Here’s Pelski’s 2009 in a nutshell:
Good Year For:
Dubstep
2009 saw dubstep go overground. This was in part thanks to Skream’s remix of La Roux. Yup, 2009 saw the fully-fledged arrival of the dubstep remix (even indie bands like The Heavy and Fleet Foxes got the dubstep one-over). But there was an abundance of grating, raucous 
mid-range dubstep – that did away with the deep sub bass, and focused on clunking half-step beats and an unholy sonic noise, that sounded somewhere between two transformer robots brawling and a lightsaber cutting a faulty microwave in half. Nasty. And not in a good way. It wasn’t long before every kid with a computer had worked out how to forge this grating brand of dubstep with ease.
mid-range dubstep – that did away with the deep sub bass, and focused on clunking half-step beats and an unholy sonic noise, that sounded somewhere between two transformer robots brawling and a lightsaber cutting a faulty microwave in half. Nasty. And not in a good way. It wasn’t long before every kid with a computer had worked out how to forge this grating brand of dubstep with ease.But for all the unimaginative and lazy clubstep out there, there was still the deeper end of dubstep, quietly but surely divorcing itself from the mundane and brutish; asserting itself by drawing on 2-step percussion, tinny snares and an echoing, beautiful soulfulness. Hyperdub blew us away; Hotflush introduced us to the new young vanguard; Planet Mu shook the dubstep paradigm up. And the likes of Martyn, Appleblim, Untold, Surgeon and Scuba blurred the boundaries between dubstep, techno and house.
UK Funky
2009 will be remembered as the year UK funky house truly came into its own. Admittedly alot of samey and overly cheesy funky flooded the scene, threatening to drown out the truly innovative and experimental artists. Yup that nasty, commercial diva-soul sound is, in places, poorly representing the ‘funky’ name. But, equally, some truly interesting funky made an impression in 2009: Roska. N.B. Funky, Geeneus, Lil Silva, Donaeo, Dark Knight, DVA, Doc Daneek and, of course, Crazy Cousinz…to name a few… Funky is no joke, it’s no fad – no ‘Fidget’ or ‘Nu Rave’ – it’s a culmination of building movements over the last decade and a subsequent collision of genres – UK grime and broken beat fusing with soca and tribal house, displaying tough, moody beats – aimed squarely at the dancefloor.Pelski’s 5 2009 UK Funky gems:
Crazy Cousinz – Inflation
Zed Bias – Neighbourhood 09 (Roska Remix)
Sticky – Jumeirah Riddim
Cooly G – Narst
Ill Blu – Blu Magic
Let’s just hope Funky doesn’t go the way of garage and experience a premature death at the hands of the mainstream.
Inventive house productions
Breaking down the boundaries of house music was all the rage and for many ‘house’ was no longer regarded as a dirty word. Sound Pellegrino, Made To Play and Deadfish made house fun and stripped away any pretensions. (Kudos must go to Solo especially, whose inventive and tight productions set 2009 alight despite only starting producing this time last year.)
Riva Starr’s ‘I Was Drunk’ and Malente’s ‘Gipsy Kings’ even forged an upbeat drunken gypsy strand of house (with a host of artists following suit with some chipper balkan beats). Percussive house had a big part to play too – the likes of the Cecille label brought forth a conga-laden Markus Fix, Alex Celler, Reboot, Robert Dietz and DJ Sneak to hammer us with the satisfying sound of clattering, tribal-infused drum beats.
Wonky hip-hop
At first it sounded a bit clumsy; like a DJ mixing a track together after he’s had one too many. But Glasgow’s Wireblock (namely, Hudson Mohawke and Rustie) proved wonky wasn’t all about awkward arrangements and a jarring sense of unease. Those off-kilter synths brought a new thoughtfulness to the organic hip-hop samples they used. The US held up their end too: Starkey provided the bleepier side of wonky, whilst Flying Lotus even cut up jazz with those unstable synths.
Jazz-house
Daniel Steinberg topped my top tracks list, but 2009 saw an endless string of jazz-infused house. And it all started with the re-release remix package of The Detroit Experiment’s seminal ‘Think Twice’. It wasn’t just house that embraced the bluesy instruments, but techno too. Marek Hemman’s ‘Gemini’ layered thick rolling bass and blippy tech beats that rose over a sleazy sax sample. Meanwhile M.in and Bastian Schuster collaborated for a more upbeat affair on New Orleans with a trumpet-led sample. Bingo Players, Dop, Coolshop, D’Julz, Thomas Schumacher all did a good job, too, at keeping the jazz sound fresh.
Tropical, Tribal & Carnival
Congas, djembes, trumpets, Latino vocal samples, horns, steel drums… They all made their way into some of out favourite productions in 2009. Assuming kill-joys bemoaned the lack of cultural understanding behind these samples, but that’s hardly the point. (Renaissance Man’s use of a Hare Krishna chant in ‘What Is Guru’ wasn’t exactly there to shed light on some socio-cultural gap, but aimed solely to put feet on the dancefloor.)Meanwhile, the Mad Decent crew fitted right in at Notting Hill Carnival; Yolanda Be Cool coined ‘tropical-tech’ as a genre; Zombie Disco Squad and Radioclit brought African percussion in line with house, Buraka Som Sistema introduced us to Kuduro -an Angolan take on Soca – and, best of all, Michael Cleis forged a club hit from a mere flute hook…
Artists and Labels embracing the blogs
Artists and labels alike are wiseing up to the fact that the internet can be their friend, rather than their enemy. The likes of Bingo Beats, Sound Pellegrino, Exploited, Deadfish, Tactic, Fabric and hundreds of other independent labels and promotional boutiques are all sending tracks out to blogs for promo purposes and seeing their sales rise as a result. Even the mighty Kompakt imprint sent out free-releases, whilst big guns like Claude Von Stroke and Jesse Rose have been partial to letting the odd freebie out.
But, equally, a number of blogs have been deleted for posting tracks they shouldn’t have. Here at YCCMP we strive to post tracks that have been blog-cleared. but, even then, artists may send out tunes to us with express permission, before, weeks later, we find the label, or the remixer, holds the rights and deletes the post. It’s a tricky business. And so… let’s take a moment to honour Copper Tallis… R.I.P.
Charles Darkly
Darkly was added as a new You Can Call Me Pelski writer. The lucky bastard was given the keys to Pelski’s kingdom…
Since then, with his fine taste in electronic music, he’s posted everything from old school Chicago house and Detroit techno to folksy electronica and banging electro-tech. Oh, and there was that poem of his too: (“…where the scenesters lay, in packs some say, with haircuts that looked meaner than Russian AK’s…”)
Bad Year For:
Fidget House
Another year; and another death of an alleged new genre (Nu-rave, anyone?). I reckon artists who named themselves after this short-lived genre (‘The Fidgetive”?) are kicking themselves now. And yup Pelski got sucked into it for a while too.
Crookers
2008 was the year of the Crook, but 2009 saw them follow it up with… well…nothing. They churned out a weak Riva Starr imitation (‘Gypsy P’), an uninspired Tiga remix and then lent their productions skills to a shrill Congorock collaboration. But for all their sins, their shameless move to tacky mainstream was the most abhorrent. I’m not just a bitter, snobby blogger here – congrats to anyone who makes it big, and, of course, chart-baiting tunes can still maintain integrity, just see some of Armand Van Helden’s material (though perhaps not this year..). However, ‘Put Your Hands On Me’ was one of the worst tracks of the year, with a r’n'b cheese chorus so bad it coudln’t even be defended as ironic, throw-back cheese. No, even calling it a guilty pleasure was a crime against humanity. And things got even worse with their collaboration with milkshaker Kelis. Damn shame.
MP3 Blogs
The inevitable backlash arrived: too much soulless electro and an abundance of throw-away tunes led to blogs experiencing a monumental fall from grace, spawning a general snobbery against them. Too many blogs handed out tunes willy-nilly – so they were branded either as pirates or self-indulgent narcissists. These days, here at YCCMP, we only posts top notch and blog-cleared tracks, but, as for our self-indulgent tendencies… hmmm….
Advertising
Whoops. Next time Google tell you not to disobey them – do so. Pelski, in all his infinite wisdom, thought he’d worked out a system to beat Google at their own game, by clicking on his own adds, but moving from computer room to computer room, thus never using the same IP address twice in this seemingly fool-proof money-making scheme. Two months later Pelski was banned. Like some all-knowing, all-seeing Orwellian tyrant, Google knows everything…
Most amusing productions of the year
Douster – King Of Africa
Disney fans beware, Douster’s only gone and desecrated you’re favourite soundtrack: The Lion King. For a whole minute we hear those family-friendly and all too familiar African chants rise and harmonise before Douster, with all the audacity and subtlety of a colonial pillager, hacks it into a bouncy house tune, with a steel drum kick hammering away between the sliced and diced Disney sample. And it’s no bootleg, it just saw a release on Radioclit’s ‘Saga Africa’ EP.
Riva Starr feat. Noze – I Was Drunk
Riva Starr rather effectively orchestrated a move from breakbeat to house. But he surprised us even more with a ludicrously jubilant track that gleefully fused gypsy music with tech-house. And who better to provide the fittingly bizarre vocals than outlandish techno eccentrics Noze.
Renaissance Man feat. Zombie Disco Squad – Drums of Versailles (Solo & Mowgli remix Riva Starr edit – Jesse Rose re-edit)
Every blogger’s wet dream appeared in Sound Pellegrino’s August chart. Of course, it was a sly prank on the part of the Sound Pellegrino crew. But it certainly achieved the desired effect of having forums geek salivating from behind their beloved key-boards. Sure, this collab/remix/edit/re-edit will never transpire, but geeks can dream, right?
Pelski’s Top 10 Albums and Compilations:
1. Jesse Rose – What Do You Do If You Don’t?
Ok, not the most technically brilliant album, but without a doubt the most fun. Every track – from Scruff-sampler ‘Touch My Horn’ to the bluesy grassroots vocal of ‘Well Now’ – screams single. And sceptics should give David E Sugar’s cameo another chance.
2. Martyn – Greath Lengths
A beautiful, enchanting listen from start to finish. Martyn brought dubstep and garage even closer to house and techno.
3. Dub Pistols – Rum & Coke
Dub Pistols thrown in everything from dub, reggae and roots, to hip-hop, breaks and big beat. The result is effectively a pop album – a glorious, excitable pop album.
4. Hyperdub – 5 Years of Hyperdub
Label boos Kode 9 keeps pushing bass music forward in an innovative yet accessible direction with this outstanding compilation of hyperdub’s dubstep, funky and future garage signings. The familiar classics and new additions seamlessly fitted together, despite a relative diversity
5. Gui Boratto – Take My Breath Away
Techno royalty hits back with his second album and it’s fire. Proving techno can be musical and club-oriented at the same time. And it helps he gave us what was effectively ‘A Beautiful Life Part 2′: ‘No Turning Back’ (once again featuring his wife’s alluring voice).
6. Marek Hemmann – In Between
Marek Hemmann takes us on a trip of tonal ingenuity – encompassing deep house, techy jazz, twanging guitar samples and hypnotic bass.
7. Simian Mobile Disco – Temporary Pleasure
Don’t let all the indie stars featured on this criminally underrated second album distract you from it’s delicate balance between sophistication and accessibility. There’s plenty of nods to vintage acid house, and the whole thing’s seeped in an 80′s vibe. This is stellar techno-pop.
8. Modeselektor – Body Language Vol. 8
This mix CD straddles every genre imaginable and probably does a much better job at summing up the sounds of 2009 than I have.
9. DJ Vadim – U Can’t Lurn Imaginashun
After overcoming ocular cancer Vadim bounced back with this reggae infused album, chock-a-block with squelching, fizzing electronica and quirky hip-hop. Stroke of genius.
10. Kevin Saunderson – History Elevate
The godfather of Detroit techno laid down two stunning CDs: the first was full of Saunderson’s own remixes and productions for the likes of Lighthouse Family, Pet Shop Boys, New Order and Hercules And Love Affair, amongst others, while the second disc collates the entire ‘History Elevate’ series. The Joris Voorn remix of ‘Bassline’, Jesse Rose’s remix of ‘World of Deep’ and Claude VonStroke’s remix of ‘The Human Bond’ are just a few of the highlights.
Top 10 labels
Sound Pellegrino
Wolf + Lamb
Made To Play
Hotflush
2020 Vision
Planet Mu
Dirtybird
Deadfish
Hyperdub
Mad Decent
Cecille Records
Top 3 MP3 Blogs
1. Phase 02
For three years now Phase 02 has been blowing me away with music that can’t be found anwhere else on the blogoshpere, straddling a variety of electronic sounds, but digging deep into the underground. Proving blogs can post exciting techno and house, and a bold selection of minimal, rather than just your typical b(l)og-standard electro.
For three years now Phase 02 has been blowing me away with music that can’t be found anwhere else on the blogoshpere, straddling a variety of electronic sounds, but digging deep into the underground. Proving blogs can post exciting techno and house, and a bold selection of minimal, rather than just your typical b(l)og-standard electro.
2. Pipedown
The fact that this blog is co-written by a friend of mine has nothing to do with the fact that Pelski’s honoured it as one of 2009′s best: it’s their articulate and insightful articles; their quality control; consistency and a sleek design, that’s secured them a place in the Top 5. Whilst there’s no one genre they conform to, there’s a discernible focus on forward-thinking, experimetal bass music – namely dubstep, 2-step/ future garage, wonky hip-hop and even the odd indie gem. Their articles are always bang on and their charts and mixes have taught Sir Pelski a thing or two. (N.B. they’ve just moved to a new web address)
The fact that this blog is co-written by a friend of mine has nothing to do with the fact that Pelski’s honoured it as one of 2009′s best: it’s their articulate and insightful articles; their quality control; consistency and a sleek design, that’s secured them a place in the Top 5. Whilst there’s no one genre they conform to, there’s a discernible focus on forward-thinking, experimetal bass music – namely dubstep, 2-step/ future garage, wonky hip-hop and even the odd indie gem. Their articles are always bang on and their charts and mixes have taught Sir Pelski a thing or two. (N.B. they’ve just moved to a new web address)3. Gosh Damn!
On first sight, this blog just looks like another typical scenester site (the web banner – made up of a collage of hipster deities such as Justice, The Bloody Beetroots and Erol Alkan – doesn’t exactly help). But this blog has some great material, they have a respect for the artists – posting blog-cleared tracks or reduced bit-rates – and wield an impeccable taste. They’ve often been the first to up Sound Pellegrino or Deadfish promo releases. It helps that their writing achieves a balance between satirical and topical. They’re pretty darn funny too.
Underrated tracks from 2009
This incessant end-of-year rounding up must come to an end now. As a New Year gift from Pelski to you, and as a reward for sticking with this rambling post all the way through, here’s a number of the most underrated and underplayed tracks of the year. Many of these I’ve already posted during 2009 – and they deserve a little more love. Others I haven’t posted. They’re all mostly blissed out, laid back affairs:
HAPPY NEW YEAR:
Super Flu – Lyla Sucks Lemon
Mystery Jets – Half In Love With Elizabeth (Proxy Remix)
Kenneth Bager – Fragment One (Style Of Eye Remix)
El Guincho – Kalise (Round Table Knights Remix)
The Martin Borthers – Dum (Nat Self Remix)
Abe Duque and Blake Baxter What Happened (Max Cooper Remix)
Rob Sparx – The Funk (Synkro Remix)
Pizetta Klezmer Feat – Reagadelica (Alvaro Arabic Nights Remix)
