Best Dance/Electronic Albums of 2021 – [Review]

After a grueling year filled with lockdowns, mask mandates, vaccine anxiety, and all-over disdain for the state of the world, artists of the Dance and Electronic community made a huge comeback in 2021. With months spent in isolation, musicians had all the time in the world to hone their creative skills and produce top of the line material. Avid listeners of the best music genre of all time were finally able to find a serotonin boost after the second Great Depression. Over the past 12 months, countless collections of music have been released, but a very special 10 have reached critical acclaim in our eyes. Behold below in no particular order, Exron Music‘s picks for the best Dance and Electronic albums of 2021!

Boris Brejcha – Never Stop Dancing

German DJ and self-proclaimed high-tech minimalist Boris Brejcha dropped a full-length album titled “Never Stop Dancing” earlier this month, replete with 12 songs and no fewer than five tracks released as singles throughout the year. This release defined the masked DJ as one of the most heavily stylized, specific, and tenured in the game. A noteworthy standout from the album is “Afterlife,” a track that echoes traditional techno refrains yet switches it up with multifarious sounds and explorations.

Rezz – Spiral

Rezz‘s “Spiral”, released in November, is an ode to her signature hypnosis glasses, featuring collaborations from other dope artists such as Deathpact, fknsyd, PVRIS, Metric, Shadow Cliq, Dove Cameron, PEEKABOO, EDDIE, and Fortress of Graves. The compilation itself is both edgy and soothingly hypnotic with an ineffable oddness to it, channeling an outer space energy throughout. Nearly every track off this album has over-arching vocals, and although the sound is certainly the Rezz we all know and love, the lyrical incorporation brings something new and spicy.

Shadient – Have You No Burden

On November 5th, Shadient dropped his Debut Album “Have You No Burden” on Gud Vibrations. The newcomer has made waves on the experimental bass scene, known for both melodic interludes and torrential drops. Each track from the album causes the listener to feel a whirlwind of emotions. The collection takes the listener on a musical journey, with tracks ranging in styles from hyperpop to bass music. “Sympathy Coil” is the standout from HYNB, combining both pop elements with EDM to create an emotive track.

RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender

RÜFÜS DU SOL’s album announcement caused worldwide pandemonium as hundreds of thousands have garnered untarnished respect for the Australian trio. “Surrender” is yet another beautifully cinematic, other-worldly body of work from the group, who have created a unique, celestial sound that has captivated millions all around the globe. The newest collection sees RÜFÜS DU SOL really hit their stride, time and time again through album singles like “Wildfire”, “Next To Me”, and “Alive”. The entire piece pulls at the heart strings, encapsulating the heavenly sound of RÜFÜS.

Jerro – Coming Home

On the first of October, Jerro dropped his debut album, “Coming Home.” The beloved Belgian indie-house producer released the compilation of eleven tracks on This Never Happened, with guest appearances from talented artists Panama, Fractures, and Tailor. “Coming Home” is refreshing and poignant; the music takes its time and emotes, while also staying light and quick-tempo’d. The tracks oscillate between edgy rhythms and then softer melodies, bringing a sense of variety to the album yet an overall feeling of thoughtfulness, bliss, and nostalgia. Jerro credited his masterpiece as a “diversity of sound” and we couldn’t agree more.

GRiZ – Rainbow Brain

Over the Summer, GRiZ hit us with an emulsion of serotonin, positivity, and color with his immaculate album “Rainbow Brain.” After the drab and dragging months of 2020, this was the perfect piece of escapism, a 23-track compilation of pure funk and bass bliss. The album itself combined GRiZ’s signature blend of feel-good vibes and wonky bass, teamed up with vocal and producer collaborations to make the mind spin. The transcendental journey was accompanied by a 55-minute audiovisual experience, “Rainbow Brain The Movie.” GRiZ is the Golden Boy delight of the bass world and he never ceases to produce joyful music for his fans.

Gorgon City – Olympia

English duo Gorgon City spent long hours in the studio throughout 2020 to deliver fans a full length album nothing short of fabulous. “Olympia” mixes the trendy 90’s era of house with current sounds of pop. The album showcases features from artists such as Aura James, Josh Barry, Sofi Tukker, DRAMA, and many others. In addition to being the fruit’s of Covid’s labor, the LP is a compilation of the duo’s work over the last past five years. With this full length release, the music digs deeper. It fleshes out the emotions, the food for thought, behind Gorgon City’s life experiences.

ZHU – Dreamland 2021

“Dreamland 2021” is yet another masterpiece by the godly vocalist, producer, DJ, and musician, ZHU, released on April 29 via Astralwerks. His third studio album delivers yet another masterfully crafted, no-skip, tastemaker project, leaving fans to simply bask in his beautiful discography. The album was made entirely during quarantine, with certain tracks coming to fruition during a hajj to the desert. But ZHU imagined the album as the theme for the world moving forward out of the pandemic. He was quoted saying ,”DREAMLAND 2021 is about looking forward and creating a version of the future we want to exist in.”

Black Coffee – Subconsciously

“Subconsciously” was renowned South African talent Black Coffee‘s sixth album release, out via Ultra Records this past February. The 12-tracker provided a propulsive, atmospherically entrancing ambiance throughout, engaging the likes of highly-esteemed collaborators like Cassie, Usher, and David Guetta. It’s no surprise that Black Coffee has garnered such a dedicated fandom with his true talent in production and performance.

Flux Pavilion – .WAV

Flux Pavilion’s sophomore album launched a new and exciting era for the bass music icon. The 16-track compilation delivered the same unforgettable groove of his older work while expanding his extensive catalog of instruments and textures. Like a phoenix from the ashes, the talented artist reinvented himself entirely and released some of his greatest work thus far. From start to finish, “.WAV” is one of the most colorful and cohesive electronic music albums of the year. With the use of fuzzy modular synthesizers to soaring vocals, the multi-layered product is a mystical amalgamation of sound.

It is Exron Music’s pleasure and absolute joy to bring you all the freshest tunes and music news all year long, and we are so stoked for the musical magic that will emerge in 2022. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!