A force in Europe’s vast club scenes since the late ’80s, Carl Cox is one of those DJs that other DJs geek out over—a dance-floor master who brought the sounds of Ibiza to the wider world. This spiraling, joyful house music mix—uplifting, funky, and escapist—feels like a warm pat on the back after a tough year. Lockdown took a serious toll on dance and electronic music, scenes that depend on clubs, concerts, and festivals to survive. It was all the more inspiring, then, to see scores of DJs and producers continue to find ways to thrive, cope, and innovate. There were charity livestreams, virtual festivals, adventurous remixes, and transportive radio shows, all eagerly exposing listeners to diverse sounds and ideas. To close out 2020, Apple Music invited 21 of the world’s finest producers to compile exclusive DJ mixes that considered the year behind and the year ahead. Some are nostalgic and reflective, others are forward-thinking and optimistic, but all represent the fierce eclecticism that shaped the year in electronic music.