Mad delay getting this up here, tradition does dictate first of the New Year but what can we say…it’s been a crazy series of events lately. Simply put, 2014 was freaking awesome. So much good music, new labels and strange directions for wax and cassette labels that kept us interested for the full twelve months, if consistently broke at the same time.
Here’s a few of our favourite things from the year we just left behind.
KEITH P
In no order, sorted by format (sort of)…
Favourite LPs:
Wen – Signals [Keysound Recordings]
Aybee / Afrikan Sciences – Sketches Of Space [Deepblak Recordings]
Various (El Kid / Filter Dread / Lily) – From The Reels – A NoCorner Collection [NoCorner]
Lee Bannon – Alternate / Endings [Ninja Tune]
Actress – Ghettoville LP [Werkdiscs]
Various – Multiply: Duppy Gun Productions Vol. 1 [Duppy Gun Productions]
Lee Gamble – Kock [PAN]
Aby Ngana Diop – Liital [Awesome Tapes From Africa]
Clipping – CLPPNG [Sub Pop]
Millie & Andrea – Drop The Vowels [Modern Love]
Favourite 7″ / 10″ /12″ / EPs:
Marquis Hawkes – Outta This Hood [Clone Jack For Daze]
Jon Hassell – Remixes (Bandshell / Patten / No Ufos / Some Truth) [All Saints]
DJ Madd – Unfaithful (Version) [Lion Charge]
Itokim – Rhythm Poets [Subject Detroit]
Royal Rave – Royal Rave / Rub-A-Dub [Red 7]
Itinerant Dubs – Non-Material Space [Itinerant Dub]
Top Cassette Releases:
D/P/I – Rico EP [Leaving Records]
Jahtari x Uprooted Sunshine Soundsystem – Level Up! [Jahtari, Uprooted Sunshine]
Seekersinternational – Root Principle [No Corner]
Hate (G.H. / Andy Stott / Miles Whittaker) – Bad History [HATE]
Famous Moon King – Famous Moon King [Tesla Tapes]
Hacker Farm – Dreamware Reboot [Feral Tapes]
Ras G – Raw Fruit Vol. 3 [Leaving Records]
Cakedog (Ahnnu) – Menace In The Phantom [Leaving Records]
Favourite Doco:
‘Mirage Men – How The US Government Created A Myth That Took Over The World’
By by John Lundberg, Roland Denning, Kypros Kyprianou and Mark Pilkington
Favourite Store:
Rewind Forward (www.RWDFWD.com)
CDs & Digi:
Joseph Hammer – The Roadless Travel [Art Into Life]
Howlround – Torridon Gate [A Year In the Country]
Robert Hood – M-Print: 20 Years Of M-Plant Music [M-Plant]
Sub Luna City – City Rivims MK 1 [Cityrivmix]
Moon Wiring Club – Leoprine Pleasure Gardens (CD Version) [Gecophonic Audio Systems]
Favourite Blog:
Darmon Richter – http://www.thebohemianblog.com/
Man Of The Year:
Ralph Cumbers aka Bass Clef aka Some Truths
Bass Clef had a ridiculous 2014. Not only did he release five Bass Clef records on five different labels, two Some Truth LPs and appear on a load of compilations, but he also remixed Jon Hassell, Luc Marianni, Ricardo Tobar and Spatial. His work was crazy diverse and the scary part is how damn good it is. Bass Clef has been on the grind for time, and finally reached the point of no return; where everything he does, from tribute albums to electronic engineers to remixing trumpeters is coming out original (even from his own catalogue) and mind-blowingly good. It wouldn’t be fair to include him in the charts, for 2014 he was just in a league of his own.
For those in need of introduction to the catalogue check Acid Tracts Vol. 1, the Bugbranded EP and his remix of Jon Hassell’s ‘Red Rose Empire.’
JIMMY MONSTA FUNK
Top 20 Tracks:
Caserta – Dynamics EP (Razor-N-Tape)
Chasing Kurt – From The Inside (Henrik Schwarz remix) (DFTD)
Cratebug – Tugboat Edits Vol 4 (Tugboat Edits)
DJ Roach – My Riot (Nuestro Futuro)
Elizabeth Merrick Jefferson – Quetzalcoatl (Crimes Of The Future)
Floorplan – Never Grow Old (Re Plant) (M Plant)
Janis – Forgiveness EP (Mirau Musik)
Joshua Iz / Jamie Anderson – Get To Know (Cat In A Tree)
Jovonn – Back To House (Ian Pooley remixes)(Underground Solution)
Joyce Muniz feat Bam – Back In The Days (Exploited)
Kai Alce – Ahh! (Kolour Limited)
Karim Sahraoui – Eternal Life Part 1 EP (Transmat)
La Fleur – Arms Around EP (Watergate)
OB Ignitt – I’m Here Now The Arrival (OBONIT)
Ron Maney aka DJ Skull – Revenge Of The Synth (Chiwax)
Todd Osborn – Michigan Dream EP (Blueberry)
Trulz & Robin – Sol (Full Pupp)
Swindle – Walter’s Call (Brownswood)
Various Artists – The Backpack EP (D3 Elements)
Zoe Zoe – Reworks (Donny Hathaway – I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know) (No Rights Reserved)
Top 5 LPS:
Leon Vynehall – Music for the Uninvited (3024)
Millie & Andrea – Drop the Vowels (Modern Love)
Population One – Theater of a Confused Mind (Rush Hour)
Terrence Parker – Life on the Back 9 (Planet E)
Young Fathers – Dead (Big Dada)
Top 5 Reissues / Compilations:
Mantronix – King Of The Beats: Anthology 1985 – 1988 (Traffic Entertainment Group)
Push/Pull – Bang the Drums (Rush Hour)
Shinichi Atobe – Butterfly Effect (Demdike Stare)
Various Artists – Dance Mania Hardcore Traxx: Dance Mania Records 1986 – 1997 (Strut)
Various Artists – Use of Weapons 6 (Use of Weapons)
Top 5 Films:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Dir. Anthony Russo / Joe Russo)
Frank (Dir. Lenny Abrahamson)
Guardians of the Galaxy (Dir. James Gunn)
Robot and Frank (Dir. Jake Schreier)
Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au Bon Dieu? (Dir. Philippe de Chauveron)
Top 5 Documentaries:
An Honest Liar (Directed by Tyler Measom / Justin Weinstein)
Educating the East End (Executive Producers: David Clews / Andrew Mackenzie-Betty)
Soccer Coach Zoran and his African Tigers (Directed by Sam Benstead)
Sonic Highways (Directed by Dave Grohl)
The Weather Underground (Directed by Sam Green / Bill Siegel)*
* Although this was released in 2002, a posting from AWKMO finally prompted me to see this extraordinary film.
Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore:
A trip to the Centre Pompidou in Paris in the summer was initially highly forgettable (at least I cannot remember a single thing about the temporary exhibition I went to), however going through the permenant collection there lead me to a video piece called ‘Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore’ produced by Mark Leckey.
What stunned me about this piece was the mixture of iconic Northern Soul dance footage intermingled with that horrid UK 80s cheesy disco vibe that then gives way to the rave days of my youth. The video piece can be viewed below.
Top Art Stuff:
Drawn by Light: The Royal Photographic Society Collection
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/drawn_by_light
A really excellent exhibition showing the history of the photographic process and a histrorical cross section of a variety of photographic practitioners from the RPS collection.
PAUL ACKROYD aka KAMIKAZE
Top 20 Albums…
01. Ras G – Raw Fruit Vol 2 / Raw Fruit Vol 3 / Down 2 Earth Vol 2 (Standard Bap Edition) / Seat Of The Soul [all Leaving Records]
02. Malayeen – Malayeen [Discrepant]
03. Sub Luna City – City Rivims MK 1 [Cityrivmix]
04. Noura Mint Seymali – Tzenni [Glitterbeat]
05. Joseph Hammer – The Roadless Travel [Art Into Life]
06. Shxcxchcxsh – Linear S Decoded [Avian]
07. The Bug – Angels and Devils [Ninja Tune]
08. Shabazz Palaces – Lese Majesty [Sub Pop]
09. Ibibio Sound Machine – Ibibio Sound Machine [Soundway]
10. Trash Kit – Confidence [Upset! The Rhythm]
11. Tomaga – Futura Grotesk [Hands In The Dark]
12. Millie & Andrea – Drop The Vowels [Modern Love]
13. Good Throb – Fuck Off [White Denim]
14. Untold – Black Light Spiral [Hemlock Recordings]
15. Flava D – FlavaD.com Vol.5 [Not On Label]
16. Abdulla Rashim – Unanimity [Northern Electronics]
17. A New Line (Related) – A New Line (Related) [Home Assembly Music]
18. Grems – Buffy [Musicast]
19. Astor – Inland [Kye]
20. Michael Valentine West – Code 17 Abstraction [Ana Ott]
Chasing Pack…
21. Vtgnike
22. Klara Lewis
23. Mica Levi
24. Scanner
25. Shinichi Atobe
26. DVA
27. Ora Clementi
28. Kasai Allstars
29. Dolly Dolly
30. Lucy
31. The Soundcarriers
32. Shit n Shine
33. Bjork + Death Grips
34. Goat
35. Frau
36. Dakim & Fumitake Tamura
37. Ooioo
38. Carla Bozulich
39. Kyoka
40. Locust
Top 10 Reissues / Compilations…
01. Muslimgauze – Chasing The Shadow of Bryn Jones [Vinyl-On-Demand]
02. Aby Ngana Diop – Liital [Awesome Tapes From Africa]
03. Various – Haiti Direct: Big Band, Mini Jazz & Twoubadou Sounds, 1960-1978 [Strut]
04. Various – Balani Show Super Hits – Electronic Street Parties In Mali [Sahel Sounds]
05. Various – From The Reels – A NoCorner Collection [NoCorner]
06. Various – Multiply: Duppy Gun Productions Vol. 1 [Duppy Gun Productions]
07. Various – Tropical Disco Hustle! [Cultures Of Soul]
08. Nana Love – Disco Documentary – Full Of Funk [BBE]
09. Muyei Power – Sierra Leone In 1970s USA [Soundway]
10. Robert Hood – M-Print: 20 Years Of M-Plant Music [M-Plant]
Man Of The Year:
Ras G
Ras G hit another level for me in 2014. Been hooked since I picked up Ghetto Sci-Fi in 2008, and have grabbed pretty much everything he’s put out along the way, and rightly hammered them across my various radio shows over the years. But 2014 saw a release schedule that elevated him to Muslimgauze levels of productivity, with a new album dropping about every three months. He’s a prolific producer, and for me everything he touches is solid gold. We were treated to two more volumes of the Raw Fruit series, as well as a split with VHVL, and another long-player, Down 2 Earth Vol. 2 (The Standard Bap Edition). We are lucky to have such a consistent musician on the planet, every single album he puts out gives so much, demands so many repeat listens, all done with a real sense of fun and ease about it, moving the head and body in equal measures, and always leaving a beaming grin on the face. And, as if he needed bonus points, the man loves a bit of Lonnie Holley. Ras G, we fucking love you! Here’s to another pile of awesome releases in 2015…