Urlaubshits

Top Tracks of 2010: Part 3
December 28, 2010, 10:00 pm

Part 3 of my round up of my top tracks of the year is dedicated to what I am going to call the more “organic” music of 2010. This was a type of music not revolving around any labels, or scenes, but that evolved out of a consummate musicianship and a willingness to look for inspiration in everything from jazz to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop though German kosmische and 20th century minimalism. As a result, the musical inbreeding that can be so rife in genres like house and dubstep were largely absent from the tracks that I have selected. Producers like Four Tet and Caribou, who previously would have been classified with that dirtiest of genre words, “electronica”, created music that distilled many types of club music and combined that essence with their own sounds to make the most unique, and in my opinion, exciting dance music of the year. The same kind of textures were seen in Pantha du Prince’s album Black Noise, and John Roberts’ “house” album Glass Eights. The Knife’s Olof Dreijer was outed as the mysterious Oni Ayhun, continuing to buck any kind of musical trends to make the most uncompromising techno of the year; similarly Border Community’s Luke Abbott released an exceptional album of analog techno that could next to almost nothing else stylistically. Important to this music was texture; thick, lustrous synths, colourful rhythms, but important above all was a willingness to improvise and take risks.

Caribou – Sun [Merge]
Is there any other track that will come to define 2010 for so many? I think not. Mushy, psychedelic, euphoria distilled into 5 minutes. The lyrics, as there are, mean nothing and everything all at once; listening to this song feels practically like an act of pagan worship.

Pantha Du Prince – Satellite Snyper [Rough Trade]
So solid an album is Pantha du Prince’s “Black Noise”, it’s difficult to pick any track as standing out. But what struck me initially about this track was that structurally it feels like a set of Russian nesting dolls, not unfolding gradually, but bringing the new melodic elements into play quite suddenly. When you do reach the melodic centre, the sense of wonder is palpable.

Brassica – Made Up My Mind [Lo Recordings]
Hidden away on Lo Recordings’ Milky Disco 3 compilation, this track will have been overlooked by many, which is criminal, as it is one of the best avant-pop tracks of the year. Managing to sound like Caribou and Junior Boys via Bronski Beat, this is a track that expertly blends metallic and harsh textures with shining melody and a sublime falsetto vocal. If you enjoyed Caribou’s album then this is essential.

Four Tet – Sing (Floating Points Remix) [Domino]
I think this was probably the moment that Floating Points went from being a serious contender to genius for me. This remix is more kosmische than dance music, taking a good 5 minutes to get into the body of the track. Even when it gets there, the curious lack of any real kick drum gives the whole thing a weightless quality that transcends any of the multitude of genres he’s already flirted with. Good luck making it mix fluidly into any kind of DJ set, but as a listening experience, it’s completely immersive.

Luke Abbott – Trans Forest Alignment [Border Community]
Coming from Luke Abbott’s excellent album on Border Community, this track is a masterful blend of musical aesthetic and effect. r the whole thing is in the inverse of most dance music, beginning with a shimmering climax, and ending with a rough analog build-up which climbs into nowhere, it manages to sound as vintage as the Radiophonic Workshop, but uncompromisingly modern at the same time.

Gold Panda – You [Ghostly]
I didn’t quite fall in love with Gold Panda’s album Lucky Shiner in the way that some people did, but this track was a definite highlight for me. I think it’s the fairly languid pace that really works; the sample repetition that characterises his style has a bit of room to breathe, and more importantly is an intrinsic part of the melody rather than just feeling like a throwaway texture. More importantly, the song has time to grow, and, despite the three and a half minute running time, it never feels rushed.

Floating Points – Peoples Potential [Eglo]
“Peoples Potential” marked the latest installment of Floating Points’ continuing development as a producer. The progression from “J&W Beat” through “Vacuum Boogie” to this has been one that has seen him slow his music down gradually, but not that you’d necessarily notice. The beat may be fairly straight, but the acid bass melody and jazzy chords go into Theo Parrish territory and create as relentless a groove as anything he’s done previously.

Four Tet – Nothing To See [Soul Jazz]
For me it wasn’t any of the tracks on the album that defined Four Tet’s original material this year, but this brilliant track on the Soul Jazz Future Bass compilation. It was the track where all of the things that had so clearly influenced a lot of the more upbeat stuff on There Is Love In You (mainly UK Funky and 2-Step it has to be said) collided with his love of Steve Reich-esque minimalism, creating something utterly unique.

Allez-Allez – Weird Science [RVNG]
This track (and indeed his work as Walls) is solid proof that Allez-Allez’s Sam Willis is not just a capable producer, but one that deserves to take his place alongside his other British contemporaries such as James Holden and Nathan Fake. Released on RVNG, the EP that this track comes from could easily be mistaken for a Border Community release, so thick are its textures. The gentle pace is complemented by the luminous melody, which is melodically uplifting without ever being cheap.

Bob Holroyd – African Drug (Four Tet Remix) [Phonica]
I don’t think anyone would disagree that it was Four Tet’s remixes that defined 2010 for him. The album was a little disappointing for me; it just never seemed to go quite far enough away from his usual formula to be genuinely exciting. But in his remixes he really let himself go, jettisoning much of the prettiness, and embracing the harder sounds of bass, UK Funky and techno. To be honest every one of his remixes could have fit in this list – the sublime remix of The xx, his absolutely monstrous reworking of Rocketnumbernine or his glitchy 2-step re-creation of Jon Hopkins’ “Vessel”; but it’s this one that really does something very special. Combining the melodic percussives that Hebden is known for with a thundering bassline, and filtered drums which create a dark, psychedelic effect, this is easily one of the most viscerally satisfying productions Hebden has done since Everything Ecstatic’s “A Joy”.

Oni Ayhun – OAR 004-A [OAR]
Despite it’s rather cold and alien sound this is actually to my ears one of the most organic sounding tracks this year. Punctuated by stabs of screaming white noise and the occasional rhythms of a clattering poltergeist in the background, it’s the audio equivalent of a terror trip into an arctic wasteland. It won’t be to everybody’s taste, but if you travel through and let yourself be bombarded by the pneumatic frequencies of the searing climax you’ll be rewarded.

Walls – Burnt Sienna [Kompakt]
In the heartbeat kick drum and atmospheric drones that begin this track, you can hear the influence of the German school of kosmische, but thanks to the innate sense of melody that Walls possess, this track has a sound that is actually owes more to the British electronic music tradition than anything German. The track may be slow to get going, and isn’t strictly dance music, but the atmosphere that comes across at the 3 minute mark is total 5am euphoria.

John Roberts – Glass Eights [Dial]
John Roberts’ Glass Eights is easily one of the best house albums this year, and it’s this title track that succinctly demonstrates why. His sound is deeply organic, using the sounds of real instruments (or at least some very complex softsynths) over a sparing amount of synthetic sounds. It’s something that could fail so easily, but in Roberts’ hands it seems effortless. This track is built around a piano chord progression that never quite resolves; as such you are kept in a constant state of anticipation, with even the woodwind solo at the halfway point offering little in the way of conclusion, but the track finishes all the better for it.