TOP 100 2014

100 TRACKS TOTAL

• Rule 3:41 Actress Ghetto ville Werk discs / Ninja Tune
  Actress’s talent for building otherworldly and mind-bending, forward-facing music that sounds like nothing else has always been clear.
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  1. Santiago Black (Ptaki Version) 6:45 Al Dobson Jr.Rye Lane Versions Rhythm Section International
  South London’s finest party throwers Rhythm Section return with a new 12″ following on from their hugely successful release of Al Dobson Jr.’s Rye Lane Volume One.
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  1. UK74R1405016 6:06 Aleksi Perala The Colundi Sequence Level 3AP Musik
  Melodic patterns, crystal-like tones and pulsing beats, bubble up and trickle down over each other, creating an incredible electronic composition.
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  1.  Dive Prophets 7:01 ALSOEP01 R&S Records
  This is the collaborative effort from Appleblim and Second Storey who earn their place on the label’s shelves with this experimental and carefully composed EP.
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  1. Amen HQ 5:29 Amen Andrews News of the World EP Blue berry Records
  Luke Vibert returns to his Amen Andrews to release this tabloid-damming EP via FaltyDL’s Blueberry imprint.
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  1. Photon Visibility Function 7:20 And Cosmic Microwave Background Electric Deluxe
  Cosmic Microwave Background expands on their full spectrum of textures and moods.
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  1. Damage 4:35 Andy Stott Faith In Strangers Modern Love
  Stott paints vast landscapes of sound that strike a fine balance between experimental beat based electronica and inner city ambiance designed to perfectly fit in with the grey Northern skies under which it was recorded.
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  1. PAPAT4 [155][pineal mix] 4:18 Aphex Twin Syro Warp
  Easily the most highly anticipated LP of 2014.
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  1. Thievery 2:33 Arca Xen Mute
  The bass heavy ‘Thievery’ could almost be a hip-hop answer to some of the more beat focused sides to this incredible record.
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  1. White Freckles 2:46 Ariel Pink pom pom 4AD
  With psych-dub, thrasher pop-punk and even a couple of collaborations with cult-rock royalty Kim Fowley, this record is the sound of Ariel Pink’s modern masterwork.
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  1. Syptixed 7:27 Autechre Bleep
  Syptixed’ is a dark and precise piece of heavy electronic experimentation.
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  1. Eyes Closed 5:58BADBADNOTGOODIII Innovative Leisure Records / Because Music
  Eyes Closed’ sees the trio join the dots between traditional modal jazz and a more hip-hop sound usually associated with Madlib or Dilla.
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  1. sometimes the only way out is to go further in 9:32 Bass Clef Bugbranded EP Public Information
  Bass Clef joins the dots between early acid house, the library sounds of the BBC Radiophonic workshop and AFX’s Analord series.
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  1. Sola Fide 6:27 Ben Frost A U R O R A Mute
  A body of work that will mine deep into the depths of a listener’s psyche.
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  1. One Blings Beneath Vobes EP PAN
  A subterranean-sounding release that would perfectly soundtrack smoke-filled basement parties at 4am.
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  1. Melba’s Call (feat. Kelela) 4:11 Bok Bok Your Charizmatic Self Night Slugs
  The track is impressive in its unabashed extravagance, with strident synth stabs and shanking funk guitars piercing through skittering half-step percussion. The producer’s marriage of hefty bass surges and Kelela’s commanding vocal delivery is admirable, resulting in a mixture as likely to impress a dancefloor as mainstream radio.
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  1. Bravo 2:51 Budgie The Budgie EP Wildheart Recordings
  His own productions have been praised by none other than Theo Parrish and this release shows just what an exceptional talent he is.
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  1. Can’t Do Without You 3:56 Caribou Our Love City Slang
  Can’t Do Without You’: a dazzling electronic exultation that might surpass anything he’s done before, endless ecstasy rippling through its swelling layers of dreamy noise.
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  1. With 3:58 Cashmere Cat Wedding Bells EP Lucky Me
  ‘With Me’ has expressive waves of autotune and electro thump.
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  1. The Liminal Space 5:08 Children of Alice Fore Hallowe’en Folklore Tapes
  Just as unsettling as it is fascinating with supernatural themes seeping through the speakers.
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  1. The Rain stick Fable 3:50 Clap! Clap!Tayi Bebba Black Acre
  A round the world Randomer-indebted percussive workout.
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  1. Unfurla 5:26 Clark Clark Warp
  ‘Unfurla’ juxtaposes hulking drum kicks against sickly sweet melodic keys.
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  1. advice to young girls 4:48 Copeland Because I’m Worth It Unknown
  Advice To Young Girls’, produced by Actress, sees Copeland offer a modern-day sermon on best behavior.
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  1. The Claw 6:27 Cut Hands Festival of the Dead Blackest Ever Black
  The Claw’ could be an old-school Surgeon and Regis track transported back to the dark ages and made on a wooden computer.
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  1. A Communion with These People 3:25 Dalhous Will to Be Well Blackest Ever Black
  A Communion with These People’ is an emotive piece that recalls the rain-soaked Blade Runner blues of Vangelis.
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  1. Icy Lake (Original Arena Mix) 9:06 Dat Oven Icy Lake Night Slugs / Fade To Mind
  Icy Lake’ shows just how prescient the two New Yorkers were back in the day.
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  1. 3100 3:20 Dean Blunt Black Metal Rough Trade
  Dean Blunt returns on Black Metal and delivers his most assured and ambitious record to date for Rough Trade.
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  1. Paradise Grove 7:07 DMX Krew Shape Shifting Shaman Breakin Records
  DMX Krew throw some ’80’s freestyle thrown in on ‘Paradise Glove’, filtered of course through Upton’s unique flashy, funky prism.
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  1. The Fizzy Track 4:22 EDMX Wicked Drummer EP Skrufix
  Things get underway for EDMX with ‘The Fizzy Track’ which references UK garage and 2-step with it’s kicking drums and nimble key work.
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  1. Valley Of The Birds 11:51 Emerald Web The Stargate Tapes Finders Keepers Records
  This Miami raised husband and wife duo moved to California to create music for planetariums and astronomy films on the cusp of the New Age explosion that quickly buried the sunshine state in candle wax and crystals.
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  1. Lilac 9:24 Eno · Hyde High Life Warp
  The release looks to unite the stark beauty found in the repetitive minimalistic works of pioneers Steve Reich and Philip Glass together with the undeniably funky grooves of Fela Kuti’s polyrhythmic afro-beat.
• Salt Carousel 3:58 Evian Christ Water fall Tri Angle
  Continuing with his genre-defying material is Evian Christ’s ambienct ‘Salt Carousel’.
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  1. Shanghai Freeway 5:28 Fatima Al Qadiri Asiatisch Hyperdub
  Shanghai Freeway’ see Al Qadiri at her most familiar, those shimmering xylophone-esque arpeggios and bombastic horn-like bassline.
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  1. Track Dump 1:31 Filter Dread From the Reels: A No Corner Collection No Corner
  A hefty package, this is one for the ages.
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  1. Two Weeks 4:07 FKA twigs LP1 Young Turks
  Two Weeks’ is still a stand out track, pop music shot through with an elegant but visceral sensuality.
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  1. Dead Man’s Tetris (feat. Captain Murphy & Snoop Dogg) 2:25 Flying Lotus You’re Dead! Warp
  A wholly immersive, psychedelic journey, it’s a virtuoso performance from one of the decade’s most talented and inventive artists.
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  1. Clearing 4:41 Grouper Ruins Kranky
  It features truly quiet, trembling vocals which resemble her previous work whilst what differentiates these are the breathless shaken syllables that come out like secrets.
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  1. One Two Three 5:10 Herbert Part 6 Accidental
  Uplifting opener ‘One Two Three’ features a jaunty micro-house groove, warm keys and a lovely vocal turn from Hejira’s Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne.
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  1. Letters From The Edge 6:27 Hieroglyphic Being And The Configurative Or Modular Me Trio The Seer Of Cosmic Visions Planet Mu
  Jamal Moss wears his Sun Ra influences on his sleeve and his singular approach to music is similar to that of the mythical Saturnite’s; always challenging, unique, with no comprise.
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  1. Chorus 5:54 Holly Herndon Chorus RVNG Intl.
  Herndon continues her concept driven ethos by sampling her daily Internet browsing and distilling it down into a working beat littered with her own processed vocal effects making for a highly unorthodox and intriguing experience.
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  1. Chimes 3:31 Hudson Mohawke Chimes Warp
  Hudson Mohawke returns with a long-awaited solo EP on Warp.
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  1. Zen 4:19 Inkke Crystal Children – EP Local Action
  Inkke further refines his style on the Crystal Children EP, with his grime influences becoming more apparent visible on tracks such as “Zen”.
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  1.  No Excuse 5:38 Jacques Greene Phantom Vibrate EP Lucky Me
  No Excuse’ opens the release with a phantom vocal spread over a melancholy deep house groove.
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  1. Run 4:08 Jim-E Stack Tell Me I Belong Innovative Leisure
  A melting pot of house, techno, Baltimore club, grime and much more that maintains a balance between elements from the past and the future.
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  1. Ancestral Footsteps 5:12 Jo Johnson Weaving Further Records
  Opening piece ‘Ancestral Footsteps’ is easily comparable to the new-age tainted, minimalistic repetition of Terry Riley, with the delicate harp picks gradually swelling in size to take on new levels of intensity.
• Garden of Eden 3:45 JT The Goon Plume Oil Gang 
  Nu-grime trigger happy wonderment.
• Bent 5:45 Kiasmos Kiasmos Erased Tapes
  With misty synths and metronomic percussive sections, the record paints a picture
• of Nordic pastures.
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  1. Mtzpn 3:42 Kuedo Hyper dub 10.1 Hyper dub
  The lush Vangelis inspired ‘Mtzpn’ from Kuedo is a continuation of the sci fi inspired ‘Severant’ album from a few years back, wglassy synth textures wrap them sounds around the rolling snares while they fire off into oblivion.
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  1. Lined Up 4:22 Kyoka IS (Is Superpowered) raster-noton
  ‘Lined Up’ throws down dancehall vocals and spoken utterances, a pounding beat grounding the track in a very specific space.
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  1. Mimas Skank 6:01 Lee Gamble Kuang EPPAN
  The wormy riff of “Mimas Skank” seems to levitate just above the surface of a sharp infectious club beat.
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  1. It’s Just (House of Dupree) 8:45 Leon Vynehall Music
  2. for the Uninvited 3024
  It’s Just (House of Dupree)’ shows the producer has a degree of subtlety rare for artists who can also fulfil the requirements of a dance floor.
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  1. Bother 3:44 Les Sins (Toro Y Moi) Michael Company Records
  Brother’ aims for the ‘floor with a strong, catchy bass.
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  1. Airglow Fires 6:01 Lone Reality Testing R&S Records
  A frantically upbeat track.
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  1. rone One 6:32 Lowtec Port Carbon BRAiNMATH
  Jens Kuhn shows that through his career that has spanned in to two decades, he has been a key innovator in the evolution of house music.
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  1. Free Migration 6:11 Luke Abbott Wysing Forest Border Community
  Free Migration’ is pinned down by a heavy, thudding rhythm.
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  1. Nine 4:17 Lukid Crawlers Liberation Technologies
  Nine’ is a fizzing array of fractured electronics and sinking sand beats.
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  1. Imminent 3:46 LV and Joshua Idehen Islands Keysound
  LV swirl their alarming synth sounds and kuduro rhythms into grime.
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  1. Outta This Hood 6:17 Marquis Hawkes Outta This Hood Clone Jack For Daze Series
  Marquis Hawkes dives straight in with tough, analogue drums on ‘Outta This Hood’.
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  1. Reservoir 3:15 Metronomy Love Letters Because Music
  A classic electronic-pop piece, carrying a warm sound and laced with nostalgia.
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  1. Corrosive 6:09 Millie & Andrea Drop The Vowels Modern Love
  Millie & Andrea bend rugged club music tropes and the darker end of pop music through their own unique and unusual aesthetic.
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  1. Arklight 2:33 Mndsgn Yawn Zen Stones Throw
  Faithful disciples of Nosaj Thing, Flying Lotus or any of the Brainfeeder crew should take note.
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  1. Little Brown Dog 2:39 Mo Kolours Mo Kolours One-Handed Music
  From his soulful debut album, ‘Little Brown Dog’ has incredible use of steel drums.
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  1. We Been Ready Moleskin Moleskin EP Goon Club Allstars
  The blazing horn riff of opening track ‘We Been Ready’ sets the exhilarating tone, haywire beats ricocheting with club-slaying abandon.
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  1. Take Time 3:43 Mumdance featuring Novelist Take Time Rinse
  A surprising but welcome turn from the producer and a different take on instrumental grime than one might have expected from him.
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  1. Black Drift 4:20 Nathan Fake Cambria 01 Cambria Instruments
  Black Drift’ starts things off, an initially inauspicious tripping beat gathering momentum and morphing into a far-out piece of fuzzy house underpinned by sunken low-end rumbles.
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  1. Mean The Most 4:54 NEHRUVIANDOOMN ehruviandoom Lex Records
  Legendary hip hop artist MF DOOM teams up with 17 year old Bishop Nehru for the promising young rapper’s debut full-length release on Lex Records.
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  1. Sniper 3:15 Novelist Sniper EPOil Gang
  ‘Sniper’ brings the combat zone vibes with a barrage of gun shots making you take cover.
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  1. Ganzfeld 5:56 Objekt Hypnagogia Leisure System
  A groove heavy take on techno driven by an off-kilter rhythm and a playful funk synth line that begs to be heard on a club sound system.
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  1. Holy Oxygen 3:39 Okmalumkoolkat Holy Oxygen IAffine
  ‘Holy Oxygen’ flaunts future-leaning hip-hop production perfectly complimented by Okmalumkoolkat’s characteristic talents.
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  1. Mr Noah 4:13 Panda Bear Mr Noah Domino Recording Co
  Panda Bear begins his EP with the rather unsettling sounds of canine howls and whimpers before opening into one of his most instantly gratifying vocal hooks since Person Pitch.
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  1. All We Know 4:47 Paul White Shaker Notes R&S Records
  ‘All We Know’ sets us into a plush, dub-rich African groove tainted with a smoky future jazz haze.
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  1. End Point (Stenny & Andrea Remix) 6:29 Peverelist, Kowton Livity Sound Remixes Livity Sound Recordings
  A steroidal enhancements of ‘End Point’ from Stenny & Andrea.
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  1. Matin Lunaire 4:12 Plaid Reachy Prints Warp
  The crisp electro spirit of standout ‘Martin Lunaire’ brims with effervescent spirit, its joyful melodies evocative of an imagined youth.
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  1. Human Drama 4:05 Planningtorock All Love’s Legal Human Level
  Human Drama’ shows a more synthetic, dance-floor focused sound, a catching synth riff and swelling melody turning the track into a liberating anthem.
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  1. Maniac (feat. Russell Haswell) 6:20 Powell (Diagonal) Club Music Diagonal
  A malformed monster of a cut where disparate samples and left-field instrumentation rain down over the muffled bass line like fuselage.
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  1. Black Dragons3:59 Rabi tDouble Dragon EP Glacial Sound
  Black Dragons’ strikes all the harder for the poise that gunshot bass is deployed with.
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  1. Stupid Things I Do (New School Mix) 6:29 Randomer Stupid Things I Do Clone Basement Series
  Clean lines and tapered sonic wizardry.
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  1. Islands of Glass 5:10 Rob Clouth Clockwork Atom Leisure System
  ‘Island Of Glass’ has a cold, mechanic glare of with its sizzling electrical charge and hammer-blow beats.
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  1. Remember (Hieroglyphic Being Version) 7:45 Roedelius Roedelius – Remixes All Saints Records
  Heiroglyphic Being turns up the intensity on his version of ‘Remember’. The gritty Chicago based producer serves up an intense and fried jazz-y remix of the original this is of piece with the rest of his provocative oeuvre.
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  1. Roots 7:53 Romare Roots Ninja Tune
  An anthem-in-waiting that employs simplicity in the best way possible.
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  1. Spring Break (Extended Freestyle Playlist edit) 2:40 Russell Haswell 37 Minute Work Out Diagonal
  Russell Haswell applies the obsessive, volatile qualities of Haswell’s visual and experimental work with the likes of Florian Hecker to dance music tropes.
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  1. Up Down (feat. D Double E) 3:43 Rustie Green Language Warp
  A long-player with birdsong at the heart of its inspiration.
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  1. Meshes 2:39 Sd Laika That’s Harakiri Tri Anglel
  Meshes’ is an eastern riot of drums.
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  1. Ganda Rising 6:28 Shackleton Bleep:10 Bleep
  Shackleton turns in a relentless track of rough and thrilling techno.
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  1. Ancient Dolphin 4:34 Slackk Palm Tree Fire Local Action
  Ancient Dolphin’ takes things into more energised territory on Slackk’s ‘Palm Tree Fire’
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  1. Lemonade 1:59 SOPHIE Lemonade / Hard Numbers
  Lemonade’ lurches between minimal blips and all out, maximal pop fireworks, its squeaky clean sound somehow making the whole thing more unpredictable and wild.
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  1. In Wait 6:18 Spaces One Bleep
  In Wait’ combines a kaleidoscope of beats transported through an ambient techno mainframe before fading into oblivion.
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  1. Dissolver 7:16 Squarepusher x Z-MACHINES Music For Robots Warp
  A true collaboration between the organic and electronic, this is the result of when Squarepusher asked whether it was possible for robots to create emotionally engaging music.
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  1. Routine 3:56 Sully Blue Key sound
  UK producer Sully returns with an extensive jungle release on London’s Keysound Recordings. Whereas his debut explored the likes of footwork, juke and 2-step, Blue sees Sully take a nostalgic approach to classic jungle.
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  1. To Be Kind 8:22 Swans To Be Kind Mute
  Mixing desert rock with blues, industrial and forward-thinking classicism.
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  1. Rough 24:46 Tessela Rough 2 R&S Records
  ‘Rough 2’ is built around a big, clattering drum pattern that’d perk up ears all on its own, which Russell layers with an edgy synth line and ray gun FX.
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  1. Change Your Mind 5:07 The Horrors Luminous XL
  Recorded over a period of 15 months in the band’s east London studio with the assistance of co-producer Craig Silvey, we see the group move to a brighter, more electronically focused sound rich with anthemic qualities.
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  1. Down in the Traffic 4:50 To Rococo Rot Instrument City Slang
  Berlin post-rock trio To Rococo Rot return to City Slang with Instrument. This homecoming doesn’t prevent them from venturing into new musical territories.
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  1. Rachid Ouiguini 4:33 Toumani Diabate & Sidiki Diabate Toumani & Sidiki World Circuit
  Toumani and Sidiki draw on obscure, almost forgotten Kora pieces as well as presenting a new take on Malian Mande classics. Recorded live without overdub in North London, the stereo set-up allows you to hear Toumani in the left speaker and Sidiki on the right.
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  1. Taxi Sadness 2:29 Mu-Ziq Rediffusion Planet Mu
  Taxi Sadness’ sees Mu-ziq working within a more relaxed, hip hop influenced sound, the hazy sound aesthetic capturing the nostalgia of the instrumental beat-based textures.
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  1. Rückzug 5:26 Vermont Kompakt
  An excellent track from the collaborative project between Marcus Wogrull and Motor City Drum Ensemble’s Danilo Plessow.
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  1. Red Sex 5:37 Vessel Punish, Honey Tri Angle
  A pitch-twisted tour through an automated factory on the fritz.
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  1. Mecca 3:44 Wild Beasts Present Tense Domino Recording Co
  Culled from the ‘Beasts album Present Tense, Mecca is outstanding stand-out track.
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  1. On a Level 3:03 Wiley Snakes & Ladders Big Dada
  Wiley returns with this surprise full-length cementing his spot on the throne looking over UK grime with the screw-faced flossing of ‘On A Level’.
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  1. Wanna Love You 4:16 Willie Burns I Wanna Love You Hot Haus Recs
  The bouncy ‘I Wanna Love You’ is an exhilarating track.