i would listen to all these xlr8r best of the year tracks

gonna try anyway.

for my own amusement. so go away if you hate me. i have not heard any of these albums.

they divide their best-of albums into sections:

Jackin' 2K9
Bubblin' 2K9
Bumpin' 2K9
Trippin' 2K9
Dreamin' 2K9

i'm gonna listen to dreamin' stuff first.

Tomasz Bednarczyk
Let's Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow

if you buy only one album that sounds like a scratchy harold budd record fed thru a computer, this might be the one. unless there is a better one out there. there might be! better hold off then. we need confirmation that this is the best example of a scratchy harold budd record fed thru a computer.

Cold Cave
Love Comes Close

this track (they only give you one track i'm guessing they are fairly representative of the albums?) starts out with a solid house beat and then some jangly tweecore guitars come in and i like that! like flying nun house music. which i would support if there was such a thing. actually the field mice did this a little bit towards the end, didn't they? i like the field mice songs with beats. but then there is bad sub-ian curtis vocals and i don't like so much. and the song is sub-joy division too. they had me going for a minute though.

Delorean
Ayrton Senna EP

this track "seasun" is poo. maybe they picked the wrong track to sell this EP. misuse of disco handclaps is a crime where i am from. you would have to be on life support to find this invigorating in any way.

plus, there is nothing dreamy about it AT all. being boring does not equal being dreamy.

Intrusion
Seduction of Silence

digging the modern minimal dubbiness of this, but then the reggae singer comes in and...well, okay, at first i thought he was an intrusion, but i'm getting used to him. he is kinda dreamy. he should be dubbier though. or singing on the telephone from jail like HR on that one bad brains track. he needs more static or lonesomeness to his vocals. the backing track is fab though.

Junior Boys
Begone Dull Care

the track here is "parallel lines". again, not dreamy. and just not that good in general. the vocals are terrible. like if the guy from eagles of death metal started a lol 80's new wave band. the cod 80's fx are poorly constructed and tedious. so, let's run this down: competely unmemorable song, bad vocals, and shoddy craftsmanship. buy it now!

Mount Kimbie
Sketch on Glass

this is better. or more interesting anyway. and the handclaps work. abstract use of handclaps! the sounds are fun. don't know if i would need an entire album of this stuff, but the beats are schizo in a fun way and the cut up computer action is entertaining.

(yeah i won't be looking for dreaminess on this list anymore.)

Nite Jewel
Good Evening

not good. not dreamy. not worth money. or at least this track anyway: "what did he say". don't know about the rest of the album. the vocals are an afterthought. the 80's sounds are tepid. like, does nite jewel even LIKE the 80's? come one. show some love. go out on a limb. work it. this is blahhhhhhh.

Nudge
As Good As Gone

eh. indie rock ambient. maybe the whole album is better. the dreamy falsetto has to go. or maybe my morning jacket fans would dig it, i dunno. nice album cover though.

the only one of these i'm having fun going through is "bumpin'"

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

i'm sure they are nice people. or know how to whip up a mean latte or something. i'm just old. i've lived thru 15 tweepop revivals. i mean, if i were 15 maybe i would feel differently about groups like this. but i'd still probably have better taste even then, so...

which tpobpah song did you listen to?

Pictureplane
Dark Rift

this is cool! they are fucking with stevie nicks, right? the song is "goth star". i like the cut up action. and it sounds like it was fun to make too.

the pains song was "everything with you".

Telepathe
Dance Mother

the song is "so fine". if i could be assured that all the songs on this album had similar vocals and were at least half as cool, i would totally buy this album. this song is awesome. i want to play it again!

the telepathe song is everything that junior boys song isn't. totally memorable, non-obvious use of 80's stuff, non-obvious vocals and lyrics. just a great vibe all around. you could remix the hell out of it too.

xxp well that's a good song but definitely not the most dreamy or immediately captivating of the album. the distorted guitar just washes over everything, and the hook isn't one of their strongest. listen to "teenager in love" or "contender" if you've still got any desire to give them another shot.

Tin Man
Cool Wave

tin man is no sven vath. unless he is sven vath, in which case, my apologies. but this track is pretty duddish.

Brock Van Wey
White Clouds Drift On and On

okay, this is more like it as far as dreaminess goes. the title track and it does indeed sound like white clouds drifting on and on. i think he should call his next album: Brock's Wey or The Highway.

V/A
The Grandfather Paradox (Compiled and mixed by Henrik Schwarz / Âme / Dixon)

i don't know what this album is, but the track is by Cymande and i'm a fan of theirs so this is fine.

The Grandfather Paradox is a mix CD (plus bonus disc) of early electronic stuff, minimalist composition, Krautrock, no wave-era rhythm bands, and some other cool stuff. Scott, you'd love it.

Warpaint
Exquisite Corpse

this is pretty. and dreamy. breathy ethereal female vox. like catpower if she had been neutered. they break into "my guy" for a minute. but mostly just spell out billie holiday's name over and over.

this is cool! they are fucking with stevie nicks, right? the song is "goth star". i like the cut up action. and it sounds like it was fun to make too.

yeah yeah. the f/m song is "seven wonders." good song.

Washed Out
Life of Leisure

washed out. life of leisure. on the mexican summer label. a picture of a woman in the ocean on the cover. you do the math! doesn't really thrill me. nice druggy haze though. and i am a beachcomber from way back. the beat is lazy. the synths are lazy. the vocals are way lazy. they've got it down, that's for sure.

WHY?
Eskimo Snow

huh. this is on anticon. forgot about anticon. was this guy in clouddead? whatever happened to clouddead? they were getting pretty dreamy. this is, uh, interesting. wordy singersongwriter stuff. not horrible. clever? oh i don't know.

The xx
S/T

the song is "basic space". pretty slight. male/female vox. and by slight i don't mean spare. just not a lot here. music for delicate people who don't want to many "notes" or "sounds" in their music? or music in their music? maybe good for models who are watching their weight. not a lot of calories or nourishment here either.

okay, i'm trippin' next. or as xlr8r puts it: "fine assortment of our favorite hazy, crazy, occasionally lazy mind-fucks of the year".

the xx grow on you

http://www.mpfree.com/otherimg/Akon.jpg

"i wanna mind-fuck you"

Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavillion

the song is "also frightened". doesn't thrill me, really. got the martin denny + beach boys swirly swirl thing going on. no real song to speak of.

Matias Aguayo
Ay Ay Ay

digging this. love the vocal layering. animal collective should listen to this. the song is "rollerskate". very inventive. and modern. sounds like now and finally i don't have to get in my wayback machine to the 80's or wherever.

Boxcutter
Arecibo Message

speaking of the 80's, it's nice to see that people are still getting inspiration from old Tackhead records! needs more doug wimbish-ish bottom though.

Broadcast and The Focus Group
Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

this track is only a minute and change so its hard to say just how "trippin" this album gets. really just a snippet so i don't know whether its good bad or ugly. getting a white noise + syd barrett vibe from what's here though.

Dorian Concept
Trilingual Dance Sexperience

good thing i don't usually judge albums by their titles, you know what i mean? this is okay. sounds like someone is physically assaulting derrick may and taking nude photos of him.

good thread, kiu

The xx
S/T

the song is "basic space". pretty slight.

tru but it's not really the best introduction to them tbh

everybody should buy the xx album and bury it in the ground and dig it out in 2015, I wonder what it will sound like then

Fuck Buttons
Tarot Sport

someone could remix this really good, i'll bet. it's got the long buildup that's kinda cool, but i don't know if its worth finding out where they are going with it. cuz it doesn't exactly go somewhere all that transcendent. this reminds me more of tedious crescendo-rock then of dance music that builds to some ecstatic peak. (or i guess i just want it to be cool dance music with elements of lo-fi shoegaze noise in it, but it isn't really that so that's my problem, really.)

Harmonia & Eno '76
Tracks and Traces (Reissue + Remixes)

i like this idea in theory. but its also a real challenge to remix this stuff. you need a really steady hand. the track here is "By The Riverside" (Appleblim & Komonazmuk Remix) and sadly their beats aren't up to the task. they trample over something fairly sublime.

that telepathe track is nice!

can't wait for bumpin and jackin

yeah those two lists look amazing

HEALTH
Get Color

the track is "we are water". i like it. AGAIN, i think a remix of this would be very cool. this is kinda like ed banger + xmal deutschland. at the very least it makes me wonder what the hell the rest of the album sounds like.

http://dev.xlr8r.com/tags/2k9

enjoying this thread!

Etienne Jaumet
Night Music

every generation gets the oxygene that it deserves. apparently this generation deserves saxophone in theirs? whatevs! no bigs! lol!

Joy Orbison
Hyph Mngo + J. Doe

someone a LOT smarter than me will have to tell me what makes this album - or this track "hyph mngo" - important or best-of-the-year worthy. does nothing for me. poitively screams for an omar santana freestyle edit. so not trippin' either.

maybe they meant it like homie you are trippin'

Moritz Von Oswald Trio
Vertical Ascent

this is interesting even as it verges on worldbeatelectronewage fusion territory. you know, that relaxing stuff that burnt out old hippies listen to that combines beats and "ethnic" sounds. my life in a bush full of whole foods shoppers. i'm no purist though. i'd listen to this.

Scuba
Aesaunic EP + Speak 10"

if scuba is striving to be nondescript and forgettable, they've won! give them/him/her a prize.

Shackleton
Three EPs

tabla + beats! my new age father in law is getting this in his christmas stocking.

SND
Atavism

i love this and i don't know if its because i've become a rastor noton fanboy and i pre-judge their stuff to be cool even before i hear it or if i like it because i can tell that my laptop is actually getting horny to have these sounds played thru it. i think it might be the latter. i like to keep my computer happy.

okay i think i'm ready to be bumpin'. again xlr8r: "the jubilant jamz that kept us Bumpin' in 2K9—a.k.a. hotness for cruisin' down tha avenue in our pimp-ass rides."

Buraka Som Sistema
Black Diamond

the track is "Luanda / Lisboa". i don't love this, but i like okay. it does bump a bit. a little too much high frequency french squelch for me, but that's just me, i am more of a low end kinda guy. but the track is pretty "tight", as the kids would say.

Loving these reviews scott; I actually lol a bit at several of them, in a good way. I have heard of about 2%* of the music, but thread pacing good for scatterbrained spotifying.

*) xpost or 3 now Buraka showed up

Dam-Funk
Toeachizown

the title track. kind of a fucked up track to be bumpin' in your ride, but okay. dig the beats. mostly beats here. i like the decaying aspect to this. there is a lot to work with here. um, and by that i mean you have a lot of cool elements to make a song with. cuz it's not much of a song. is this the last track on the album or something?

i started out hating that SND track (not familiar with them at all), but was all in after ~4 minutes

Doom
Born Like This

"ballskin" here and its only a minute and 30 seconds long. lots of, um, cuh-razy linguistics. it's doom. you know. he does that thing. you like it probably. you've heard it. it's that thing he does. beats aren't blowing me away.

the Dam-Funk thing they posted is a mix of samples from a bunch of songs on the album (the best album of the year)

i ain't gonna lie, i kind love the hudson mohawke track here

Ghosts on Tape
Predator Mode

the track is "Predator Mode (Roska Remix)". i dig the beats okay, but i gotta be honest, i would soooooooooo get laughed out of town if i drove down main street with this blaring from my speakers. mostly cuzza the ancient house music synths.

Guido
Orchestral Lab 12" + Beautiful Complications

"orchestral lab" kinda says it all, because, again, this is more for lab rats than for solid citizens looking to party. the female vox are beside the point, and i could probably throw down 50 dirty south instrumentals that beat it to a pulp, but it's not BAD or anything.

Hudson Mohawke
Butter

the track is "fuse". yeah, i dig this. it's smooth! like butter! the flutey synth riff is addictive.

Joker
Digidesign + Purple City EPs

this would actually make a good backing track for a dirty south rap single (the track is "digidesign"). it's southern rap-worthy! still, i don't really need to hear it again. this Joker joker has talent, but this is nothing earthshaking.

Kingdom
"Mindreader" b/w "You"

yeah, no thanks.

Hah, I just started looking at the lists on xlr8r's site and they used the artwork that someone created for a torrent site for the Junior Boys album.

scott, keep rolling, this is better than many of the individual reviews this year

Lazer Sword
Gucci Sweatshirt EP

oh, really, no, go away. honestly, don't bother with this. i've got a butt burglars 12-inch i can sell you cheap.

Maluca
El Tigeraso

i would totally play this in my car. i would weather the laffs. this is thoroughly enjoyable.

in fact, i really want to hear the whole album now.

Mavado
Mr. Brooks... A Better Tomorrow

um, this is not my kinda thing. or at least this song isn't. i have to turn this off cuz i'm in public...

from all appearances, maluca only has one song out

Nosaj Thing
Drift

forgive me again, but if this is bumpin' you, you may need a bump realignment. this is smooshy like a marshmallow. do they thank the humpback whale that was the inspiration for this track in the credits?

Ghislain Poirier
Soca Sound System

my new age father in law would like this too. you wouldn't want to see him dance to it though.

Raekwon
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II

lots of, um, cuh-razy linguistics. it's raekwon. you know. he does that thing. you like it probably. you've heard it. it's that thing he does. beats aren't blowing me away.

Sabo & Cassady
Bersa Discos #6

peppy! probably fun to dance to. nice latin/electro fusion. i would not buy this.

forgive me again, but if this is bumpin' you, you may need a bump realignment.

Lol, I kinda eye-rolled when I saw Nosaj Thing in bumping, and I like Nosaj Thing.

Schlachthofbronx
S/T

i can see blasting this on your segway. or maybe a scooter. on your way to work at the schnitzel haus.

fun thread! i am following along w/ you. there's not a song i like on this bumpin' list.

I'm glad this thread/XLR8R, for helping me realize that Brock Van Wey is AKA Bvdub, who I have been liking for the last year or so.

xx-post That's short-form blog reviews/blurbs versus long-form magazine reviews in a nutshell. I read reviews and articles to learn more about music, not just to tell me what I should like. How am I going to get to know how to branch out? Randomly download or buy a hundred things, or read a good review and liner notes to figure out how to get more of what I like?

okay, i'll see how much bubblin' i can get thru before i have to go home for dinner. "bubblin'-future-bass-funky-tribalist-flexstep 'nuum" that is.

uh oh: "Haterz can see their way to the message boards."

Table, I wasn't really criticising XLR8R, more just amused by how the general definition of "bumping" (and this is everywhere it seems, so maybe I'm the one with the problem) appears to be "you can nod your head, verrrrry slowwwwly, in time..." Nosaj Thing are good though, I get exposed to endless amounts of this post Flying Lotus stuff and they stayed with me.

Hopefully "bubbling" will be more up my alley.

it's really just about putting things in a box to get those hits. sad, i know, but eh).

at least scott is listening to everything. since there aren't even blurbs on these, i think most people's instinct is to listen to a few seconds each of the ones that look interesting and move on, unless something really catches their ear (or at least that's what i did).

xp

Anyone up for providing a definition (serious or otherwise) of "flexstep"? I am filled with trepidation all of a sudden.

yeah i usually listen to the first minute - if i start skipping forward it's a pretty bad sign.

That Matias Aguayo track is great, isn't it? The use of vocal samples as instruments really reminded me a lot of Roisin Murphy's 'Tell Everybody'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUPleuj42w0

Table, I wasn't really criticising XLR8R, more just amused by how the general definition of "bumping" (and this is everywhere it seems, so maybe I'm the one with the problem) appears to be "you can nod your head, verrrrry slowwwwly, in time..." Nosaj Thing are good though, I get exposed to endless amounts of this post Flying Lotus stuff and they stayed with me.

Hopefully "bubbling" will be more up my alley.

― Tim F, Wednesday, 23 December 2009 22:44 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

Yeah, I was expecting the Bumpin run-down to be all house music and electro-boogie 'cos that what my definition/understanding of "bumping" has always been.

xp it's the first Matias Aguayo track I've liked

xxpost - I'd love it if that were true Jordan.

Rockapads, search "Are You Really Lost" and "So In Love" immediately.

2562
Unbalance

now THIS is bumpin'! this would sound great loud. but i'm just listening thru my laptop. i gotta hook up my laptop to my stereo. i'll get on that. is this flexstep? well, i'm a flexstep fan then. i've been in a tech-y mood lately. did anyone hear the album by emptyset that came out this year? not the same thing at all, but its another album i love to play loud. keep my speakers on their toes.

Brackles
Get a Job + LHC EPs

not that long of a sample, but i think i get the general idea. i know i might be out of line when i say this, but it has to be said: Brackles are no 2562! there, i said it. i feel better now. i think i just want stuff that is bracing and sharp as opposed to the old googily woogily. know what i mean?

flexstep is xlr8r name for dubstep that is flexible?

Q: how did scott find this set of XlR8R lists?

Cooly G
Love Dub EP

this sounds like something off of a 90's dance mag cd sampler. if there is someone who gets really excited by stuff like this, then i am probably not in the same aesthetic boat as them. it just sounds lazy. and not in a languorous luv-a-dub-dub kinda way. just in a lazy way.

A: i got an e-mail with links to them.

A: i got an e-mail with links to them.

snap !

Dark Knight
Reasons, What's Your Name?, My Bitch

wow, okay, maybe this is just about genre nuances that i'm not sharp enough to spot, cuz i really do feel like a hater all of a sudden. this just sounds positively moldy to me. if you told me that this came out in 1992 i would believe you. nothing wrong with that, it just doesn't do ANYTHING to make me excited about it.

Donae'o
Party Hard

i like this. i like the rhythm of it. not the kind of thing i ever listen to, but it's very appealing to me for some reason. i even like the phone call in the middle of the song.

Bumpin: http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2009/12/Bumpin

Dreamin: http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2009/12/Dreamin

Jackin: http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2009/12/Jackin

Trippin: http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2009/12/Trippin

Bubblin: http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2009/12/Bubble

But I suggest let Scott do his thing in full first

El-B
The Roots of El-B

vocals kill this for me. music isn't bad. again, could be a decent southern rap backing track. from 2002. but i love southern rap production, so its a compliment. sorta.

Falty DL
Love is a Liability + Bravery

okay, i think this is a medley of tracks. so it's kinda hard to process. it's not very enjoyable, but there is a lot going on. maybe i'm not smart enough for this. it could be the future of something? it's pretty sci-fi. i would need more time with it. but then again i don't really know if i want more time with it. hmmm, it's a puzzle...

Floating Points
Vacuum Boogie EP + J&W Beat EP

this is more my speed. in fact, i wish it were longer and that they took more time adding all the elements together. because i like all the individual pieces that make up the track. i like how everything comes together and appears and disappears. very methodical, kind of anonymous, but a good kind of anonymous. it's all about building a perfect little space house to live in. look, there's a space pie cooling in the windowsill! mmmmmm....

i have to close up my shop and go home and eat. be back a little later...

Hey Scott, here are Singles Jukebox reviews of some of the acts and tracks you reviewed, in case you wanna know more about what me & other people like and don't like about them. I added your reviews at the end!

Donae'o - Party Hard

http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=874

Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo

http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=1333

The xx - Basic Space

http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=1215

Fuck Buttons - Surf Solar (maybe not the same song by them you did)

http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=1390

Animal Collective - My Girls (different song than by them than you did)

hhttp://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=1715

Health - Die Slow (different song)

http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=1405

Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction (maybe different)

http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=456

wow, cool, i will look at those. but i gotta finish here first or it will be xmas or something.

especially curious to read the joy orbison comments, but i will wait...

Kode9
Black Sun EP

i like this. i could definitely listen to an entire album of this stuff. love the textures. the crunchiness up against the elastic. it's not reinventing the wheel or anything, but it has that tactile grooviness that always sounds good to me. a good beat maker makes beats that are three dimensional and living breathing things. or, wait, great beatmakers do this. Kode9 must be great or something.

L-Vis 1990 & Bok Bok
Night Slugs EP

the track is "ripe banana". i like this a LOT. i kinda wish they would cut shit up even more than they do though. and the drums could kick a little harder too, but that's okay. a couple of weeks ago i started a thread asking people for help in finding stuff that was similar to mr. oizo's analog worms attack. nobody could help me. this does it for me a little. similar vibe.

Martyn
Great Lengths

i wanna like this in the same way that i like great kompakt-y stuff, but its just not as good as that. the sonics and the attention to detail are lacking. or on here anyway. maybe the cd sounds a lot better. you need to completely believe in your fascist minimal groove thang and make it a monument to your vision of what sound can be and do. you slip up and i'll hear it, buddy. don't ever let me see you wink or get lazy. got that?

Mickey Pearce / Martin Kemp
Innami / No Charisma 12"

hey, if you are on a label called Blunted Robots then your music should appeal to blunted robots. mission accomplished! well done.

Various Artists
No Hats No Hoods Vol.1

the track is: Ice Kid - "Patient State of Mind". i really like his voice. and delivery. he sounds like a punk kid. i can always go for that. music is fine. fits the mood and this bloke's grhyming style.

can't get the last two bubblin' tracks to play. sorry roska! sorry untold! i'll try back later.

but now i'm jackin'.

Black Jazz Consortium
Structure

a snooze for the chillout room. no jazz. black if you say so. and hopefully only a consortium of one cuz i can't believe it would take more than one person to make this.

Bodycode
Immune

starts out as more lowkey snooze, but there is more here than meets the eye. the monastic vocals kick in and the energy level goes up. lots of cool touches around the edges. things keep mutating, but the basic skeleton of the song keeps things anchored. this is cool! and then things calm down again. and all is well.

these 'jackin' picks are kinda blah, not *bad* but RA's tracks list totally outjacks XLR8R imo

was stoked for a second to see kza, but that track isn't even by kza- it's cos/mes, on a completely different release. at least they got the label right? the track is good regardless

Claro Intelecto
Warehouse Sessions

the track is called "instinct". i like the late night down low vibe. streamlined. would sound good in a 200,000 dollar car.

Claude VonStroke
Bird Brain

i would definitely play this in the store. its good store music. or cafe music. granted, i'm in western massachusetts and not zurich or milan or tokyo, but i like to aim high and expose the general population to the finer things in life. sad peasants that they are.

DJ Koze
Reincarnations

the track is: Heiko Voss - "I Think About You (DJ Koze Remix)". things start moving by the end, but by then it's too little too late.

DJ Sprinkles
Midtown 120 Blues

"intro" is a spoken-word house manifesto set to music. um, it's interesting? a curio? where's green velvet when i need him?

Italoboyz
Bla, Bla, Bla

the song is "techno tower". this is great cuz you can see the possibilities of this track shoot out over the horizon and into the stratosphere. you could rip off so many great ideas from this. you could just steal the piano alone, add it to something else, and look like a genius. i wanna hear more from the boyz. they could have overplayed their hand and gone overboard - and part of me wants them too - but they keep things relatively tight while managing to be playful and silly too. they must be big yello fans. five thumbs up!

The Juan MacLean
The Future Will Come

this is electroclash deja vu. and there is something way too rinky dink about it. bad human league impressions in 2009 ain't gonna make me your friend. and i usually like dfa stuff. but i gotta call a spade a spade. this is weak. it would have been weak back then too. are these people nostalgic for 2003?

playful and silly too. they must be big yello fans. five thumbs up!

Woagh, I want to hear them now!

lol can't believe they used the Intro as the DJ Sprinkles track!! well, i guess it's representative, in a way.

especially curious to read the joy orbison comments

More here, when you finally have a minute (competing with DJ Quik, VV Brown, and two The-Dream songs in first round of the year-end playoffs):

http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=1797

KZA
Dig and Edit

so this is the cos/mes track natural lifespan. yeah, this is great. never heard them. is this an edit of something old? or not. in any case, very cool. and according to discogs its already on another mix cd. and a 12 inch. and this mix. all in one year. how is the cos/mes album sadistic skatepark? looking at discogs now i really want the prins thomas live at robert johnson thing. that looks very cool.

sorry, wasn't very specific about the cos/mes track. it's just very groovy. lots of great sounds. very familiar can't-quite-place-them sounds. it gets into that pocket and rides it out to the end. everyone should hear that one.

The xx
S/T

the song is "basic space". pretty slight. male/female vox. and by slight i don't mean spare. just not a lot here. music for delicate people who don't want to many "notes" or "sounds" in their music? or music in their music? maybe good for models who are watching their weight. not a lot of calories or nourishment here either.

― scott seward, Wednesday, 23 December 2009 18:27 (Yesterday) Bookmark

:D

i have been trying to find a copy of the cos/mes album, but that japanese import stuff gets pricey!

and prins thomas live at robert johnson IS very very cool.

Luciano
Tribute to the Sun

i LOVE this! THIS is prog house. an ambitious ten minute anthem to the sun? on a concept album devoted to the sun? with luciano on the cover holding the sun in his hand? now you're speaking my language. i want this album yesterday. what a trip. this is so good i can't believe it's not japanese. sign me up. take my money. give me more.

^^^me too! scott this thread is beautiful and not just the xx/anco takedowns (although they were very very beautiful)

Moody (a.k.a. Moodymann)
Anotha Black Sunday

funky moodymann stuff. i probably need more moodymann in my life. could use a good comp of some early stuff anyway. this is good. fairly simple. choice samples. doesn't kill me or anything though.

Motor City Drum Ensemble
Raw Cuts Vol. 1

lemme guess, this is music from belgium? am i close? sounds like someone is a moodymann fan! wait, this isn't moodymann too, is it? it's funky enough for me. in a belgium by way of detroit kinda way. you'd have to put this in juuuuuuuuust the right place in your deejay set. definitely earlier rather than later.

Mr. Oizo
Lamb's Anger

haha, my hero! wow, this is a long way from those analog worms. and their attacking. very funny and very cool though. i gotta get the album. luckily the ed banger noize boys haven't rubbed off on him TOO much, but he's gotten some of that in his blood. he's so good at making this stuff i don't care.

Omar-S
Just Ask the Lonely EP + Fabric 45

i'm already feeling bad a little for omar cuz now i just want to hear more oizo. and omar is a straight-up thumper. so far anyway. okay, i've calmed down. i'm feeling omar's chicago deep dish house. and it is deep. and there are detroit ghosts walking around in his chicago house. spooky. omar makes spooky house. haunted house. a beat like a heart pumping. a sad heavy heart.

Redshape
The Dance Paradox

this was on and now its over. some okay clangalang beat action, but otherwise...eh. if i heard it loud in a club, on drugs, i might think differently. obviously.

Kevin Saunderson
History Elevate package

the track is: "Till We Meet Again (Carl Craig Remix)". legend on legend action. oh master reese tell us how you blow the house down. he probably wouldn't really tell me. i'd like to own this comp. i don't know what's on it, but i'll bet its mighty and rightous and filled with a thousand winds of tech house glory. just tell me it isn't.

Traxx
Faith

love the drunken organ playing. this is some old time religion right here.

okay, i'll try those two bubblin' tracks again.

Roska
The TWC EP + Elevated Levels EP

okay, i've got roska going. he's housing me. and he's housing me. AND he's housing me. i'm gonna try and not look at my watch. again, with enough drugs...

Untold
Gonna Work Out Fine EP

okay, last but not least, here's untold. perkier than roska, that's for sure. why it's downright jaunty. a spring in its step. saucy little robot. could still use a little something. a quirk. a kink. green velvet! come to think of it, everything in life could use a little green velvet. don't you think?

okay, i'm done.

http://www.threeland.com/cambodia-travel/images/CLAP.gif

I read this whole thread! I don't think I feel inspired to listen to anything though

i think i agreed with you ~65% of the tracks I listened to. much higher tolerance for the dreamy stuff and no tolerance for the noisey stuff. bought a bunch off itunes from this so props to you and xlr8r.

man, i hate overblown "band" names like "black jazz consortium" and "motor city drum ensemble" that make me listen to it, and then it's like "oh, it's just shitty house music."

love this song so much. i want the 12 inch if there is one. i wanna play it over and over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Un5SJ1aAGM

the track is: Heiko Voss - "I Think About You (DJ Koze Remix)". things start moving by the end, but by then it's too little too late.

― scott seward, Wednesday, December 23, 2009 9:10 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

wtf this song is old as hell

It's on the remix comp. (And it's not very representative of the remix comp. Scott, try to hear Koze's remix of either Matthew Dear's "Elementary Lover" or Matias Aguayo's "Minimal.")

I love house but I agree black jazz consortium is boring on first listen.

^ also agree with this. and MCDE isn't mindblowing or anything but it's definitely not 'just shitty house music'

Some of these pics are totally the wrong song from right artist.

so, the stuff i liked the most was:

cos/mes

pictureplane

telepathe

maluca

2562

floating points

kode9

l-vis 1990 & bok bok

bodycode

italoboyz

luciano

mr. oizo

omar-s

don't know what that list says about me. i would buy the luciano album and the omar-s album tomorrow if i lived anywhere near a store that carried them. (i used to actually on marthas vineyard, believe it or not! they might have even had them on vinyl.)

Lol me as usual but I find the bubblin list deeply irritating as a whole.

why is that, bubblin' tim?

It's a very boring argument I've had on several threads about some critics' desire to celebrate a "smart" version of uk funky (here represented by Brackles, Cooly G, Dark Knight, Kode9, Bok Bok & L-Vis 1990, Mickey Pearce, Martin Kemp and (given track selection) Roska - XLR8R's name for all this is "funkstep") rather than normal uk funky (here represented by Donae'o only). The preponderance of the former category over and above the latter strikes me as perverse, especially in a list described as "bubblin". But it's just a pavlovian rant from me at this point so it's not worth really thrashing out.

Think you'd like the Telepathe album Scott - it's all a bit less 80s than that tracks suggests though.

I am seemingly the only person who maintains that, as far as euphoric dubstep influenced housey sounds go, Vacuum Boogie >>>>>>>>>> Hyph Mngo.

Also I'm aware I'm risking a bitchslap from RTC for this but my favourite UK funky moments of 2009 have been the dancehall-inflected ones, preferably featuring furious cartoon badgyalisms.

I think rtc's position on that is slightly more complex than it came across in his last intervention on the subject - I think his main issue was he thought of the idea first??

I'm going to feel exactly the same when big boshing lairy trancestep becomes a massive sound.

it's just fucking funny at this point to see people going on about some made-up either/or battle between "smart" and "real" uk funky when no one who goes to these nights or any of the producers actually give a toss, and it's pretty much an entirely false, non-existent binary anyway

well i'd have to find it funny in order not to get pissed off at the reynoldsian divisive bullshit, anyway - honestly seeking to create hostile divisions where NONE. ACTUALLY. EXIST. is one of my least favourite things about music talk

a clue is that if you see anywhere privileging one sort of uk funky over the other - that place is not somewhere u should be going for ur uk funky needs

also a note: k3n didn't find/ put together the actual samples used. this intern did, and he doesn't really know much about electronic music, quite honestly, which might explain some of the weird choices.

what a strange way to run a music site

Yeah that does seem pretty weird.

it's just fucking funny at this point to see people going on about some made-up either/or battle between "smart" and "real" uk funky when no one who goes to these nights or any of the producers actually give a toss, and it's pretty much an entirely false, non-existent binary anyway

― lex pretend, Thursday, December 24, 2009 12:06 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

its not really 'false, nonexistent' if you read xlr8r, apparently

I had no clue Kode 9 had anything to do with funky, smart or otherwise. I do know that I jotted down the name of the Black Sun EP from the xlr8r lists and that I cannot stand most of the stuff I hear on the funky thread after trying VERY hard (and being labeled a racist in the process). Does Kode 9 get played at the nights Lex is talking about?

Anyhoo, Trippin' definitely did it best for me which is surprising since I'm much more of a Bumpin'/Jackin' type. I top fived that Health album. MBV next chapter kinda stuff.

I eagerly await Maluca's album (assuming it doesn't already exist). And I loved that "Kuff" remix from Bersa Discos #6. Good show.

I am seemingly the only person who maintains that, as far as euphoric dubstep influenced housey sounds go, Vacuum Boogie >>>>>>>>>> Hyph Mngo.

i really like Hyph Mngo, but i agree with you on this.

maybe, like, 3 less >'s

Have you heard the Donae'o album? There's quite a range of stuff on there, from tasteful/expansive/jazzy/ house to straight up bangers to gigantic walls of African drum samples.

Does Kode 9 get played at the nights Lex is talking about?

Yeah probably, there's a lot of both dubstep/post-dubstep and funky at the Night Slugs end of things. At the more flashy/bubbly end of things I'm not so sure.

that strikes me as totally wrong. how is donaeo not open to influences from 'all over the place'??

xp

I'm kind of with the Lex on this anyway, it feels like there's a critical binary being drawn up, sometimes consciously sometimes not, that doesn't really exist in real life. And funky and dubstep don't really seem that far apart when you consider a) where they both come from and b) that grime places itself somewhere in the middle now.

how do the singles not seem to have a variety of influences?

why is "variety of influences" even being used as a benchmark here?

there is more than an element, here, of: you know how lots of british critics write really cluelessly about hip-hop? well.

its not really 'false, nonexistent' if you read xlr8r, apparently

i don't read xlr8r and this thread isn't making me want to, though i love pretty much all the artists mentioned here (donae'o AND l-vis 1990! yes both!).

fwiw a lot of these producers are generally disdainful of "dubstep" and enraptured by "uk funky".

A lot of which producers?

these

XLR8R always seems like the american version of FACT. Minus the podcasts, I guess.

Or rather minus the endless podcasts (seems like there is a new one every day on FACT's site whereas a XLR8R has like one a week, I think.)

Actually it was XLR8R itself that set up that dichotomy.

Bok Bok & L-Vis 1990 have made some awesome tracks btw. I'm generally approving of all of these producers.

Anyway let's not talk about this as it seems to upset everyone when I acknowledge the trend.

The magazine's article on "funkstep".

some of those tracks are obviously not 2009 releases. what an out of touch website.

xlr8r is the NME of dance music

shit getting heated

xlr8r gettin called out by its real name

it seems like a really cool job, whatever people's opinions of the mag itself might be. i'm pretty sure in the 90s when i was really into electronic music and living in the middle of nowhere, this was one of those magazines that helped me stay abreast of new stuff.

oh i had no idea anyone here wrote for xlr8r. even if they set up the binary in the first place, why run with something so obviously wrong-headed? labelling cooly g, bok bok et al as just "smart" funky, as if people don't play those tunes in clubs and as if they don't go down as well as - and in the same sets as - donae'o, ill blu, stush and kyla - does them as much of a disservice as anyone trying to sideline "real" funky. these are completely artificial distinctions which don't do anyone any favours.

and tbh the reason i don't really care how xlr8r are framing these tracks is because the fact that bok bok & l-vis, ikonika, guido et al are reaching an international audience in the first place is tremendously exciting to me - all i'll say is that in missing out subeena, they completely missed a trick. that girl is amazing:

i) http://www.last.fm/music/Subeena/_/Boksd (full track)

ii) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn7vFdhhd-g

I just re-read the XLR8R piece. The writer quotes a bunch of artists who refer to the scene splits, call it "funkstep," etc. Since it's the artists who call it that, it seems disingenuous to say that the magazine itself is making those distinctions.

is this the cooly g/roska/geeneus piece we're still talking about? first i actually heard of it was cooly g and geeneus disowning the word "funkstep" on twitter

It is, yes. Roska and Scratcha used it, Geeneus dismisses it as a joke. It just seems odd that on this thread the term seems to be discussed as something the mag made up on its own.

/remove bookmark

oh i don't blame the mag for making it up - there's a big vacancy in the market for some adequate term to describe this particular interlocking scene of music which takes in dubstep/funky/grime/house/techno - and tbh "funkstep" isn't that offensive - certainly not compared to w*nky. i understand that some of the producers are trying to make "tropical" happen at the moment. i take issue with the false smart/real binary and the idea that producers who make one are somehow in opposition to producers who make another.

Ah, that makes sense. And yes, I was genuinely curious, so I appreciate it. I think "funkstep" is an easy enough stand-in for the binary you (correctly) criticize; I was reading things a little too literally, obv.

"XLR8R always seems like the american version of FACT"

and fact is kinda like the nme of 'uk bass music' or whatever it should be called (in the same way xlr8rs like the US nme as has been noted).

funkstep isnt the best term. but the writer prob didnt have enough funky understanding to know that even if the artists were calling it that, they were just hyping their own thing to get a little mileage out of the fact theres a lot of stuff that falls between all the many diff scenes at the moment. was an interesting article all the same tho, tbh.

yeah it's all in such flux that it's hard to know how to pigeonhole any given thing, which is probably a good indication of the music's health. there's no such thing as getting it wrong, really, but i object to divisiveness wherever it occurs, cuz that's the least helpful thing.

ah yeah and titchy otm w/r/t individual artists' motivations! kinda like nas saying hip-hop is dead or whatever

am hoping a better name, one thats less cumbersome/mouthfully/pompous than uk bass music, will come along soon.

xpost, yeah its sort of like someone doing a piece on joker and getting over excited that theres a brand new sound from bristol called purple wow and forgetting theres a load of other producers operating in a similar-ish space at the moment too (tho to be fair, joker basically IS his own little world).

i must admit i'd be a bit uncomfortable if a colleague was posting stuff like this about me:

"also a note: k3n didn't find/ put together the actual samples used. this intern did, and he doesn't really know much about electronic music, quite honestly, which might explain some of the weird choices."

seems more appropriate for a staff meeting/supervision than a message board. it seems harsh on the intern and doesn't reflect well on the magazine.

Both XLR8R and FACT strike me as sites that are as much about the definition of a lifestyle/aesthetic than anything else - you only need to look at the design and advertising for that to hit home. I'd *maybe* throw in Resident Advisor, which has pretty much ignored funky altogether, as well.

Either way, in the former two cases it strikes me that Cooly G/Jam City/Roska/Lil Silva, even Donae'o, are a lot closer to that aesthetic than, say, Alesha Dixon remixes, or big fat dudes going "jump in the middle and skaaaank". I think all the above titles want to sell dance music as something that's both effortlessly cool and precisely sculpted and the endearing shonkiness, goofiness and willingness to throw things against a wall and see what sticks that marks out a lot of funky just doesn't fit into that.

i dunno though, the further you get to "proper" funky nights - by which i mean eg circle events, the real classy-dress-code stuff - the further away you get from the too-many-man skanking vibe (and let's be real the skanks pretty much suck if you hear more then one per night).

i mean i hope we're not saying that the wave of shitty sub-KIG skanks constitutes "real" funky are we?

I'm not just talking about the skanks, and like I said, I'm not saying it's a real binary that actually exists on the dancefloor. I think even a lot of the supposedly glossy diva stuff has that slightly shonky vibe to it as well, it feels a bit cobbled-together-in-someone's-bedroom even when it's trying to be sleek and sexy, and I like that. Exhibit A being every Crazy Cousinz remix ever.

What I'm trying to say is I'm not sure if Fact in particular can far enough away from the "every sound worked on and agonised over for weeks" mindset to fully embrace the whole range of this stuff.

Think the thing that threw me about Royal P's 'Between Us' was how deep and druggy and *expensive* it sounded.

Or rather minus the endless podcasts (seems like there is a new one every day on FACT's site whereas a XLR8R has like one a week, I think.)

it's one every monday, one every friday on FACT. the reason being that we do non-dance music podcasts too (cold cave, weatherall's rock one, etc), so whatever yr preference you'll hopefully get at least one mix a week that suits you.

What I'm trying to say is I'm not sure if Fact in particular can far enough away from the "every sound worked on and agonised over for weeks" mindset to fully embrace the whole range of this stuff.

that's a bit off i think. there are ppl who write for FACT who've had a pop at that end of funky, but personally i think both sides of it - and as said upthread, it's not much of an opposition; you'll find plenty of crowds losing it to migraine skank one minute and black sun the next - are great at times. i love blackberry hype as much as i do narst. and as far as FACT goes, we had 'frontline', 'in the morning', 'pull it' and crazy cousinz 't-shirt' remix in our top 100 tracks of the year, and no scratcha or roska. which we also got criticized for. lol.

plus we champion plenty of knocked-out scuzzy indie rock tracks and gutter dance music, so i don't think this 'agonised' aesthetic is something that crops up as often as you think.

(i have removed myself from this thread, but tom, XLR8R also has non-dance music podcasts. just a note).

im sure they do. i wasn't saying that to try & distinguish us from xlr8r, we like xlr8r, it's just our reasoning for doing 2 a week. that and we probably try to do one bigger name a week with one name that we think should be bigger.

cool, just clarification. and i love the fact podcasts, btw.

thanks man. always nice to hear

is there a URL for the podcasts I don't know about? I noticed FACT has started hosting the downloads on their own server again, so just wondered if it had been fixed and just not advertised....

I'd still really like to listen to these on my wi-fi internet radio thing if possible (or, if I used iTunes for this, to "subscribe" to them etc, either way, just want the convenience of a proper Podcast, otherwise they tend to go unheard unfortunately).

yeah, we've had massive problems w/ the subscribe/iTunes thing, i don't know why really, it's not me that's been organizing it it's the I.T. dudes. but i know, it's got stupid - we've been building a new site the last couple of months so it's been put on the backburner a bit. but come january it should get fixed.

til then we re-uploaded a pick of 20 fact mixes from the year gone by: http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4199&Itemid=99

cool thanks for the update Tom.