minisystem (+ prhizzm) / unit, toronto / jan. 27



Jeff Lee aka minisystem celebrated the release of Madingley last night by packing Unit on Queen W. His music couldn't have sounded better with the help from his friend Prhizzm on keys. For a cool night, everyone was nicely toasted and bobbed along to his gorgeous driven melodic synth tracks. Buy his album through Noise Factory Records.
eye press
toronto star press

maetrik / quality exertion / treibstoff
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pole / steingarten / ~scape
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dean & britta / back numbers / zoe records
Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips are life after Luna. Gorgeous folk rock. For fans of Camera Obscura and Mazzy Star.
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Gerda Steiner & Jorg Lenzlinger

triple r / selection 5 / trapez

01. riley reinhold / point zero 03:04
02. shane berry / fillertet 2 (dominik eulberg rmx) 01:59
03. rico pstel / chief redden 02:48
04. eyerer & atto / supersnack 03:35
05. marek bois / you got good ash (gabriel ananda rmx) 02:24
06. slg / rushhour 03:04
07. luke le mans / the docks 03:04
08. 3 channels / amnesia 01:16
09. j. samuel / gonadodropin 05:43
10. sandiego / rogoredo 03:38
11. florian meindl / tamiflop 2 02:54
12. alex under / el danubio universal 03:08
13. swat-squad / escoria (audio werner rmx) 05:19
14. mark-henning / pokerbot 03:23
15. andrea ferlin / clear 04:52
16. noze - kitchen 03:45
17. und / fox in the box 02:45
18. renato figoli / la stelle sono tante 01:47
19. toro / geht auf zwei 04:13
20. eyerer & atto / supersnack (oliver hacke rmx) 07:47
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lawrence / friday's child / mule

I love Lawrence. This ep is gorgeous and sends me to my happiest dreams.
boomkat review
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Check out Surgery Radio from New Brunswick for set downloads of all things tasty in indie and electronica.
download surgery 36
download surgery 35

pantha du prince / this bliss / dial


Pantha du Prince is probably one of my top 3 techno producers of all time. His chiming minimal techno and deeply hidden melodies are delicately assembled into gorgeous deep grooving tracks. This is bliss. Pantha du Prince creates some of the loveliest noises my ears have ever heard. Highly recommended.
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carsten jost & lawrence / live at betalounge
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mikael stavostrand / soulful ep / kontra-musik
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New emerging talent, Joel Pryde from Seattle surprises me with his sweet polished minimal-funk track Retroit. Check out his website for more downloads.

celer / ceylon


Check out Celer's gorgeous ambient organic drone soundscapes. Free downloads from their myspace and lastfm pages. A must listen for lovers of Gas.
download ceylon mp3 (59:41)
download simpark mp3 (6:20)
download mainenn mp3 (12:27)
*links expire in a week

arturo en el barco / music for students


beth dorris mp3
candy tucker mp3
kyle parker mp3

Please purchase the music you love.

Check out Simon Hoegsberg’s Faces of New York series.

anders ilar / nightwidth / narita records
boomkat review
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natural snow buildings / ghost folks / hinah
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recommended by speed of silence

andy vaz / 3-3 / soundvariation
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(this download is a little tricky. click on the little word buried in the paragraph. it will then take you to a sponsor page, click on one of those and wait for a page to generate. then punch in the red numbers and another browser page will appear with the download link.)

new.com / monolayer: dubtechno mix / comfort noise

01. murmur - nub - meanwhile 05 (00:00)
02. pole - raum 1 (original) - scape 09cd (00:40)
03. deadbeat - for israel (jaffa revisited) - scape 15 (05:23)
04. dubjack - trebol 4 - groovear 10-02 (08:33)
05. lump - b-print - mental groove ltd 04 (13:01)
06. bulgur brothers - pinto - karat 24 (19:07)
07. pupkulies & rebecca - never know - normoton 18 (23:08)
08. t. jirku - entropy - intr version 05 (26:46)
09. mind over midi - improvise horizon - beatservice 93cd (30:36)
10. pellarin - intercity - statler & waldorf 03 (34:55)
11. deep chord - step 3 (m. huckaby rmx) - synth 01c (36:55)
12. lb dub corp - rhythm division - mote-evolver 02 (41:00)
13. th. melchior & luciano - father - cadenza 11 (46:08)
14. rhythm & sound - let we go (villalobos rmx) - bmx 01 (48:34)
15. rhythm & sound - see mi version (basic reshape) - bmx 04 (51:12)
16. s. mueller - explore - milnor modern 01 (57:30)
17. laplaceausoleil - white rabbit (smbp rmx) - synergy networks 23 (62:02)
18. stalker - lovely passport photographs from tenerife - 1bit wonder 12 (68:08)
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lawrence / teaser / kompakt
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pass: touchmenot.net

pantha du prince / saturn strobe mp3
I can't wait to hear Pantha du Prince's highly anticipated album This Bliss. Release date January 29th.

basic_sounds welcomes submissions from musicians, djs, artists, photographers, and other talented people from around the world who are pushing the boundaries of digital and electronic media. Please e-mail all work to basic_sounds@yahoo.ca Regrettably, not all work will be posted but your contributions are valued immensely.

Check out lost at e minor for weekly updates of the best music, illustration, photography and art from around the world. A big thanks to Zolton at lost at e minor for posting a review about our part deux mix.

made for you everyday

jodi cave / absent / term


Jodi Cave has just released a nice little ep on 12k's sub-label Term. You can download the album here.

amute / the sea horse limbo / intr-version
boomkat review
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hisato higuchi / dialogue / family vineyard
boomkat review
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the album leaf / into the blue again / sub pop
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lcd soundsystem / sound of silver / dfa
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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
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*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

tor lundvall / yule / strange fortune



The most gorgeous holiday music, and I hate themed seasonal music. Discovering this has made my day, something unexpected!
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pass: touchmenot.net

antonio bruno / bleep / dreiton
download

hylozoists / music gallery, toronto / dec. 1


AMAZING! Talented tight musicians that deliver orchestral compositions with indie post-rock melodies. This band will go far. View a clip from the show here.

va / soma 2006 compilation / soma
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*only cd 1 available

va / copenhagen label collaboration
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thomas brinkmann / klick revolution / max ernst
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gas / gas / mille plateaux
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daniel stefanik / starless reshapes / statik
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va / unhappy anniversary v.2 / unfoundsound netlabel

01. omar salgado / escarcha en el cesped [7:08]
02. den / stagdoodledoo [6:45]
03. so inagawa / kada [5:13]
04. mark-henning / motorrad da douche [6:12]
05. [a]pendics.shuffle / secret dummy [6:24]
06. david last / halitosis rockers [6:18]
07. barem / fridrill [6:44]
08. dot / emergency [5:46]
09. pheek + agnes / aube [6:37]
10. max brannslokker / raimonds pauls [5:02]
11. ben parris / juju werewolf [6:55]
12. fusiphorm / the minidisc in the sink [5:45]
13. jamespatrick / boomisland (drunk edit) [7:46]
14. fidget / suburban station [5:22]
15. franco bianco / sueno raro [5:25]
16. dilo vs. gurtz / submarina [8:11]
17. franco cinelli / gamma [7:51]
18. tufan demir / haydut [9:56]
19. mike uzzi & ben recht / reclaiming the 120s [6:33]
20. agaric / guard your home [5:23]
21. bruce logan / it's just worse [7:10]
22. massi dl / mensoda [5:38]
23. someone else / soap putty [5:07]
24. ditch / yack [6:54]
25. ryo miyashita houjou [6:11]
26. tleilaxu / communal [8:23]
27. ezekiel honig / office of destruction [4:51]
28. butane / time to burn [5:16]
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Check out Zach Schrock's portfolio.


i:eye, a site of all things cool.

deadbeat / salem's loft, toronto / nov. 25



Deadbeat created a dub-techno party on Saturday. The crowd digested and rocked out to his heavy swaggering bass-lines. It never fails, I always have a great time at Salem's loft.

va / pop ambient 2007 / kompakt


boomkat review
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noze / how to dance / circus company
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farben / featuring the dramatics / klang
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gillsans / mixes / 2006
download somewhere down in royston
download deep beats from royston

geoff white / nevertheless / background


boomkat review
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theodor zox / crystallized / morris audio citysport edition
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theodor zox / extruder (maetrik remix) / tic tac toe
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sten / tv / dial
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va / stadtmusik buenos aires / onitor
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mikael stavostrand / no turning back / mo's ferry productions
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my my / songs for the gentle / playhouse
boomkat review
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Check out Honey Eat Your Salad a quality on-line art magazine.

keinzweiter / mounted mars / plex records


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download digital barbecue dj mix
download solaris dj mix

t. raumschmiere / random noize sessions vol. 01 / shitkatapult


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marek hemman / live sets / 2006

download deepmix, moscow
download triptyque mix, paris

daze maxim / live set / may 2006
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*coming to toronto feb. 24

Check out Peter Jaworowski, a superbly polished designer.

the album leaf / lee's palace, toronto / november 9


I was just recently introduced to The Album Leaf and catching their live show only made me want to learn more. They have Boards of Canada-esque drum programming with Sigur Ros and Mum-like nostalgic elements, but then they also veer towards some indie pop that can be compared to Morr label's The Go Find. Why did it take me so long to learn about these San Diego guys? Watch a clip from the show here.

hammock / raising your voice...trying to stop an echo / darla

Gorgeous shoegazer ambient post-rock bliss. I'm in love. Thanks to my friend Ben for introducing me to this. Recommended.
hammock interview
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marc houle / bay of figs / m_nus

Not my favourite, but I'm sure some of my blog vistors would be interested in hearing this. Restore is so much better.
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michael mayer / beats in space mix / october 24, 2006

01 Dj Koze / Stompin At The Clubfoot / Kompakt
02 Terre Thaemlitz / Fatt Jazz / Mule
03 Skatebard / Digitalo Enterprises
04 Kontrast / Grey Sky's / Kompakt
05 Fallout / The Morning After / Fourth Floor
06 Forgemasters / Stress / Network
07 Herve Au / The Closer / K2
08 Pantha du Prince / Lichten / Kompakt
09 Justus Kohncke / Faults & FX / Kompakt
10 Unknownmi X / The Siren (Losoul's Hot Edit) / Playhouse
11 Super Mayer / The Art Of Letting Go / Kompakt
12 Thomas Mayer / Sweet Harmony / Kompakt
13 Patrick Cowley / Sea
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Check out Trevor Brady's latest series called "At Home."

Eduardo Recife

fairmont / hotel deauville / playmade

Fairmont aka Jacob Fairley's latest release Hotel Deauville is a reflection on his stay in Cuba with his girlfriend. Not as good as "I Want To See The Sun Come Up," but deserves a listening none the less.
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marat hussein / magnetic breath

paul kalkbrenner - since 77
cosmic sandwich - battle twig
jeff samuel - night ride
anja schneider & sebo k - rancho relaxo (pan-pot remix)
alejandro lopez - bigudi
ricardo villalobos - fizheuer zieheuer
someone else - water in mexico (marek hemmann remix)
phage & daniel dreier - chewing gum
sami koivikko - dore
larsson - spreemelodie
luciano - bla bla bla
rekleiner - shall we
download

console / mono / disko b



Console aka Notwist's latest album is drastically different than anything I'd expect under his Notwist alias. Mono takes his listeners through cinematic delicate ambience. At first I dismissed this album, but it has grown on me and has now become one of my repeat morning listens.
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DJ's living in Germany