According to my Last.fm, I did listen to that Hauschildt album at some point, but I have absolutely no memory of how it sounds.

I'll throw out some names, because there have been loads of good albums this year, although I hate calling these things "The Best Of 20XX". You only really know if an album's a genuine cracker when you're still listening to it two or three years down the line. There have been albums by DjRUM and Nils Frahm from 2018 I suspect are brilliant but I haven't listened enough times to digest them. And then there are albums I haven't had chance to listen to yet. Slam have released an ambient techno concept album at 105bpm just this week.

Anyway, here are a few I'm pretty sure I'll still be listening to in a few years:

Poppy Ackroyd - Resolve

Man, I listen to a lot of modern classical these days. I'm obviously getting old. This was easily the best new album I heard this year, I reckon. It's incredibly beautiful; an elaborately assembled piece of crystal clockwork, all chimes and cellos and pianos intertwining with unbelievable elegance. I was playing this at work one morning while fiddling with a spreadsheet and it made me feel as though my heart was fluttering out of my chest, like a line of particularly shit poetry.

Guero - My Way, My Rules

Despite what Discogs would have you believe, this isn't minimal techno at all, but instead mad Andrew Weatherall shit. If you click the link, you'll see I've already reviewed it once! I love this kind of stuff because you have absolutely no idea what's going to happen next in any given tune. Guitars, disco, space synths... it reminds me of the good old early '90s days when producers would sample and chuck in practically anything they could loop.

OOFT! - Intricacies Of Modern Life

If you'd ask me to compile this list a week ago, this wouldn't be on there. But I've played it a couple of times this week and it hit me how good this is. Again disco-y, but also deep house, mellow Chicago and big euphoric belters. Just a rock solid dance LP comprised of undiluted club cuts - which is quite a rare thing for a producer to really nail.

Vince Watson - Via

You know Vince Watson, you know what he does: smooth melodic techno with plenty of Detroit influence. This one is a little less sickly jazz-fusion than his last one. It's very much techno for late night cruising, specifically designed for him to play whilst travelling between gigs. An album like this isn't doing anything radically new or even with any obvious stand-out tunes, it's just a very smooth listen, very well made. There's a blatant Café Del Mar rip-off in there too. I find myself hammering this kind of thing. Aril Brikha - Ex Machina is a similar album I've played over and over.

___________________
Mixes:
> Back To Deep [Deep Trippy House]
> Terra Nova [Modern Progressive Trance]
> Rough & Ready [Modern Trance]
>A Different Energy [Good Modern Trance]
> The Edale Mix [Panoramic Beats]

I'm so behind on 2018 material, the best I can provide for a best of list is some obvious picks like Solar Fields' Ourdom and Dr. Octagon's Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation.


PS: Congrats, Woony, for currently getting your list as a Top Comment in RA's 'Best Of 2018' feature.

___________________
Everyone has an opinion. Mine just happens to be a little more informed than most.
Electronic Music Critic: Near-Daily Ruminations Of Music I Own, In Alphabetical Order!
(~)

Last edited by Sykonee on Dec-13-2018 at 02:58

really appreciate these lists guys. I am still listening to music from like 5 years ago. I feel like im always just behind the times.

___________________
X-MIX 1 The MFS Trip

This guy needs to come back

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J Poppy Ackroyd - Resolve Man, I listen to a lot of modern classical these days. I'm obviously getting old. This was easily the best new album I heard this year, I reckon. It's incredibly beautiful; an elaborately assembled piece of crystal clockwork, all chimes and cellos and pianos intertwining with unbelievable elegance. I was playing this at work one morning while fiddling with a spreadsheet and it made me feel as though my heart was fluttering out of my chest, like a line of particularly shit poetry.

Oh, that is a nice one that completely escaped me. I've also been listening to quite a bit of modern classical the last 2-3 years. Although I find that, much like with ambient, the amount of it that goes beyond wallpaper music is rather small. Spekaing of ambient, you might enjoy the BLNDR album on Hypnus which delivers very classic, warm, nicely textured ambient - https://www.discogs.com/BLNDR-LObse.../master/1390366

___________________
June 2018 mix

Top 5

Shorelights - Ancient Lights

Really enjoyed this album and listened to it a lot during the year. The cd version is slightly mixed, which makes for a nice set of dub ambient texture and atmosphere.


Terekke - Improvisational Loops

This is a really nice ambient album from Terekke. I've listened to this on repeat for days in a row. My favorite track is 220 +g, although I wish it was a bit longer.


Christian Kleine - Electronic Music From The Lost World 1998 - 2001

I hadn't heard of Christian Kleine before, but I really enjoyed this album. I thought it was a nice mixture of idm and ambient. It made me look into some of his past stuff, and I found some gems.


Halftribe - For Summer, Or Forever

Another ambient album, I thought halftribe made really nice atmospheres throughout the album that really made it a relaxing and pleasant listen.


Skee Mask - Compro

At the time this was released, it was my first real exposure to Skee Mask, and it was instantly an album of the year candidate, top 1 or 2. This one is great.

I thought it was a great year for music, I found artists I hadn't known about. Fun times. I'll have to take a listen to some of these other ones too.

man everyone loves this skee mask album. wondering if it will hold up. sounds great I would add

___________________
X-MIX 1 The MFS Trip

This guy needs to come back

quote:

Originally posted by capricorn15 Halftribe - For Summer, Or Forever Another ambient album, I thought halftribe made really nice atmospheres throughout the album that really made it a relaxing and pleasant listen.

I'm immediately in love with this. Shame I didn't know about it when it really was summer.

___________________
Mixes:
> Back To Deep [Deep Trippy House]
> Terra Nova [Modern Progressive Trance]
> Rough & Ready [Modern Trance]
>A Different Energy [Good Modern Trance]
> The Edale Mix [Panoramic Beats]

There's some really nice recommendations here, I'm gonna make sure to listen through all of them at some point whenever I have the time.

I saw that BLNDR album on Hypnus as well as the Deepchord release, I think both of them are very pleasant. It seems like everyone is rating the Skee Mask album really high this year as well.

I haven't made any lists myself but one of the albums I really loved this year is:

Wanderwelle - Gathering Of The Ancient Spirits

In addition to that BLNDR release, Kaelan also released a new ambient album which I thought was pretty good:

2030 - 2030 LP

Also, this one might be a bit late to the party but E.R.P just released a new electro album which should surely get some recognition this year. I'm not surprised that nobody has included it because it just came out this month:

E.R.P - Afterimage

"Noetic" is a monster track, you can hear it at around the 1:17:00 mark in this set which he played last year. One of the best sets I've heard recently.

Last edited by Kuhis on Dec-14-2018 at 15:57

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J I'm immediately in love with this. Shame I didn't know about it when it really was summer.

Nice one, yea it had me hooked immediately.

Here's another ambient album that was really nice. Has sort of a pensive and contemplative vibe. Sometimes reminds me of Eno.

r beny - eistla

https://rbeny.bandcamp.com/album/eistla

is it just me or are the ambient albums on fire lately? seems like the best stuff today is in the ambient genre.

___________________
X-MIX 1 The MFS Trip

This guy needs to come back

01) Rote - Shit Business
02) D&S - Escaping Societies
03) Ibrahimović - Annelund
04) Sciahri - Heedless
05) Ross From Friends - There's A Hole In My Heart
06) Donato Dozzy - Cleo
07) Adryiano - Wanna Give U
08) Geinst - Zenith
09) Skee Mask - Muk FM
10) Primal Code - Allysum
11) OOFT! - Intricacies Of Modern Life
12) Alleged Witches - Us, We Are A Burning Fire
13) Francis Inferno Orchestra - Hygiene
14) Redlight - Equinox
15) Versalife - Missing Link
16) Geinst - Ecosens
17) Ex-Terrestrial - Water Walk
18) Geinst - Moonwind
19) Avatism - Bad Summer
20) Wanderwelle - Her Name Is Vairumati
21) Octo Octa - Bem Me Up (To The Goddess Mix)
22) Awdha - This Fvcking Groove All Over My Head (Rave Mix)
23) 92 Spacedrum Orchestra - ML4U
24) R
aar - Le Sacrifice Moral
25) DJ Windows XP - How Did You Know I Was Here
26) Galcher Lustwerk - Red Rose
27) Cosmic Garden - Lifetime
28) Stranger - One Day
29) Blutch - Dropin' A Chrome
30) Peter Dundov - Once We Were Here
31) SZCH - Lover
32) E.R.P. - Remembrance
33) Background - First Time
34) Ross From Friends - John Cage
35) Reptant - Get Me Out Of Here
36) Truska - Intra
37) AL Zanders - Guidance
38) Fosky - New Era
39) Supreems - Broken (And Out Of Sync)
40) Alleged Witches- One Skilled In The Black Arts (Hodge Remix)
41) Steven Be Calm - Never Come Back
42) Stojche - Compassion
43) 3kz - Nausia
44) Coredata - Arbiter
45) Kaczmarek - IIIIIIIII (VSK Remix)
46) Trudge - Dust
47) Conforce - Vessel
48) Upsammy - Another Place
49) Rai Scott - Paradise Of Crane (Valentino Mora Deep Blue Rephase)
50) AOS - Thank You (Edit)