Twenty Fifteen

posted in: 2015, What's Rad Today | 0

As 2015 Best/Favourite lists are being hastily compiled, here is a reminder of album performers that came from this camp. The contenders are comprised of an Afrobeat icon, underground-soul home recordist, original and 2.0 grime pioneers, Thai-funk Texans, synth-manglers, a half-time DnB trio and compilations by two of the leading modern composers. So essentially just your standard chart fodder. A huge thanks/well done to those who took time to listen and covered with positivity, you are indeed righteous.

Wax Stag - II - Album ArtworkWax Stag ‘II’ (Old Habits)
“Like a halfway point between Boards of Canada and Todd Terje—idyllic yet faintly impish, bittersweet but profoundly unbothered” Pitchfork
“Something of a beautiful soul…an electronic album for humans” The 405
“Soothing 80s style motorik synth-pop given just enough bite from contemporary dance music to avoid becoming pastiche” Mojo

Mumdance & Logos - Proto - ArtworkMumdance & Logos ‘Proto’ (Tectonic)
“A torrent of 10 tracks that channel numerous jungle spirits and sound palettes alike” DJ Mag
“A record that shows you don’t always have to be flashy to be futuristic” Resident Advisor
“A homage to bleep techno and hardcore seen through 2015 eyes” Uncut

Late Night Tales Jon Hopkins - ArtworkLate Night Tales: Jon Hopkins (Late Night Tales)
“A labour of love – and it shows” Mixmag
“A mesmerising slow motion cartwheel though lush, ambient backdrops and meticulous melancholic electronica” Crack Magazine
“An illustrious patchwork of influences” DJ Mag
“A perfectly constructed collection of tracks” Clash
“A beautifully constructed, cohesive compilation of tracks” The 405

FABRICLIVE 80 Mumdance - ArtworkFABRICLIVE 80: Mumdance (fabric)
“A statement of intent and a musical background check on a producer whose impact can only grow” Crack Magazine
“A joy to behold” Mixmag
“An envelope-pushing exploration of electronic music’s dark recesses” FACT
“Mumdance does grime 2.0 properly” DJ Mag

Dele Sosimi - You Know Fit Touch Am - ArtworkDele Sosimi ‘You No Fit Touch Am’ (Wah Wah 45s)
“Blistering Afro-funk from a true legend” Clash
“Afrobeat will never die so long as Dele’s around” Songlines
“A roof raising, in-the-tradition set laced with Sosimi’s signature splash of funk” Jocks & Nerds
“Clinical in execution and brimming with vitality” London In Stereo

Debruit - Outside The Line - ArtworkDebruit ‘Outside The Line’ (ICI)
“One of the most exciting underground producers of the moment” i-D
“Matching new technology to a West African pulse…Débruit truly defies description” Clash
“There’s nothing quite like this out there” Trap Magazine
“Eleven striking tracks” Okay Africa
“An impressive collection” Hyponik

LHF - For The Thrown - ArtworkLHF ‘For The Thrown’ (Keysound Recordings)
“Indisputably euphoric” Mojo
“LHF are a rare commodity. They have managed to seamlessly hold echoes of London’s past scenes, whilst forging the way for new ones to surface” Drowned In Sound
“Bursting with textures expressed with a newfound sense of clarity” FACT
“Superbly sensuous sounds” DJ Mag

Late Night Tales Nils Frahm - Album ArtworkLate Night Tales: Nils Frahm (Late Night Tales)
“A letter of thanks to those who came before and who still push the boundaries” Drowned In Sound
“Frahm reminds us that music holds a power like no other medium to represent our shared, human emotional experiences” Best Fit
“So much more than a mix, a body of work that you won’t ever want to stop listening to” Stamp The Wax

Bastien Keb - Dinking In The Shadows Of Zizou - ArtworkBastien Keb ‘Dinking in the Shadows of Zizou’ (One-Handed Music)
“A truly original debut album and one that sits among our favourites of the year so far” Stamp The Wax
“Eleven tracks filled with plenty of aural goodness” Ransom Note
“A unique document, one blessed with an innate sense of funk, but also with a shrewd songwriting sensibility” Clash

FABRICLIVE 83 - Logan Sama - ArtworkFABRICLIVE 83: Logan Sama (fabric)
“Not just a comprehensive picture of the grime scene in 2015, but a landmark album in its own right” The Wire
“A landmark mix from the sought after series” Clash
“Who else could put something this incredible together?” Mixmag
“Captures the guileless hysteria of pirated late night sessions with Dewey Decimal precision” Crack Magazine

Ipman - Depatterning - Artwork smIpman ‘Depatterning’ (Tectonic)
“Whomping UK bass with a touch of delicacy” Mixmag
“Ipman turns junglist fury, sudoriferous hardcore and snaky percussive techno into something strikingly individual” Crack
“A dark and atmospheric album with inspiration from all corners of the electronic universe” DJ Mag
“The exciting new face of UK dance music” Data Transmission

Rival Consoles - Howl - Artwork smRival Consoles ‘Howl’ (Erased Tapes)
“Deserves nothing less than total immersion” Loud & Quiet
“Rival Consoles’ finest release to date” The 405
“This humanised take on techno provides both individuality as it does innovation” Crack Magazine
“Heady and transcendent, but not clinical. It’ll grab you by the lapels and drag you into a world rife with life” Best Fit

Mo Kolours - Texture Like Sun - ArtworkMo Kolours ‘Texture Like Sun’ (One-Handed Music)
“Like Marvin Gaye produced by J Dilla” Mojo
“An absolute stunner of an album from start to finish” Mixmag
“Sets the standard of what a genuinely aware and appreciative modern-day-musician is making” Stamp The Wax

Khruangbin - The Universe Smiles Upon You - Artwork smKhruangbin ‘The Universe Smiles Upon You’ (Night Time Stories)
“Hypnotic, spacious, drifting soul music with a cinematic dreaminess” The Guardian
“A sea of sound that’s lovely to get lost in” Best Fit
“An imaginative, inventive and sublime debut album” Stamp The Wax
“A positive energy” The Independent

Ivy Lab - Ivy Lab Presents 2020 Volume One - ArtworkIvy Lab ‘Ivy Lab Presents 20/20 Volume One’ (20/20 LDN)
“There’s a potency to everything Ivy Lab have released” DJ Mag
“The debut album the drum n bass world’s been itching to hear” Mixmag
“The insanely talented trio has breathed new life into drum & bass” UKF

Acre - Better Strangers - Album ArtworkAcre ‘Better Strangers’ (Tectonic Recordings)
“A beautiful record” The Guardian
“Fresh, exciting and doesn’t quite fit in any existing boxes or spaces – and that’s pretty awesome” DJ Mag
“Surely one of the most original and distinctive albums to come from the UK’s post-dubstep (not Post-Dubstep) landscape” FACT

2015-Nothing-To-Do-With-Work-Top-Five
1. Africa Express ‘Africa Express Presents…Terry Riley’s In C Mali’ (Transgressive)
2. Roisin Murphy ‘Hairless Toys’ (PIAS)
3. Indian Wells ‘Pause’ (Bad Panda Records)
4. V/A ‘Lux Aestiva’ (Stratford Ct)
5. Dâm-Funk ‘Invite The Light’ (Stones Throw)