And the winners are...

There are no winners. Here's a  long list of the records that inspired me in 2008. When I compiled my best of lists for various places at the end of last year - Boomkat and RA still have my top tens and twenties readily accessible, but I'm too lazy to link to them now -  I baulked at the prospect of summarising 2008 in the space of ten records. Ask me to condense and reduce words and sentences and I won't bat an eyelid. Doing the same for my favourite music makes me break out in a nervous sweat. I find it really difficult to impose a hierarchical value system on the records I love -  does number one mean that choice is in some way better to number five in a list, or seen in reverse, is five one-fifth as good as number one? Similarly, I have a built-in fear of awards. Does the 'best film' mean that it really is better than one or all of the other nominees? Art and the appreciation of it is such a deeply personal experience that everyone's opinion and taste will vary and every standpoint is valid. It's one of the reasons why I rarely post nowadays on any other site, forum or blog -  there isn't a right view or a winning argument to a discussion, just opinions and tastes. Anyway, I digress. Here's my full list for 2008, none better than the other, all, to my ears at least, deeply rewarding, emotive, rousing, refreshing electronic music. As you can see, it was a great, great year for 'singles' -  when I post my albums list soon, you will see the discrepancy in length. And that shorter list at the bottom? These are the older records that I bought in 2008. Some are recent enough, others over two decades old. 2008 was a year for discovering new and old music alike. After all, if you don't know the past, how can you appreciate the future?

2AM/FM: Electronic Justice (Spectral)

Tadeo: Reflection Nebula (Substance Remix) (Apnea)

Delta Funktionen: Silouhette (Ann Aimee)

Redshape: Blood Into Dust (Styrax Leaves)

Gowentgone: MAM/Ibex (Dettmann/Fengler remixes) (Vidab)

Ben Klock: Klockworks 4 (Klockworks)

Joey Beltram: Shaking The Trees (Harthouse)

Mike Dehnert: Freiraum EP (Fachwerk)

Equalized: 01 (Equalized)

Artist Unknown: 12 (Sandwell District)

Dimi Angelis & Jeroen Search: Configuration (Smallville)

Pom Pom: 33 (Pom Pom)

Jackmaster Corky: Dimension 106 (Creme Jak)

Kink & Neville Watson: Full Flight (Rush Hour)

Delano Smith: Sunrise (Third Ear)

Pikaya: Jive (Meander)

Move D: Heidelberg Gals (Running Back)

Lawrence: Miles (Dial)

Daphne: Daphne 01 (Daphne)

Silent Servant: The Blood of our King (Sandwell District)

Two Armadillos: Hamlin (Dessous)

Lowtec: 6 (Workshop)

Roberto Auser: Flight 101 (Nature)

Quince: Expanding/Contracting (Delsin)

Portable; Knowone Can Take Away (Perlon)

Claro Intelecto: Warehouse Session 5 (Modern Love)

Sten: Squares (Smallville)

Jacek Sienkiewicz: Beacon (Recognition)

Lee Holman: Travelling EP (Mowar)

Cassy: Idle Blues / April (Cassy)

MLZ: Newanaloguecentury (Modern Love)

Patrice Scott: The Evolutions EP (Sistrum)

Kalon: Born Against (Sandwell District)

One Last Riot: Immortality (Paranoid London)

V/A: 030303 (Marguerita Recordings)

V/A: Underground Anthems (Aesthetic Audio)

Claro Intelecto: Rise (Modern Love)

Portable: Emerald Life (Musik Krause)

Donnacha Costello: It Simply Is (Minimise)

Claro Intelecto: When The Time Is Right (Modern Love)

Morphosis: Dark Tales of Phoenecia Part 2 (Morphine Doser)

Migumatix: Trax for your Box (Pasta Musik)

Black Dog: Train by the Autobahn (Robert Hood DJ Remix) (Soma)

The Houze Vectors: We Bring U Muzik (M<O<S)

Gonna: I Don't Need No Competition (Beyond)

Russ Gabriel: Konacno (Pariter)

Sebbo: Watamu Beach (Moritz Van Oswald remix) (Desolat)

Move D & Benjamin Brunn: New Horizon (Smallville)

Lee Jones: Soon (Aus)

Function: Anticipation (Sandwell District)

Tobias: I Can't Fight This Feeling (Wagon Repair)

Corrugated Tunnel: Distant Sounds (Nightvision)

Osborne: Ruling (Spectral)

Newworldaquarium: Affenwelt (NWA)

Donato Dozzy: Time out the Gap (Railyard)

Peter Van Hoesen: Casual Care (Time 2 Express)

Norman Nodge /  Samuli Kemppi: Native Rhythm Electric / Vangel (Ostgut)

Samuli Kemppi: Hyperkaapo (Pakka Levyt)

Redshape: Plonk (Present)

Donnacha Costello: Hello, I Must Be Going (Poker Flat)

Add Noise: 3 (Handwerk)

XDB/Quietpoint: Anilem / High Hope of Salvation (Ballad Inc)

Steinhoff: Tonight Will Be Fine (Smallville)

MLZ: Alice Loop (Modern Love)

Sleeparchive: Hadron (Zzz)

Marcel Dettmann: MDR4 (MDR)

The Jak: Kontrol (Creme Jak)

Peter Van Hoesen: Trusted EP (Time 2 Express)

Yuro & Trago: Primary Roots (Rush Hour)

Aroy Dee: Summer (M<O<S)

Alex Cortex: Skyle EP (Platzhirsch)

Pigon/Dettmann: Kamm /Plain (Beatstreet)

Seldom Felt: 2 (Seldom Felt)

Chaton: +91 Ahead (Plak)

Silent Servant: La Violencia (Sandwell District)

Delta Funktionen: Electromagnetic Radiation (Ann Aimee)

Omar S: Psychotic Photosynthesis (FXHE)

Alex Cortex: Discola (Kahlwild)

Pendle Coven: Exigen (Modern Love)

Peter Van Hoesen: LOC (Lan)

Substance: Relish (Shed remix) (Scion Versions)

Pacou/MLZ: Minus (Remixes) (Cache)

Unknown : 01 (Hate)

Steve Bug: Honeymoon (Russ Gabriel remix) (Raw Essentials)

Redshape: Robot (Music Man)

Substance & Vainqueur: Libration (Scion Versions)

Patrice Scott: Azteck (Yore)

XDB: Espac (Sistrum)

Andy Stott: Bad Landing EP (Modern Love)

STL 02 (Something)

Vinyl Countdown: Machine Head (NTA)

Strike: 154 (Delsin)

Neil Landstrumm: Glamourama (Tresor)

Perbec featuring Soulman: Come With Me (Ifach)

Mike Huckaby: My Life With The Wave (Synth)

Zsa Zsa La Boum: Something Scary (Kaos)

DJ Jus Ed: Minimal Soul (Underground Quality)

Prosumer: The Craze (Playhouse)

Risque 3: Essence of a Dream (Stride)

Steve Poindexter: Computer Madness (Muzique)

Kevin Saunderson: Powerbass (Sonic Groove)

Florence: US Heritage (Eevolute)

Lectric Workers: Robot Is Systematic (Viewlexx)

Mike Perras: Beginning of Life (Bassic)

Black Knight: Moody Balance (Source)

Planetary: A Matter of Sound (Delsin)

M.Pittman: Nyrobi Knight (FXHE)

Armando: Land of Confusion (Warehouse)

Orgue Electronique: The Garden (Creme)

LNR: Work it to the Bone (House Jam)

Patrice Scott: Atmospheric Emotions (Sistrum)

Bobby Konders: The Lost Nu Groove Track (Nu Groove)

Cassy: Nil Desperandum (Perlon)

Aqua Regia: Smile on me, NYC (Irdial)

X2/Saturn V: Primitive Cypher (Relief)

The Sun God: Ancient Echoes (Klang)

Roman IV: Altes Testament (Playhouse)

Keith Worthy: She Loves Me Not (Aesthetic Audio)

MLZ: Dark Days (Modern Love)

Function: Isolation (Sandwell District)

Comments

[chrisdisco]

lovely list... but i dont agree with 'every standpoint is valid'. plurality is one thing, complete relativism is another. anyway, dont want to detract from the post any further.

[Kenny]

"does number one mean that choice is in some way better to number five in a list, or seen in reverse, is five one-fifth as good as number one?"

Personally I find looking back over a years releases that are one or two that REALLY stand out, or ones i come back to more than others that do stand out enough from the pack. After that though, i would find many are interchangable.

[Testindustries]

but i dont agree with 'every standpoint is valid'. plurality is one thing, complete relativism is another.

But is it not just better to let everyone have their say, even if they’re gabba or Jonny D fans

[hum3]

Damn, you better not lose your record bag at the airport.

Because I will not bring it back ; )