Best Remix
Snacks, “Order To The Senses (Kornél Kovács Remix)â€
When Berlin and Stockholm collided musically, it was pure magic. German producer Kornèl Kovács flipped “Order To The Senses” — a lovely house track by the Swedish duo Snacks — into one of the sexiest and addictive deep house jams of 2017.
Honorable Mentions
Men I Trust, “Tailwhip (Essáy’s Laidback Remix)
Parcels, “Myenemy (Inagwa Remix)â€
Best LP/EP
Demuja, Demujas Disco Cuts
Although issued as a “vinyl only” album, Demujas Discos Cuts consisted of six well-crafted tracks that sampled (but not overused) some of the best disco sounds of the 70’s and 80’s. Dance floor worthy and flawless from start to finish.
Honorable Mentions
Seb Wildblood, The One With The Emoticon
Best New Artist
Platforms like Soundcloud are overloaded right now with talented new artists. But Yaeji’s introduction to the world was easily able to standout with her unique tone and incredible use of Korean dialect mixed in with NYC street twang. It was hard not to come across someone who was trying to put you on to her. That says a lot and the buzz can only get stronger in 2018.
Track of the Year
Magnifik, “Head Held Highâ€
With so much chaos going on in the world, it was a song from Down Under with very few lyrics that gave me the most peace throughout the entire year. Released at beginning of January (right as shit was about to hit the fan in DC), “Head Held High” is a gentle but (((deep))) house gem performed by Australian mates Magnifik and Andrea Kirwin. With its extremely intoxicating bassline the message in this song is simple; no matter where you are, keep your “Head Held High”… and dance. Sometimes that’s all you need to do in life.
Honorable Mentions
Love Dance, “Who Is He (Original Mix)â€
Many props to my Parisian homie DJ Hold Tight for putting me on to a gem that I will forever play on repeat.Â
Miguel, “Sky Walker feat. Travis Scottâ€
SZA, “Love Galore feat. Travis Scottâ€
Artist of the Year
For those who fell in love with SZA’s infused style of R&B a few years ago, seeing her receive so much hype in 2017 felt good and well-deserved. She’s the relatable voice of girls of all ages and colors with a keen ear for selecting sick beats that cross many genres. Her album CTRL (though not as good as past work) showed that hard work can take you from being strictly an underground artist to a major one with a performance on SNL, a gang of your songs being featured on Insecure and a number 3 album on Billboard. Not bad.
Favorite Show of the Year
Erykah Badu at Dell Music Center, Philly – August 2017
Queen Badu proved to everyone in a jammed packed outside arena (on a very hot and sticky night) that 21 years in the game just means you’re a even better artist. With her badass outfits, killer hats, a band who never stopped dancing, and a knack for clapping back at audience members who got out of line, this show was entertaining in so many ways … just like her Instagram page. It was like one long Instagram post, but live. Amazing!
Honorable Mention
Kelela at U Street Music Hall, DC – November 2017
Seeing her perform in her hometown to a sold out audience was a special event. DC embraces our own and even though it hurts that she had to bounce to L.A. in order to find success, she was still welcomed back with open arms.Â
Label of the Year
Sooooo many labels from all over the world were killing it this year. But London’s SlothBoogie crew consistently pumped out quality singles, EP’s and mixes pretty much all twelve months. The label’s SBEDITZ001 EP released in late October features a hot edit of Heatwaves, “Boogie Nights†— a perfect song to dance into the New Year with.
Honorable Mentions
DC Artist to Watch
Those who know, know. But there are still many who actually don’t know and that will hopefully change in 2018.