Every twelve months we ask the DJhistory.com forum bods, as well as our favourite DJs, producers, writers and tea makers, to let us in on what towered head and shoulders above the rest of this year's sonic fodder. This chart is the result. This year's entrants contained an even wider range of stuff, mixing genres as diverse as house and disco to indie and lo fi stylings. Regardless of what you call it, it's all music and it's the best this year has had to offer. (Below the chart you'll also find, making its debut our number 1 album of the year.)

 
1. Storm Queen – Look Right Through (Environ)
Ice cold, analogue house music released under Morgan Geist’s latest moniker. Includes chilling vocals laid down by a New York subway busker.
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2. Space Dimension Controller – Journey To The Core Of The Unknown Sphere (Royal Oak)
2010 was the year that house once again went deep and not many went deeper than Belfast’s new young space cadet. As Aaliyah said, “Age aint nothing but a number”. Here is the proof
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3. Try To Find Me - Get To My Baby (TBD edit) (Golf Channel)
Proof that edits can be as creative as original productions rather than re-hashed oldies with eight bars shoved on the beginning.
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4. Mavis ft. Candi Staton – Revolution (Darkstarr Remix) (Bitches Brew)
Candi Staton made a comeback this year with the help of Mavis. No not the DJhistory tea lady (that's Bill) but the combination of Ashley Beedle and DJ Cosmo. Maybe not a revolution but a damn fine tune.

5. DJ Nature – Destiny Reprise (Golf Channel)
DJ Milo of Wild Bunch fame resurrected his DJ Nature tag and dropped a whole bunch of above par tracks on what for many was the label of the year.
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6. Moodymann – Ol Dirty Vinyl (Mahogany Music)
Moodymann by name but Kenny Dixon Jnr returned this year with one of his must accessible almost "pop" records in years. Played at the right time this is massive.
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7. Visti & Meyland – Stars (Rodion & Mammarella mix) (Bear Funk)
Pretty much a guaranteed dancefloor winner no matter the occasion, even the lyrics incline themselves to summoning the waiting masses into the fray.
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8. Midnight Magic – Beam Me Up (Jacques Renault mix) (Permanent Vacation)
Jacques Renault turned Midnight Magic's already thoroughly ace disco gem into a mournful slice of modern disco.
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9. Matthew Herbert – Leipzig (Accidental)
A gorgeous slice of melancholia and easily the most accessible thing that bat-shit mental Matthew Herbert has released for ages, full of religious imagery and drug paraphernalia: “A little bag of smiles”.

10. Gunnar Wendel – 578 (Omar S Rude Boy Warm mix) (Clone)
Omar S had a fairly quiet year but eventually waded in with this stripped back house behemoth mix of Gunnar Wendel on the legendary Clone records.
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11. Tensnake – Coma Cat (Permanent Vacation)
Last year Marco Niemerski came in at number 1 and during an interview he told us about a lil song of his based around an Anthony and the Camp number. This be that song, happy house in the best possible way.
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12. Matthew Dear – Little People (Black City) (Mark E dub) (Ghostly International)
In a year when ghosts, ghouls, vampires, werewolves and a teenage wizard formed roughly 69.8% of the fabric of modern culture, Ghostly and Matthew Dear succeeded sonically and semantically.
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13. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – Round And Round (4AD)
Supposed lo-fi never sounded so big. This was the moment an underground hero packed his sun-dripped songs in a knapsack, stuck his head into the mainstream and said, "I quite like it here".
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14. Mark Seven – Pillow Talk (Endless Flight)
Mark 7 had started to get known in some circles as some sort of obscure Swedish based disco pirate. So just to annoy or confound everybody he released this splendid slab of on-point house music.
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15. Caribou – Sun (City Slang)
The constant refrain of “sun, sun, sun” sounds like the hopeful whisper of 50 million English folk every April or May. Probably better to stop hoping for the impossible and stay in listening to music like this.
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16. Beautiful Swimmers – Big Coast (Future Times)
This is the soundtrack to some crazy-ass cyborg voodoo party in Jamaica where all the attendees are toking on the finest Martian weed and speaking what sounds like bastardised Pandoran.
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17. Sombrero Galaxy – Journey To The Centre Of The Sun (Stallions mix) (ESP Institute)
"It's getting hot in here." Sombrero rode a silver stallion right into the centre of a dying star and not only survived but came home with a galloping, splendidly cosmic jam.
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18. Apiento & Co – She Walks (Leng)
A slice of proper modern boogie that is euphoric enough to get your hands in the air but not enough to get on a 'euphoric' compilation, thankfully.
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19. Toby Tobias – Macasu (MCDE remix) (Late Night Audio)
Two of 2010's most prolific producers somehow combine disco and the more raw side of house to make a track at home in any DJ's bag. Unless you play gabba that is.
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20. Jamie Woon- Night Air (Ramadanman mix) (Candent Songs)
Is this when emo-step first reared its head? For a genre that encourages head down dancing it's surprising dubstep and shoegaze were never fused (to astounding effect here) earlier.
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21. Bob Holroyd – African Drug (Four Tet mix) (Phonica)
Multi–instrumentalist Bob Holroyd originally recorded this track in 1994, Phonica loved it and re-issued it with this complex and totally excellent Four Tet mix.

22. Breakbot – Baby I’m Yours (Ed Banger)
The name Breakbot conjures an image of a Peter Crouch goal celebration but is in actual fact the artist responsible for helping Ed Banger break out of their indie-electro stereotype.

23. Maxxi & Zeus – The Struggle (International Feel)
Imagine Maxi Jazz from Faithless cast as Perseus and our Frank as Zeus. Then imagine the big fight scene in all its glory with this on the surround sound. Ifeel come up tops again.
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24. Four Tet - Sing (Floating Points mix) (Domino)
Kieran Hebden has always been a bit of a lefty, Guardian reader, organic so-and-sos favourite. But this year, as proved by featuring multiple times on our chart, he has finally hit the big time.
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25. Bubble Club – Violet Morning Moon (Bubble Club)
This actually sounds like a violet morning moon. Yes that sounds trite, well actually it sounds a bit stupid but have a listen and you will see what we mean. It has that odd combination of being both tough yet beautiful.
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26. The Popes - Bastards (Claremont 56)
Claremont 56's illegitimate child and a track guaranteed to anger Catholics the world over. The real Balearic meaning of the rhythm method.
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27. DJ Nature - Everyone (Golf Channel)
DJ Nature (Milo from the Wild Bunch) slipped naturally back into form proving to be even more house than Hugh Laurie with his second entry in this year's chart.
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28. Black Van – Yearning (DFA)
Possibly named after the primary mode of transport in the A-Team as well as fan's feelings for the original series after this year's horrendous remake. Lovely analogue goodness.
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29. Kurt Maloo - Afterglow (Fascinating Rhythms)
Afterglow says it all, play this with a glass of brandy sitting on a porch just after the sun has dipped below the horizon and let the magic happen. Gorgeous jazz influenced almost-soul.

30. Four Tet – Angel Echoes (Domino)
Either the constant flapping of wings or the singing of harps, either way Four Tet yet again managed to make complex yet entirely danceable... well... dance music.
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31. Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar (Tensnake mix) (Dollar Snakes)
If we had a dollar for every time we heard this recently we would be very rich. Tensnake comes correct with his second entry in this chart by way of a remix of a massive modern soul song.
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32. Nicolas Jaar – Time For Us (Wolf & Lamb)
A marketing man’s wet dream: a 19 years old good-looking Chilean/American. Other than being handsome, he is also making some of the most remarkable music around.
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33. Soul Clap – Action Satisfaction (Crosstown Rebels)
Soul Clap plundered R&B to mixed reaction for some of their other big releases this year. This contains no R Kelly sample and no gimmicks, just straight-up, deep dancefloor vibes from the Bostonians.
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34. Red Rackem – In Love Again (Untracked)
While Red Rackem might be having butterflies in his stomach once again, our love for him never went away. More modern boogie-laced music from one of Britain's finest.
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35. Rocketnumbernine – Matthew & Toby (Text)
Magnificent, sprawling pop music that hangs around the edges of psych and occasionally pulls down the pants of dubstep. Fantastic stuff produced by man of the year Kieran Hebden

36. James Holden – Triangle Folds (!K7)
Holden has been the poster boy for serious dance music for some time now, his origami-inspired minimal opus continues to show why.
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37. Pilooski - AAA (RVNG)
How apt that one time lord-of-the-edit Pilooski provided the last ever release (an edit) to be released on RVNG.
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38. Begin – Optical Holiday (Begin)
As if pre-empting the holiday dramas at Britain's airports Begin managed to remind us that we are all stuck in the cold while this tune sounds like the perfect soundtrack to a day on the beach.
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39. Ifeel Studio – The Coptic Sun (International Feel)
Normally we would be over the moon at the continued success of small labels selling vinyl but as this is run by Mark in Uruguay, where it is warm and sunny, we aren’t. Hardly a Dalston basement now is it?
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40. Mim Suleiman – Nyuli (Running Back)
Sung in Swahili and produced by Maurice Fulton, this radiates cross-cultural class filtered through Sheffield. It’s also taken from the first every album to be released on Gerd Jansen’s Running Back imprint.
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41. David August – Music Is The Place To Be (Diynamic Music)
It's house music innit. Showing that August has much more to offer that just fair weather. A real belter of a track.
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42. Craig Bratley – Birdshell (6th Borough Shell Toe mix) (Instruments Of Rapture)
More slo-mo house musings from the consistent quality of Instruments Of Rapture. Craig Smith yet again stepped up with a bang-on hip hop laced remix.
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43. Floating Points – People's Potential (Eglo)
Last year he came in at number three; while this year's entry comes in lower it is still proof that this is better than the potential of others.
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44. New Edition – Lifetime Groove (Marcos Cabral & Shux Edit) (OTP Party Breaks)
Bringing new life to pre-Whitney/crack breakdown Bobby Brown, this just begs to be played in the sunshine. A beachfront and BBQ anthem that’s been genetically engineered to make girls dance.
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45. Arcade Fire – The Sprawl (Merge US)
Lead out single from one of this year's most anticipated albums. Sprawling and majestic indie music that signaled a return to form from The Fire.
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46. Franc Spangler – Forever & A Day (Delusions Of Grandeur)
Is there a more apt name for a producer making house music just on the right side of wonky? Late night deepness guaranteed to appeal to the spangled amongst us.
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47. Trickski – Phil Collins (Suol)
We’ve always said that Phil Collins is house? Winner of best use of a sample this year and legend around these parts for helping us Phil Collins lovers to get at least a little fix.

48. Nite Jewel – Am I Real (Italians Do It Better)
True to form Italians Do It Better continue to release dark, glacial nuggets of wonderful retro inspired pop music. The real music of the night.
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49. Bison – Way To LA (Claremont 56)
More Pacific than Balearic, route one inspired music that conjures both the Great Plains as well as the city of angels.
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50. Max Essa – Uptown Vibration (Mark Seven mix) (Is It Balearic)
Mark Seven hitches a ride with Max Essa to complete his journey from underground, crate-digging hero, to full on production/remixer superstar.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

1. Caribou – Swim (City Slang)
In our album poll of the year Dan Snaith's second album won by a country mile. Caribou's Swim is an epic sprawling work inspired by everything from krautrock to dubstep and contains 'Sun' which also rose high in our top fifty singles. Totally modern music that already seems timeless.
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