The end of 2021 is quickly approaching, which means it's time to reflect on all that this year has brought us. Although this year had its ups and downs, we powered through one of the most difficult challenges of our time, life without live music events or festivals. 

Without having concerts & festivals to keep us busy during quarantine, many of us picked up a new hobby or binge-watched our favorite shows. Likewise, producers took advantage of the extra time on their hands and locked themselves inside their studios. We've had an incredible year of releases as a result, and we're confident that this is only the beginning as so much of the heat produced during the pandemic hasn't even seen the light of day yet.

We've already given you our picks for tracks of the year, so let's turn to the selectors to find out what they thought were the best beats of 2022. After all, artists gain plenty of inspiration and motivation by listening to each other's work. So check out who these artists picked as their favorite tracks of 2021!

ARTY

Skrillex, Noisia, josh pan & Dylan Brady - Supersonic (My Existence)

"This track exists in the league of its own. One of the best sounding records I've heard in a while. It's so clean, yet you can feel so much saturation and distortion right under the limit of 'this is too much to handle.' There are some absolutely brilliant sound design tricks, and overall, this is my number one in 2021."

Apashe & High Klassified ft. Cherry Lena - I'm Fine (IMANU Remix)

"By far my favorite remix this year. I love the combination of deep house/progressive vibes with D&B driving bass. Great track for daily listening but it also works so well in my live sets every single time I'd play it. And IMANU is one of my top new artists I discovered in 2021."

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ONEDUO

Machine Gun Kelly - papercuts

"This track is one of our favorites in 2021 as MGK really took the world by storm bringing back an alternative 90's style and mixing it with current pop! He's a major influence to our new style we're debuting in 2022 and this song is a perfect representation of where we're heading."

Joel Corry, RAYE & David Guetta - BED

"This track is one of our favorites as well because of how catchy it was. The vocals are top notch and the song just makes you want to dance throughout. Such a quality tune by some of the top musical talents in the game!"

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Wenzday

Guz & Ferreck Dawn - Kush

"This song has been a mainstay in my festival sets recently. I think it's the perfect tech house reimagining of a hip hop classic and I love playing it to get the crowd hyped up and singing along."

Corrupt (UK) - Romeo

"I think this is one of my most streamed songs of the year. I'm a sucker for a vocal driven house tune and the lyrics and vocals combined with Corrupt UK's signature bass house sound in the drop is pure perfection."

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Feather

SLANDER & Au5 - Anywhere (feat. shYbeast & PLYA)

"I absolutely love the huge euphoric and anthemic nature of this song. It gives me a wonderful feeling of wanderlust and euphoric optimism that I love about melodic music and I think the arrangement and structure of this song was particularly refreshing compared to a lot of electronic songs out there. The last drop absolutely slams and the production is flawless."

Sultan + Shepard - Assassin

"I randomly stumbled on this song on YouTube somewhere in the midst of 2021 and I was immediately floored by the emotionality and intimate nature of the song. It's hard to explain exactly but something about it brought me back to a version of my younger self and I felt at home. I attribute this track to really igniting the spark for my current love of the deep melodic house movement and I really look forward to incorporating more of those elements into my music in the future." 

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RUNN

William Black - Haven (feat. Dia Frampton)

"This song hit me so hard the first time I heard it - it's such an emotional and beautiful story that Dia delivers with subtle and gentle perfection. I love her voice so much, and a song about such an intimate and selfless love is something I think we all really needed this year. William is not only a great friend, but an amazing producer who put out such a great album, I love how this one set the tone for the whole story. He supports the song perfectly in the verse, and then shone bright as it goes into the drop, showing his talent for that bright and catchy sound we're all knowing to recognize immediately."

Fairlane & Grant - Hypnotize

"Both these producers are some of the most talented in the scene right now, and to have them collaborate after all this time was just the best treat of 2021. It's a brave song, taking on new melodic and modal territory I haven't heard before, painting an emotional tapestry with perfect sound design, I really feel like you can hear both of their distinct styles in this, plus I LOVE Grant's voice, and can't wait to hear more of it!"

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SAYMYNAME

Kanye West - Heaven and Hell

"I love the whole Donda album but this track in particular has one of the coolest hip hop beats I've ever heard."

Lit Lords - Burn

"This is one of the hardest records I have ever heard released."

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Nurko 

Skrillex, Noisia, josh pan & Dylan Brady - Supersonic (My Existence)

"This track blew me away when I heard it. Skrillex is 100% my biggest inspiration and I've never heard a track like this. It's extremely innovative, as per usual with Skrillex & Noisia."

ILLENIUM and Tori Kelly - Blame Myself

"I also loved this track because of the drop melody. I loved how ILLENIUM used her voice in a way to create a really catchy melody. I found that song staying in my head all day!"

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Ravell

VINNE - Clothes Off (feat. Thayana Valle)

"An absolute heater! This song has been a go to in pretty much every set this year. Something about the mysterious epic build up and banging drop is something that I've always gravitated towards."

Groove Delight & Carola - Like This

"Another go to track for 2021! It has just the right amount of bounce and energy to get any party going. The uniqueness of the brass rhythm is something I always look for in a track."

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Nick Ledesma

Blastoyz, Dimibo, Jason Ross, Kill The Noise, Seven Lions, Trivecta & Wooli - Pantheon (Mega Collab)

"I think this was my clear number one track this year. It was definitely a song that I waited for since the beginning of the Pandemic and the Ophelia team finally released it this year. This song basically had everything from trance, melodic dubstep, dubstep, and psytrance."

Jason Ross & Blanke - One More Day (feat. Chandler Leighton)

"If it weren't for the mega collab, this would've been my number one. Amazing songwriting and vocals from Chandler Leighton really hit me. Jason Ross and Blanke's styles were just a perfect blend for this song. This was definitely on repeat this year."

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Black Tiger Sex Machine

Kai Wachi x RUNN - Better Off Alone

"Kai Wachi had a huge year with several big releases, but there's something special about "Better Off Alone." RUNN's amazing performance is so captivating and Kai's signature "Cry Wachi" sound just hits on so many levels."

Apashe - Witch (feat. Alina Pash)

"There's not really another song like this one. Apashe and Alina make the perfect match for this iconic song that is a true journey from start to finish. And the music video is *chef's kiss* !!"

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Fairlane

Bring Me The Horizon - DiE4u

"One of the harder hitting rock records of the year. It perfectly blended pop melody with that classic BMTH sound we all love, done masterfully alongside BloodPop. The track sounds so unbelievably full in the chorus sections and the verses add just enough ear candy to keep the subconscious ear entertained."

Pendulum & Hybrid Minds - Louder Than Words

"Honestly I was just happy to see Pendulum releasing consistent music again. This track in particular was nostalgia done with a modern twist - the classic Rob Swire vocals meet a driving DnB record that I had on repeat for a very long time."

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Paul Marshman

Vintage Culture, Fancy Inc & Roland Clark - Free

"I love everything about this track, the vocal, the progression, and ohh that drop. Epic!"

Sisters Cap & Almero - Get Enough

"This track is an absolute banger! I've been smashing this on my radio show."

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Dabin

Bring Me the Horizon - DiE4u

"Such a catchy tune with really cool electronic elements. Loved this band since high school and have consistently been one of my most played of the year."

Rufus Du Sol - Alive

"They've become a huge influence over the past few years and I absolutely love their blend of real instruments and production."

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Danny Olson

ILLENIUM x Valerie Broussard x Nurko - Sideways

"I love a great song that feels larger than life and "Sideways" is one of those songs. The instrumentation and vocal performance is absolutely incredible, it really struck a chord with me when I first heard it and it still holds that same impact every time I listen."

Wooli x Codeko - Crazy (feat. Casey Cook)

"I love the harmonic movement in this song from start to finish. I've had it stuck in my head ever since I first heard it."

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