Electronic music typically gets boiled down to a handful of qualities, even by fans: It’s euphoric, energetic, at times utopian. For the ambient heads, it’s calming, meditative, and spiritually centering. But part of the beauty of electronic music is just how wide the range of possibilities can be. Choose your weapon: In 2023, you could have opted for a blunt object (Yaeji’s With a Hammer) or a garden (Marina Herlop’s overgrown Nekkuja). You could have thrown down with an all-out “Rumble” with Skrillex, Fred again.., and Flowdan, or the kind of Gentle Confrontation that Loraine James sought on her profoundly personal album. Brazil’s DJ K reminded us about panic in the underground, Lisbon’s Danifox gave free rein to his anxiety, and Medellín party-starter Verraco mischievously stirred up an “Escándaloo.” The best electronic releases of 2023 were defined by their unique and individual perspectives. (Perspective: also the title of an excellent EP from Jlin this year.) But perhaps it was James Holden that summed it up most eloquently, with the title of his most questing album yet: Imagine This Is a High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities.
Sorted alphabetically, the following list represents the year’s best electronic albums and songs, with selections from our main list folded in alongside additional picks.
Listen to selections from this list on our Spotify playlist and Apple Music playlist.
Check out all of Pitchfork’s 2023 wrap-up coverage here.
(All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, however, Pitchfork may earn an affiliate commission.)