In the order they were sent to me, here’s the Awkward Movements family’s breakdown of 2012. Big ups both L.I.E.S. and Pan, a lot of double up in the lists coming from two of our favourite labels who had an incredible roster of releases over the last 12 months.
RAYNULDS
Tunes Of The Year In No Order:
Joy Orbison & Boddika & Pearson Sound – Faint [SUNKLO]
Pariah & Midland – Untitled 1 [Works The Long Nights]
Omar S & Ob Ignitt – Wayne County Hills Cops Part 2 (Original Mix) [FXHE]
Willie Burns – African Love Story [The Trilogy Tapes]
Elgato – Luv Zombie [Hessle Audio]
Joe – Studio Power On [Hemlock Recordings]
Mala – Stand Against War [DMZ]
Trackman Lafonte & Bonquiqui – Pacific House [L.I.E.S.]
Martyn – Bauplan (L-Vis 1990 & Bok Bok remix) [Brainfeeder]
Pearson Sound – Clutch [Hessle Audio]
Albums Of The Year In No Order:
Lee Gamble – Diversions 1994-1996 [PAN]
Professor Genius – Hassan [L.I.E.S.]
Jam City – Classical Curves [Night Slugs]
Bass Clef – Reeling Skullways [Punch Drunk]
Vessel – Order of Noise [Tri Angle Records]
JIMMY MONSTA FUNK
Top 20 Of The Year In Alphabetical Order:
Abe Duque – What is Music [Abe Duque]
Amit – You Look Better Dead [Exit]
CRU24 – CRU24 (bootleg remix of Street Life by The Crusaders) [White]
Daoija – Reigo Street (Scan 7 Way of the Se7en Mix) [Awkward Movements]
Delano Smith – What I Do (reconstructed by Mike Huckaby) [Sushitech]
Gerald Mitchell – Belly Dancer (Mark Broom Remix) [Motech]
Gerry Read – 90’s Prostitution Racket [Unknown Label]
Hadamard – The Jupiter Cycle Part 1: Jupiter Summanus [Last Known Trajectory]
Justin Martin – Kemistry (Justin Martin Remake) [Dirtybird]
Last Magpie – No More Stories [Losing Suki]
Manmade Science – The Blues 1997 [Philpot]
Model 500 – Control [R&S]
Radio Slave – Mood [Rekids]
Semtek – Bento [Awkward Movements]
The Black Madonna – Alright This Morning [Hometaping is Killing Music]
Tim Woestenenk – Hot Nights [Studio Soulrock]
TJ Kong / Modular K Feat Edward Capel – End Game (Reference Remix) [Poker Flat]
Tyler Friedman – A Night in the Woods [Kontra Music]
Villem – Spring Back [Ingredients]
Vince Watson – Love in F Minor 2012 [Everysoul]
Music Find Of The Year:
Rennie Foster – Falling Skyward (Kaito Remix) – produced in 2010, released in 2011 I heard this on a Derrick May mix and it utterly knocked my socks off, techno with an expressive lead guitar solo (and I normally dismiss the guitar as a tool for behemoth rock stars).
Albums of the Year In Alphabetical Order:
Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes [Warp]
Mala – Mala in Cuba [Brownswood Recordings]
Robert Hood – Nighttime World Volume 3 [Music Man]
Scuba – Personality [Hotflush]
Stefan Goldmann – 17:50 [Macro]
Event of the Year:
The Opening Ceremony of the Olympics
As a self confessed cynic, I was not looking forward to the Olympics. I was well and truly blown away by the encapsulation of history and culture of the British Isles in Danny Boyle’s masterwork. The beautiful rolling countryside giving way to the dark satanic mills, the rise of power offset by the benevolant state creating the NHS and the final flourish of British involvement in high tech industry, film production and music. What truly blew me away though was the scene with the chimneys growing up out of the soil and soundtracked by And I Will Kiss by Underworld featuring Dame Evelyn Glennie. I’d have to think hard about a British ‘Techno’ track (certainly one that mixes electronics, rhythms and melodies that invoke British classical music) being better than this, it gives me goosebumps hearing it back even now. Unbelievably this track still hasn’t been released on vinyl!
Film Of The Year:
The Interrupters
Although this film premiered in 2011, it wasn’t widely available to watch in the UK until 2012. This is another beautifully crafted documentary from Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and tells the story of three violence interrupters trying to reduce the amount of death and destruction in their Chicago communities. Once again a film documenting reality has blown all the theatrical releases out of the water.
KEITH P
Top EP / 12″ / Single Releases Of 2012:
Gobby – New Hat EP [UNO NYC]
Torn Hawk – Tarifa [L.I.E.S.]
2562 – Air Jordan [When In Doubt]
Kyoka – iSH [Raster-Noton]
Scan 7 – The Resistance EP [Tresor]
Tom Richards – Broken Patchbay EP [We Can Elude Control]
Mix Mup – Drive By [Mikrodisko Recordings]
ICube – In Alpha EP [Versatile]
Alex Cortex – Raw EP [KILLEKILL]
Model 500 – Control [R&S Records]
ASC – Droids / Never Enough [Samurai Red Seal]
Albums Of The Year:
Seekersinternational – The Call From Below [Digitalis]
Lone – Galaxy Garden [R&S Records]
Mix Mup & Kassem Mosse – MM/KM LP [The Trilogy Tapes]
Jahiliyya Fields – Unicursal Hexagram [L.I.E.S.]
Bass Clef – Reeling Skullways [Punch Drunk]
The Caretaker – Patience After Seabald [History Always Favours The Winners]
Ali Ag Amoumine – Takamba! [Mississippi Records]
Traxman – Da Mind Of Traxman [Planet Mu]
Ghedalia Tazartes – Coda Lunga [Von]
Nick Edwards – Plekzationz [Editions Mego]
Robert Hood – Nighttime World Volume 3 [Music Man]
Reissues From 2012:
Paperclip People – The Secret Tapes Of Dr. Eich [Planet E]
Various – In The Dark: The Soul Of Detroit [Still Music]
Sterac – Secret Life Of Machines [100% Pure]
Porter Ricks – Biokinetcs [Type]
Various – Personal Space Electronic Soul 1974 – 1984 [Chocolate Industries]
Live Mix Of The Year:
Sandwell District on Boiler Room
Best Print Article of 2012:
The Wire covering Conlon Nancarrow
PAUL ACKROYD AKA KAMIKAZE
As always with Paul you get a full radio show not only for the year but for each section, being completed in the coming days. Big ups Kamikaze as always, proper dedication to deliver some quality radio alongside his year’s best releases.
Top 20 Reissue/Archive Releases 2012:
Ike Yard – Ike Yard [Desire]
Various Artists – African Guitar 5LP Box Set [Mississippi]
Eden Ahbez – Eden’s Island [Moi J’Connais/Black Sweat]
Francis Bebey – African Electronic Music 1975-82 [Born Bad]
Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe [Unseen Worlds]
Various Artists – 60 Years Of Scottish Gaelic 1899-1959 [Fremeaux & Associes
Cults Percussion Ensemble – Cults Percussion Ensemble [Trunk]
Tsege Mariam Gebru – Spielt Eigene Kompositionen [Mississippi/Change]
Mamoud & Abdellah Ghania Ensemble – Eat The Dream [Sublime Frequencies]
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – Singles 1954-57/Rare, Unissued, Or Just Plain Weird [Rumble]
Getatchew Degefu – Wedding Songs [Domino Sound]
Various Artists – Put No Blame On The Master [Social Music]
Dariush Dolat-Shahi – Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar [Dead-Cert Home Entertainment]
In Aeternam Vale – Dust Under Brightness/Highway Dark Veins [Minimal Wave]
Maria Monti – Il Bestiario [Unseen Worlds]
Various Artists – Bed Of Pain/What Remains Of Eden [Canary/Mississippi/Change]
Various Artists – Indonesian Pop Nostalgia [Sham Palace]
Muslimgauze – Souk Bou Saada [Staalplaat]
Pierre Schaeffer – Le Triedre Fertile [Recollection GRM]
Various Artists – Qat, Coffee & Qambus [Parlortone]
Top Albums Of 2012:
1 – BEAK> – >> [Invada]
1 – Goat – World Music [Rocket]
1 – NHK’Koyxen – Dance Classics Vol.1/Dance Classics Vol.2 [Pan]
1 – Seekersinternational – The Call From Below [Digitalis]
2 – Lee Gamble – Dutch Tvashar Plumes [Pan]
2 – Jahiliyya Fields – Unicursal Hexagram [LIES]
2 – Ghedalia Tazartes – Coda Lunga [Von]
2 – Ben Vida – Esstends Esstends Esstends [Pan]
2 – Various Artists – American Noise [L.I.E.S.]
3 – Agali Ag Amoumine – Takamba [Sahel/Mississippi]
3 – Bee Mask – Vaporware/Scanops [Room40]
3 – Death & Vanilla – Rituals [Kalligramofon]
3 – Godspeed You! Black Emperor – ‘Alleljuah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! [Constellation]
3 – Helm – Impossible Symmetry [Pan]
3 – Grischa Liechtenberger – And IV Inertia [Raster Noton]
3 – Moon Duo – Circles [Souterrain Transmissions]
3 – N.Racker – Flock Toxicant [Pre-Cert]
3 – Professor Genius – Hassan [L.I.E.S.]
3 – Slant Azymuth – Slant Azymuth [Pre-Cert]
3 – Swans – The Seer [Young God]
Top Singles/EPs Of 2012
2562 – Air Jordan [When In Doubt]
SND/NHK – Split [Pan]
Torn Hawk – Tarifa EP [L.I.E.S.]
Lee Gamble – Diversions 1994-1996 [Pan]
Mika Vainio – Rasputin 3000 [Comfortzone]
Vladislav Delay – Espoo [Raster Noton]
Hanetration – Tenth Oar EP [Bandcamp]
Jan Jelinek – Music For Fragments [Faitiche]
Two Dogs In A House – Eliminator [L.I.E.S.]
Andy Levine – Remake/Recycle [Self-released 12″/Bandcamp]
Trackman Lafonte & Bonquiqui – Pacific House [L.I.E.S.]
Peter Seligman – Swing Freeze EP [Bandcamp]
Matmos – The Ganzfeld EP [Thrill Jockey]
Rodhad – 1984 [Dystopian]
Sensate Focus vs Heatsick – Deviation Heat-Treated [Pan]
Bookworms – African Rhythms [L.I.E.S.]
Torn Hawk – This Is Crime & Lace (from American Noise sampler 12″) [L.I.E.S.]
Ugandan Methods – Sixth Method [Ancient Methods]
Rrose/Bob Ostertag – The Surgeon General [Eaux]
Wolfgang Voigt – Ruckverzauberung 6 [Magazine]