That was the year already?

It's the last day of November, but already I have been tasked with sending in my Top 20 albums and singles to Hot Press magazine, who have a tight deadline. Still, it feels quite weird to be looking back on a year that isn't over yet. I had no problem choosing my favourite albums: as you can see, it's a mixture of the dream/pop slant on techno from Dial, Mule and Komapkt, some veterans like Vogel, U-ziq, Landstrumm and Weatherall back with some stunning, challenging work, classic electro styles reinterpreted (Gosub, Black Devil), some abstract whatever you want to call it electronic music - hello, Boxcutter, D'Arcangelo, Kettel - as well as fresh spins on techno - MIA, Ozer, Cobblestone J and Kalabrese. The singles however, are still a work in progress. I'm meant to whittle it down to 20 and although I've already been ruthless, there are still 32 records I can't reduce down to 20. It goes to show that this year has been all about singles rather than albums (there were only a few mix albums that impressed me, but I wanted to focus on artist albums: still the mix CD format looks in far poorer health than vinyl as 07 closes) - anyone remember this post from January? I certainly could never have predicted that labels as different as Dial and Planet Mu would have three albums each (!) in my end of year top 20. So what do people think of these lists? Have I made any glaring ommissions, what should never have made it in, and is the album format's days numbered? Any comments or feedback are welcome...

edit: I forgot to put Matthew Dear's 'Asa Breed' into my albums list, so MIA got the elbow. Sorry!
Albums

Neil Landstrumm: Restaurant of Assassins (Planet Mu)
Cristian Vogel: The Never Machine (Tresor)
Gosub: Watchers From The Black Universe (Citinite)
Two Lone Swordsmen: Wrong Meeting 1&2 (Rotters’ Golf Club)
Black Devil Disco Club: In Dub (Lo)
Kettel: Whisper Me Wishes (DUB)
Pantha Du Prince: This Bliss (Dial)
Efdemin: Untitled (Dial)
Cobblestone Jazz: 23 Seconds (Wagon Repair)
Deepchord presents Echospace: The Coldest Season (Modern Love)
U-ziq: Duntisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devastation Technique (Planet Mu)
Boxcutter: Glyphic (Planet Mu)
Kalabrese: Rumpelzirkus (Statt)
International Pony: Mit Dir Sind Wir Vier (Mule)
The Field: From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt)
Lawrence: Lowlights From The Past and Future (Dial)
D’Arcangelo: Eksel (Rephlex)
Matthew Dear: 'Asa Breed' (Ghostly)
Apparat: Walls (Shitkatapult)
Onur Ozer: Kasmir (Vakant)

Singles

Serafin: Mountain People 4 (Mountain People)
Prosumer & Murat Tepelli featuring Elif Bicer: ‘Turn Around’ (Ostgut Ton)
Redshape: Unfinished Symmetry (Present)
Radio Slave: Bell Clap Dance (Rekids)
Unknown: Ugandan Speed Trials (Downwards)
Bodycode: A Document of an African Past (Yore)
Dave Aju and the Invisible Art Trio: ‘Be Like The Sun’ (Circus Company)
Daniel Mehlhart: Kamasutra (Karmarouge)
Kissogram: My Friend Is A Seahorse (James Priestley and Dan Berkson remix)(Def Drive)
Mark Archer: ‘Song For Einna’ (DS:93)
Pigon: ‘Promises’ (Dial)
John Tejada & Arian Leviste: ‘Lost In Thought’ (Palette)
Rework: ‘Love Love Love’ (Chloe Remix) Playhouse
Legowelt: Dx Days (Clone)
Fingers Inc: ‘I’m Strong’ (Clone Classics)
Sascha Funke: ‘The Acrobat’ (Bpitch Control)
Richard Davis: ‘Cold Hard Facts’ (Was Not Was)
Peter Grummich: ‘Fresh Air For Fresh People’ (Karloff)
2000 & ONE: ‘Work’ (Podium)
Alejandro Vivanco: Madre Tierra (Cadenza)
Marlow & Claudia Nehls: ‘Water’ (Daniel Stefanik remix) (Moon Harbour)
Innersphere: ‘Phunk (Villalobos remix) (Intacto)
Pendle Coven: Habitual Stress EP (Modern Love)
Ame: Balandine EP (Innervisions)
Cassy Some Light Unto The Night (Beatstreet)
Solomun & Stimming: Feuer & Eis EP (Diynamic)
JTC: Take Em Off (Crème Jak)
Chymera: Arabesque (Tishomingo)
Jacek Sienkiewicz: Mirrors (Recognition)
Will Saul & Tam Cooper: Sequential Circus (Simple)
Lee Jones: There Comes A Time (Aus)
Plasmik: 8 To 9 (Conaisseur)

Comments

[smn]

Second the Deepchord presents Echospace album. Hard to think right now but a couple of other album favourites from this year include False's 2007 and Melchior Productions Ltd.'s No Disco Future. The former is Dear's best work this year I think, and certainly better than any Audion release or anything he's put out under his own name over the last 12 months. And the latter is just the most perfect deep, funky, minimal house I've heard in a long time. Can't stop listening to it.

Thought the Cobblestone Jazz album was very disappointing though. Still do. Haven't heard Vogel's The Never Engine yet but thanks for the reminder. Must pick it up at the weekend.

Likewise I can't think of many singles right now, but the Deepchord mix of Model 500's Starlight would certainly be in there. And XDB's massive Descap(Live). Love Moodymann's Technologystolemyvinyle too. And the two 7th City reissues this year are fantastic and most welcome, but as reissues I guess they don't count.

[Sotek]

I've been piecing together my "Best Of '07" for a few weeks now. Here's (some of) my fave albums so far:

Arne Weinberg - Path Of The Gods // AW-Recordings
Black Devil Disco Club - In Dub // Lo Recordings
Burial - Untrue // Hyperdub
DeepChord Presents Echospace - The Coldest Season // Modern Love
Guitar - Dealin With Signal And Noise // Onitor
Morgan Packard - Airships Fill The Sky // Anticipate
Mudd - Claremont 56 // Rong Music
Murmur - Undertone // Meanwhile
Panda Bear - Person Pitch // Paw Tracks
Pantha Du Prince - This Bliss // Dial
Pole - Steingarten Remixes // ~scape
SCSI-9 - History Pt. 1 // World Club Music
The Field - From Here We Go Sublime // Kompakt
Thomas Fehlmann - Honigpumpe // Kompakt

[Sotek]

@smn: "Thought the Cobblestone Jazz album was very disappointing though. Still do."
Couldn't agree with you more. So much hype for nothing really.

[Daragh]

I second the Landstrumm and Boxcutter albums - bass-tastic. I kind of went off Baladine after a while, after initially loving it. Audion's "I gave you away" on the first Death is nothing to fear will be going on my list - I've played that record over and over again and it's a gift that keeps on giving. Although in general I agree that the False work is outstanding.

Lists like this depress me though as they point out just how much good music it is possible to miss when you can't devote as much time (and cash) to it as you like! Although the flipside is it's a good chance to catch up... which I'll be doing.

[jig]

love the mehlhart tracks both side are quality.
unfortunatly i wasnt lucky enough to get a copy of "song for einna" but if you want to relieve your copy to me it'd be much appreciated.
How does ten bob sound to ya

[jig]

im a bit surprized you didnt mention "hostile" by Andy stott
Also "scenario" klock/dettmann is well tasty

[tom/pipecock]

no burial album, eh? i guess youre not feeling that?

as for the singles, probably my entire top 20 are missing so ill spare you that list and chalk it up to different styles ;) but i would say you can take "i'm strong" off, it came out this year but it's an old track. i would only include reissues if you need them to get up to a number that you cant reach without them!

[kenny]

Can someone please explain the fuss about that Mountain People track. sooooo average to my ears.

[Z]

Take the 12 most trendy and "current" sounding records and nix them off the list. They may be awesome now, but will they have the same effect a year from now, or even in 10?

[Ronan]

will they have the same effect for who? every human on earth? richard? you? someone else? someone who likes them? someone who's never heard them?

if you're going to make nebulous statements at least make them really fucking nebulous.

[Kenny]

Take all records out that sound in anyway modern and you have a list. or summit like that. hmmmm.

[aid]

back in your box kenny.

[Jay]

I'm suprised that your list does not contain the untrue album by Burial. Its a magnificent piece.

[Brophy]

Hey, thanks for all the feedback so far. I have had no time in the past few weeks to post any replies - posting stuff here alone is quite a time consuming activity - so finally, here's some replies:)

@ smn - the vogel album is really excellent, my favourite since rescate, very grainy and squelchy/yelpy, but with a sensitivity toward what has been going on in techno in more recent years. I listened to the album on CD and then decided to buy a vinyl copy. I was in the shop listening to it, followed by the inspirescu (spelling?) EP on Cadenza, and to be honest, Vogel's music made it seem incomplete, almost inconsequential by comparison. But that's just my taste. I haven't checked the melchior one yet, but have every intention of doing so - I have a few of his EPs and really like what he does. Haven't had much record buying time lately - so a trip (not a real one, unfortunately!) to Hardwax is in order!

@ smn/sotek: I really liked the cj album, in general I like this approach to making techno/house as it usually results in what i'd call 'happy mistakes', eg they just go in and jam, and it doesn't always sound too polished because it is done live.

@ Daragh - 'I Gave You Away' as well as 'Fred's Bells' (the b side to 'Noiser') were big favourites of mone this year, but the False LP (apart from 'Fed on Youth') kinda left me cold. I hate doing these kinds of lists because it feels like I am instituting a hierarchical approach toward the music I listen to. I'm sure if I had to do a list 2 weeks ago or when I was in a different mood, only half of the stuff I listed in the singles section would have made it on. Unfortunately, magazines love publishing lists and people who buy or read magazines love them too, and Hot Press asked me nicely:)

@ Jig; thanks for the offer, but I might just hang onto the record:) I really admire the approach dust science are taking with ds93 - it must be a huge 'loss leader' for them.

@ Jig 2: I thought Andy's stuff in 2007 was good, but I feel he is capable of better. By the way, I heard him play last night in Dublin and it was one of the best live techno sets I've heard in years. Didn't like the klock record...

@ tom/jay - Haven't heard 'untrue' yet - like melchior, is on my list of things to do. tom, yeah, different tastes and all that. The reason I included 'I'm Strong' is that it was reissued by Clone recently and it still sounds very futuristic:) There were a load of reissues that I wanted to include but didn't - I'm Strong was the best, so I made an executive decision:)

@ Kenny: Re Mountain people: slickly produced music with a strong bassline and lovely chords. 2007 has seen a huge amount of 'deep house' releases, but this was among my favourites. again, different strokes...

@ Z: I wouldn't say any of the records on that list are that trendy - a lot of them are influenced by earlier house and techno but new production methods. Anyway, it's kind of a pointless what if question - who knows what'll be going on in 10 years?

[Sotek]

Btw.. I almost forgot: "Plasmik: 8 To 9 (Conaisseur)"

- Wasn't that released in 2006? November I think..

[tom/pipecock]

hehe, on it's own merits, "I'm Strong" will be one of the best tracks released when compared to any songs in any year! you can't go wrong. and you should definitely check that Burial joint, the hype seems to be scaring some people off, but it is so so good.

[ilya]

I don't think "song for einna" should be on the list for two reasons. 1) The limited edition thing 2) It sounds like it came straight from 1989.

[b0b]

Here's my list but bear in mind that I've not heard a lot of releases in the one you posted:

Albums
------

- Arne Weinberg - Path of the gods (AW Recordings)
- Quince - En.vi.sion (Delsin)
- James Pennington Presents Dark Energy - Collided Energy (UWe)
- The Black Dog - Book Of Dogma (Soma)
- DJ Jus-Ed - Unity Kolabo (Underground Quality)
- Eddie Fowlkes - Welcome to My World (Submerge)
- Neil Landstrumm - Restaurant Of Assassins (Planet Mu)

Singles
-------

- Alex W AKA Protector Hood - Metropolis EP
- Andy Vaz - Humanization (Yore)
- Destamok Phelps - Headthirds (Simphonic Silence Inside)
- E.R.P - Vox Automation (Frustrated Funk)
- Grandcru - Friday Night, Standard Night EP (Eevonext)
- John Daly - Freak Out Or Get Out EP (Wave Music)
- Matt Chester - Desert Shift (Eleventh Hour)
- Pendle Coven - Habitual Stress EP (Modern Love)
- Silicon - Sonic Rescue (Frustrated Funk)
- Trolley Route vs. Arcanoid - Zero / Detroit City (Minuendo)
- Gareth Duprey - The Tempest (Wildub)
- Arne Weinberg - Parabolum (AW Recordings)

[gnippiks]

wtf, that Prosumer 12" isn't even out yet!

[Brophy]

@ Sotek: you're right about Plasmik's release date - have taken it off the list.

@ pipecock - yeah, 'I'm Strong' will always be great. I suppose the fact that it was re-released this year merits its inclusion. Just got my hands on 'Untrue' - will be immersing myself in it on loads of long winter drives!

@ ilya: it's just the way ds93 want to play it. Is it elitist? Possibly. Does it encourage the collectors? Probably. Is my copy worth a few hundred euro on eBay? Hopefully! Seriously though, the fact that it sounds 'like 1989' isn't a bad thing...

@ bOb: nice list, especially for parabolum and pendle coven...

@ gnippiks: re prosumer: I know, I'm lucky enough to get stuff in advance as a reviewer....