|
The official TA "best of 2012" extravaganza
|
View this Thread in Original format
| Woony |
Since discussion has already somewhat started, let's get to it! :eyes:
Albums, EPs, tracks and general trends are all up to discussion. Post your thoughts and lists! Here's my effort.
Albums - My favorite records this year. Unlike with my EP list, there's nothing particularly fresh or groundbreaking here but that's mostly because of what came out this year in the album department.
#1 Francis Harris - Leland (Scissor & Thread)
For some reason I haven't listened to this in a few months but I love this record. I wrote about it when it came out, I'll quote it here.
| quote: | "When Francis Harris started out making the album he eventually named Leland it was going to be a club LP, with similar production aesthetics as his output as Adultnapper. The intended home was Steve Bug's Poker Flat imprint. During this time however, Harris' father's health declined sharply, leading to his eventual death in February 2010. "It became a whole different album," Harris recently told Magnetic Magazine." - RA review
House often feels like it lacks thematic substance beyond the usual party aesthetic, so making a house record about death almost seems like an antithesis. Yet it's why this record is so beautiful. It doesn't sound like you'd expect death to sound. Someone who doesn't know about the backstory might even think it's somewhat of an happy record. But the more you listen to it, the more you get pulled in by the bittersweet fog of sorrow on top of it.
|
#2 GRIT - As I Look To The Sky From The Surface Of The Water (Meanwhile)
Probably my favorite (dub) techno record this year, even with all the other stuff that has come out. I love Meanwhile and this record just is very fun, if you have a thing for dub techno.
#3 The Analog Roland Orchestra - Home (Ornaments)
A poppy dub techno record? Yes! Very fun record.
#4 Voices From The Lake - Voices From The Lake (Prologue)
Ambient techno in it's purest sense. Incredibly well executed and slow burning record, although some people will undoubtly get easily bored with this style.
#5 Deepchord - Sommer
I like it better than "Silent World" but it's not at a Coldest Season/Liumin level. Still a very nice record for the summer months.
EPs - I won't bore you with loads of solid, but conservative techno EPs, so here are some EPs that I found interesting and fresh this year. Worth taking a look at these.
#Inland - Inland (Falkplatz)
Sounds like epic techno, if that genre existed. A breath of fresh air from all the deepdarkwarehouse stuff being pumped out.
#Beneath - Illusions (Keysound)
Probably the freshest dubstep/UK bass EP this year. Hard hitting drums and a lot of the original dubstep vibe, while still sounding fresh.
#Sensate Focus - Sensate Focus 2.5/3.3/5/10 (Sensate Focus)
Brokenbeatkeyboardsynthhouse. Very, very fun stuff and some very fresh house among the loads of boring garage revival records this year.
#Xhin - The Realm (Token) / Answer Code Request - MDR 009 (MDR) / Lakker - Arc EP (Blueprint)
Much to my pleasure, early 90's ambient and 90's IDM has been making it's way back into some producers' sound, with interesting results. |
|
|
| SYSTEM-J |
| I've got a couple of "Must listen to" albums to check out first, and then I'll post my provisional list. I must say that even before I discover the inevitable dozen great albums from the traditional End Of Year frenzy, 2012 has been an absolute ing blast for music for me. There's been a solid core of albums I've played to death and already have great memories of, and some of the parties and nights out have been unreal. |
|
|
| Ian |
Electronically I've been totally & absolutely out of it this year but it's not a bad thing. Things have been busy & taken my focus but I still don't feel like i've missed out on anything.
My best tracks, in no real order
Sabre, Stray & Halogenix - Oblique (Critical Music)
This was just massive for me. A big but simple drum pattern & deep, soulful pads with a good male vocal at a time when I was wondering if there was much more that I could love as much as older tracks.
Oscillist - Finding Solace (unreleased as of yet)
I first heard this on one of Bulbs' into the deep podcasts & fell in love. It's smooth, like his own tune, tenderness which was massive for me last year & samples a piano melody that I can't place. Add smooth, lush 170bpm downtempo d&b and you're in a deep place.
Beastie Respond - Dreams & Reality (Surfase)
Listed by juno as breakbeat, I'm not so sure but it's like a 1980s inspired track that reminds me so much of growing up watching awful movies. Yes, we've all seen Police Academy.
Calyx & TeeBee - Elevate This Sound [Ram]
If you like Break, you'll love this. Dark, pulsating bassline, massive kick. Some people maybe don't like that C&T signed to Ram but I don't mind if they make tracks I want to hear like this.
Indigo - Symbol #7.1 (Auxiliary)
Just pure brilliance, hearing all 4 parts in one go is good but this is my personal favourite. |
|
|
| rawbound |
| quote: | Originally posted by Woony
#2 GRIT - As I Look To The Sky From The Surface Of The Water (Meanwhile)
#3 The Analog Roland Orchestra - Home (Ornaments)
|
I have missed these two. Need to check them out before putting up a list of my own. |
|
|
| Woony |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
I've got a couple of "Must listen to" albums to check out first, and then I'll post my provisional list. I must say that even before I discover the inevitable dozen great albums from the traditional End Of Year frenzy, 2012 has been an absolute ing blast for music for me. There's been a solid core of albums I've played to death and already have great memories of, and some of the parties and nights out have been unreal. |
There has been so much music being released this year but at the same time a lot of the stuff I was anticipating turned out to be just solid instead of amazing. Also, a lot of the really hyped stuff this year (Actress, Claro Intelecto, Andy Stott etc.) just doesn't really grab me. |
|
|
| enydo |
| I'm still digging through albums I missed but I shall return with words words words from my ignorant self. |
|
|
| Guest |
| For some reason when I sample that Leland album I can't get into it. I've heard it mentioned several times over the past year or so. Anyone else backing that choice as a top 5? What about it is out of the ordinary? I only sampled but it sounded sort of run of the mill/boring. |
|
|
| paulversuspaul |
| quote: | Originally posted by Woony
#Inland - Inland (Falkplatz)
Sounds like epic techno, if that genre existed. A breath of fresh air from all the deepdarkwarehouse stuff being pumped out.
#. |
That is one of my favorite EPs of the entire year. I spend far less time searching for music and listening to all the stuff out there than you and a lot of the other posters on this board do, but i randomly stumbled on that EP and bought it immediately. Absolutely seems like music from another year. :eyespop:
I usually prefer listing tracks than albums or eps, yes i know i am still living in the late 90s but old dogs do have a hard time learning new tricks. That being said here are my favorite tracks of the year:
in random order
Phase-Binary Opposition all three versions/remixes. You actually recommended me this as i was asking for techno above 130. I cant get enough of it. Banging techno that conjures up for me the same feelings of late 90s progressive: driving and beautiful yet dark.
Alexander Kowalski remix of She's not worth it. Massive gorgeously melodic techno. Everything that was great about the melodies of german trance in the 90s seemed to have passed on to some german techno producers today and this track is the best example of that. A song that makes you wanna dance and put your hands up in the air in way thats not cheesy or purely drug induced.
Slam-Azure Carl Craig C2 mix. The best set opening track to come out all year. Starts off with pure melodic bliss before the beat and dancing can even get started 4 minutes into the track. Ironically made by producers who are probably nearly 20 years past their peak but who cares when a track is this good.
John '00' Fleming - The 10th Life (Artifact 303 Remix). I still love trance, so of course I was gonna talk about some trance. Just filthy high energy trance with no cheese. The track you wanna hear at 3am in the morning, pitched up, and blasting from the worlds best speakers at a mega venue while in a chemically induced state of euphoria.
Rrose-THE SURGEON GENERAL (NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND). Warehouse techno done right. When I first heard this track, i replayed it 4 straight times. Its a set unto itself. So many layers and different moments that all blend together to make something grungy and dark yet somehow beautiful and strange.
union jack-baboon. Another trance track. This time we get straight dark. I love it because it really reminds me that trance can be as dark and as grungy as techno, it doesnt have to sound like elevator music. Glad someone remembers that.
DOMINIK EULBERG- TANZ DER GLUEHWUERMCHENKollektiv Turmstrasse "Dirt Glow" Remix. A song i have to google just to remember the god damn name. That being said i generally do not like any track below 120bpm. Puts my old ass asleep. But this one just is so infectious that ive listened to it hundreds of times. Great track.
Hot Chip-Flutes Sasha remix. Part of me thinks this might be straight up cheese, it basically tight ropes the border but to me this is the best sasha track in years. Its hipster tech haus done right. And it is an absolute floor filler on a dancefloor. crowd went ape when he dropped this when i last saw him. Strange because the rest of the show had no energy. You know a track has massive cross genre popularity appeal when even the unicorn mainstream trance acts are charting this song and dropping it in their sets. I actually hope sasha does this type of more mainstream stuff more often. I think he is much better at making this type of track as it brings out a little bit of the old sasha.
Pan-Pot G-Tech-Gravity. Another massive techno track thats strong with beats that thump your chest like a fist. It was a great year in general for this kind of dark wharehouse techno that was meant to played loud.
Biologik-Breaking Through. My favorite progressive track of the year, tell you the truth im not positive it didnt come out last year. Only place its available online was on a markus schulz mix for christs sake. At least Markus did something positive this year. Biologik in general is one artist who definitely still makes progressive as i imagine it and hopefully wont change his style for anybody.
I am expecting to have new favorites for the year by the time this thread is done as im sure many people on here will post tracks that i never caught that will probably blow me away.
Oh and favorite album for me was Solar Fields- Random Friday. Best trance album in a long long time. Its slow and mysterious and with so much subtlety and reflection that you are not even sure what to make of it as you first listen to it. As you play it over and over, new sounds and structures emerge and soon you just become submerged in its glory. |
|
|
| Woony |
| quote: | Originally posted by Guest
What about it is out of the ordinary? |
I don't know if you've read my post but I'll quote myself again anways
| quote: | House often feels like it lacks thematic substance beyond the usual party aesthetic, so making a house record about death almost seems like an antithesis. Yet it's why this record is so beautiful. It doesn't sound like you'd expect death to sound. Someone who doesn't know about the backstory might even think it's somewhat of an happy record. But the more you listen to it, the more you get pulled in by the bittersweet fog of sorrow on top of it.
|
@Paulversuspaul
If you've enjoyed the Inland thing, you will probably like some of Ed Davenport's other stuff http://www.beatport.com/release/ed-davenport-counterchange-sampler-02/927093 |
|
|
| paulversuspaul |
Yeah ive definitely been checking out his stuff lately.
I really enjoyed Leland when I listened to it over the summer but didnt purchase it. I might now actually as I didnt even realize the backstory to the whole album before. |
|
|
| SYSTEM-J |
| quote: | Originally posted by Woony
There has been so much music being released this year but at the same time a lot of the stuff I was anticipating turned out to be just solid instead of amazing. Also, a lot of the really hyped stuff this year (Actress, Claro Intelecto, Andy Stott etc.) just doesn't really grab me. |
I quite liked Actress' new album. I thought Splazsh was dull, but R.I.P. actually tickled my ears. Probably all the trancey arpeggios. |
|
|
| Woony |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
I quite liked Actress' new album. I thought Splazsh was dull, but R.I.P. actually tickled my ears. Probably all the trancey arpeggios. |
Now that you say it, I didn't really get his previous records either so I guess it's consistent.
By the way, you haven't updated your blog since september. I better hope your end of the year reviews make up for it! :p |
|
|
|
|
