Reminiscing on the golden age of drum & bass with this record on the 25th anniversary of the DJ-Kicks series.
Kemistry & Storm - DJ-Kicks
Ultraísta – Sister
Self-defiend as alternative, although I listen to this as pop music to listen to in the background. Probably that’s the fail in positioning: it can easily be too pop for an alternative listener but just weird enough not to be played on mainstream radio. However there’s the one hit wonder track (Tin King), which can make its way to all the commercials and TV series soundtracks to financially support the record.
RedScope – Am I on Your Mind
Random light-hearted electronic pop hit, probably my most listened to while easing into the summer this year. Another one of those being one by Dua Lipa, but that’s for another post.
Die Wilde Jagd – Uhrwald Orange
It’s like the love child of Dead Can Dance and industrial music. It’s a krautrock thing and a psychedelic rock thing. And it is amazing. I’ve been listening to this record almost continuously for a while now and it just enchants me. It’s hypnotic and atmospheric and opens up a magical world of its own.
Public Service Broadcasting – The Race For Space
From the postive side of post-rock, mixing in psychedelic rock vibe, and layering it with radio recordings from the era of the space race. Quite a unique concept album. What I like most is the overall upbeat and dreamy atmosphere of it all. It feels pleasantly naive.
Long Arm – Silent Opera
This is a quintessential trip hop record. Hip hop beats with blue moods and jazzy instruments. Lamentation on life withouth words.
Michael Mayer – Mantasy
Easy listening mid-tempo house and lazy chillout music, which doesn’t strive to be in the foreground. Good for work, a run while you want to think about stuff and not focus on the music, and Saturday afternoon garden parties with sunshine.
Nicolas Jaar – Cenizas
I still have a hard time to slap a label on Nicolas Jaar. But this record is pure gold, again. Overall I can call it modern classical, although that’s not because of its use of traditional instruments and orchestration, but because it sounds like my idea of a perfect, meticulously crafted classical music today. Genrewise it’s some kind of ambient with a very wide range of intruments and sounds (drums, chimes, keys, strings, experimental textures, and voice), using inspiration from all over the world, and melting it into a introvert mind trip. As advertised on the cover. And an amazing cover art it is, too.
Update: the totally ethereal sounds of Hello, Chain gives me the goose bumps. I’m in awe.
Kontravoid – Too Deep
Absolutely classic EBM. Some tracks are more on the rhythmic noise side with raw and metallic synths, while some are more about vocals and melodic futurepop. But all in all it has most that I love about electornic body music. Fantastic cover photo, too.
Holy Fuck – Deleter
Either punk electronics or electronics-infused indie rock. I usually read about them as the previous but for me it’s more like the latter. Anyhow, it’s with a live band sound but packed with electronic elements, part dreamy and part jump around, part blue and part joyful, still consistent, and always smart and elaborate.