Dancing Astronaut’s Top 10 tracks of September 2014

Dancing Astronaut's Top 10 Tracks of September 2014

Want an easy way to make sure you’re up to date on all the latest, best music? Dancing Astronaut takes a look at the top 10 tracks officially released in September and ranks them based on a combination of reader feedback, track quality, editorial preference & critical reception.

Dancing Astronaut wraps up September for you with another edition of our top 10 tracks of the month. September’s list features massive tracks from reader favorites Alesso, Arty, and Pierce Fulton. Not to be missed are also fantastic efforts from Octave Mind, Le Youth, and Michael Calfan.

10. Henry Fong & J-Trick - Scream (Original Mix)

At the beginning of his tour alongside Tommy Trash, Henry Fong has teamed up with J-Trick for what is his highest profile release to date. Landing on Musical Freedom, “Scream” epitomizes both producer’s big room pedigree. An aggressive buildup provides plenty of anticipation, before exploding into a combination of screeching synths and a pounding rhythm.

9. Octave Minds - Anthem (Original Mix)

There’s no doubt about it — Octave Minds’ new album is the most beautiful thing you’ll hear all season. Call it Chilly‘s enamoring piano work, call it Boys Noize‘s stunning sound design, either way, we can’t get enough. Finally revealed this September, the album in full is nothing short of enchanting, with singles like “Anthem” proving true collaborative bliss.

8. I Am Oak - On Trees and Birds and Fire (Sam Feldt & Bloombox Remix)

Spinnin’ Deep‘s summer of releases has rivalled the imprint’s big room counterpart, despite the label’s main stage appeal. Welcoming Sam Feldt back for his third stint on the label, the producer has teamed up with Bloombox to take on I Am Oak. Flawlessly utilizing a humming saxophone that epitomizes the remix, the two producers also infuse the take with a tantalizing interval provides a break from the action.

7. Michael Calfan - Prelude (Original Mix)

Michael Calfan drops a big room piano anthem to set the autumn season into positive motion. As yet another infamous ID to emerge via the Dutch label’s social media, “Prelude” captures the Parisian talent on bigger and more uplifting form than ever before. Though an infrequent contributor to the European circuit, that fusion of high-octane energy, detailed instrumental stamina and punchy big room etiquette brings together everything we have known and loved about the French producer’s sparing output crammed into one definitive record.

6. Jesse Ware - Say You Love Me (Gorgon City Remix)

In the midst of showcasing material from their impending studio album, Gorgon City have stemmed the flow of original material in favour of a free download. Taken from Jessie Ware’s second studio album, “Say You Love Me” has been reinvented by the British pair and the result won’t cost you a penny. As the remix flows past a drum-laden introduction, it hurls itself into a soft plateau that adopts lush synths among the original’s vocals.

5. Pierce Fulton - Kuaga (Original Mix)

Pierce Fulton made a statement this month with a long-awaited production that followed suit as another unflawed musical benchmark. The lead-heavy and uplifting strife of “Kuaga” is that playful yet poignant panache that has separated Fulton from the heard and set welcome markers in the identity still available to the crowded genre. 

4. Jeremy Olander - Lauderdale (Original Mix)

Jeremy Olander’s September edition of Pryda Friends dominance came in the form of an extended play. An uncompromising rhythm flows throughout the entire original mix, as various synths battle for position during “Lauderdale.” The detail and dynamic battle between his melodic penchant and intricately detailed productions is let loose considerably, giving the progressive upholder significant creative edge over the majority of his genre peers right now.

3. Le Youth - Girl (Original Mix)

As a bit of a departure from his polished previous original, the Ohio native challenges his already fine-tuned nu disco style with the choppy, coarse vocals from Guy’s original, “I Like” and counterbalances the heavier sample with a smooth equilibrium of bouncing house beats. “Girl” strikes the ideal chord between grungy club and the glossier and highly coveted deeper house tones, allowing Le Youth to demonstrate his attuned ear for exactly what the dance music crowd is currently seeking.

2. One Republic - I Lived (Arty Remix)

Arty is back in full swing, inking deals with the Interscope-backed Insomniac Records and returning to form with his Angel Taylor collaboration “Up All Night.”  Maintaining his pace with remix duties for One Republic’s pop smash “I Lived,” the Russian progressive talent finds himself back in the limelight with yet another endearing vocally-driven production. Where his contemporaries opt for in-your-face, overcompressed kicks, Arty approaches his remix treatments with subtlety, enhancing Ryan Tedder’s gripping top line with finely-tuned melodies and lush sound design.

1. Alesso - Heroes (ft. Tove Lo)

Some of the finest moments of Alesso’s recorded career to date have been those in which the young Swede has balanced killer toplines with strong composition and tectonic energy. Even without the latter on show, Lindblad’s crossover legacy remains on course. “Heroes” very much echoes the stadiumesque turn his own live presence has taking, giving a far more tempered and pop-driven spin on his stylings as much cut to the quality we have come to expect from his original productions as ever. With no signs of laurels being rested upon and one of the most advanced balances of commercial and coherent club fundamentals on display in the modern market, these are the razor sharp productions that remind you just Alesso has the entire musical spectrum swooning towards his musical stylings in 2014.