It’s that time of the year again – for all the bloggers to compile their ‘Top’ lists of the year. Bloggers, critics, and film and music enthusiasts alike all love to compile lists: achingly long, bafflingly pointless and sinfully self-indulgent. We take hours – days even – putting these lists together, painstakingly jiggling them around, stroking our chins, scrapping them and starting all over again, before leaning back to look at our finished and entirely fruitless masterpiece, and sighing, only to re-shuffle it all over again. This list is just my opinion, my personal favourites, rather than necessarily a list of the technically brilliant. And, yes, I’m sure I’ve left some out…
1. Daniel Steinberg – Cry All Night
Jazz, or more specifically sax, made its way back into dance music in a big way this year – perhaps it started with the re-release of Detroit Experiment’s seminal ‘Think Twice’ or perhaps Thomas Schumacher’s string of jazz -house productions, or M.in’s… Either way, this animated tune from Steinberg jiggs around at a tremendous pace amidst a medley of clamorous blippy tech-house beats, a woozy saxaphone and an enchanting male vocal snippet.
2. Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo
It was hard picking just one Orbison track, because, for me, each of his productions have been as good as the next. This is an ingeniously slice of dubstep, centred around just two chords and a cut up diva vocal sample. Joy Orbison’s productions meld house, UK funky, techno and 2-step garage, whilst bringing the soul back to dubstep. Keep an eye on his new Doldrum label (look out for the upcoming George Fitzgerald ‘Don’t You’).
3. Simian Mobile Disco – Audacity Of Huge
Unfairly slated for being too ‘cheesy’, this track perfectly crosses over the gleeful essence of pop music with the fervour of house tempo and repetition. Their criminally underrated album proved SMD aren’t merely a redundant relic of the indie-dance/ nu-rave fad: these guys produce solid, serious and intelligent dance music. For a range of their influences just check out their nostalgic DJ sets – filled to the brim with detroit techno gems and acid 303 lines from the Chicago era.
4. Joris Voorn – Sweep The Floor
Holland’s techno don (he’s been on the scene since 1997) Joris Voorn, has had a big year: a critically acclaimed mix for Balance; a string of top remixes; Chase The Mouse; and this dancefloor smasher. Boom. This Ibiza bomb was apparently created by Voorn absent mindedly strumming away at his guitar and later adding some beats. Little did he know it would become one of the biggest dancefloor smashes of the year.
5. Reboot – Enjoy Music
A delicious ’90s house throwback, the slamming retro beats, tinny hi-hats and crashing snares throw a real punch. And then he goes and throws in that sumptuous female vocal sample (taken from Naked Music NYC’s ‘I’ll Take You To Love’). Let its sublime simplicity transport you 15 years back in time. (On a geekier note, is it me or does Reboot look identical to Sam from Lord Of The Rings?)
6. Gramophonedzie – Why Don’t You
Another retro house beast, harking back to…. the 1940s?! The Belgrade producer samples jazzy instruments and a female vocal from Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee’s 1943 track ‘Why Don’t You Do Right’. The punchy house beat punctuate the soulful croon before chopping and cutting the thing to hell. Poorly done and this could sound like a gimmicky blog bootleg, but it fits together surprisingly well. The blistering energy and sheer audaciousness of the thing even granted it the odd play on the Ibiza terraces.
7. Style Of Eye – Grounded
Sweden’s master of techno and house had another fine year, perfectly straddling both the serious and cheekier sides of the genres, but with his eye always firmly set on the dancefloor. And his consistant productions have come thick and fast, remixing everyone from Fake Blood to Tocadisco. ‘Grounded’ is upbeat, playful tech-house that uses exotic rhythms and a jokey vocal mutter (“da-da-daa-bud-bud-bom“) to move things along. Bouncier than Bez on a bender.
8. Darkstar – Aidy’s Girl Is A Computer
The indie-pop merits of Darkstar, who are in fact a band, made them the least likely candidate for a Hyperdub star, and yet their sublime track was arguably the standout of the searing 5 year compilation. Kode 9′s unfailing ability to pick talented and distinctive unknowns out of obscurity continues to propel this pioneering label forward. Vocoded-vocals and warm, chuggy synths make for the most personal and comforting dubstep release of the year.
9. Popof – Faces ‘Uch
Myself and many an Erol forum geek salivated over this thanks to appearances in the likes of Riva Starr’s and Matt Walsh’s sets a good eight months before it saw a release. The glitched vocal sample – looped and used as an instrument in itself – is taken from Kickin‘ Hard by the Klubbheads. Jittery snips and cuts are stuttered, built up and released with full dancefloor force, serving to demonstrate Popof’s impressive production skills.
10. Dub Pistols – Back To Daylight (Feat. Ashley Slater)
The Dub Pistols’ wonderful concoction of dub, big beat, reggae, house and breaks has been around since 1996 and the band itself is made up of an equally eclectic and bizzare assortment of individuals: Rodney P, Barry Ashworth and of course ex-Special Terry Hall. But the beauty of Dub Pistols’ ‘Back To Daylight’ lies in the uplifting vocal work from Ashley Slater. His soulful and soothing croon rises over harmonious backing singers, a groove-laden bassline and the funky guitar, to lodge itself firmly into your subconscious.
11. Timo Maas – Bite The Dust
12. Tony Lionni – Found A Place
13. Marek Hemmann – Gemini
14. Solomun feat. Ole Soul – Cloud Dancer
15. Dan M & James Braun – Lessons Part 1
16. Martyn – Hear Me
17. Thomas Schumacher – Sunset
18. M.in & Bastian Schuster – New Orleans
19. Tim Green & Emerson Todd – Exercise
20. Tim Green – Beelaying
21. Motor City Drum Ensemble – Raw Cuts #6 (Original Mix)
22. Jimi Tenor/Tony Allen – Selfish Gene
23. Major Lazer – Pon De Floor
24. The Heavy – How You Like Me Now
25. Riva Starr feat. Noze – I Was Drunk
26. Sidney Samson – Riverside
27. Dop – Mambo Jumbo
28. Unknown – Subway To Cologne
29. Kid Kaio, Lucky Charmes – This Sound Is
30. Spaghetthi Circus – Still Going
31. Untold – Anaconda
32. Crazy Cousinz – Inflation
33. House of House – Rushing To Paradise (Walkin‘ These Streets)
34. Jaxson and David Keno – Tout Le Temps
35. Retro/Grade – Moda
36. Zombie Disco Squad & Solo – The Dance
37. N.B. Funky – Riddim Box
38. Max Cooper – The Fuckwit
39. Crystal Fighter – Xtatic Truth
41. Kenton Slash Demon – Brunn
42. Untold – Don’t Know. Don’t Care
43. Fantastic Mr Fox & Rich Reason – Fall
44. Gui Boratto – Atomic Soda
45. Tomas Barfod & Fredski – March On Swan Lake
46. Renaissance Man – Spray Can
47. Jesse Rose – Well Now
48. Falty DL – Party
49. Malente & Dex – Gipsy Kings feat. Analogik
50. Worthy and Yankee Zulu – Bad Side
