My turn to embarrass myself... 
I tried to be a good boy and write stuff about each release.
Albums / EPs / mixes:
Daniel Maze - How's The Serenity? (free)
"Electronic" producer working with tape decks. It's not so different from other soundscapey stuff, but I really enjoy it and like the moments where a big wave of lushness will be abruptly stopped when he hits a pause on the tape. Lends a bit of grubbiness in there.
J Dilla - Donuts
Lots of short hip-hop instrumentals, mashed together, messy as hell. Heaps of edited soul tunes, often changing pitch and/or tempo mid-track. Individual bits and pieces are very sketchy, as a whole it works really well. Unpredictable, which is not something I could say for a lot of music I enjoyed this year.
James Holden At The Controls mix CD
This mix is basically tweaky house-tempo techno business but mixes in a lot of other bits and bobs including kraut-rock (Kluster), SKAM-style electronica (AFX, Christ, Slag Van Loom), and even a Fennesz track. I find the variety refreshing, and the focus on texture is right up my alley. Not sure I'd want to hear it in a club, but I recommend it as an album to listen to.
Junior Boys - Is This Goodbye?
Don't think I need to say anything much about this given the number of times it's come up.
Mapstation - Distance Told Me Things To Be Said
Beatless, instrumental music largely based on gentle, repeating synth arpeggios. No added gloss or date-able glitchy action. Reminds me most of things like Cluster circa Zuckerzeit or even the pared back bits of Zeit-era Tangerine Dream, but it also takes in various African influences and instrumentation (tuned percussion) ... sorta exploring trance music from two continents? Didn't really expect a new ambient record to impress me so much.
Soundslike1981's Blogariddims 6 / Collide+Coalesce mix MP3 (free)
I guess you can just listen to it. I love the blurred boundaries of this music - the really lengthy layering of different pieces of music in a way that really creates something new.
Single tracks / songs:
Cassie - Me & U
Clipse - Mr Me Too
I know, I know, Mr Me Too...
Holden - Lump
Techno mixed with Windowlicker-ish inhuman choirs and Fennesz-ish noisy melodic bits... beautiful harmonies throughout, actually made more palletable because of the strange arrangement.
James Figurine - Apologies
I've been following the label Plug Research since its inception and was kinda amazed when one of its roster (Dntel) completely blew up with his Postal Service project. His next solo album was basically an indie-loving electronica producer trying to synthesize a new found love for Kompakt into his style. Probably unsurprisingly, most of the album is shit - beyond taste differences, he can't really sing or write good songs - but I did really like this one song and its Doom's Night bass, to the point where I don't regret buying the album.
Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks (free)
Boring indie band luck out (in NZ and Australia that means "have good luck", btw) with this super catchy tune. The bored-sounding female vocalist reminds me of the disinterested manner of Hope Sandoval.. and I like Hope Sandoval.
Plump DJs - Electric Disco (D Ramirez Mix)
Stupid, bulging house party. Got the pitch-bend action to make my brain go funny. Honourable mention to Mason's Exceeder and bleep (Dissensian, not site) for pimping this shit so hard.
Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill
Haha, I've tried, but I can't write anything here without getting too defensive, so I'll leave it be.
... I really think I've mostly been listening to older music this year, though, because this doesn't feel like an accurate picture of (most of) what I've been buzzing about.
I tried to be a good boy and write stuff about each release.Albums / EPs / mixes:
Daniel Maze - How's The Serenity? (free)
"Electronic" producer working with tape decks. It's not so different from other soundscapey stuff, but I really enjoy it and like the moments where a big wave of lushness will be abruptly stopped when he hits a pause on the tape. Lends a bit of grubbiness in there.
J Dilla - Donuts
Lots of short hip-hop instrumentals, mashed together, messy as hell. Heaps of edited soul tunes, often changing pitch and/or tempo mid-track. Individual bits and pieces are very sketchy, as a whole it works really well. Unpredictable, which is not something I could say for a lot of music I enjoyed this year.
James Holden At The Controls mix CD
This mix is basically tweaky house-tempo techno business but mixes in a lot of other bits and bobs including kraut-rock (Kluster), SKAM-style electronica (AFX, Christ, Slag Van Loom), and even a Fennesz track. I find the variety refreshing, and the focus on texture is right up my alley. Not sure I'd want to hear it in a club, but I recommend it as an album to listen to.
Junior Boys - Is This Goodbye?
Don't think I need to say anything much about this given the number of times it's come up.
Mapstation - Distance Told Me Things To Be Said
Beatless, instrumental music largely based on gentle, repeating synth arpeggios. No added gloss or date-able glitchy action. Reminds me most of things like Cluster circa Zuckerzeit or even the pared back bits of Zeit-era Tangerine Dream, but it also takes in various African influences and instrumentation (tuned percussion) ... sorta exploring trance music from two continents? Didn't really expect a new ambient record to impress me so much.
Soundslike1981's Blogariddims 6 / Collide+Coalesce mix MP3 (free)
I guess you can just listen to it. I love the blurred boundaries of this music - the really lengthy layering of different pieces of music in a way that really creates something new.
Single tracks / songs:
Cassie - Me & U
Clipse - Mr Me Too
I know, I know, Mr Me Too...
Holden - Lump
Techno mixed with Windowlicker-ish inhuman choirs and Fennesz-ish noisy melodic bits... beautiful harmonies throughout, actually made more palletable because of the strange arrangement.
James Figurine - Apologies
I've been following the label Plug Research since its inception and was kinda amazed when one of its roster (Dntel) completely blew up with his Postal Service project. His next solo album was basically an indie-loving electronica producer trying to synthesize a new found love for Kompakt into his style. Probably unsurprisingly, most of the album is shit - beyond taste differences, he can't really sing or write good songs - but I did really like this one song and its Doom's Night bass, to the point where I don't regret buying the album.
Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks (free)
Boring indie band luck out (in NZ and Australia that means "have good luck", btw) with this super catchy tune. The bored-sounding female vocalist reminds me of the disinterested manner of Hope Sandoval.. and I like Hope Sandoval.
Plump DJs - Electric Disco (D Ramirez Mix)
Stupid, bulging house party. Got the pitch-bend action to make my brain go funny. Honourable mention to Mason's Exceeder and bleep (Dissensian, not site) for pimping this shit so hard.
Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill
Haha, I've tried, but I can't write anything here without getting too defensive, so I'll leave it be.
... I really think I've mostly been listening to older music this year, though, because this doesn't feel like an accurate picture of (most of) what I've been buzzing about.
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