “True Spirit” was a clear standout, though it doesn’t do much, or doesn’t need to for that matter. It’s warmly funky from the start, coming in shades of Moomin and Omar-S, but produced with more of a dynamic, spatial ear. The artist deploys simple, repeating patterns of coarse chords and wheezy strings, while its drums batter away up front. The producer’s subtle alterations lend its skip its effervescence. Writing about the track in February, Steve Mizek compared it to Pépé Bradock’s “Deep Burnt.” It’s not quite as epic as that hit, but one can certainly see where he was going with that comparison. Active without eschewing its soothing qualities, it’s just balanced extremely well. (Steve Kerr)

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01. The Mole, “Lockdown Party” (Sprinkles’ Crossfaderama)
[Perlon] (buy)

If you’ve spent any time in nightclubs this year, you might have shared my shocked reaction when Terre Thaemlitz admitted doubting the potential success for her remix of the Mole’s “Lockdown Party.” No other track released in 2013 felt more welcomely ubiquitous, or as much like a raucous party where everyone was invited. While generally sticking to the Mole’s provided sounds, Sprinkles’ Crossfaderama drew upon a deep and varied set of signifiers as entry points for diverse audiences. In an era where looped crowd noise is de rigeur in house, the remix made their chattering vocals particularly inviting — like the crowd of best friends you haven’t yet met. There are Fingers-esque bass lines for the Chicago fiends, swung, shaker-led percussion, imposing drones, a walking bass line dancers wanted to play in the air, and howls at the moon. Perhaps Sprinkles’ remix was this year’s infectious, “Thriller”-like hit, a tune not tangled up in rugged house sounds which came to define 2013. (Steve Mizek)

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Tracks 1–5
Tracks 6–10
Tracks 11–15
Tracks 16–20
Tracks 21–25