After finding myself back to music making, writing for magazines, interviewing the likes of Mad Mike, Adisson Groove, Baris K, Actress, John Lydon, Micronauts, Scuba, Robert Hood, Débruit, Josh Wink, Lescop, Skudge, I:Cube, D’Marc Cantu, Bertrand Burgalat and many others, opening a record shop, starting a company, DJing most week ends, I still bought a shitload of records. So far, the highlights have been those :
20 – We Have Band – Still Life
Apparently, this is a cover of the band The Horrors. It sure is indie rock, and it also can pass as a stripped down white gospel house softie, very effective and beautiful.
19 – Siriusmo – Rantanplant
I usually tend to get really annoyed by Siriusmo, but he managed to pull off making annoying good!
18 – Anna Meredith – Nautilus
I don’t know what that was meant for, if it’s supposed to be modern classical or something, but is is rather intriguing enough and quite dramatic, I played it out in the mix to great effect.
17 – Mirrorring – Fell Sound
A lush ambient drone shoegazy tune, like they used to do.
16 – Bass Clef – ‘Hackney – Chicago – Jupiter’
What an album! In between some really cool experimental stuff, a coupla killer beat tracks, like if Terry Riley had made house!
15 – My Nu Leng & Majora – Hips N Thighs
An 808, breaks, jukey beats, thanks 2012 for this revival!
14 – Anstam – Inuit
The weirdo has struck again! The album was a tad disappointing to me, but that EP had two great tracks, challenging ones for the DJ, my kind of stuff!
13 – Kowton – Looking at you
Maybe the track I’ve played the most out of this list, probably because it came out quite early on this year. A really nice and tense bassey choon!
12 – Special Request – Alone
The return of breakbeat, but with a twist, courtesy of Paul Woolford.
11 – Füxa – Our lips are sealed
My love for Seefeel is eternal, and Sarah Peacock singing on this is only the cherry on the cake. I’ve played this out pitched up on 45, and it’s weird, but really cool too, like shoegaze chipmunks!
10 – Samoyed – Klondike Rush
This also was a perplexing combination, but I played the shit out of this, warehouse/rave style!
9 – Hackman – Agree To Disagree
Bass, Africa, Beyonce, pop, a really sweet uplifting one.
8 – Mutant Beat Dance – Let Me Go
I’ve had this in my ears for almost two years now, and it changed a little since the first version I heard, but it’s still an amazing track from Traxx & Co, check the melodic details, the small variations, amazing!
7 – Clicks & Whistles – Hundred Mil
Almost a silly one, but really efficient and weird footworkish choon, challenging.
6 – Svengalisghost – Mars Out Of Range
Almost in the top five, but still, an amazing EP from Marky on the acclaimed L.I.E.S. label. Chicago jams with great attention to musicality and rawness.
5 – King Britt presents Fhloston Paradigm – The Chase
The most unexpected release of the year, new King Britt, and it’s on Hyperdub, and it is Acid (he said quite recently he wasn’t interested in that anymore), and it’s breakbeat!!! Stelar new combination of the most unexpected nature.
4 – Liars – Octagon
When the Liars finally become what I hoped from the begining. Dance music played live with unusal sounds.
3 – Mickey Pearce – Don’t Ask, Don’t Get
The other track I played the most in 2012. It is a little crazy, it goes in all directions, it ends in the strangest way, but still, one of the most striking drum patterns of the year.
2 – Omar S & Ob Ignitt – Wayne County Hill Cop’s (Original Mix)
That is such a cool and clever take on the mid-eighties synthetic music, one that I was surprised to not hear copied more throughout the rest of the year.
And probably my fave of all year :
1 – The Parking Attendant – Mask Of A Thousand Faces
Marco Bernardi‘s new alias, with great rmxs on the EP, but the B-side is the shit IMHO…. Classic in all the good ways.
Also very much enjoyed the Actress B-side rmx of Shangaan Electro at 33RPM, the Shangaan Electro rmx of Nacho Patrol, Isotonik‘s rmx of XXXY, FaltyDL‘s first EP on Ninja Tune, the rawness of Fabio Monesi‘s It’s My Beat, Emotion II Emotion‘s sax rmx of Purple Green, most releases from Citizen (the band), October‘s Tanstafel label, Skudge, I:Cube, the Acid Mercenaries EPs, and Riffs‘ Pots n Pans EP. I was also very happy to have my tracks with Samo DJ out on Versatile‘s Golem offshoot under the Bernadott moniker as well as anohter track out these days on Macadam Mambo. I already have more music lined up for release in 2013, so it’s already exciting!
Hopefully this coming year will be filled with more posts over here, but maybe elsewhere as well. I’ll keep you tuned.
Cheers,
Bertrand Delanowave
Helter Skelter Radio Show 