12 times dance music made us glad to be alive in 2016

Each year the world gets a little smaller with improvements in technology bringing the global community closer together. But Australia's still a bloody long flight away from international dance music hubs in Europe and the US. Larry Heard made us feel the love, though, when he made his very first trip down under for Melbourne and Sydney live shows and talks in September. Red Bull Weekender brought the Chicago house master to Carriageworks to close the continent-hopping event series’ Sydney debut. In Melbourne, monocles were tossed aside for Adidas sneakers and tees at the city's town hall for a rare night with Mr Fingers and Gaussian Curve. 'On My Way' pulled the huge auditorium into a warm, intimate embrace for one of the bigger pure all smiles dancefloor moments I experienced this year. Scott Carbines, Australian Digital Content Editor

Was there a more tender moment in 2016 than Skepta's mum dancing on stage at the Mercury Prize award ceremony? Possibly, but those five minutes, during which the grime artist picked up one of most prestigious accolades in music while surrounded by his friends and family, touched my heart the most. The industry is powered by great individuals, many of who you'll see on their own on magazine covers and live streams, but behind all of them is the kind of support network that huddled round the Tottenham boy that night in September. "They made us," he said of his and his friends' parents. "They gave us the voice in our head, to keep us in line, to keep us in check." It was momentous for grime, for UK music, but most importantly, for the two generations hyping Skeppy during his acceptance speech. His mum looked near overwhelmed with pride as she was thrust under the spotlight stage left of her son. Rarely do you see that vital familial link in public. The next day photos of her pouring red wine over the entourage – including Kano and his mum – surfaced online and repeat views of the video above see her in the midst of the ruckus seconds after Jarvis Cocker announced the winner. Shutdown indeed. Seb Wheeler, Head Of Digital