GRAMMY CHEW:
ELECTRONIC

From emerging artists like Experts Only/Darkroom's John Summit, Three Six Zero's Dom Dolla and Atlantic's Fred again.. to such established talent as Columbia's Calvin Harris, Apollo/AWAL's Disclosure and Atlantic's Skrillex, the dance/electronic scene has enjoyed a remarkable year. Let’s take a look at some likely frontrunners in the key categories.

Pop Dance

Because the Recording Academy has traditionally struggled to fit the genre's diverse sounds into just a few categories, the recent introduction of the Pop Dance category has been a particularly hot topic among genre aficionados.

Thanks to this update, pop-centric tracks like Dua Lipa's "Dance the Night" (Warner) and Charli XCX‘s “Speed Drive” (Atlantic) (both of which are featured on the Barbie soundtrack), Troye Sivan's "Rush" (Capitol), Dom Dolla x Nelly Furtado’s "Eat Your Man" (Three Six Zero), Kim Petras' "Uhoh" (Republic), INJI's "THE ONE" (Astralwerks) and David Guetta x Anne-Marie x Coi Leray's "Baby Don't Hurt Me" (Warner) will have an opportunity to shine alongside the works of accustomed dance-world creators.

Best Dance/Electronic Recording

Meanwhile, several spots in the Best Dance/Electronic category should rightfully be reserved for the tracks leading the trance revival: Disclosure's trance-house offering "Higher Than Ever Before" (Apollo/AWAL), Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding's '90s-tinged anthem "Miracle" (Columbia) and Swedish House Mafia's euphoric "Ray of Solar" (Republic).

Beyond this entrancing resurgence, fresh talents are making their mark on the streaming world. CPA turned DJ John Summit has had an incredible year thanks to "Where You Are" f/Hayla (Experts Only/Darkroom), which has amassed 131m+ global streams and positioned him as a serious contender here. Australian Dom Dolla, meanwhile, released his biggest record to date, "Rhyme Dust" w/MK (Ultra), which should also secure a spot.

Aside from the emerging talents, it's crucial to recognize hits like Chris Lake's "Beggin'" w/Aluna (Astralwerks/Black Book Records), Gorgon City's "Voodoo" (Astralwerks) SG Lewis' "Call on Me" w/Tove Lo (Astralwerks), ZHU's "Take My Soul" w/Devault (Astralwerks), Becky Hill's "Disconnect" w/Chase & Status (Astralwerks), Peggy Gou's "(It Goes Like) Nanana" (XL/Beggars), Martin Garrix's "Hurricane" (Casablanca) and MEDUZA's "Everything You've Done" (Republic), among others.

Best Dance/Electronic Album

Disclosure has delivered its purest dance project in years with Alchemy, an 11-track LP with no features that showcases the ample chops of founder-brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence, who have been prominent in the community for more than 13 years.

Another contender is Warner’s ILLENIUM, whose 16-track, self-titled album yielded three U.S. dance radio chart-toppers, “All That Really Matters” w/Teddy Swims and “Other Side” w/Said the Sky & Vera Blue—both of which could be considered for Best Dance/Electronic Recording—as well as “Luv Me a Little” w/NinaNesbitt, a track that will likely land in the Pop Dance category thanks to its melodic bass-pop elements sprinkled with a hint of rock.

Meanwhile, acts like Fred again.. and Skrillex are having a moment thanks to a newfound bromance that led them, along with Four Tet, to co-headline Coachella weekend two (with further sold-out shows and pop-ups worldwide). Fred’s, Actual Life 3 (January 1-September 9, 2022) and Skrillex’s Quest for Fire feature impressive collaborations and pack quite a punch.

Other notable contenders here include Gorgon City's Salvation, INJI's LFG, SG Lewis' AudioLust & HigherLove, Chemical Brothers' For That Beautiful Feeling (EMI/Virgin), Yaeji’s With a Hammer (XL) and James Blake's Playing Robots into Heaven (Republic).

Note to voters: Please wait for the molly to wear off before assessing your ballot. Thank you.