DMNW team ranks their favorite albums of 2019

The end of the year brings many things to the table:  sense of closure, a chance to reflect on the year, and an opportunity to look forward to the future ahead. Here at Dance Music Northwest, it means painstakingly debating over the best electronic music albums of 2019. While there were no tears or blood, there was definitely some argument in GIF form online. Check out our picks for best album below.

Illenium – Ascend

First on our list came Illenium’s Ascend. Forever emotionally changed by this album, it only felt fair for posterity’s sake to give this its share of attention. Gaining headway into one of the biggest names in melodic dubstep, Ascend was a great opportunity for Illeniums’s career to launch into a new phase. 

Madeon – Good Faith

Madeon also made the list for Good Faith. Dropping in November, the French producer’s sophomore album has topped charts and hearts. After DMNW had the chance to see the tour launched in support of the album in Seattle, his spot for one of the best albums of the year was solidified. 

GRiZ – Ride Waves

Featuring major hip-hop artists like Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, GRiZ’s Ride Waves album served to bridge a gap across the electronic music and rap genres. His signature brassy instrumentals and feel-good bops shone through on this album in a way that carried momentum as he dropped Bangerz.zip EP’s throughout the last couple of months. 

Feed Me – High Street Creeps 

Feed Me returned after a long hiatus from electronic music this year in a big way withHigh Street Creeps, a 10 track project with consistent and energetic production. In an album that is reminiscent of UK dubstep from the early 2010’s, he connects elements of the past with vocals and synths indicative of the present. 

Dabin – Wild Youth 

Dabin also dropped his sophomore album this year, titled Wild Youth. In a testament to the increasingly popular story-telling component to melodic bass, Dabin captures a change of emotions across themes throughout the album. A favorite here at DMNW, we felt his Wild Youth album deserved a spot.

Honorable Mentions: 

As with any list, there are some revered albums that certainly deserve an honorable mention. Some of these include: 

Matrix &  Futurebound – Mystery Machine 

Flume – Hi This is Flume 

Jason Ross – Rooms

Manila Killa – 1993

Jai Wolf – The Cure to Loneliness

Did your favorite album of the year make the cut for best albums of 2019? Let us know in the comments below!