As the year comes to a close my fellow writers and myself here at YourEDM have elected to take a moment to reminisce on the year as a whole. Over the past few days my colleagues have taken the time to showcase the tracks, festivals, and artists that made stood out to them amongst the competition. Here at YourEDM we strive to represent all genres of EDM bringing you insight into the newest music, artists, and news surrounding the entire scene. I personally listen to all genres of electronic music however over time I have become rather partial to dubstep. Whether composed of screeching synths and punishing bass or melodic soundscapes that soothe the soul, dubstep is what my ears yearn to hear. So without any further ado I am ecstatic to present my top songs representing the multi-faceted genre that is very near and dear to my heart, dubstep.
To begin, I’ve composed a list of my top 3 tunes that are guaranteed to make your speakers quake. Sit down, buckle up, and prepare for a healthy dose of wobbles. 
Top 3 Heavy-ish Dubstep Tracks of 2012:
1. Knife Party – Bonfire (Pre-Release Mix)
To kick off my list I felt it only fitting to start with the masters of seizure music themselves, Knife Party. Knife Party had an extremely successful year in 2012, headlining major festivals all around the globe while simultaneously releasing their extremely successful Rage Valley EP. This first track is an edit of a track from their EP that garnered quite a bit of attention, Bonfire. I was upset to find that this edit was not released on the EP itself as I continually found myself turning to this over the original mix. If you’re unfamiliar with this edit there has never been a better time to reacquaint yourself with this beast of a track.
[audio https://www.youredm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Bonfire-Pre-release-Mix.mp3]
2. Document One – Wanna Be With You (Original Mix)
Next on my list is the British duo Document One with their hard-hitting free track Wanna Be With You. This track quickly found its way to the top of my music library and never strayed.
[audio https://www.youredm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Wanna-Be-With-You.mp3]
3. Zomboy – Jam On It
The last track of my top three is a free track released by Zomboy as a gift to his loyal bassheads for reaching 100,000 likes on Facebook. Filled to the brim with fierce wobbles and crunchy bass, Jam On It exemplifies Zomboy’s aggressive signature sound in exquisite fashion.
[audio https://www.youredm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/01-Jam-On-It.mp3]
Despite loving when a dubstep song builds and drops into a hot and heavy mess of brain-scrambling lasers and bass, I believe my true love for dubstep stems from its more underrepresented melodic form. The following list highlights my favorite tracks of 2012 representing the more progressive and mollifying soundscapes of the genre.
Top 3 Melodic Dubstep Tracks of 2012:
1. Xilent feat. Shaz Sparks – Universe
Xilent appeared on the dubstep scene last year with his track Choose Me, which quickly garnered the rising producer quite a bit of attention. Universe, one of the four tracks released on his Touch Sound EP is a stunning original that beautifully counterbalances scintillating vocals with infectious melodies and bursts of piercing bass.
[audio https://www.youredm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/07-Universe-feat.-Shaz-Sparks.mp3]
2. Tritonal – Still with Me (Seven Lions Remix)
The next track on my list of top melodic tracks of 2012 comes from one of the hottest artists of year, Seven Lions. Known for his progressive dubstep, Seven Lions quickly proved that the marriage between trance and dubstep is something few can resist. His remix of Tritonal’s Still With Me effortlessly blends Crisitina Soto’s ethereal vocals with meticulous chord progression and soothing bass to create something refreshingly beautiful.
[audio https://www.youredm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/14-Still-With-Me-Seven-Lions-Remix.mp3]
3. SizzleBird ft. Nori – Lightning
Last but certainly not least is my personal favorite out of many songs by a producer with which far too many people are unacquainted. SizzleBird, a classically trained violinist turned electronic producer specializes in producing cathartic chillstep and breakbeat that intertwine poignant melodies with heavy bass to create works of art that soothe the soul. I consistently found myself listening through his entire Soundcloud profile, however few songs struck me as profoundly as the first time I listened to Lightning.
[audio https://www.youredm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Lightning-feat.-Nori.mp3]
Artists to Watch in 2013:
If EDM continues to grow at the pace of 2012 then it seems evident that 2013 will undoubtedly present amazing opportunities for select artists to continue to grow and emerge into the limelight. Below is my list of the top three artists which I’m projecting to take this upcoming year by storm.
1. Kill Paris
After recently witnessing him before a completely original live set as an opener for Dillon Francis one thing became glaringly evident, Kill Paris is without a doubt ready to begin headlining his own events. The OWSLA phenom had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he expertly mixed from selection to selection. His unique “luvstep” and “panty-soaking melodies” have listeners all around the world captivated and for good reason. This young artist is on the rise and is clearly a force to be reckoned with within the ever-changing bass music scene.
2. GRiZ
The next artist is someone I also had the pleasure of witnessing live multiple times in 2012 and with each performance it was clear that GRiZ was masterfully perfecting his craft. Known for his incredibly unique sound that fuses electro and funk, GRiZ much like Kill Paris produces music that audiences seemingly can’t get enough of. His explosive collaborations with Big Gigantic and Gramatik further solidify GRiZ as an artist in a perfect position to dominate 2013.
3. 501
The last artist of my list is the Finnish producer known as 501. With remixes featured on both Interscope and OWSLA, 501 emerged onto the bass music scene and was rather quickly snatched up by Never Say Die Records. 501‘s potential to dominate bass music stems directly from the shear power of his music. Combining meticulously crafting soundscapes and melodies, his sound is truly one of a kind. 501 effortlessly gives a breath of fresh air to his remixes and original productions alike.
Thank you again for listening and from all of us at YourEDM I want to wish you a great end of the year and a fantastic start to the next!
