The AllMusic 2022
Year In Review
Innovative and groundbreaking, electronic music from bedroom lo-fi sound collages to dancefloor anthems got lots of play in 2022. Downtempo tracks from Bonobo (pictured), dub and ambient from Carmen Villain, and Gabe Gurnsey combines house, techno, synth pop, and electroclash on our favorite electronic albums of 2022.
Batu
Opal
Debut album from the Timedance founder, pairing fluid motions with precisely crafted sound design.
Bonobo
Fragments
Bonobo's seventh album focuses on lush club-driven tracks, in addition to downtempo highlights featuring Jamila Woods and Kadhja Bonet.
Carmen Villain
Only Love From Now On
The composer/producer's fourth album delivers a heady blend of dub, kosmische, and fourth world ambient steeped in gorgeous atmospheres and details.
Charlotte Adigéry / Bolis Pupul
Topical Dancer
The Belgian duo's first album is a catchy, danceable, and brutally funny takedown of racism, xenophobia, and sexism.
Cinthie
DJ-Kicks: Cinthie
Fluid, ecstatic mix from the Berlin-based DJ, switching between deep house, swinging garage, and piano rave belters with ease.
Daniel Avery
Ultra Truth
A powerful, stylistically varied reflection on dark subject matter featuring an impressive cast of guests, including HAAi and Sherelle.
Daphni
Cherry
The third album from Dan Snaith's back-to-basics project adds experimental spontaneity and touches of techno with invigorating results.
DJ Lag
Meeting with the King
The innovator of the South African gqom sound continues pushing the sound forward on his first full-length.
Gabe Gurnsey
Diablo
Working closely with vocalist Tilly Morris, the producer fuses house, techno, synth pop, and electroclash into hedonistic grooves.
Gábor Lázár
Boundary Object
A series of unedited, unpredictable tracks recorded in real time using a compositional interface created by the Hungarian sound artist himself.
HAAi
Baby, We're Ascending
Stunning debut album from the Australian-born producer and DJ, incorporating more vocals into her euphoric style of psychedelic dance music.
Hagop Tchaparian
Bolts
Debut from a longtime Four Tet associate, blending Middle Eastern instrumentation with levitating synths and dance beats.
Harvey Sutherland
Boy
The Australian electronic artist's full-length debut plays like a funky, synth-laden house party from 1980.
Hercules & Love Affair
In Amber
The project's stunning fifth album taps into hypocrisy, loss, and redemption with songs ranging from somber chamber pop to scathing industrial blasts.
Herva
Seez
After several years of focusing on making studio hardware, Herva returns with an abrasive yet warm IDM record.
Huerco S.
Plonk
A departure from the hazy ambient loops of his best-known work, Huerco S. returns with a challenging set of more experimental compositions.
Jeff Mills & the Zanza 22 / Jeff Mills
Wonderland
A highly accessible, live-sounding release from the Detroit techno legend that explores samba, jazz fusion, and disco influences.
John McEntire / Sam Prekop
Sons Of
Chicago artists best known for their contributions to the post-rock scene collaborate on expansive, house-informed electronic instrumentals.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Let's Turn It into Sound
A playful, complex suite that bears little resemblance to Smith's previous new age and ambient pop recordings.
Kode9
Escapology
The audio component to a larger project by the Hyperdub boss, which encompasses a video game within an art installation and a sonic fiction.
Leon Vynehall
Fabric Presents Leon Vynehall
Less a home-listening mix than the producer's DJ-Kicks entry, this offers a multitude of global sounds -- proto-techno to gqom -- with unlikely grace.
Machine Girl
Neon White OST 1: The Wicked Heart
The first part of Machine Girl's debut video game soundtrack is an ecstatic neo-rave trip, ranking among their best releases.
Mall Grab
What I Breathe
The Australian producer's energetic full-length debut is a nostalgic but forward-thinking trip encompassing electro, grime, jungle, and more.
Maya Shenfeld
In Free Fall
Berlin-based composer Maya Shenfeld's free-spirited debut fuses several techniques, blurring lines between post-minimalism, drone, and noise.
Moor Mother
Jazz Codes
The guest-heavy companion album to 2021's Black Encyclopedia of the Air grew out of a book of poems about iconic blues and jazz artists.
ODESZA
The Last Goodbye
The successful indie electronic duo return with a slightly more club-ready, progressive house-leaning fourth album.
Overmono
Cash Romantic
The successful U.K. duo deliver one surefire club hit and several equally intriguing stylistic explorations.
Rachika Nayar
Heaven Come Crashing
Sublime guitar-based ambient/post-rock that takes inspiration from anime soundtracks, jungle, and uplifting trance.
Rich Ruth
I Survived, It's Over
The Nashville ambient composer's second album is a wild, turbulent ride reflecting myriad human emotions.
Ripatti Deluxe
Speed Demon
Vladislav Delay's newest alias draws inspiration from early rave and happy hardcore.
Rival Consoles
Now Is
Rival Consoles' eighth album is lighter and more ambient-influenced than his previous, more conceptual releases.
Röyksopp
Profound Mysteries
The electronic icons revisit the album format on their own terms with a haunting sixth collection.
Shinichi Atobe
Love of Plastic
The elusive Japanese techno producer continues his drift into deep house waters with his excellent sixth album.
Shygirl
Nymph
Shygirl follows her head-turning early EPs with a full-length that's more introspective and melodic, but no less inventive or sexually commanding.
Stealing Sheep
Wow Machine
Inspired by the female pioneers of electronic music and first presented as a live installation, this album plays like a miniature rocket journey.
Suzi Analogue
Infinite Zonez
Energetic fusions of jungle, footwork, and hip-hop compiled from the Never Normal founder's Zonez mixtapes (2016-2019).
Teno Afrika
Where You Are
South African amapiano producer Teno Afrika adds more vocals to his highly intriguing sound on his second album.
Theo Parrish
DJ-Kicks: Theo Parrish
A magnificent 90-minute set spotlighting Detroit's homegrown music scene, encompassing neo-soul, broken beat, deep house, and much more.
TSHA
Capricorn Sun
The fast-rising producer and DJ blends Afro-house, progressive house, rave, and dance-pop on her emotionally rich debut album.
Whatever the Weather
Whatever the Weather
Loraine James' first pseudonymous release is a mixture of moody ambient pieces and rainy-day IDM.
µ-Ziq
Hello
A slightly harder and more club-friendly companion to Mike Paradinas' jungle-influenced Magic Pony Ride.
