After a year of cancellations and online live streams, 2021 will be officially known as the year that we return to the dance floor. With festivals and shows running all across the world, many artists used this new platform to test and release the music that they had made during lockdowns, making for some amazing releases. With some absolute gems released throughout the year, we felt it would be the perfect moment to countdown our top 50 releases of 2021.
50. Hardwell & Blasterjaxx – Bootshaus ID
49. Mike Williams & Jonas Aden – I Hope You Know
48. Fisher – Just Feels Tight
47. David Guetta, Galantis, Little Mix – Heartbreak Anthem
46. Martin Garrix – Pressure
45. W&W & AXMO – Skydance
44. Regard – You
43. Lucas & Steve, Blackstreet – No Diggity
42. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, KSHMR & Alok – Reunion
41. Illenium – Nightlight
40. Swedish House Mafia – It Gets Better
39. DJ Snake – U Are My High
38. W&W x Nicky Romero – We’re Still Young
37. Joel Corry, David Guetta & RAYE – Bed
36. AREA21 – La La La
35. David Guetta x Kid Cudi – Memories 2021
34. Armin van Buuren & Vini Vici – Yama
33. Don Diablo – Problems
32. W&W x Blasterjaxx – Dynamite
31. Alok, Sofi Tukker, INNA – It Don’t Matter
30. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike X Timmy Trumpet – Feel Your Love
29. Chris Lorenzo – California Dreamin’
28. Gorgon City – You’ve Done Enough
27. Alesso & Marshmello – Chasing Stars
26. KSHMR – Around The World
25. Martin Garrix & U2 – We Are The People
24. Afrojack & Lucas & Steve & DubVision – Anywhere With You
23. Alan Walker & Imanbek – Sweet Dreams
22. Alesso & Armin van Buuren – Leave A Little Love
21. Vintage Culture & Fancy Inc – Cali Dreams
20. Don Diablo – Into the Unknown
19. David Guetta & MORTEN – Impossible
18. Armin van Buuren & Steve Aoki – Music Means Love Forever
17. KSHMR – The World We Left Behind
16. Oliver Heldens x Roger Sanchez – Another Chance
15. Swedish House Mafia – Lifetime
14. Afrojack & David Guetta – Hero
13. Martin Garrix x Julian Jordan x Tinie Tempah – Diamonds
12. Don Diablo – Eyes Closed
11. Vintage Culture & Fancy Inc – Free
10. Fred again.. feat. The Blessed Madonna – Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)
Taking the number 10 spot we’ve got a tune that really explains how we felt during 2020. With vocals and lyrics built around losing the dance floors and memories as dance music shut down in 2020, this single really gained traction at the start of 2021 as people returned to dance floors and this was the perfect tune to get us back in the party spirit.
9. ATB, Topic x A7S – Your Love (9 PM)
In at number 9 we’ve got the very first official remake of the true dance classic ‘9 PM (Till I Come)’. Created by rising artists Topic and A7S and with the finishing touches put on by the original creator ATB, this vocal anthem dominated the radio waves, gaining over 500,000 million streams in the process.
8. Tiesto & Ava Max – The Motto
Having struck gold with ‘The Business’, Tiesto decided to knock it out of the park once by blending addictive vocals, simplistic basslines, and dance vibes for ‘The Motto’. This one immediately gained traction all across the globe with the Dutchman proving that whatever he touches turns to gold.
7. Martin Garrix x Matisse & Sadko ft. John Martin – Won’t Let You Go
Number 7 goes to a true festival anthem that had only been released just 3 weeks ago. ‘Won’t Let You Go’ was premiered by Martin Garrix when he returned to the stage earlier this year and the anticipation for it was through the roof. Accompanied by his close friends Matisse & Sadko and John Martin, they really delivered that main room festival sound that we had been missing from the year prior.
6. Farruko – Pepas (Tiesto Remix)
A single that really took the world by storm, we decided to give Tiesto’s main room remix of ‘Pepas’ by Farruko the number 6 spot. Keeping elements of the original still in tact, Tiesto turned the heat up on this one as he increased the tempo and added his now-signature bouncy big room style into it, turning it into a true peak-time anthem in the process.
5. Tiesto & KAROL G – Don’t Be Shy
We kick off the top 5 with Tiesto‘s most popular single of the year. Made together with KAROL G, the Dutchman decided to take things simple by letting the vocals take center stage but he combined them with a groovy and rhythmic low end that just adds to the memorability. A stable in many DJs sets, this one is sure to be a hit for years to come.
4. Swedish House Mafia ft. The Weeknd – Moth To A Flame
2021 will always be marked as the year Swedish House Mafia returns with some new music and we were not disappointed. Following rumors that the trio has been working with The Weeknd, anticipation was through the roof and the results were truly outstanding. Keeping their house style but giving it that fresh modern flavor, these artists combined and showed us just why they are ranked as some of the best in the world.
3. Titanium (David Guetta & MORTEN Future Rave Remix)
When speaking about the classic anthem ‘Titanium’, if we ever thought there was a modern remix that it would not hold up to the original but that is certainly not the case for this one. Close friends and partners in crime for Future Rave, David Guetta, and MORTEN decided to take this classic and give it a remix that would dominate festival scenes. A true beast of a release, this one has been a major addition to each artist’s sets and receives playtime at every festival in the world.
2. Acraze – Do It To It
Just missing out on the top spot we’ve got the vital hit of ‘Do It To It’ by Acraze. With over 100 million streams to its name, this single really blew up on online platforms due to its catchy sampled vocals. Its groovy undertones of kicks and basslines is where this one excels and was officially the most played song at this year’s EDC, most notably being played together with Squid Game theme song by Zedd.
1. Shouse – Love Tonight (David Guetta Remix)
After careful consideration, we’ve given the top spot to a single which truly took over the electronic dance music scene and although remixed by tons of artists, we feel David Guetta‘s deserves to take the cake. Vocals that have been sung all over the world from crowds of thousands, the David Guetta remix took this one to the main stage and gave it that main room feel that we felt it was lacking.
Stream all of these tracks in our 2021 EDM Essentials playlist below.
