Features
The top 100 tunes of 2015
The time has come
10 Novelist x Mumdance '1 Sec'
Has there been a better grime collab than this? This 'roid-induced riddim was signed to one of dance's most influential labels at the start of 2015. It's been a rave anthem ever since.
9 Frankey & Sandrino 'Acamar'
Starting its life as a sneaky DC10 weapon, by the end of summer, this was the biggest release on Innervisions in many a moon and a constant staple in Dixon's sets.
8 DJ Koze 'XTC'
Koze swapped his usual melancholic eccentricities for a slab of deep, slow-building house. When the "many people are experimenting with ecstasy" sample drops, it's clear tunes like this are a big reason why.
7 Jack Ü feat Justin Bieber 'Where Are Ü Now'
Sure, it's all sugary vocals and squitty vocal cuts, but DJs from Four Tet to EZ have banged it out and embraced the Bieb. Hard to argue...
6 Skepta 'Shutdown'
Grime veteran Skepta owned '15 with 'Shutdown', a triumphant banger laden with hooks and London verve. It make it into the UK Top 40, while Skeppy performed with Drake and sold out Brixton Academy in three hours.
5 Kelela 'Rewind'
The first cut from her 'Hallucinogen EP', 'Rewind' was co-produced with Nugget and Kingdom is a perfect example of what she does best: glistening vocals from production that nods to the 90s while being fresh as fuck.
4 Jamie xx 'I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)'
Along with 'Loud Places', also from 2015 album 'In Colour', this slinky, superior tropical collab with Young Thug & Popcaan is proof of just why Jamie xx matters.
3 Format:B 'Chunky'
A huge Ibiza anthem for Annie Mac et al, 'Chunky' even hit the Top 40 in November. A slow-building club hit, it's six minutes of percussive tech with cowbells and a groove, and this year's answer to 'The Whistler'.
2 Eric Prydz 'Opus (Four Tet remix)'
Massive for UK and Ibiza closing floors alike, Four Tet created the biggest remix of 2015; this deft, ever-extending take on Eric Prydz is the most epic track of the year.
1 Bicep 'Just'
Huge for Special Request, Pete Tong , and pretty much any DJ with great taste, this was the track that proved Bicep could take it to the next level. A subtle, gently building Detroit-ish house jam with just the right dose of bleepy melody, it was the addition of a smart vocal riff ("We're just the same"), taken from a Bicep studio session, that sealed the deal. Our Track of the Year 2015 is an absolute masterpiece in techy, brooding restraint.
