Ten Tracks That Brought Back Piano House in 2013

As 2013 rolls to a slow, grinding halt, the number of lists chronicling the year’s trends seems to be growing exponentially. From the resurgence of jungle to the stealthy rise of Disclosure and the subsequent rash of everyone sounding like Disclosure, it’s been a year where the electronic music world has grown ever more self-reflexive, examining it’s own trends with the voracity of a self-involved gaggle of pre-pubescent teens.

It’s hard to complain about one trend, though, and that’s the number of tracks this year that have unashamedly brought back the bouncy house piano riff of days past. Classic Chicago house permanently ingrained the bright, staccato sounds of blocky piano chords in our collective subconscious, but with younger and younger fans being drawn to the bright lights of EDM, retro-minded piano timbres have been steadily pushed to the sidelines.

Who knows if the pure sounds of the piano will survive another calendar year, but for now, let’s revel in the unabashed joy of ten songs from 2013 that waved the flag proudly.

Paul Woolford – “Untitled” Benjamin Damage – “010x” 50Weapons Benjamin Damage Heliosphere Todd Terje – “Strandbar” (Disko Version) Todd Terje Axel Boman – “Fantastic Piano” Family Vacation Studio Barnhus The Range – “Metal Swing” The Range Nonfiction Anthony Naples – “I Don’t See Them” Mister Saturday Night Mad Disrespect Moon Boots – Love Strong French Express Moon Boots

Duke Dumont feat. Jax Jones – “I Need U”
Despite the fact that this track just premiered to the world a few days ago on Annie Mac’s famed BBC Radio 1 show, Duke Dumont’s “I Need U” is exactly the type of arms-in-the-air burner that could warm up this winter. Prominently making use of circular piano chords and an even bigger steel drum melody, this is a perfect example of a track that isn’t afraid to go for broke.

George Fitzgerald – “I Can Tell” (Paul Woolford Remix) + Disclosure – “Help Me Lose My Mind” (Paul Woolford Remix)
Yes, it’s been a huge year for Paul Woolford. Despite already including “Untitled,” it’d be impossible to ignore this pair of remixes he managed to sneak into his already busy release schedule. Woolford’s reworking of George Fitzgerald’s “I Can Tell” is as strong of an argument for the steady comeback of house piano as any original from the past year. He kicks off the track with a staccato, endlessly-hooky piano riff and barely takes his foot off the gas, letting those blocky chords do most of the heavy lifting. And while Woolford doesn’t rely quite so heavily on piano in his remix of Disclosure’s “Help Me Lose My Mind,” their inclusion certainly gives the track a rhythmic synergy and effervescent bounce that’s near impossible to deny.