- Abe Duque – Don’t Be So Mean
the singles Let’s Take It Back and Following My Heart really helped revitalize my love for house and techno this fall and i was delighted to hear the ground that Duque covers on the LP.. from acid to ambient and with much flexibility along the way. and as much as Don’t Be So Mean is a great listen all the way through, this track continues to hold anthem status..
DOWNLOAD Abe Duque and Blake Baxter – Let’s Take It Back (link removed by request)
VISIT abeduque.net/ and myspace.com/abeduque
BUY at Beatport.
- Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
Bibio is often compared to Warp Records label-mates Boards of Canada, and though i recognize the shared aesthetic, i do think they are really quite different. this is the porch-sitting music of the future.. but it is so much more than that too. Bibio is a strength of music that is both honest and unclassifiable..
DOWNLOAD Bibio – Lovers Carvings
VISIT myspace.com/mrbibio
BUY Ambivalence Avenue at Bleep.
- Clark – Totems Flare
still one of the cuttingest edges in the Warp catalog, Clark’s crisp production and deep driving layers reach new dimensions on this record.. if we were somehow able to harness the power of his music all of the world’s energy problems would be solved.
DOWNLOAD Clark – Look Into The Heart Now
VISIT myspace.com/throttleclark
BUY Totems Flare at Bleep.
- Gui Boratto – Take My Breath Away
if this list was numbered rather than alphabetical, Take My Breath Away would undeniably hold the #1 spot for me in the past year.
groovy techno to keep you bouncing.
keep bouncing.
DOWNLOAD Gui Boratto – Eggplant
VISIT guiboratto.com.br/ and myspace.com/guiboratto
BUY Take My Breath Away at Beatport.
- Harmonic 313 – When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence
i have heard Harmonic 313 classified as UK Bass, and though the record has elements of hip hop, 8-bit, dubstep, and more, i think that UK Bass says it most precisely; and probably Harmonic 313 says UK Bass most precisely as well.. this shit is REAL heavy, and totally fun, and really gets inside your head and body like nothing else i’ve yet encountered..
DOWNLOAD Harmonic 313 – Cyclotron
VISIT harmonic313.com/ and myspace.com/officialmarkpritchard
BUY When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence at Bleep.
- Little Dragon – Machine Dreams
fresh grooves from Little Dragon were a highlight for me last summer, and i love the ways the band grew leading up to this record. regrettably i missed them on tour through Toronto last fall; i think that the energy of their performance would be palpable.
DOWNLOAD Little Dragon – Looking Glass
VISIT little-dragon.se/ and myspace.com/yourlittledragon
BUY Machine Dreams from Boomkat.
- M. Ward – Hold Time
every M. Ward record is a new masterpiece with a musical awareness that truly sets him apart from any other.
nowhere else does classical guitar training, rock n roll sensibilities, and a folk feeling come together with such smooth elegant sorcery.
look for Volume 2 from She & Him in the spring.
in the meantime pick up Hold Time, play, listen, and repeat.
DOWNLOAD M. Ward – One Hundred Million Years
VISIT mwardmusic.com/ and myspace.com/mward
BUY Hold Time from Blue Collar Distro.
- Matias Aguaya – AY AY AY
having been a fan of Closer Musik and Aguayo’s earlier solo release Are You Really Lost i had my mind blown out by his single Walter Neff, released about a year ago now. i was keen to hear a full album of this new work and cannot get enough of this stuff.. thematically it is a total departure from the moody techno he produced in the past; instead it is playful, joyful, vocally driven, and sure to get you moving.
DOWNLOAD Matias Aguayo – Rollerskate
VISIT kompakt.fm/artists/matias_aguayo
BUY at Beatport.
- Moderat – Moderat
Modeselektor + Apparat = Moderat.
BOOM!
DOWNLOAD Moderat – Seamonkey
VISIT moderat.fm/ and myspace.com/moderat
BUY at Beatport.
another label celebrating a 10th anniversary this Fall is Ellen Allien’s BPitch Control in Germany. BPC releases records by several powerhouse producers but Zander VT is new to me, thanks to the 10 Years sampler that has been in heavy rotation the last couple of weeks. there’s something very old school house about this which is highly appealing to me lately..
okay so as you may have figured i am getting right back into the minimal these days after a long time with thick and fuzzy electro.. techno is my rock though; i always return to it and feel revived. Ellen Allien has always been a princess of techno to me and last spring’s BPC release Sool delivers it in tiny irresistable packages. this is the kind of music that made the heads ever drop the vowels: this my friends is the real mnml.
Super Fantastic Soundsystem 