2013: The Year That Everyone Sounded Like Disclosure

If fans had been able to place bets on what 2013 would hold for the world of dance music, more then a few gamblers would have had to mortgage the house. Or put it this way—2013 threw us some curveballs:

– Trap music made the kiddies go très rachét—from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine (though we’re told it’s on its way out).
– Waka Flaka met Steve Aoki and discovered his love for EDM.
– Steve Aoki met Linkin Park—they discovered their mutual love for… whatever it is they do.
– A whole lot of people ate bath salts. (But not Danny Brown.)
– Deep house got a face-lift, then took the Beatport throne (though detractors are mad because it isn’t “deep enough”).
– Hardstyle emerged from the carpeted basements of Norwegian preteens and began cropping up in peak-time festival DJ sets. What in the…?

Sure, big room house dude Hardwell was voted DJ Mag‘s top dog, while trance OG Armin Van Buuren claimed the runner-up slot—no surprises here. And yes, thousands of ravers are still losing their shit to Deadmau5 at the main stages of sold-out megafestivals like Tomorrowland and Electric Zoo.

But if you examine the scene with a close eye you will notice that much of this year’s buzz was directed at a relatively obscure, nearly decade-old genre, one that rarely ventured out of the English Isle—thus the name: UK garage.

In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, or are possibly deaf from too much nails-on-chalkboard dubstep, 2013 is the year of the garage revival. And we can thank Disclosure, the baby-faced brothers from London, for the reemergence of our favorite house music mutation.

I will spare you a lengthy description of the accolades of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, but I would like to draw your attention to the enormous influence they’ve had on the field of global dance music in 2013. The R&B-style vocals, the stuttering grooves, and the upfront, melodic basslines of UK garage seem to be everywhere we look.

Are these acts just copy cats—replicating a foolproof equation for chart success? Or have the trends simply shifted to a more pop-infused, vocal-driven sound? Either way, 2013 was indeed the year of Disclosure, and in turn, the year that a whole lotta folks sounded… like Disclosure.

This is an occurrence I will hereby refer to as being “Disclosured.”—1 meaning “a few dashes of Lawrence” and a 10 being on that Eddy Snowden tip:

Duke Dumont – “Need You (100%)” (Disclosured Meter: 5)

This one is oozing with Disclosure sounds—chopped up vocals with just the faintest hint of a British accent, plus punchy pads and twangy synths that take you deep, but not too deep. To be clear, the man is ten years their senior, so this may be a clear cut case of chicken and egg.

Linden Jay ft. Ruby Wood – “Break The Hold” (Disclosured meter: 9) Settle, Gorgon City feat MNEK – “Ready For Your Love” (Disclosured level: 10!) MNEK

Also if you look at the music video for the track you can’t help but notice that the Gorgon’s live setup (and their London white boy swagger) is pretty much the same as… you know who. I’m definitely waiting for these two duos to collabo so I won’t have to write articles like this one. 

Bondax – “Giving It all” (Disclosured level: 7) Alunageorge – “You Know You Like it” (Disclosured level: N/A)

David might not be able to sound like Disclosure but he can still look like them. –@DLGarber