basic_sounds: December 2008

>>>>>>>best of 2008<<<<<<<

anders ilar / sworn / level rec

anders ilar wins my heart this year with his release sworn. sworn will make you swoon with its melodic warm washes, deep drifting ambient undercurrents and glitchy woven beats.

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claro intelecto / metanarrative / modern love

mark stewart manages to fuse together a euphoric blend of dubby basslines with grooving house melodies for a superb arrangement that is bound to leave you in awe.

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andy stott / unknown exception / modern love

like label mate and friend claro intelecto, andy stott creates a delicious hybrid of infused dub and techno sounds with mesmerizing basslines and ingenious percussive shifts.

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rod modell / incense + black light / plop

rod modell submerges us into some dark driven blends of watery techno pops and delicately shifting dub rhythms.

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tape / luminarium / hapna

tape's third album luminarium, takes us on an atmospheric instrumental journey through mind juggling melodic structures, quirky electronic crackles and rhythmic soft guitar strums that soothe and entertain the mind. tape's best album to date.

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byetone / death of a typographer / raster noton

raster noton delivers again with this amazing release by byetone. raster noton isn't just a label but should be recognized as a genre unto itself. olaf bender takes the raster noton aesthetic and pushes it to a whole new level of awesomeness. plastic star is easily one of the best techno tracks i've heard all year.

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hauschka / ferndorf / fat cat

volker bertelmann creates gorgeous contemporary orchestral music with exquisite layered piano melodies. the finest in minimal modern classical music.

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library tapes / a summer beneath the trees / make mine music

library tapes constructs gorgeous heart-wrenching tender cinematic ambiance. the strings, electronics and violins create an utterly chilling and hauntingly beautiful array of nostalgia, making me feel like i'm lost in the darkest fog in the stillness of the night.

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kangding ray / automne fold / raster noton

i fell in love with kangding ray's first release stabil in 2006 for its crunchy digital beats, quivering rhythmic explosions and fuzzy organic static sounds. automne fold is just as engaging but exudes darker acoustic warmth with diffused sombre moody beats and introduces raspy vocals for the first time to create an unforgettably awesome dark glitchy second release.

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sten / the essence / dial

peter m. kersten, also known as lawrence, (one of my favourite artists), delivers his second release under his sten alias. for the most part this album rocks it with his solidly assembled minimal dub house sounds that are infectious and will make you want to bob your head.

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peter broderick / float / type

peter broderick's compositions are stunningly gorgeous. he manages to paint the most beautiful cinematic dreams with his unique talent of perfectly juggling piano, horns, strings, and percussion. at only 21 years old, peter broderick balances subtle delicate moments of almost silence with charming gradually climbing climaxes that will make you feel like you're floating.

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polder / poldermodel / intacto

well-crafted, quality grooving minimal tech-house from holland. a must own.

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helios / caesura / type

i love every helios album and caesura is no exception. gorgeously layered epic shoegaze compositions that will make every cold sunday afternoon in the winter feel warm.

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grouper / dragging a dead deer up a hill / type

grouper's mysterious ghostly vocals are hauntingly gorgeous, almost as if she's reaching through lo-fi filtered acoustic layers to say something so sweet and touching you'll forever feel enthralled.

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quantec / thousands of thoughts / quietus

organic delicious minimal dubby ambiance that slowly glides you through blissful deep throbbing shifts.

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emanuele errante / humus / somnia

italian composer emanuele errante creates lovely delicate organic flowing minimal classical music that is bound to soothe and relax the soul.

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booka shade / the sun + the neon light / get physical

booka shade's music is extremely well produced and polished. the sun and the neon light has addictive dance floor tracks that are bound to get your feet moving. i couldn't get enough of this release in the summer.

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morgan geist / double night time / environ/revolver

if you love the junior boys you're bound to love this, well-crafted collaborative work between morgan geist and sexy vocalist jeremy greenspan. geist's disco melodic synthlines are superb.

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shed / shedding the past / ostgut

shed manages to combine padded basslines with lovely arranged strings, creating grooving warm rhythmic techno.

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cut copy / in ghost colours / modular recordings

i have a love hate relationship with cut copy. it's my guilty pleasure. i'm not into new wave but i continue to listen to in ghost colours despite the grating old rave peaks and epic sounds. cut copy mashes old and new into delightfully addictive party tracks that i continued to groove to all summer.

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Happy Holidays!!!

18.12.08

15.12.08

12.12.08

8.12.08

2.12.08