gui boratto / arquipelago / kompakt
maetrik / cologne & back / treibstoff
alex smoke / snider / soma
sten / back four / dial
pantha du prince / lichten / dial
adam kroll / stalker / traum
minisystem / eat the house / unreleased
sami koivikko / pientare / ghostly
thomas schumacher / mad robot / spiel-zeug schallplatten
lars wickinger / gleitflug / traum
scsi-9 / railway one / k2
theodor zox / extruder (maetrik remix) / tic tac toe
alex smoke / make my day (lusine mix) / soma
andy stott / florence / modern love
lawrence / off the line / dial
dublee / route / mule
antonio bruno / blaetterwind / eintakt
junior boys / in the morning (alex smoke remix) / domino
kangding ray / nn/peaks / raster noton
ezekiel honig / more human than human (ezekiel & friends still human mix) / microcosm music
download
*Thanks to minisystem for making this mix possible. All feedback is welcome and appreciated. e-mail: basic_sounds@yahoo.ca
>>>>>>>best of 2006<<<<<<<
Another year in review, and what a year. Here's my collection of the top 10 albums I've listened to this year, in no particular order (comparing Alex Smoke to Cat Power seems impossible).
Alex Smoke, a newbie from Scotland who has gained huge success in minimal techno with his textural, driven beats, delivers a brilliant album with Paradolia. His voice has definitely developed since his previous album, which suffered from a lack of consistency as it featured tracks prepared over a five year time span. Paradolia, his second release, is more concise and solid in comparison, and sets a standard that's basically impossible to top. Now on to a completely different artist and genre: Cat Power. Her passionate voice and musical sincerity are both gorgeous and enthralling. She gained tremendous acclaim with her latest offering, The Greatest, and the title says it all. This album appears to be a little lighter emotionally than her previous releases, and a little more complete when it comes to the variety of songs. I've also been blessed with seeing her perform live twice this year and her shows are always very personable. She performs as if she is in a living room singing for close friends, and you can't help but fall in love with her intimacy and beauty. Minisystem, a low-key fellow Torontonian, pops out of the woodwork with his brilliant, nostalgic synth-pop on Madingley. His gorgeous melodies are delicate and driven, and win over the hearts of those with varied tastes in music. Maetrik was new to me this year, although this talented 26 year-old appears to have extensive 12" releases. He surprised me with his texturally complex tech-house on the brilliant Casi Profundo. Kangding Ray sets an improved standard for the Raster Noton label. The clicky techno minimalism on Stabil is amazingly cutting edge, and the superb packaging completes this gorgeous piece of art. Ezekiel Honig from New York City creates deep chord washes and a delicate wet minimal ambience that radiates organic warmth on Scattered Practices. Tokyo-based Chihei Hatakeyama creates charming, tranquil bliss with Minima Moralia, an ambient delight that only gets better with each listen. Thom Yorke from Radiohead goes solo with his release The Eraser; produced with Nigel Godrich, he delivers intensely beautiful, heartbreaking, emotional lyrics while including more electronic elements. Thomas Schumacher's Home CD is an exquisite 12 track mix of minimal, funky, raw techno. Junior Boys, So This Is Goodbye, tops their first release Last Exit. Jeremy Greenspan's captivating waspy sexy voice, synthlines and guitar create warm-hearted, 80's sounding, synth-pop.
It was hard to narrow the list down, and these 10 were selected because each album has consistent quality from start to finish. It's rare that I love an album in its entirety, and I often find myself going straight to my favourite tracks and cringing over some of the others. These 10 albums have passed the cringe test and are worthy of repeat listens this year and for years to come. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
alex smoke / paradolia / soma
download
maetrik / casi profundo / treibstoff
download
thomas schumacher / home / spiel-zeug
download
junior boys / so this is goodbye / domino
download in the morning
download double shadow
download count souvenirs
download fm
minisystem / madingley / noise factory
download madingley
download what about me
download we'll be ok
kangding ray / stabil / raster noton
download
ezekiel honig / scattered practices / microcosm music
chihei hatakeyama / minima moralia / kranky
download
pass: touchmenot.net
cat power / the greatest / matador records
download the greatest
download could we
thom yorke / the eraser / xl recordings
download atoms for peace
