Best of…

One of the great things about being at leisure for the whole of December is the chance to indulge in “best of” lists. I made my own – below – then spent an entire day listening to others on the interweb. On the upside, Little White Earbuds bigged up Paul Frick’s dub version of Steal My Heart (the earlier vocal versions featuring Crawford are even better) and it makes me happy to see that other people’s listening habits are as eclectic as mine. On the downside, I’m not quite buying all this bowing scraping adulation of American woozy disco house. Sure, Levon Vincent and co have made some great tunes, but it can all be taken a bit seriously (likewise, Hyph Mngo is fun, I agree, but it’s a rave garage choon, not a cultural revolution). Anyway, cheerfully I do not have to be an arbiter of quality and innovation. And the nice part of having zero experience of making electronic music is that I’m free to judge tunes in all innocence on their effect not their virtuosity. So my thanks to the blogstad cognoscenti out there for maintaining direction, introducing me to new stuff and making me laugh.

OK so to continue to add to the end-of-year blah blah blah, my favourite album of the year must be Vertical Ascent by the Moritz von Oswald Trio – highly rated all over the place, so no further praise for me to add. And my top twenty tunes of the year, in alphabetical in lieu of random order:

Ratts Leaving the Sinking Ship in Nortt - Artificial Latvamaki

Soundtrack to your voyage to the afterworld on the burning deck.

I Am the Car - Audion

Surely the most prolific producer in techno? This for me is the stand-out from his series of give-away MP3s this year.

Checkpoint Charlie (Max Cooper Remix) - Bigger Than Jesus

Please can 2010 be all about techno that sounds like this. Never mind the fuzz, let’s go back to basics.

Seaweed - Clark

FX – simple, effective teenage kicks.

The DJ - DJ Hell ft. P. Diddy

Seems to have met with approbation and ridicule from everyone, including the people who made it, missing the fact that it’s a perfect straight-up big-production Romboy-style dancefloor magnet.

Grand Central, Part I (Deep Into The Bowel Of House) (MCDE Bassline Dub) - DJ Sprinkles

Dr Motor City expertly extracts Ms Sprinkles’ head from her arse.

A Nightingale - Isolee

I was really pleased to see this pop up on a couple of other “best of” lists as it was hardly talked about over the year but is beautiful and complex and special. The other side October is great too.

37 min to 7 - Margaret Dygas

Thanks to Cubby for introducing me to this Margaret among others. I eagerly await her every diversion…

Rollerskate (Radio Edit) - Matias Aguayo

Favourite pop ditty of the year. Strictly small doses – he was dead boring when I saw him live this year.

Die a Little (Bruno Pronsato Remix) - Mikael Stavostrand

Not sure why this has such a hold on me – dusty, bouncy-melancholy and strangely addictive.

Hundraelva - Minilogue

Another reason, along with Isolee, Dygas and Pronsato’s Make Up Break Up, to keep the faith in minimal.

Get Your Whistle Wet (DJ Sep & Jason Short Dub Mix Featuring Juakali) - Mochipet

There is nothing original about this, but if I ever manage to sit on a chair all the way through I know it is time for the euthanasia clinic.

Maybes - Mount Kimbie

Everyone likes them and I like them too.

Variance (Function Edit) - N/A

Choon!!! Worth every millimetre of its fetishistic one-sided blue vinyl.

Pokerbrett - Norman

A net label mystery. Church organ meets big techno – what’s not to like?

WAD - Pearson Sound

Ethnic percussion in its rightful carnavalesque element. Irresistible.

Alles Gute - Pole

Please make some more tunes for us Stefan – we miss you.

Klinik - Scuba

That washboard scratch gets me every time. Apparently he is a brilliant DJ as well as producer.

Marche Funebre (DJ Koze Marxa Mix) - Soap & Skin

Yes, I also loved Fever Ray, and here is another modern gothic madame deserving of attention.

Space Bass (Jamie xx's Remix of The xx) - The xx

Ditto Mount Kimbie.