The Top Ten Techno Music Hits of 2014

A list of the top ten techno music hits of 2014.

Introduction

The year 2014 was a great year for techno music. Numerous artists released fantastic tracks that thrilled audiences around the world. Here are the ten best techno tracks of 2014, according to our panel of experts.

“Technologic” by Daft Punk

“Technologic” is a song by French electronic music duo Daft Punk, released as the fourth single from their second studio album, Human After All. It peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart in June 2006. The song features a robotic voice that repeatedly says the words “buy it”, “use it”, and “break it”, set against a backdrop of synthesizers and other electronic music production elements.

“This Is What It Feels Like” by Armin van Buuren

This Is What It Feels Like” is a song by Dutch DJ and record producer Armin van Buuren. It was released as the first single from his fifth studio album Intense on 17 May 2013. The song features Trevor Guthrie, who also appears in the music video.

“Animals” by Martin Garrix

“Animals” is a song by Dutch DJ and record producer Martin Garrix. It was released as a digital download on 17 June 2013 on Beatport and iTunes. The song peaked at number 41 on the Dutch Top 40. It also charted in Belgium and France. The song was included on Garrix’s debut album, Gold Skies (2014).

“Tsunami” by DVBBS and Borgeous

“Tsunami” is a song by Canadian electronic music duo DVBBS and American DJ and producer Borgeous. It was released on December 10, 2013 as a single from their debut studio album, Common Ground. The song was written by John Kong, Alex Pall, Andrew Taggart, Christopher William Tyrone Van Dale, Jordan Alexander stuffedaylor. The song peaked at number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Slovenia.

“Alive” by Krewella

Krewella is an American electronic dance music group from Northbrook, Illinois, United States, that formed in 2007. The group consists of sisters Jahan Yousaf and Yasmine Yousaf. Originally a trio, Rain Man left the group in 2014. Their debut album, Get Wet, was released on September 24, 2013. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart and at number one on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. “Live for the Night”, was released on June 18, 2013 as the lead single from Get Wet and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. “Enjoy the Ride” was released as the second single from Get Wet on November 19, 2013.

The sisters were born in Chicago to Pakistani immigrants. Their mother is a doctor and their father is a civil engineer who formerly worked for AT&T Corporation. They have one younger brother named Aaran. Jahan and Yasmine attended Glenbrook North High School together where they were active in theater and debate. Yasmine Yousaf is two years younger than her sister Jahan Yousaf. Before Krewella, Jahan studied graphic design at typography at Columbia College Chicago while Yasmine studied business marketing at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“Alive” is a song by American electronic dance music group Krewella. It was released on June 17, 2013 as the lead single from their debut studio album Get Wet (2013). The song peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number five on the US Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.

“Get Lucky” by Daft Punk

“Get Lucky” is a song by French electronic music duo Daft Punk, featuring vocals by American singer Pharrell Williams and co-written by the duo, Williams, and Nile Rodgers. It is the lead single from Daft Punk’s fourth studio album, Random Access Memories. Prior to its release as a single, “Get Lucky” was featured in television advertisements broadcast during Saturday Night Live, after which Rodgers posted an image on his Twitter feed featuringWilliams and Daft Punk in recording studios, accompanied by the caption “Us three again all weekend”. The single’s music video was first broadcast on Saturday Night Live on 27 April 2013.

The song peaked at number one in Belgium (Wallonia), France and Italy, while reaching number two in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and Switzerland. In the UK it peaked at number four while reaching number one on the UK Dance Chart. In Canada it became the second Daft Punk song to reach number one on the CBC Radio 2 Top 50 chart following “One More Time”. In 2013 “Get Lucky” won Record of the Year and Best Dance Recording at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards held on 26 January 2014; this marked both Daft Punk’s first Grammy Award wins as well as Pharrell Williams’ seventh and Nile Rodgers’ third.

“Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk

Daft Punk is a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement; they also had success in the years following, combining elements of house music with funk, techno, disco, rock and synthpop. They have worn ornate helmets and gloves to assume robot personas in most public appearances since 1999 and rarely grant interviews or appear on television.

The duo released their debut studio album Homework in 1997 to positive reviews. The next year, they co-produced Stereolab’s album Tetra with English record producer Nigel Godrich. In 2001, they released their second studio album Discovery to widely positive reviews; topping many critics’ lists of best albums of the year and winning Grammy Awards for Best Dance/Electronica Album and Best Engineered Non-Classical Album. In March 2005, Daft Punk left Virgin for EMI Records.

Daft Punk’s fourth studio album, Random Access Memories (2013), became one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling over 3 million copies worldwide within a week of its release and won five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for “Get Lucky”.

“Hey Brother” by Avicii

“Hey Brother” is a song by Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii. The track was written by Avicii, Ash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare and Darkness Falls. It was released on 17 October 2013 as the fourth single from Avicii’s debut studio album, True. “Hey Brother” became a commercial success worldwide. In 2013, it peaked at number 1 in Belgium, Denmark and Germany as well as on the US Dance Club Songs chart and the US Mainstream Top 40 chart. In 2014, the single topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand as well as in Poland and Sweden.

“Wake Me Up” by Avicii

Wake Me Up is a song by Swedish DJ and electronic music producer Avicii, released as the lead single from his debut studio album True. The song was written by Avicii, Mike Einziger of Incubus, and Aloe Blacc. Einziger produced the track with Avicii. Blacc wrote and provided vocals on the track. The song became a commercial success reaching the top ten in over twenty countries including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom; it peaked at number one in Australia and Poland. In May 2014 Wake Me Up became Avicii’s first UK number one single after selling 168,000 copies in its first week of release. It marks as his most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart to date where it peaked at number 4 becoming his only top ten hit in United States.

“Wake Me Up” is a folktronica and electronica song featuring instrumentation from guitars and synthesizers that builds in intensity as it progresses to the drop; Blacc’s soulful vocals are layered over synths and an “echoing guitar.” The lyrics carry a theme of independence and waking up from a dream while still maintaining a party atmosphere.”