Becoming a rarity.... but i'm a DJ that still spins vinyl!! The round vinyl black things with etchings on, that convert into crisp heavy sounds.
Yeah!! Those things... anywayz!! Without trying to sound too smug, here's a list of my top 10 new 12" releases this year!! (in no particular order!!)
Apologies to anyone who feels aggrieved by my selection. Not being able to please everyone is part and parcel of being a DJ..... and life!!
Top 10 albums, compilations and newcomers.... soon come!!
Mount Kimbie - Sketch on Glass - HotFlush
One of many revelations to surface in 2009, Kai & Dom aka Mount Kimbie... make spacey beats with weird sounds, trembling bass lines and wizard like arrangement. They're one of the first "dubstep" acts too successfully re-incarnate their record into a live performance (which also includes fistful twister, James Blake). Make sure you lend them an ear.
Head Honcho at Hemlock, this EP recently dropped and has been bringing a wry smile to many faces... His weird drops and pulsating rhythms take a while to understand, but this EP brings it together and makes sense of it all. For me, Palamino is the KiLLER. However, I am aware that if your soft spots are located elsewhere... then some of the hitters on this 6 tracker may pull your heart strings. Dope!!
Omar S - Still Serious Inc - FXHE
Possibly my favourite "house" record of the year. "Still Serious Inc" is incredibly serious and takes as deep down detroit tech as you can afford to imagine. The kicks, the snare, the growl instigate shoulder action from another realm. Make sure you cue it up and pay attention.... otherwise you'll miss out!!
LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 (Theo Parrish & Pilooski Remixes) - DFA
I never thought this was gonna see an official release.
It would've been an absolute travesty...!!!
Ever since Theo played his remix to me, it's been causing a bit of a stir. I swiftly handed it Gilles, he in turn played it out on the radio.... and the subsequent waves were present and dangerous.
The Pilooski remix isn't half bad either!!
A sneaky one from the Electronic subsiduary of Kindred Spirits... This EP fuses electronic sounds nd Ethiopian Jazz into a nice bundle... and it bubbles really nicely!! A bit of a sleeper, but i think it's killer!!
Pearson Sound // So Far Ago - Gambetta // Soul Jazz Records
It took the musty humid heat, and an Electronic Festival (Nuit Sonore) in the South of France for me to fully appreciate the lengths of this tune.
Obviously, I'd been working it through the Soul Jazz channels, and spinning it at whatever opportunity I could find.
However, watching Ramadanman (aka Pearson Sound) spin it to a heap of unsuspecting revellers when we played Gilles' stage at Nuit Sonore raised the appreciation levels.
dark, percussive, emotional and striped down....
All roads seem to lead to Joy Orbison.... now with a Jose James remix, a Fourtet remix under his belt, and birthing his new label DLDRMS.
Hyph Mngo will surely grow to become a genre defining tune... think Benga, Flying Lotus, Roni Size, Ame and EZ rolled into one.
With talent as immediate as this, it only takes one riddim to take yourself to the top of the crop.
EXCiTED!!
After "LoveMeLikeThis".... the pressure was on. And, Floating Points delivered!! In a big way!! Somewhere in between Dubstep and Jazz based House.... with a tinge of Detroit / Chicago, but definitely from London.
It's all go for Floating Points and Eglo.... Funkineven EP = DoPE, Shaunise on the way!! and Fatima on the boil. Fresher than Fresh!!
All this can filed in "Wicked". However, the Floating Points Ensemble is what interests me more....
FTPS!! Step Forward!!
It's been a good year for a lot of people... and i'm guessing Kode9 is counting 2009 as a VERY good year... His label Hyperdub has gone from an imprint that puts out experimental dubstep to becoming a genre defining outfit...!! Burial, Joker, Martyn, SAMIYAM, Flying Lotus, Kyle Hall, Ikonika, Darkstar.... The alumini is becoming ever impressive.
However, as with any true don... Kode9 eclipses all his proteges with his own work... and Black Sun is the one!!
Scuba // Aeusonic EP // HotFlush
Paul aka Scuba is another man who must've found a whole heap of new friends this year. That' what happens when you release music by the ridiculously talented Mount Kimbie and Joy Orbison.
This is the THIRD Hotflush release in my Top 10.... and it's not just coz I like their logo!!
The sounds of Joy Orbison and Mount Kimbie have the ability to reach beyond the realms of weird independent music.
However, Scuba is in every aspect the root to this sound. Quietly pushing out extremely dark and emotional music for a few years now. Londoner, now based in Berlin is fusing together the raw dubstep sound of London with the minimal techno sound from Berlin....
Scuba....?! Soon to be a Godfather!!
