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XL] 19. Jai Paul - Jasmine

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Dance music is still very much a singles game. And in 2012, the field felt especially wide-open. Memorable music seemed to trickle out from the moment the calendar turned, leaving us with no shortage of anthems. With once disparate genres continuing to cozy up to one another, there was no telling whose sets those big tracks might turn up in. A number of new producers turned in exceptionally auspicious debuts this year, but 2012 also found artists who have come up these last few years making good on their early promise by continuing to push things forward. So rather than just a round-up of what slayed the clubs this year, our list of 2012's best tracks is a testament to how much we have to be excited about right now—and how bright the future looks for dance floors.A barreling techno track from one of the genre's finest purveyors.This syncopated siren song was one of many 2012 highlights on the NYC imprint.The finest moment in a sterling year from two of drum & bass's hottest new properties.One of the few dance floor tracks on the London producer's abstract masterpiece,Daniel Avery has a lot of very talented people singing his praises. Andrew Weatherall has said that he basically could play an Avery mega-mix each time he's in a club. Erol Alkan has snapped up the young producer to become one of Phantasy Sound's flagship artists. Ed from The Chemical Brothers complimented the fabric resident on his mix for the London's club long-running series. So, in a year in which it seemed like everything was coming up Avery, "Taste" was just another shining moment, a track that—as Weatherall so memorably described it—was "gimmick-free machine-funk of the highest order."Every few years Jack Dunning chucks it all in, finds new inspiration, and rethinks his approach completely. It's resulted in some of the most singular music of the past half-decade. For hisseries, the genre was techno and the idea to have defined sections to each track that connected naturally. As he put it toearlier this year, "Motion the Dance" goes from "soft > abrasive and light > dark" in its eight minute length. What's most important, though, is that ">" sign. The seamless transition from one to the other is where the track's true magic resides.The dark and droning centerpiece from the debut release on Anthony Parasole's new label.Juke meets jungle on this frenetic party-starter.An acidic banger from the increasingly unhinged producer also known as Truss.A busy bassline provides the funk on this house number. Soaring pads give it that trademark Moomin feel.The long awaited bit of twanging funk finally found its way to vinyl in December.One YouTube commenter said, "He's just showing off now." We couldn't agree more.Veteran noise producer Dominick Fernow tries on lush '90s-era IDM for size.If Jamie Jones is going to offer up a public defense every time he has a part in writing a song like "Benediction," he better get his thesaurus out. "Benediction" followed in the footsteps of last year's "Forward Motion," but did it one better by upping the pop and dropping the BPMs. The result was a confection that seemed to take proper advantage of collaborator Ali Love's voice. Given the space to be heard, it became clear just what a stunning voice he has—and how perfectly suited he is to Hot Natured's palm tree house.Among the finest DJ tools of the year, this one was liable to pick up the pace just about anywhere.In a year full of Kerri Chandler and MK-inspired tunes, this might've been the finest.A summer jam that seemingly finished off every set that took place on a beach in 2012.Marcus Intalex's stunning transformation into Trevino over the past 18 months shouldn't have been surprising: the veteran drum & bass DJ/producer has always had a soft spot for house and techno. What was surprising, however, was the sheer amount of material that he had at the ready. (Releases came thick and fast throughout 2012 on labels like [NakedLunch], Klockworks, 3024 and Apple Pips.) Intalex's assured hand meant that almost everything he touched was strong, but this electro-tinged anthem was his best, its delicate piano and epic breakdown ensuring its status as a perfect end-of-night tune.The London duo became a hot property after this lush house tune hit stores in the middle of the year.This grime-inspired house tune sounded like nothing else in 2012.The raviest cut on the French producer's 2012 album was also its best.This spare R&B tune was somehow both unapologetically dirty and melancholic at the same time.Walk for me walk for me walk for me SERVE walk for me SERVE SERVE walk for me walk for me.This lush vocal house cut was a favourite for Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones in 2012, and it's not hard to see why.RA editor Todd L. Burns and Gerd Janson 's multi-year poll season back-and-forth may have to end soon. All of the Running Back head's predictions that seemed to be unlikely at the time have come true. Aside from his appearance in our live act poll, that is. But you can count on even that one changing if he ever gets a set together with production partner Phillip Lauer as Tuff City Kids. Based on their debut solo 12-inch for the Ostgut -affiliated Unterton, their simple, melodic hardware-driven sound doesn't do anything too fancy, but it does it exceptionally well.Yet another delicious slice of retro rave from Shed.This atmospheric anthem was the perfect theme song for the duo's new label.Possibly the most romantic track yet from the revered Detroit producer.Broken glass, sawed wood and Morse code. The UK producer continued his run of form with this abstract banger.Innervisions has always flirted with a full-fledged pop move, and Ry & Frank Wiedemann's "Howling" was its consummation. The original was a loving embrace. Spare, folky, dusted lightly with electronic percussion. The Ame remix turns it into the tantric ode to backseat fucking that singer Ry Cuming seemingly always hand in mind. ("Swallow my pollen"? Puh-lease.) Its epic unveiling didn't hurt much either: "Howling"'s public debut as the last tune of a much-talked about Dixon Boiler Room set had Soundclouders scrambling for weeks afterward in search of an ID.Two of the year's most hyped acts wrapped up in one bouncy UK garage-inspired concoction.More falsetto-driven R&B theatrics from the UK artist.Was there a more triumphant 2012 debut than TNGHT's "Higher Ground"? Wagnerian brass fanfares, hilariously large drops and a sampled voice that never quite reaches the word "ground": It all added up to a song so joyous it was almost impossible to deny. Hudson Mohawke and Lunice's masterpiece was gobbled up by amateur trap producers around the world and soon spat out in lesser forms. That those Soundcloud-alikes never reached the same heights only proved how unique they are. This kind of confidence only comes off well when you have the talent to back it up. Another year, another strutting piece of electronic pop from Storm Queen in our top 50.The gritty, banging B-side to Shed's standout 2012 12-inch.Errorsmith and Fiedel regroup for a stripped back and uptempo contribution to theseries.This lumbering house beast singlehandedly made a case for brass synth presets.Analogy time: Factory Floor is to New Order as Perc is to? If you answered Throbbing Gristle after hearing Perc's remix of Factory Floor, we wouldn't blame you. The London techno producer beefed up the tune considerably, but left in horrid, grating bits of noise that floated in the background. So much momentum was generated by his lead and bassline, though, that you almost didn't notice the horror lying underneath. In a year that saw Perc catching his breath after the release of, it was a bracing reminder of his talent for shock and awe.The finest moment in a memorable year from the highly regarded UK duo.The sound of dubstep eating itself.