quote:

Originally posted by Woony They seem like pretty nice guys, nothing like you'd think from that photo lol. They discuss their favorite albums/DJs/tracks/whatever from 2011 - of course mainly within the stuff RA covers but if you like some of that stuff I think it's worth a listen they have some interesting discussions.

Alright, I'll take a listen. Let me guess, tho': they give 2011 a 4/5?

Edit: Ah nuts, I have to register an account at RA to listen? Meh.

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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!

Last edited by Sykonee on Jan-02-2012 at 01:07

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee Alright, I'll take a listen. Let me guess, tho': they give 2011 a 4/5? Edit: Ah nuts, I have to register an account at RA to listen? Meh.

I think you can also subscribe to the podcast on Itunes? Not shure.

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June 2018 mix

Thanks for this insightful post. As I have completely disconnected from new releases in 2011 this should keep me busy for a while...

quote:

Originally posted by sljiva Nothing interesting has been announced till the end of the year (except cv313 - Dimensional Space, but considering the recent Deepchord related efforts, it's very likely to be passable), so I might as well do mine. First I want to complain a little. Coming strictly from artist albums perspective, this year has been somewhat bittersweet. I followed new releases quite closely, and by the end of the year I think I listened to around 50 albums just from 2011, most of them multiple times. And I came to one conclusion: never has there been more 'just good' and 'fairly interesting', yet at the same time so little of those really great, essential and worth listening in 5 years time albums released. That's of course not a new trend, but I think it's getting more and more alarming each year. Some day the inevitable is gonna happen: people who raise up their personal line of mediocrity just a little bit too much are gonna end up loving just a couple albums per year. But rant aside, here's the list. I just think first three have a potential to be considered masterpieces in a near future: 1. Machinedrum - Room(s) Most of the reviewers and fans focuse on the successful integration of all those new and fancy (but not really interesting alone) styles and genres into the big post-dubstep melting pot, but none of them can actually tell why this album works. I can't either, so I'll just say that there's an factor x that separates geniuses that have an ability to do that kind of experiments efficiently from tryhards that fail miserably. Travis Stewart obviously possesses that factor, which is more than evident from both Room(s) and the other album which he did this year with the fellow Braille as Sepalcure. 2. Marow - + - 0 (Plus Minus Null) Same as above - it's difficult to say why an essentially minimal techno album works so well, when there's more than enough years of evidence that that's not usually the case. So I'll describe how it sounds instead. Imagine you're sent to another unknown blue planet, built solely out of ice and inhabited by peaceful elderly intellectual creatures deeply connected to their planet. You're floating in a breezy, crystal clear sky above them, tuned into their mind-altering station and observing the complex architecture, interaction between them and the beautiful nature. You're happy and you're ready to die. Fans of Yagya and Gas will love this. 3. Phoenecia - Demissions It's refreshing in this day and age to encounter an album that sounds completely chaotic and confusing after the first listen, and just after fifth or so starts to make some sense. It means the artist is walking uncharted territory and avoiding to descend into the well-tried and comfortable zone. This album continues where Autechre stopped around 2005 - advance rhythmical exploration, granular synthesis and electroacoustics, plus some really unique sound design. And really, really interesting arrangements. Fresh. 4. Plaid - Scintilli 5. Sandwell District - Sandwell District 6. Andy Stott - Passed Me By / We Stay Together 7. Modeselektor - Monkeytown 8. Kuedo - Severant 9. Alva Noto - Univrs 10. The Black Dog - Liber Dogma Honorable mentions (in no order): Biosphere - N-Plants, Dave Monolith - Welcome, Kangding Ray - Or, Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica, Sepalcure - Sepalcure

Been listening through and heard quite a lot of stuff mentioned in this thread. A lot of stuff being hyped here that I personally think is very average. I must say, though, this:

quote:

Originally posted by ripped Dominik Eulberg – Diorama [Traum Schallplatten] discogs

...is a wonderful album.

___________________
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/

http://www.plasticlovela.com/2012/0...-love-2011.html

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quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J I'd say it's more a case that dub techno is an extremely minimalist style by definition, not to mention a hyper-specific one. When you've only got about five different sounds in any track there's both a real limit to what you can do creatively before repetition sets in and a real limit to how you define a style. I'm not going to get bored of the Deepchord crowd any time soon, partly because their production quality is amazing, and their music consistently sounds far richer and more enveloping than it should do, and partly because they've been applying their techniques to a range of different atmospheres and concepts. Other dub techno sounds so two dimensional in comparison to their soundscapes, and it doesn't help the genre's credibility that 90% of the releases out there are just ripping off The Coldest Season over and over. EDIT: I have an increasing suspicion that techno in general is defined by a fairly limited and canonised set of synth sounds, rhythmic patterns and production techniques. I find it really tough to explain why a record is techno rather than house or trance or electro, it often comes down to it simply sharing a lot of sounds with a lot of other tracks that we already call "techno". Certainly the futurist manifesto of the genre's origins has become completely obsolescent, just like "progressive" has become a self-referential simulacrum.

You sure you're not Ishkur?

Hash Bar Loops was smooth flowing and emotive for me. I dont think Rod & Stephen's sound is cornered or confined. If anything Hash Bar Loops shows that they can fight out of a corner if needed. Rod Modell is the main reason their sound changed. Stephen is still doing his thing but their two sounds are beginning to diverge. Exclude the soultek alias for my analysis. I'm referring to the "Intrusion" sound vs. the modern "Deepchord" sound. Rod dabbed a toe into club land recently with his sound while Stephen is still going for the home listener primarily.

quote:

Originally posted by Guest You sure you're not Ishkur?

I don't write like him, I don't agree with him on many issues, I've spoken to him on the phone so I'm fairly sure he's a different person... but sure.

___________________
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 I don't write like him, I don't agree with him on many issues, I've spoken to him on the phone so I'm fairly sure he's a different person... but sure.

lol.

quote:

Originally posted by Guest Hash Bar Loops was smooth flowing and emotive for me. I dont think Rod & Stephen's sound is cornered or confined. If anything Hash Bar Loops shows that they can fight out of a corner if needed. Rod Modell is the main reason their sound changed. Stephen is still doing his thing but their two sounds are beginning to diverge. Exclude the soultek alias for my analysis. I'm referring to the "Intrusion" sound vs. the modern "Deepchord" sound. Rod dabbed a toe into club land recently with his sound while Stephen is still going for the home listener primarily.

As far as I'm concerned their live performances together as Echospace has always been really hard balls to the walls clubby stuff.

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June 2018 mix

i discovered plenty of nice older stuff. as for this year's releases ... mediocre as far albums go. nothing consistent. i would like about half the tracks, dislike or feel indifferent about the rest.

in no particular order:

except Chris Watson - El Tren Fantasma [Touch]
- album of the year for me. mostly recordings of the "Phantom Train" in Spain on its last voyage. there are some very interesting reworks of those recordings imitating the rhythm and groove of the crossing. sound is nothing less than absolutely clear.

Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer - Re:ECM [ECM]
- The last track of CD2 is deadly. the harmony of the pads in the second half remind me of the opening track of Northern Exposure 2.

Lucy - Wordplay For Working Bees [Stroboscopic Artefacts]
Biosphere - N-Plants [Touch]
Machinefabriek - Sol Sketches [Champion Version]
Cut Hands - Afro Noise I [Susan Lawly]
Johann Johannsson - The Miners' Hymns [Tonar]
Demdike Stare - Tryptych [Modern Love]
- btw, System-J, I've listened to Flint Glass, Tzolkin, and most stuff Brume and Ant-Zen have released. Demdike Stare is something else. the sound is not quite precise right now. its really close to being something cohesive, and when it comes some totally new dance music will be known. i hope it can be more widespread than only 1-2 artists and scattered tracks elsewhere, unique pieces on compilations dedicated to others sounds, etc.