The best Electronic Music of 2023: EPs and Singles

My top 30 EPs and singles of 2023, in no particular order

It’s the end of the year, time to look back and reflect! Here are my thirty favorite EPs and singles of 2023, in no particular order. Many of the blurbs are taken from the quarterly round-ups (Q1, Q2, Q3) I did across the year, but I’ve also written some new ones for the occasion. I hope you might discover something you like and see you in 2024!

Olof Dreijer - Rosa Rugosa [Hessle Audio]

Thirteen years after Olof Dreijer's era-defining 2008-2010 streak of minimal techno anthems under the Oni Ayhun alias, he is now back in the techno game. Staying true to form, Rosa Rugosa packs three massive hits with some of the most memorable synth programming of the year. Let's just hope the next one won't take another thirteen years!

Antraum - Omakase 002 [Omakase]

"Hachi" gets close to the Platonic ideal of a perfect house track with its emotive vocals, killer bassline, great sense of swing and pleasing chord stabs. One of the most seductive tracks I've heard all year.

Knopha - Kwong [Mood Hut]

"Corundum (feat Voision Xi)" is a gorgeous interlude with seductive organ chords, wide layered vocals and a dark and melodic bassline. "Corondrum" is an equally stunning house version of the same source material, with chopped vocal snippets, warm delay throws, a dubby bassline and slick plucked stabs. Two pieces of joy.

Ribé & Roll Dann - Klockworks 35 [Klockworks]

Berghain resident Ben Klock's Klockworks label continues to be one of the best outlets for functional, yet smart contemporary techno tools. Klockworks 35 by Spanish producers Ribé (aka Alberto Pascual) and Roll Dann is a four-tracker that plays with different ways of approaching rhythm and texture within a functionalist framework. The first track "Preludio" comes with a big, rolling and skippy reverb-rumble bassline and glistening, glassy spectral pads in the breakdown, while "Pugna" is lighter, cheekier and funkier and the closer "Deliro" is a cool and heavy late-night dubber.

N9oc - Memory Allocator [Die Orakel]

This EP on Frankfurt's Die Orakel label appears to be the first release by local producer N9oc. In one impressive debut, she flawlessly cycles through early IDM, proto-techno, electro and 90's ambient.

0 - 02 [0 Records]

A new entry in the Acting Press posse's strange "0" series. Just as weird as the last one, the a-side is a murky, subterranean loop centered on a dubby chord-figure that steadily loops for well over thirteen minutes with little change or development, with the exception of a few vital reverb and delay throws. A high-pitched, piercing resonance forms an odd, but captivating contrast to the otherwise warm and round mix. The b-side is even stranger, a breaksy and noisy percussive loop-sculpture drenched in tape delay that almost trips over itself with every new repetition.

Burnski - Where Are You? [Constant Sound]

Where Are You? is another EP of bassline-heavy modern house bombs by UK producer Burnski. The title track channels ruff 2000s UK-bassline. Stop is a sexy, jazzy number with lush rhodes keys and soulful vocal samples. Closing track The Way is a deep, wide and mourning dubwise anthem.

Overloook - DROOGS014 [DROOGS]

Two killer techy drum & bass tracks in the style of mid-90s Source Direct. "Tarot" kicks off with misty pads that drop into heavy sliced and filtered breaks and a mean distorted 808-style bassline. "Detour" has a more modern and steppy rhythm with a killer snare, nocturnal pads and classic Photek-style Kung-Fu movie stabs. One of the best homages to golden era drum & bass I've heard in a while.

Dorisburg - Voices [Aniara]

Every once in a while, a track comes along that proves that it is still possible to squeeze novel tones out of the ol' TB-303. On Voices, Swedish producer Dorisburg makes the little silver box sound almost impossibly elegant and ethereal, like fog slowly gliding over the vast and sublime Scandinavian lands.

Liquid Earth - Deputy Dog [Butter Side Up]

If you are looking for some earth-shattering party bombs to spice up your summer, look no further than Deputy Dog. The oldschool tech-house tracks on this EP are 100% pure, distilled party rocking juice, with big, earwormy basslines, satisfyingly swinging and skipping drums and vibrant stabs and pads. Just listen to the killer groove that "Rim City" drops into at about a minute in. This is the kind of record that will effortlessly rescue almost any dancefloor, anywhere.

JakoJako - Verve [Mute]

JakoJako's new EP on Mute delivers four immaculately produced melodic ambient-techno tracks. "Impetus" goes trance-y in a low-key way, with a rotation of glassy, gated arps and booming reverberant lowend. "Opak" is a heavenly floater with a warm kick, pulsing bassline and thick, warbling pads. "Auris" is more quick-footed and dubby, with a catchy bassline and lush, smokey chords. Closer "Nexus" goes darker than the rest, with nervous kicks, decorative bursts of noise and a wistful mono arpeggio that emerges towards the end.

Divide - Manifesto Futurista [Warm Up]

Manifesto Futurista goes all in on the future-pressure with four tracks of driving and grinding wide-screen techno. Throughout the EP, Divide runs enormous amounts of reverb into pumping compression and grizzly clipping, creating dense, noisy and blurry spaces that endow the tracks with a a damp and cavernous atmosphere.

UAN0027 - UAN0027 [UAN]

This is the latest in a cryptic series of anonymous records by a self-described anarchist collective. I have no idea who's behind these, but it is good stuff. Fittingly for the label's aesthetic, the music here almost entirely consists of strange, sparse and shadowy loop-sculptures that pay little attention to traditional notions of structure and composition. My favorite here is the fourth track, an abstract, but warm chord-driven loop that somewhat reminds me of clicks n' cuts era SND.

Fireground - Memories [Ilian Tape]

I've already written about Fireground's first EP for Ilian Tape earlier this year, but this one's even better. "Reprocessing" is a gorgeous warm and enveloping floater, while "Riflesso" features uplifting pad-scapes and funky drums and "Memories" channels classic French Touch with a killer disco loop. Great tracks.

John Manhard - MUIMUI002 [Mui Mui]

This EP features some of the best house I've heard in a while. "Lennox is NK" centers around flanged, sultry vocals and a bouncy bassline that runs over a background of sizzling, damp noise. "Hog Lord Smanging" cycles through lush chords over bare and skippy drums. An impromptu vocoder-interlude adds a touch of surprise. "Lexington" is relaxed and swinging, with more with flanged vocals and vocoding. "House Standard" delivers on its title with a classic piano house number. Four tracks of warm, lush and groovy goodness.

Io:za - It's Never Too Late [Wonderground]

On this EP, contemporary Romanian house meets 00’s progressive house. The original tracks come with looping melodic basslines, twinkly, delay-drenched arps and melancholic sine bleeps, supported by a lean modern minimal-house rhythm section. But it's the Mihai Pol remix that is the star of the show here, a gorgeous, proggy and playful ride that embodies the subtler end of 00's progressive trance and house in a fresh and novel manner.

John Wall - Stult [Self-Released]

John Wall is a veteran composer of experimental computer music. Stult consists of three short and dense exercises in digital sound sculptures that are bent and transformed at a breakneck pace, with sounds constantly morphing between plastic, glassy, metallic and even wooden textures. Nonetheless, there is a strong sense of composition to these tracks, since the timbral transformations always seem to follow logical and pleasing patterns. Although alien at first, this kind of music can end up making for an intensely satisfying listen.

VHS - Sonic Studies [Hayes]

In the past two to three years, Lisbon's Hayes label and its associated producers have played a significant part in rejuvenating the sound of modern dancefloor techno, opting for funk and playfulness instead of the worn-down "dark n' hard" formula. Sonic Studies by newcomer VHS embraces the label's spirit by being both quirky and functionalist, combining loopy techno structures with oddball timbral arrangements and micro-rhythms across its four "studies".

SP:MC - Missing You / Big Request [Declassified]

MC-turned-producer SP:MC channels classy modern UK garage here. The A-side "Missing You" is soulful, with a house-y square-wave bassline, lush chord stabs and sampled RnB vocals. "Big Request" is darker and leaner, with a ruff halfstep bassline oscillating over skippy and tight garage drums.

Miroloja - Mr. Vibes [Yoyaku]

This one's is a fantastic modern house four-tracker. The first track "Eternal Lights" is a bright and atmospheric number with lush, watery chords and pads. "Mr. Vibes" goes into classic house territory with an organ-like riff, while "Aesthetics" comes with a seductive looped chord sample and dry walking bassline. Closer "Mesmerized" is more techno-y, with big, throbbing lowend and dubby chord stabs.

Morten B. - Untitled [Mosae Records]

Within just a few releases, Morten B. has established himself as a reliable source for the kind of traditionalist, Basic Channel inspired dub techno that many attempt, but few get right. In a genre that's all about texture and tone, his tracks excel with dim, moody warmth, lustrous resonance and metallic, shimmering textures.

Verraco - Escándaloo [Voam]

Escándaloo combines modern techno with Latin club influences. But more than anything, this record somehow reminds me of classic Loefah-style halfstep ca. 2005-2006, because the basslines here are big. Especially on "jajaja", which features one of the most mind-melting basslines I've heard in a good while. An EP of idiosyncratic bangers.

Cousin - HomeSoon [Mood Hut]

Cousin do it again and with another EP of warm and oozy, dubbed-out goodness. "Catsu" is gentle and inviting with foggy pads and basses and a playful, faint chord sequence. "Overpass" and "Muster" are subtle percussive groovers, while "3 x a charm" is a great dubby stepper and closer "Citta" makes for a melancholic collage number. Lush from start to finish.

Dialog - DOT 1 [Dialog]

DOT 1 features four gorgeous sounding, perfectly engineered modern dub tracks. Over heavy-duty bass pressure, reduced and agile rhythms and subtle chords and pad-scapes, vocalist Benji channels the UK dubwise tradition with loose and improvisatory MCing. Music that does a whole lot with very little.

Carlton Doom - Fine EP [Hypercolour]

"I'll B Fine" stages a bizarre duet between a pitched-down vocal sample and a guttural bandpass-filtered formant bassline. The result is a strange, but addictive earworm. "Cesspool" is a dark track with manic breakbeats, a brooding bassline and nervous, atonal stabs. The last track "I Miss You" is a more emotional number with trance-y arps and haunting strings.

Mike Parker - Sabre-Tooth [Samurai Music]

Psychedelic techno maestro Mike Parker hones in on steppy halftime rhythms with his debut appearance on the key contemporary drum & bass label Samurai Music. The results of this unlikely encounter are odd, but fun hybrid tracks that step, oscillate and drone about in all sorts of satisfying shapes.

Temudo - Klockworks 37 [Klockworks]

Another killer Klockworks EP. This one's a fantastic two-tracker with very different grooves on each side. The a-side is bouncy, steadily creeping forward with subtle tension, while the b-side is more nervous and fidgety, with a rapidly rolling bassline and warm, pulsing chord stabs. Berlin’s Hardwax record stare says "Lethal, stealthily grooving Techno missiles". That about sums it up.

Seba & Paradox - I'll Wait / Amara [Paradox Music]

Seba and Paradox are back with another EP of atmospheric breakbeat gear. "I'll Wait" is wide and sweeping, with shimmery pads, melodramatic vocal swells and a cheeky bassline that alternates between a distorted 808 and a classic reese bassline. "Amara" recalls classic atmospheric jungle with heavy, rapidfire breaks and jazzy keys and pads.

Luxe & Tom Place - Moonquake [Dansu Discs]

Moonquake rather shamelessly apes twinkly progressive house and trance ca. 2003-2004: shimmering trance arps and breathy female vocal chops over a dark, buzzing reese bassline? Hello Luke Chable! But it's a sound that I've always had a soft spot for and Moonquake does it well, channeling grand nerd emo-melodrama without veering into cheese or ironic appropriation.

Cosmox - Symbolic Language [Otherminds]

Symbolic Language is a subtle, but very personal sounding release. Somewhere between electro, acid and Analord-era AFX, Cosmox conjures heartfelt and mourning sequences and melodies that say more than it might initially appear.