Of all the dance producers who've crossed over into pop's glittering realm, is one of the most celebrated, and for good reason. He's spent the last three years racking up the hits -- five that have landed on the Billboard chart in particular -- but even before he had a mainstream name, he was one of the go-to guys his electronic peers were quick to name drop in a conversation of cool. He hit the ground running, and some of his earlier work remains some of his most beloved. His production prowess has since been snatched up by , , and. It's just a vibe, and it's a vibe you can ride out into the sunset or while relaxing on a swan-shaped inflatable pool raft. It's a party jam, so let's party. There's a bit of the Old West in its rich chords. Kesha's powerful voice exposes a passionate strength. It's no surprise the song emerged as an empowerment anthem during her legal battle with Dr. Listen to this when you need to pump up before a big stand-off moment. It's catchy, it's romantic, it's easy to vibe to. It's a reeled-in version of the star producer's point of view, and subtle looks good on him. Zedd's song also gave Gomez some clout in the dance world. She recently sang for Cashmere Cat, but let the record show, Zedd was there first. Not when it's Zedd's hype take on the Legend of Zelda theme. It's iconic on its own, and this electrified version was the young producers' first real hit. He still plays it in his live shows, which is totally awesome. This is a jam that can never die, because heroes like Link and Zedd exist beyond time. Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams is perfect as she sings the devil-may-care momentary romance of our modern era. Of course, it's the feeling when the drop hits that lasts the longest. Zedd has never been the burliest of men, but maybe there's a big old beard waiting to explode. There's certainly no shortage of beastly beats, and this 2011 breakout original is one of our faves. Released on OWSLA and with remixes by Kaskade and Tommy Trash, it marked the producer as a mean original song-writing machine. The verses are easy going, the lyrics are a sing-along, and the hook is just experimental and funky enough to stand out from the crowd. Bonus points for the clever use of a ticking clock sample. It's palattable enough for the normies and cool enough for the trendy kids. No wonder it brought Zedd and vocalist Alessia Cara their third top 10 tune on the Hot 100 each, and it stayed there for 23 weeks. It's got a bright and bouncy rhythm that cant be ignored, and that breakdown, it's complextro greatness. Matthew Koma is beautiful over these adorable textures. It almost makes us want to go back in time to 2012. Foxes' sweet, love-pained vocals are iconic over the searching synths. The drop comes on like a waterfall, more a cascade of notes than a barrage of noise.
