Looking back at the records and tapes I shouted at last year and it’s pretty spooky how many artists and labels came back again. Maybe I’m getting old, not playing out as much and listening at home instead, or maybe it’s just the couple of big boxsets breaking the record budget, but the most noticeable shift was towards albums over singles. For whatever reason the music that really stuck with me this year were completed pieces start to finish, showcased by the likes of Lone, Trim and Black Merlin exploring different concepts and vibes for a whole LP, still made up of individual tracks.
The master of this seems to be Seekersinternational and there’s no denying the impact that he had on our bank account this year. There’s knowledge and history in those recordings, and Seekers have taken all the influences upon them to craft their own presence across multiple sub-genres. 2016 was the year of more people hearing the Seekers own sound across a number of labels, each one carrying it’s own heat.
On a similar tip, the #BokehThread incident occurred too, and restored my faith in getting sent new bits to listen to. Big ups all involved there, especially Miles and the Bokeh Recordings camp themselves who also took up a fair bit of our listening time across the year and undoubtedly our most hit label, and always reliable.
7s, 10’s, EPs and 12s
Healing Force Project – Gravitational Lensing EP [Firecracker Recordings]
Kaiju – Burn Down Babylon [Deep Medi]
Beatrice Dillon / Karen Gwyer – Curl / Common Soundproofing Myths [Alien Jams]
Copeland & Gast – Sisters Of Control [All Bone]
Porter Ricks – Shadow Boat EP [Tresor]
Lemme Kno - UNTHANK009 [Unthank]
Brassfoot – Realms [Apron]
Lee Gamble – Chain Kinematics [UIQ]
Seekersinternational – TrustInDigikal / IfUWantMe [Bokeh Versions]
Don’t DJ – Gammellan [Berceuse Heroique]
LPs
Al Dobson Jr. – Rye Lane, Vol. 2 & 3 [
Black Merlin – Hipnotik Tradisi [Island Of The Gods]
Dan Melchior – Plays ‘The Greys’ [Ever / Never]
Floorplan – Victorious [M Plant]
Sleaford Mods – Live At SO36 [Harbinger]
Lone – Levitate [R&S]
African With Mainframes – KMT [Soul Jazz]
Seekersinternational – LoversDedicationStation [Bokeh Versions]
Seekers International meets MX 7 – Inna Dancehall Showdown [ICS Library]
Rashad Becker – Traditional Music of Notional Species Vol. II [PAN]
Howlround – A Creak In Time [Psyche Tropes]
GH – Housebound Demigod [Modern Love]
Shinichi Atobe – World [DDS]
Ibrahim Alfa – Hidden By The Leaves [Workshop]
Kassem Mosse – Disclosure [Honest Jon’s Records]
Trim – 1-800 DINOSAUR Presents Trim [1-800-Dinosaur]
Dog Chocolate – Snack Fans [Upset! The Rhythm]
Andy Stott – Too Many Voices [Modern Love]
Cassettes
The First Baboon Civilization – The First Baboon Civilization [Moontown Records]
SeekersInternational – RaggaPreservationSociety EP [Diskotopia]
Stretch & Bobbito – Radio That Changed Lives: 11/02/95 [Stretch & Bobbito]
Aquadab & MC A – All Over There [Bokeh Versions]
Abu Ama – Arabxo Ishara [Bokeh Versions]
Ras G – The Gospel Of The God Spell [Street Corner Music]
Ras G & The Koreatown Oddity – 5 Chuckles – InTheWrld [Leaving Records]
Damu – Off The Spectrum [Keysound]
Best Reissues / Compilations / Super Expensive Boxsets
Count Ossie / The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari – Grounation [Dub Store]
Gas — Box [Kompakt]
DJ Guy – Structures & Rhythms 94-99 [Organic Analogue]
Sun Ra & His Solar Arkestra – I Roam The Cosmos [Art Yard]
King Geedorah – Take Me To Your Leader [Big Dada]
Various Artists – Magnetophonics – Australian Underground Music 1978-1984 [Vinyl-On-Demand]
Various (Adrian Sherwoord) – Sherwood At The Controls Volume 2: 1985-1990 [On-U Sound]
Steve Reich – Drumming, Six Pianos, Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ [Deutsche Grammophon]
Essential Book Buys
Here’s hoping you didn’t sleep on ‘313ONELOVE‘ by Marie Staggart. There’s something moving about the A4 sized hard cover book and the way it’s been lovingly crafted. Despite this social media age, it feels like Detroit techno hasn’t been watered down by the people that make it. From the fans perhaps – with ‘Detroit’ continuing to appear in too many press releases from records all over the world – but not from the artists themselves. This book is that extra dimension to the original scene that many didn’t even realise was missing, and worthy tribute to the city and artists who birthed and built techno as well as those carrying it on today.
On the other side of the spectrum comes This Is Grime by Hattie Collins. A scene that’s built itself up from London youth centres and artists connecting directly with followers and contemporaries. The originators come together to tell the story of how Grime formed and grew to what it is today. Kano, Dizzee, JME, Wiley, Novelist, Terror Danjah, Jammer, Crazy Titch – the list goes on and on of those in conversation with Collins, the job’s been done properly. Stunning photos too.
Watch and Rewatch
With release dates being different in countries and all that, the two documentaries that I repeatedly rinsed the most this year were actually released in 2015.
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives and Wall Writers: Graffiti In It’s Innocence (along with Invisible Britain worth saying) were the films I carried house to house to share and insist on making people watch. Links above give a better run down, but you can check the trailers below.