Firstly, I don't really understand why you care so much about whether there's a grand narrative or not.

Secondly, does it not occur to you that pop and hip-hop are more mainstream and internationally popular genres than electronic music and so are going to have more coverage, bigger albums and the remnants of traditional media still covering them in a traditional way?

Thirdly, does it not occur to you that you're focusing this thread entirely on artist albums, when electronic music has never really been about artist albums? It's about singles and it's about DJ mixes primarily. Carl Cox's Boiler Room appearance has been watched 42 million times on Youtube, which pisses all over every single electronic artist album that's ever been released. Maybe you're looking in the wrong place for your grand narrative?

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Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24

Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

a consensus review/list would not be a bad idea. as it is it will probably be one prick saying this is the definitive best of decade-- you can't even comment anymore.

personally i can't think of any review where it lines up with my impressions of the record. one new example : RA recommends new Karenn album (its awful!!!).

it would be much better if the community was able to select IE like rotten tomatoes.


mannnn can't trust no critic

quote:

Originally posted by planetaryplayer it would be much better if the community was able to select IE like rotten tomatoes.

gonna patent that

quote:

Originally posted by planetaryplayer it would be much better if the community was able to select IE like rotten tomatoes.

RA did that with their Top 100 DJs poll... and then they cancelled it because they didn't like the results they were getting. Dixon at Number One for eternity. This is a guy who's never released an artist album, hasn't released a single for five years, hasn't released a mix CD for four years.

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Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24

Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J Firstly, I don't really understand why you care so much about whether there's a grand narrative or not. Secondly, does it not occur to you that pop and hip-hop are more mainstream and internationally popular genres than electronic music and so are going to have more coverage, bigger albums and the remnants of traditional media still covering them in a traditional way? Thirdly, does it not occur to you that you're focusing this thread entirely on artist albums, when electronic music has never really been about artist albums? It's about singles and it's about DJ mixes primarily. Carl Cox's Boiler Room appearance has been watched 42 million times on Youtube, which pisses all over every single electronic artist album that's ever been released. Maybe you're looking in the wrong place for your grand narrative?

I didn't make this thread trying to find the grand narrative of dance music. I just thought I'd be fun to speculate on the kind of records that would probably make RA's poll (like we have in previous years). And thinking about that, I got the impression that it seems to have gotten more difficult to predict the surefire, consensus album picks that would make these kind of lists in the past, i.e. an album that's popular, influential and critically aclaimed. That albums have never been and never will be the driving force of dance music culture should be obvious, no?

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June 2018 mix

i didn't mean it like that, more like for a review, you have the RA employee and then a general audience score side by side. or since score is removed, bring back the comment feature.


for dixon, a lot of TAs seem to like him too, the one time i saw him i left early cuz he sucked whang............. not a fan of his label either (does innervisions still exist??)

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J RA did that with their Top 100 DJs poll... and then they cancelled it because they didn't like the results they were getting. Dixon at Number One for eternity. This is a guy who's never released an artist album, hasn't released a single for five years, hasn't released a mix CD for four years.

quote:

Originally posted by planetaryplayer for dixon, a lot of TAs seem to like him too, the one time i saw him i left early cuz he sucked whang............. not a fan of his label either (does innervisions still exist??)

And they cancelled the poll before Instagram really took over. I checked just for fun and Dixon doesn't even have a personal Instagram account as far as I can see and the Innervisions one only has 40k followers. Charlotte de Witte and Amelie Lens both have around one million with only a handful of generic releases to their name and nobody even knew who they were three years ago. At least Dixon has been touring on the circuit since 90s and runs a long-standing label.

I think Dixon was good up until around a decade ago but every time I've seen him in the last few years it's just been a borefest (never went for him specifically, he just happened to be on the bill).

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June 2018 mix

I am not following any labels that either of those two produce on (seems for good reason) so I never heard of them. Browsed through Charlotte quickly and it sounds like a slightly heavier drumcode. Will pass on Amelia..

Usually confused as to why certain artists get popular, especially ones that are clearly crap

Thing about underground club music is there really isn't much more innovation to be had now. Most of it's been in a constant state of refinement, and while some stylistic trends catch on for a while or fall out of favour, everything tends to retreat back to the mean of what works and has always worked. It's more about appreciating the craftsmanship that goes into a producer's music than it becoming some beacon of lofty standards everyone will refer to decades later.

Welcome to being Jazz Music in the '90s.

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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!

i think it's safe for me to put up my end of decade list, seeing all songs off the top of my head seem to come from the first half of the 10s. Generally speaking, i stick to songs that make me want to dance (as my criteria). the songs listed are the ones i've played the most and can play pretty much in any set, still. No particular order or ranking:

BMG & Derek Plaslaiko - The True Story of a Detroit Groove
Omar S & Ob Ignitt - Wayne County Hill Cop's
Omar S - Romancing the Stone
Floorplan - Altered Ego
Robert Hood - Omega (End Times) [song i requested to be played at my funeral]
Robert Hood - Drive (Age of Automation)
DJ Stingray - Cryptic
Mr. G - Crab Jerk [only house track i could think of]
The Third Man - Pipes at Helios Canyon [been drifting away from melodies this decade, but this song still does it for me]
PAS - Bell Blocker
PAS - Future Modular [Papa sven dropping this at island party, luke slater @ warehouse.. big 1]
PAS - Arc [Above track's sequel, ready to explode at any moment]

Remixes
Gingy & Bordello - All Day (Robert Hood Remix) [can't help but dance like a gay to this one]
Slam - Factory Music (PAS Remix) [Regis dropping this at movement @ underground stage, surrounded by concrete everywhere]

I was never one for these lists but that John Roberts album kind of stuck with me through all these years. That came out in 2010 though, just looked it up.

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