Heard It Here First

Ah, my yearly indulgence in listing albums out some of my favorite albums that I, alongside the HIHF team, enjoyed most in 2024. With the average shelf life of music decreasing by the minute, I find great joy in reflecting on the albums and tunes that left a lasting impact on me. My love letter to electronic music, if you will. This year’s list spans dubstep, bass music, drum & bass, garage, and lots more, so let’s get right into our team’s favorite twenty full-length releases of the 2024 year in electronic music.

We hope you enjoy our favorite albums of 2024 breakdown list! What were your favorite albums in 2024? Let us know down below in the comments or on our socials if we are missing anything!

Alix Perez – Entanglements

1985 head honcho Alix Perez dazzled yet again with his latest work, Entanglements. Perez puts on a masterclass in sonic worldbuilding as he paints a vivid, emotional, and melancholy scene in his crisp drum & bass arrangements. Several fan-favorites appear on this record, including “Kauri” with labelmates Visages. Favorite track(s): “Dark Pulse,” “In Your Eyes,” and “Elastic Soul”

BCee – These Are The Days

I was extremely fortunate to interview the legendary BCee at Infrasound this past June. From the moment he previewed These Are The Days to me, I was hooked. Thirteen songs with thirteen different vocalists with most lyrics centered around living in the moment, for better or worse. Themes range from taking chances on love, falling out of love, getting over a haunting past, and much more, including standout performances from Catching Cairo, Degs, SOLAH, Javeon, Thomas Oliver, and Abi Flynn. Favorite track(s): “We Will Fly” with Thomas Oliver and “Imposter” with Degs

Floating Points – Cascade

Few artists have had a run quite like club icon Floating Points in the last few years. His 2024 record Cascade is a masterpiece that reprises his signature sound design and groove. When he’s not dishing out banging club tunes, he’s exploring ambient jazz alongside Pharoah Sanders (oh, and he has a PhD in Neuroscience to boot. What a resumé!) Cascade follows up on his 2019 record Crush with infectious rhythms and masterful modular synthesis while capturing the somewhat chaotic nature of the dancefloor. Favorite track(s): “Birth4000” and “Tilt Shift”

Four Tet – Three

Anyone who knows me knows this was my absolute favorite release of 2024. My Spotify Wrapped was littered with various aspects of this album, including my top songs and artists lists. Three quickly became my comfort album as Four Tet‘s slow, methodical, and mellow beats started to feel like a warm blanket on a snowy Winter’s evening. Finding this vinyl record in my local record store was a highlight of my year. Favorite track(s): “Loved,” “Skater,” and “Storm Crystals”

Halogenix – Passions

Halogenix won the hearts of fans after announcing the cover of his album Passions would be a painting by his child. He followed that announcement by dropping one of the best drum & bass records in recent memory, displaying deep emotional vocal performances, longing melodies, and incredibly tight percussion, including a collaboration with the iconic dBridge. Halogenix tastefully employs strings to amplify the strong melancholic nature much of this record employs. Favorite Track(s): “Cut Loose” and”Satisfy My Soul” with Liam Bailey

High Contrast – Restoration

What a phenomenal year liquid drum & bass had in 2024. Restoration from the legend High Contrast became an instant classic upon its release. The lead single, “Be No Rain,” set the tone for one of my favorite albums of the year, displaying powerful vocal performances with the production to match them. High Contrast masterfully toes the line between big dancefloor anthems, smooth rollers, and deep, melancholic drum & bass. Favorite track(s): “On Bass” and “Be No Rain”

Hudson Lee – Light Dancer

The ever-versatile Hudson Lee returned to fans with his latest work, Light Dancer. This record is dissociative in the best way imaginable, as listeners’ minds can wander his work’s vast, glitch-laden soundscapes. Lee taps longtime collaborators and comrades Frequent and KOAN Sound on “Curve This” and “Celestial Egg,” respectively. Favorite track(s): “Twine Tree Tether,” and “Celestial Egg” with KOAN Sound

Humandala – Happy Computer // Bad Operator

Up-and-coming artist Humandala had a fairly large year in 2024, capped off with the release of his incredible debut album. The newest from Humandala is an outstandingly fun listen from start to finish. Happy Computer // Bad Operator is an absolute flex of a release, with high-energy tunes that reflect Humandala’s production prowess and the dedication he puts into his craft. Humandala is next up, and this album speaks to it. Standout tracks were “Toasty,” “Obfuscate the Narrative,”  and “Uncertain Future.”

Ivy Lab – Infinite Falling Ground Pt. 2

Infamous creative production duo Ivy Lab followed their last album, Infinite Falling Ground, with the release of its second part earlier this year. The album was accompanied by an A/V tour of the same name, building an immersive experience through sound and sight. IFG2 is an eclectic masterpiece that soaks into the brain with each and every listen. Some instant classics from the project are “Olo” “Curves” and “Lucy”.

LSZEE – LSZEE

CloZee and LSDream collided this year for their joint LSZEE project, gracing stages across the country at Electric Forest, Red Rocks, and tons more. As they prepare for their 2025 joint tour, which features heavy hitter rising stars like Levity, Zingara, and Wreckno, we’ve have their 2024 full-length album on repeat all year!

The project is the perfect blend of each artist’s production stylings, seamlessly mixing LSDream’s interdimensional beats with CloZee’s nature-inducing soundscapes. This album got some serious playtime from us over the past year and could even be called the soundtrack to 2024 modern bass music. Standout tracks from the thirteen track were “EMPYRE Pt. 2,” “SLAY,” “FRENCH DREAM,” and “CLOUD10.”

Machinedrum – 3FOR82

When Machinedrum isn’t producing international megahits like “Nasty” with Tinashe, he’s putting out masterful work of his own. 3FOR82 is incredibly nostalgic while employing contemporary production skills. Machinedrum meticulously combed through old samples for this record, leading to a frenetic yet cohesive record showcasing the breadth of his production ability and his knack for collaboration. This record pulls influence from RnB to jungle to IDM and much more. Favorite tracks: “HON3Y” and”KILL_U” with Tanerélle

Mickman – You Have To Start Somewhere

As Tipper nears retirement, it’s wonderful to know his community is in phenomenal hands like those of Illinois-based Mickman. You Have To Start Somewhere is a deep, emotional record dotted with a few of his signature neurohop bangers. His slow, methodical, and retrospective beats are some of this writer’s favorite tracks in this corner of the bass music scene. Favorite track(s): “Lost & Loved,” “You’re Gonna Make It,” and “Ready Up”

mk.gee – Two Star & The Dream Police

mk.gee rose to superstardom on the back of his debut LP Two Star & The Dream Police. Melancholic and nostalgic yet groundbreaking and boundary-pushing, this record feels remarkably contemporary yet familiar. mk.gee expertly fuses R&B, rock, and pop in murky mixes, creating fervent, dream-like soundscapes. This album breaks all the rules, and listeners are better off for it. Listeners finding comforting melodies in the disarray of this album is a wonderful allegory for mk.gee finding his sound. Favorite track(s): “Are You Looking Up,” and”Alesis”

MPH – Refraction

What a sensational year for garage in the States. The genre is in fantastic hands right now, especially those of MPH. Refraction touches on all the various aspects of garage listeners have come to love, from smooth, introspective 4×4 cuts to in-your-face bassline bangers. Refraction is defined by infectious melodies and crisp percussion that causes quite the fracas on the dancefloor. Favorite track(s): “North LDN” with Subten, “Shoot to Kill,” “Funk Master,” and “Endorphins”

Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud

What other junglist could bring jungle to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium besides Nia Archives? The self-proclaimed “emotional junglist” has become an icon, singing emotional, longing, melancholic, and reflective lyrics over fervent breakbeats as she became the face of a genre historically dominated by men. Silence Is Loud quickly became Nia’s defining project, an auditory diary of productions meant to honor the genre’s history intertwined with her personal experiences. She expertly weaves a pop charm into incredibly crisp jungle beats, and her shows exude the same raw expression as her records. Favorite track(s): “Cards On The Table,” “Forbidden Feelingz,” and “F.A.M.I.L.Y”

NOTION – FORWARDS

NOTION made a name for himself with his iconic Dance Dubs series but took a giant creative leap with FORWARDS. Funnily enough, this record doesn’t even include his most successful track of the year, an insane remix of “The Days” by Chrystal. FORWARDS employs heavy distortion and classic-sounding synths, giving each track an incredibly nostalgic feel. This record contains some signature garage tracks that NOTION has become known for, with some pleasant excursions into other genres on tracks like “BACKBONE” and “SECRETS.” The album ditches the bangers for smoother, dancier cuts to create one of this list’s most sonically cohesive records. Favorite track(s): “GRAVITY” “TEMPORARY FRIENDS” with Charlotte Plank, “TV DREAMS,” and “SECRETS” with Cameron Hayes

salute – TRUE MAGIC

salute became a driving force in the electronic music space with their debut LP TRUE MAGIC. This record picks up steam with every lap, combining lush 80s synthesizers with classic samples spanning garage, jungle, and much more. It retains a signature garage groove with a French house flair while paying homage to its vast musical influences while stylistically mirroring Japanese car commercial aesthetics. Favorite track(s): “saving flowers” with Rina Sawayama, “maybe it’s u” with Sam Gellaitry, and “system”

Seppa – See It Through

See It Through from Seppa dives into a world of glitchy madness and tasteful snare. This chaotic and cinematic record takes the experimental bass genre to uncharted territories. Tracks like “Cru” and “Boxer” are uptempo standouts from the album, while “Sole” and “Yessir” reveal Seppa’s undeniable champion-level beat-making hypnotism. It’s clear Seppa has big things in the work and we can’t wait for what’s next from this absolutely cracked production phenom.

Still Woozy – Loveseat

Gooey and psychedelic, Loveseat is by far the most refined work yet from Still Woozy. This record is incredibly comforting yet vulnerable, employing aspects of lo-fi, funk, and R&B while touching on themes of fatherhood, love, and nostalgia. Loveseat quickly became my favorite easy-listening album of 2024. Favorite track(s): “Again,” “Shit Don’t Change,” and “Frida Kahlo”

The Widdler – Zero G

The Widdler has become one of the bastions of American dubstep, as his massive minimalist productions are incredibly recognizable in any DJ’s set. His monstrous behemoth of a forty-three-track record Zero G was without question one of our team’s top albums of 2024.

This record encompasses everything fans have come to love from The Widdler, including massive dubstep bangers, thoughtful mellow beats, and incredibly crisp percussion. For an artist so widely known, Zero G offers a peek behind the curtain of one of the scene’s most enigmatic producers. Standout tracks were “Zero G,” “Raiden,” “Eva,” “Joyride,” “Candy Flipper,” “You Don’t Want To Be Alone,” and “Searchin Dub.”

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