The AllMusic 2024

Year In
Review

Whether it was the wild motion of breakcore, jungle, and digital hardcore, or more atmospheric drones, downtempo, and sound environments, there was no shortage of high quality electronic music to discover. These are our favorite electronic albums of 2024.

36

Dreamloops

Four-LP set of expansive, melodic ambient pieces that originated as a series of limited cassettes in 2019.

Actress

Darren J. Cunningham

A surreal, time-transcending collage of previously unreleased material, first presented as a Resident Advisor podcast.

Adam Wiltzie

Eleven Fugues for Sodium Pentothal

The first non-soundtrack solo album from the Stars of the Lid co-founder evokes an escapist dream state approaching bliss.

Alessandro Cortini

NATI INFINITI

A rewarding, slowly evolving synthesizer work originally created for an immersive audio installation at the Sónar Lisboa Festival in 2022.

Black Decelerant

Reflections, Vol. 2: Black Decelerant

Debut effort from an ambient jazz duo who describe their music as a meditation on Black being and non-being.

Bolis Pupul

Letter to Yu

The Belgian-Chinese producer explores his roots on an album inspired by his late mother and his first trip to Hong Kong.

Boys Noize / Trent Reznor / Atticus Ross / Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

Challengers [MIXED]

Thrilling techno-influenced soundtrack to the 2024 film that benefits from input by Boys Noize.

British Murder Boys

Active Agents and House Boys

Regis and Surgeon translate the live energy of their long-running industrial techno project with its first studio album.

Bullion

Affection

With help from guests like Panda Bear and Carly Rae Jepsen, producer Nathan Jenkins expands his vision of subtle, sophisticated electro-pop.

Caribou

Honey

Dan Snaith extends the club-friendly sound of his work as Daphni into his main project, resulting in his most outwardly expressive music.

Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea

Reveries

Serene, flowing ambient pieces bridging guitar-based drone with modern classical arrangements.

Doc Sleep

Cloud Sight Fade

The artist's second album of dreamy ambient techno and IDM tracks inhabits a similar space as her debut LP from 2023.

Floating Points

Cascade

Sam Shepherd focuses on his club side with a marvelous album of tightly engineered yet exploratory and psychedelic dance tracks.

Four Tet

Three

Continuing to save his most reflective material for his full-lengths, Kieran Hebden presents a focused set of mainly downtempo tracks.

Hakushi Hasegawa

Mah​ō​gakkō

The genre-obliterating Japanese artist finds a balance between chaotic excess and direct expression on their Brainfeeder debut.

Heavee

Unleash

Futuristic, forward-thinking footwork from the Teklife affiliate, bridging the style's house origins with jazz, rap, and experimental club music.

I. Jordan

I Am Jordan

The U.K. producer's first album reflects their personal journey and their Northern upbringing, channeling styles like donk and euphoric trance.

Jamie xx

In Waves

The producer's long-awaited second album is a joyous, pensive, and satisfying love letter to the communal healing power of dance music.

Jeremiah Chiu / Marta Sofia Honer / Ariel Kalma

The Closest Thing to Silence

Exploratory and uplifting intergenerational collaboration that occasionally takes on a more spiritual aura.

Jlin

Akoma

The electronic visionary's third album builds on all of her past achievements, and features high-profile guests like Björk and Philip Glass.

Kelly Moran

Moves in the Field

The experimental composer utilizes a programmable instrument to create an understated yet otherworldly sound environment made up primarily of acoustic piano sounds.

Kiasmos

II

Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen incorporate more detailed rhythms and orchestral arrangements on their techno project's second album.

Masayoshi Fujita

Migratory

An immersive, tranquil reflection on the natural world from the Japanese composer, vibraphonist, and marimba player.

Moor Mother

The Great Bailout

A bracing, powerful work concentrating on British colonialism and its aftereffects, featuring a stellar cast of guest collaborators.

Nailah Hunter

Lovegaze

The harpist demonstrates her range from soundscape weaver to art-pop maverick on her bewildering debut album.

Nia Archives

Silence Is Loud

Full-length debut from the award-winning singer/producer, seamlessly blending jungle's head-rush breakbeats with neo-soul introspection.

Photay

Windswept

Celebrating life and nature, the producer returns to beat-driven work while continuing to mix electronic and acoustic sound sources.

Pye Corner Audio

The Endless Echo

The producer's contemplation of the passing of time captures his music at its pensive, mysterious best.

Rich Ruth

Water Still Flows

On his fourth long-player, the Nashville-based ambient composer adds the tension of doom metal to his powerful, dreamy aesthetic.

RXM Reality

No. 1 in the World

Mike Meegan fully dives into breakcore and digital hardcore while retaining the mutated pop elements of his previous few albums.

Shigeto

Cherry Blossom Baby

The producer and DJ collaborates with other members of Detroit's rich musical community, such as Kesswa, Ahya Simone, and Tammy Lakkis.

Skee Mask

Resort

A somewhat back-to-basics full-length from the elusive techno artist, blending ambient dub washes with mutated breaks.

SOPHIE

SOPHIE

Ranging from chart-friendly pop to abstract experiments, the producer's posthumous second album reinforces her irreplaceability.

Squarepusher

Dostrotime

One of Tom Jenkinson's most well-rounded full-lengths, with tracks ranging from solemn guitar meditations to acidcore rave madness.

Taylor Deupree

Sti.ll

A completely acoustic revision of a 2002 album that extended warm, glitching electronic loops into subtly evolving drones.

The Bug

Machines I-V

The entirety of a five-EP instrumental series, paring Kevin Martin's apocalyptic dub to its essence.

Tim Reaper / Kloke

In Full Effect

Hyperdub's first full-on jungle record, produced by two of the leading figures of the genre's revival.

Xylitol

Anemones

Fascinating Planet Mu debut by a longtime D.I.Y. artist obsessed with jungle, Krautrock, and Yugoslav new wave.

µ-Ziq

Grush

Continuing in the direction of Mike Paradinas' 2022 output, this effort is another winning mixture of choppy breakbeats and wistful melodies.