15. Daphni, 'JIAOLONG'

Once upon a time, electronic musician Dan Snaith was known as Manitoba until a lawsuit by an aged punk rocker forced him to adopt the moniker Caribou. This year, the expat Canadian took on a new name of his volition. Inspired by the DJ gigs he’d do to pass the nighttime while opening for Radiohead on tour, the alias serves as a declaration of his new dancefloor focus. And all power to him, because Daphni’s soulful and tribal samples, sparkling and buzzy synths and assorted body-moving house, techno and breakbeat maneuvers make for some of the most exciting electronic dance music to emerge in this year of EDM. -- Joshua Ostroff