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Music

The 101 Most Vital Tracks of 2014 | 20 - 11

That bassline! That hook! These tracks completely floored us.

20. Jane Jupiter : "Higher"

Name changes are always met with raised eyebrows in music culture so navigating one as smoothly as Kid Sister has takes panache. A super-reflective and sparkly video doesn't hurt, featuring the Sis as grown up Jane, looking as intergalactic as someone named Jupiter should. The song is equally seductive, priming longtime fans and newcomers alike for a forthcoming visit by a Sister from another planet where classic soul and disco influences infuse a house and electro bed of music upon which Jupiter sings and raps in hushed, measured tones. The forecast on this planet is for temps to rise higher indeed. -ZM

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19. John Legend : "All of Me" (Tiësto Remix) [Columbia]

Unexpected doesn't begin to describe the experience of hearing John Legend at a rave, but the crooner was officially festival-sanctioned as of Ultra Miami 2014 when Tiësto's remix of love song "All of Me" was in practically every main stage set. Legend (and thereby Tiësto) has the unfair advantage of being in a celeb gossip-ready marriage that fleshed out the song's narrative (and thereby appeal). This remix makes a feast from a few ingredients, bringing Legend to radio again and putting some soul in the machinery of the 55 minute set-time world. See you at Tomorrowland, Chrissy Teigen? -ZM

18. Basement Jaxx : "Junto" [Atlantic Jaxx]

It's not completely obvious but it seems that the lyrical conceit of "Never Say Never" is that music can be a catalyst for repeating mistakes in love. If that's the case, then Basement Jaxx have some broken hearts on their hands. It's songs like this that could get a club full of people to do virtually anything in love or more likely anything on a dancefloor. Guest vocalist Elliot Marshall (ETML) takes command of the track, turning what could be a song of despondent defiance into one of righteous exuberance. -ZM

17: Tiga : "Bugatti" [Turbo Recording]

If you loved Sexor or Ciao! and missed Tiga's eccentricities, you will have found a fast friend in "Bugatti." That bassline! That hook! That video! Is it really about a car? Maybe. Just as much as "Shoes" was about footwear, which is to say it's really all about that place you sometimes go that resembles something Bill Hader's Stefon would recommend. It's freaky and weird but you can't stop dancing. -ZR

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16. Patrick Topping : "Forget" [Hot Creations]

Even if you didn't get to boogie on the White Isle to the most Shazamed track of the Ibithan season, you probably still engaged somewhere with this Hot Creations newcomer's absolute bomb, "Forget." It's not the most complex track of the year, but what it does—(i.e., make you lose your fuckin' shit in a feeding ground of tech-bass)—it does well, very well! We should all expect big things from this guy to come. -DG

15. Trus'Me : "I Want You" (Alan Fitzpatrick Remix) [Prime Numbers]

This stabby burner from Alan Fitzpatrick defined the hypnotic bliss that can be found in great techno. Trus'me's own Prime Numbers imprint continues to serve as his own personal melting pot for house, techno and disco joints and the remix album from whence this cut comes was clutch.  -JF

14: Galantis : "You" [Big Beat/Atlantic]

It's as if Galantis just couldn't help themselves. Even as "Smile" was still ramaging through dorm rooms and the first festival grounds of spring, they dropped this follow-up banger. The chorus goes something like, "I remember youuuuuuuuuuuuuu oooouuuuuuuu" in a pitched-up vocal. Its unabashed pop appeal is what so many non-dance fans are gravitating towards. That and a damn good time. There's nothing hoity about it, but come on, you can get that at your afterhours (where you will bump into the Galantis guys in the crowd). -ZM

13. Shiba San: "Okay" [Dirtybird]

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Although the title may imply ambivalence, there is nary a human being who doesn't love this song. It was ubiquitous on the Summer festival circuit, but it never gets old, and even though this year was populated by memorable basslines galore, none had the playful, bouncy appeal of "Okay." Plus, it's the easiest tune to sing along to ever (go on and try right now). -JK

12. Duke Dumont :  "Won't Look Back" [Astralwerks]

For much of 2014, Duke Dumont was still burning off his 2013 hits (the Grammy-nominated "I Got U" and the Grammy-nominated "Need U (100%)"), all in a run-up to a highly anticipated debut LP expected sometime next year. "Won't Look Back" might qualify as a slightly more sophisticated affair in that its vocals are less chorus-focused and more part of the sonic scenery. The acidic instrumental hook is the real masterstroke here, reminding the world that this Duke ain't no fly by night house head looking for a quick fix on the pop charts. -ZM

11. Ten Walls : "Walking With Elephants"

When this one starting popping up in everyone's set no one really knew what we were hearing. But soon we figured it out. Helping propel Mario Basanov's new Ten Walls project into the spotlight, "Walking With Elephants" redefined the word "massive." It's a thundering attack on the senses with brilliant sound arrangement, and a force that can only be summed up by, well, yeah, a stomping heard of pachyderms.  -DG

Words by THUMP Staff: Zel McCarthyJemayel KhawajaMichelle LhooqDavid GarberZiad RamleyJosh BainesOlyvia Salyer, and Joel Fowler.

The 101 Most Vital Tracks of 2014 | No. 101 - 91 | No. 90 - 81 | No. 80 - 71 No. 70 - 61 |
No. 60 - 51 | No. 50 - 41 | No. 40 - 31 | No. 30 - 21 | No. 20 - 11 | No. 10 - 1 |