04. Tensnake, “Coma Cat”
[Permanent Vacation] (buy)
Click through to a couple Q&As and you’ll find Marco Niemerski describing “Coma Cat” as “catchy.” Let’s just say that the man who records as Tensnake favors modest understatement. This gleaming, housed-up rework of Anthony Malloy’s 1986 boogie hit “What I Like” was in heavy demand in January, and grew to an unavoidable crossover phenomenon by summer’s end, spilling over from dance floors and podcasts to MTV Europe and H&M in-store playlists. But it’s a testament to that aforementioned tendency to understatement that, despite the inundation of the track in all manner of trending media, those ubiquitous steel drums still brighten our eyes at year’s end. “Coma Cat” is a regular parade of clever retro signifiers, but it never winks. Meticulously and tactfully composed, it’s a tough track to date, with keyboard flourishes that stop short of irony, content to sound studiously just right. Yet it’s something more slippery than taste — and much simpler — that ranks “Coma Cat” among the year’s finest. It’s that it sounds bright, shiny and warm, and feels like a big toothy grin — a beckoning we’re helpless to resist. Okay, yeah… it’s catchy. (Chris Burkhalter)

03. Elgato, “Blue”
[Hessle Audio] (buy)
Apart from a house tempo and intro/outro kicks, Elgato’s “Blue” hardly screams hot dance track. Rather, it showcases the true potential of “bass music” by layering wispy, shimmering, synthetic clouds atop a bottomless sub-bass rumble. The sparse, Impressionist piece that ensues quickly submerges the listener in the headiest narcosis, centered around a strained, floating “my dreams” mantra, the foil for the punishing sub-and-snare combination beneath. Elgato toys with this contrast throughout, at one point launching into a beatless breakdown that lasts the better part of two minutes. You can move to it, but I find it’s best appreciated as a sort of landscape — one of steely, nocturnal, lovesick desolation. An absolutely incredible, engrossing debut. (Steve Kerr)

02. Kyle Hall, “Kaychunk”
[Hyperdub] (buy)
Too often Kyle Hall’s age becomes a deciding factor in how people rate the quality of his music. I’ll be the first to admit it was an angle I was quick to jump on when I first wrote about him. But a few years have passed since then and Hall hasn’t let his underage status guide his career. Sure we’ve seen an increase in his productions this year, but if you listen closely you can hear that Hall is trying to give us something different with each one. In the case of “Kaychunk” we got a piece that was very unique and truly special. Although at first its punch drunk rhythm of sputtering snares and skipping kicks seems like a muddle, the nimble bass line, flickering synth arpeggios and warm chords coalesce into a glorious jazz fueled flight. Its appearance on Hyperdub linked the release to London dubstep but it had much more in common with the city’s decades old broken beat scene while sharing a strong footing with forward thinking Detroit producers like Anthony “Shake” Shakir and Marcellus Pittman. In a year that held plenty of gold, “Kaychunk” was the nugget that could not be outshined. (Kuri Kondrak)

01. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled”
[Laid] (buy)
One reason why Gunnar Wendel, better known as Kassem Mosse, has earned such a devoted following is his ability to synthesize the moods, rhythms, sound design, melodies and structures of several decades of electronic music in his own tracks. This was never more apparent than on his “Untitled” tune for Laid, a master stroke of densely layered progressions and patterns that summoned the essence of great works before it to create something entirely singular to Wendel’s aesthetic. Its phalanx of percussion crunches and slices with utmost precision, taking unexpected paths, hardly ever resting, and yet it never overwhelms its melodic counterparts or audiences. The interplay between its halcyon bells, smokey, swaying pads and beatific synth leads is positively ambrosial, each element gaining greater consonance by being heard together. Even the swirling, through-the-wormhole crowd noise book-ending the track is an essential element, a brief glimpse of humanity in the workings of a celestial machine. Heard through a club’s system, “Untitled” feels as if it were painted with broad, euphoric strokes; studied through headphones, it reveals intricately carved timbres and sonic details. In kind, it’s the sort of record DJs and home listeners treasure with equal relish. “Untitled” was the rare tune which cut across all sorts of personal tastes, appearing on nearly every LWE staffer’s ballot and besting all competitors by leaps and bounds. It is, without a doubt, the most essential track released in 2010. (Steve Mizek)

<< 10-6
<< 15-11
<< 20-16
<< 25-21

++
Staff Lists:

Per Bojsen-Moller

01. James Blake, “I Only Know (What I Know Now)” [R&S]
02. Actress, “Maze” [Honest Jon's]
03. NDF, “Since We Last Met” [DFA]
04. Mount Kimbie, “Before I Move Off” [Hotflush Recordings]
05. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
06. Bakey Ustl, “A Tender Places” [Unthank]
07. LCD Soundsystem, “Hit” [DFA]
08. James Blake, “CMYK” [R&S]
09. Kassem Mosse, “We Speak To Those” [Nonplus Records]
10. Andrea, “You Still Got Me” [Daphne]
11. Nicolas Jaar, “A Time For Us” [Wolf + Lamb]
12. Pilooski, “AAA” [Rvng Intl.]
13. Ramadanman, “Glut” [Hessle Audio]
14. L.B. Dub Corp, “It’s What You Feel” [Ostgut Ton]
15. Portable, “Find Me” [Perlon]
16. Ron Deacon, “Secret Garden” (Lowtec Dub) [Farside]
17. FaltyDL, “Endeavour” [Planet Mu]
18. Axel Boman, “Purple Drank” [Pampa]
19. Conforce, “Love Hate” [Meanwhile]
20. John Roberts, “Lesser” [Dial]
21. Jon McMillion, “Love of Parking” (Juju & Jordash EWF Version)
[Nuearth Kitchen]
22. Red Rack’em, “In Love Again” [Untracked]
23. Anton Zap, “I Get No Kick From Champagne” [Ethereal Sounds]
24. Gold Panda, “You” [Ghostly International]
25. Joy Orbison, “The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow” [Aus Music]
26. DJ Koze, “Blume Der Nacht” [Pampa]
27. Vakula, “I Forget” (Juju & Jordash Vakula/Drakula Remix)
[Best Works Records]
28. Function, “Untitled” [Sandwell District]
29. Fred P, “On This Vibe” [Esperanza]
30. Ame, “Rrose Selavy” [Innervisions]

Chris Burkhalter

01. Hungry Ghost, “Illuminations” (Marcellus Pittmann Remix) [International Feel]
02. Protect-U, “Double Rainbow” [Future Times]
03. Tensnake, “Coma Cat’ [Permanent Vacation]
04. Kassem Mosse, “Hi Res” [Nonplus]
05. Kyle Hall, “Kaychunk” [Hyperdub]
06. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
07. Shake, “Frayed” [Fit]
08. Zak Khutoretsky, “Polyphonic Love” [Transmat]
09. Quest, “Smooth Skin” [Deep Medi Musik]
10. Alex Smith, “Here With Me” [FXHE]
11. Fred P, “On This Vibe” [Esperanza]
12. Actress, “Maze” [Honest Jon's]
13. Black Jazz Consortium, “Applied Vibes” [Laid]
14. Actress, “Purrple Splazsh” [Honest Jon's]
15. M. Pittman, “Erase The Pain” [Fit]
16. Moody, “It’s 2 Late 4 U & Me” [KDJ]
17. Reggie Dokes, “Until Tomorrow” [Royal Oak]
18. Move D, “Your Personal Healer” [Uzuri]
19. Crue-L Grand Orchestra, “(You Are) More Than Paradise”
(Theo Parrish Translation Long Version 1) [Crue-L Grand Records]
20. Reggie Dokes, “Mother Africa” [Deep Explorer]
21. Mark du Mosch, “Revenger” [Cyber Dance]
22. Urban Tribe, “Insolitoligy” [Planet E]
23. Ramadanman, “Work Them” [Swamp 81]
24. Pinch, “Croydon House” [Swamp 81]
25. Conforce, “The Land of the Highway” [Meanwhile]
26. Juju & Jordash, “Tattoo’s Island” [Philpot]
27. Jitterbug, “Thanx Spencer” [Uzuri]
28. Space Dimension Controller, “Journey to the Center of the Unknown Sphere” [Royal Oak]
29. The Godson, “Analog Love” [Rush Hour]
30. Daniel Stefanik, “#one” [Kann Records]

Steve Kerr

01. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio]
02. Horizontal Ground, “Snakes Cave” [Horizontal Ground]
03. Kowton, “Basic Music Knowledge” [Idle Hands]
04. Blondes, “You Mean So Much to Me” [Merok]
05. Falty DL, “All in the Place” [Rush Hour]
06. Jouem, “Dyad” [Just Another Beat]
07. T++, “Cropped” [Honest Jon’s]
08. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
09. Bakey Ustl, “Tender Places” [Unthank]
10. Lowtec, “Untitled” [Workshop]
11. Roof Light, “Palm” [Millions of Moments]
12. Joe, “Claptrap” [Hessle Audio]
13. Teengirl Fantasy, “Cheaters” [Merok]
14. Vakula, “You Can Do” [Firecracker]
15. Stingray313, “Sphere of Influence” [Nakedlunch]
16. Ramadanman, “Don’t Change For Me” [Hessle Audio]
17. Andy Stott, “Tell Me Anything” [Modern Love]
18. Oni Ayhun, “OAR004-A” [OAR]
19. Milton Bradley, “Interdimensional Entity” [Prologue]
20. Instra:mental, “Let’s Talk” [Nakedlunch]
21. Ciara, “Ride” [LaFace]
22. Madteo, “Untitled” [Workshop]
23. LV, “Boomslang” [Hyperdub]
24. Morphosis, “Musafir” [M>O>S Recordings]
25. Actress, “Machine and Voice” [Nonplus Records]
26. Jody Breeze, “The Way I Move” [Ghettophiles]
27. Pional, “In Another Room” [Hivern Disc]
28. DJ Nate, “Imaburnhim” [Planet Mu]
29. Nuel, “Untitled (B2)” [Aquaplano]
30. Girl Unit, “Wut” [Night Slugs]

Anton Kipfel

01. KiNK, “Kiss the Sky” [Boe Recordings]
02. Oskar Offermann & Moomin, “Hardmood” [Aim]
03. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
04. Roni Nachum, “Guest Service Shalom” [Fine Art Recordings]
05. Fred P., “On This Vibe” (Original Raw Mix) [Esperanza]
06. Tensnake, “Coma Cat” [Permanent Vacation]
07. Axel Boman, “Purple Drank” [Pampa Records]
08. LB Dub Corp, “It’s What You Feel” [Ostgut Ton]
09. Wax, “No. 30003 A” [Wax]
10. Kyle Hall, “Kaychunk” [Hyperdub]
11. John Roberts, “White” [Laid]
12. Seuil, “Blank Love” [New Kanada]
13. James Blake, “The Bells Sketch” [Hessle Audio]
14. Chaton, “+91 Ahead” (Quarion BKLYN Version) [Plak Records]
15. Marino Berardi, “Best Intention” [Room With A View]
16. Morphosis, “Musafir” [M>O>S Recordings]
17. Brandt Brauer Frick, “Bop” [The Gym]
18. Steffi ft. Elif Biçer, “Kill Me” (Instrumental Dub Mix) [Ostgut Ton]
19. Peter Van Hoesen, “Irrational X” [Exone]
20. Floating Points, “Shark Chase” [Eglo Records]
21. Nico Purman, “Chamomile” [Vakant]
22. Space Dimension Controller, “Mercurial Attraction” [R&S]
23. Chicago Skyway, “Resolution M” [Uzuri]
24. Ben Klock, “Compression Session 1″ [Ostgut Ton]
25. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio]
26. Urban Tribe, “Program 5″ [Mahogani Music]
27. Sigha, “Early Morning Lights” (Marcel Dettmann Remix) [Our Circula Sound]
28. Santiago Salazar, “Your Club Went Hollywood” (Aaron-Carl Remix) [Wallshaker Music]
29. Nicolas Jaar, “Don’t Believe The Hype” [Double Standard Records]
30. DJ Bone, “Sunday Morning” [Sect Records]

Kuri Kondrak

01. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
02. Space Dimension Controller, “Journey to the Center of the Unknown Sphere” [Royal Oak]
03. Marcellus Pittman, “Razz 09″ [Unirhthym]
04. Kyle Hall, “Kaychunk” [Hyperdub]
05. Lone, “Once In A While” [Werk]
06. Morphosis, “Musafir” [M>O>S Recordings]
07. FaltyDL, “All In The Place” [Rush Hour]
08. Big Strick, “Old E 800″ [FXHE]
09. Red Rack’em, “In Love Again” [Untracked]
10. Arto Mwambe, “Love Lift” [Brontosaurus]
11. Juju & Jordash, “Tattoo’s Island” [Philpot]
12. Urban Tribe, “Insolitology” [Planet E]
13. Glenn Underground, “Ninja” [Rush Hour]
14. Fred P, “On This Vibe” [Esperanza]
15. Billy Love, “Can’t Keep Running Away” [Sound Signature]
16. Hungry Ghost, “Illuminations” (Marcellus Pittman Remix) [International Feel]
17. Gegenheimer, “21:4 (The IPS Prayer)” [Ratio? Music]
18. A Guy Called Gerald, “Conclusion In F Min Blue” [Laboratory Instinct]
19. Jaime Read, “Messages From Outerspace” [Elektrosouls]
20. Keith Worthy, “Rocket Science (K-Dub’s Motor City Mayhem Mix)”
[Aesthetic Audio]
21. FaltyDL, “Endeavour” [Planet Mu]
22. Caribou, “Sun” [Merge]
23. Andy Stott, “Tell Me Anything” [Modern Love]
24. 2 AM/FM, “Desolate Cities” [M>O>S Recordings]
25. Oni Ayhun, “OAR004-B” [Oni Ayhun Records]
26. Alex.O.Smith, “Plesetsk Cosmodrome” [FXHE]
27. Miles Sagnia, “Interplanetary Visitors” [Ornate]
28. Commix, “Strictly” (Kassem Mosse Needs To Feel Edit) [Metalheadz]
29. Conforce, “Shade” [Delsin]
30. Carlos Nilmns, “The BBQ (edit 2)” [Dontstop]

Chris Miller

01. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
02. Ramadanman, “Glut” [Hemlock]
03. Levon Vincent, “Double Jointed Sex Freak” [Novel Sound]
04. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio]
05. STL, “Vintage Hunter” [Something Records]
06. Fred P., “It Is What It Is” [Strength Music]
07. 19.26.1.18.5, “Snake Cave” [Horizontal Ground]
08. John Roberts, “White” [Laid]
09. Morphosis, “Musafir” [M>O>S Recordings]
10. Ramadanman, “Don’t Change For Me” [Hessle Audio]
11. Oni Ayhun, “OAR004 A” [Oni Ayhun Records]
12. Move D, “Aspiration 2010″ [Soul People Music]
13. Joy Orbison, “The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow” [Aus Music]
14. Mount Kimbie, “Carbonated” [Hotflush Recordings]
15. Conforce, “Grace” [Delsin]
16. Pearson Sound, “Blanked” [Hessle Audio]
17. SCB, “20_4″ [SCB]
18. A Made Up Sound, “Alarm” [A Made Up Sound]
19. Steffi, “Reasons” [Underground Quality]
20. Silent Servant, “SDSMP 2 A1″ [Sandwell District]
21. Peter van Hoesen, “Closing The Distance/Toy Universe” [Time To Express]
22. Shackleton, “Man On A String” [Woe To The Septic Heart!]
23. Alex Smith, “Three Blind Rats” [FXHE]
24. Andy Stott, “Tell Me Anything” [Modern Love]
25. Addison Groove, “Footcrab” [Swamp81]
26. James Blake, “The Bells Sketch” [Hessle Audio]
27. 2 AM/FM, “Desolate Cities” [M>O>S Deep]
28. Space Dimension Controller, “Mercurial Attraction” [R&S Records]
29. DJ Qu, “Runwitit” [Underground Quality]
30. FaltyDL, “Filthy Divinity” [Planet Mu]

Steve Mizek

01. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
02. Dexter, “Junofest” [Rush Hour Recordings]
03. John Roberts, “Ever Or Not” [Dial]
04. Gerd, “Friendly Fire” [Royal Oak]
05. Kyle Hall, “Kaychunk” [Hyperdub]
06. James Blake, “I Only Know (What I Know Now)” [R&S Records]
07. Steffi ft. Elif Bicer, “Kill Me” (Instrumental Dub) [Ostgut Ton]
08. KiNK, “Kiss the Sky” [Boe Recordings]
09. Joy Orbison, “So Derobe” [Aus Music]
10. Nebraska, “Arrondissement” [Rush Hour Recordings]
11. Space, “Deliverance” (Justus Köhncke’s Wild Pitch Mix) [Nang Records]
12. ceo, “White Magic” [Sincerely Yours]
13. Axel Boman, “Purple Drank” [Pampa Records]
14. Challenge, “Wind Up” [Marketing Music]
15. Pangaea, “Why” [Hessle Audio]
16. Tama Sumo & Prosumer, “Rareified” (Oliverwho Factory Remix) [Ostgut Ton]
17. Andre Lodemann, “Still Dreaming” [Freerange Records]
18. Jamie Woon, “Night Air” (Ramadanman Refix) [Candent Songs]
19. Jouem, “Drifting” [Just A Beat]
20. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio]
21. Ripperton, “At Peace” (I:Cube Tape Mix) [Green]
22. Oskar Offermann & Moomin, “Hardmood” [Aim]
23. Brandt Brauer Frick, “Bop” [The Gym]
24. Roska ft. Anesha, “I Need Love” [Rinse Recordings]
25. Oriol, “Coconut Coast” [Planet Mu]
26. Sebastien San ft. Aaron-Carl, “Faces” (Other Mix) [Room With A View]
27. Marcel Fengler, “Rapture” [Ostgut Ton]
28. Fudge Fingas, “MmmHmm” [Prime Numbers]
29. NDF, “Since We Last Met” [DFA Records]
30. Peter Van Hoesen, “Irrational X” [Exone]

Sarah Joy Murray

01. Moody, “Ol’ Dirty Vinyl (U Used to Know)” [KDJ]
02. Reagenz, “Dinner with Q” [Workshop]
03. STL, “Vintage Hunter” [Something]
04. Public Lover, “We Are” [thesongsays]
05. Shed, “44A (Hardwax Forever!)” [Ostgut Ton]
06. Lerosa, “Common Thief” [Further]
07. Steffi “Kill Me (Instramental Dub Mix)” [Ostgut Ton]
08. DJ Qu, “Party People Clap (Levon Vincent Remix)” [Deconstruct]
09. WAX, “Wax 003 – B” [Wax]
10. Moody, “It’s 2 Late 4 U And Me” [KDJ]
11. Schweiz Rec, “Untitled” [Workshop]
12. John Swing, “Always at Night” [Relative]
13. Ninca Leece, “Feed Me Rainbows” [thesongsays]
14. Sound Stream, “All Night” [Sound Stream]
15. Sun Ra, “Saga of Resistance (Theo Parrish Dub)” [Kindred Spirits]
16. Lowtec, “Untitled” [Workshop]
17. Skudge, “Convolution” [Skudge]
18. Nick Höppner, “Umbrella Pitch” [Ostgut Ton]
19. Jason Fine, “Control Voltage (Oni Ayhun Remix)” [Kontra Musik]
20. Romanthony, “Let Me Show You Love (Approach to Temple)” [Decks Classix]
21. Matthew Herbert, “Leipzig” [Accidental]
22. Space Dimension Controller, “Transatlantic Landing Bay” [R&S]
23. Redshape, “Drama” [Present]
24. Ruede Hagelstein, “Emergency” [Souvenir]
25. Ron Deacon, “Untitled” [Workshop]
26. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
27. John Daly, “Big Piano” [Drumpoet Community]
28. Cologne Tape, “Render 4″ [Magazine]
29. Oliver Deutschmann & James Blonde, “Milanese” (Quarion Remix)
[Falkplatz Limitiert]
30. KiNK, “E 79″ [Ovum]

Keith Pishnery

01. Simian Mobile Disco, “Cruel Intentions” (Joker Remix) [Simian Mobile Disco]
02. Eskmo, “Lands and Bones” [Warp]
03. Slugabed, “Ultra Heat Treated” [Planet Mu]
04. Innerpartysystem, “American Trash” (Starkey Remix) [Red Bull]
05. Kuedo, “Starfox” [Planet Mu]
06. Rudi Zygadlo, “Resealable Friendship” [Planet Mu]
07. Untold, “Stop What You’re Doing” (James Blake Remix) [Hemlock]
08. Jus Wan, “Azure” [Pushing Red]
09. Kastle, “Better Off Alone” [Seclusiasis]
10. Chemical Brothers, “Swoon” [Virgin]

Jordan Rothlein

01. James Blake, “Footnotes” [R & S Records]
02. Ndf, “Since We Last Met” [DFA]
03. Pearson Sound, “Blanked” [Hessle Audio]
04. Storm Queen, “Look Right Through” [Environ]
05. Function, “Untitled (Sandwell District Sampler 1)” [Sandwell District]
06. Silent Servant, “Untitled (Sandwell District Sampler 2)” [Sandwell District]
07. John Roberts, “Porcelain” [Dial]
08. Fred P, “It Is What It Is” [Strength Music]
09. Sepalcure, “The Warning” [Hotflush Recordings]
10. Kyle Hall, “Kaychunk” [Hyperdub]
11. Nebraska, “Bar Stories” [Rush Hour]
12. Joy Orbison, “The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow” [Aus Music]
13. Oni Ayhun, “OAR004 A” [Oni Ayhun Records]
14. Mount Kimbie, “Maybes (James Blake Remix)” [Hotflush Recordings]
15. Shed, “No Way!” [Ostgut Ton]
16. Digital Mystikz, “Return II Space” [DMZ]
17. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio]
18. Shifty Science, “Love’s Not Fading (Earth House Hold Mix)” [Love's Label]
19. Terrence Dixon, “Room 310 (Upperground Orchestra Supreme Present Mix)” [Meakusma]
20. Tin Man, “Stand By Me” [White Denim]
21. DJ Jus-Ed, “I’m Comin’ (Levon Vincent Mix)” [Underground Quality]
22. Sound Stream, “Wenn Meine Mutti Wüsste” [Ostgut Ton]
23. Sleigh Bells, “Tell ‘Em” [Mom + Pop]
24. Pangaea, “Sunset Yellow” [Hessle Audio]
25. Ramadanman, “Tempest” [Swamp81]
26. Cloudmaster Weed, “Com On N Join Us” [Soiree]
27. Mount Kimbie, “At Least (Instra:mental Remix)” [Hotflush Recordings]
28. Even Tuell, “Untitled (Workshop 11)” [Workshop]
29. Donato Dozzy, “Untitled (C1)” [Further Records]
30. Kanye West, “All Of The Lights” [Roc-A-Fella]

Andrew Ryce

01. Peverelist, “Better Ways Of Living” [Punch Drunk]
02. Ramadanman, “Don’t Change For Me” [Hessle Audio]
03. Actress, “Maze” [Honest Jon’s]
04. Mount Kimbie, “Maybes” (James Blake Remix) [Hotflush]
05. Instra:mental, “Let’s Talk” [[Naked Lunch]]
06. Addison Groove, “Footcrab” [Swamp81]
07. Hyetal, “Phoenix” [Orca]
08. Discreet Unit, “Shake Your Body Down” [Prime Numbers]
09. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Laid]
10. Girl Unit, “Wut” [Night Slugs]
11. Martyn, “Is This Insanity?” (Ben Klock Remix) [3024]
12. Ramadanman, “Work Them” [Swamp81]
13. Scratcha DVA, “Natty” [Hyperdub]
14. Traversable Wormhole, “Closed Timelike Curve” (Marcel Dettmann Remix) [CLR]
15. ASC, “Reality Check” [Auxiliary]
16. Oni Ayhun, “004-A” [OAR]
17. Terror Danjah, “Reinforced” [RWINA]
18. Illum Sphere, “Titan” [3024]
19. T Williams, “Afric” [Local Action]
20. DJG, “Time Is The Fire” [Transistor]
21. Downliners Sekt, “Selfish G” [Disboot]
22. Breach, “Fatherless” [PTN]
23. Aera, “Daidalus” [Aleph]
24. Dexter, “Junofest” [Rush Hour]
25. Pangaea, “Why” [Hessle Audio]
26. West Norwood Cassette Library, “What It Is” [WNCL]
27. Joy Orbison, “So Derobe” [Aus]
28. Brendon Moeller, “Close Up” [Delsin]
29. D.O.K., “Chemical Planet” [Butterz]
30. Peter Van Hoesen, “Irrational X” [Exone]

Jack Scourfield

01. oOoOO, “NoSummr4U” [Disaro]
02. Letherette, “In July Focus” [Ho Tep]
03. Midnight Magic, “Beam Me Up” (Jacques Renault Remix)
[Permanent Vacation]
04. James Blake, “CMYK” [R&S Records]
05. Tensnake, “Coma Cat” [Permanent Vacation]
06. Girl Unit, “Wut” [Night Slugs]
07. Swindle, “Airmiles” [Planet Mu]
08. Fritz Kalkbrenner, “Facing The Sun” [Suol]
09. Deadboy, “If U Want Me” [Numbers]
10. Darkstar, “Gold” [Hyperdub]
11. Kink, “Existence” [Ovum]
12. Addison Groove, “Footcrab” [Swamp 81]
13. xxxy, “This Much” [Fortified Audio]
14. Balam Acab, “Regret Making Mistakes” [Tri Angle]
15. Rudi Zygadlo, “Resealable Friendship” [Planet Mu]
16. Joe, “Claptrap” [Hessle Audio]
17. Submerse, “Hold It Down” [Well Rounded]
18. Ramadanman, “Work Them” [Swamp 81]
19. oOoOO, “Burnout Eyess” [Tri Angle]
20. DJ Rashad, “Who Da Coldest” [Planet Mu]
21. Debruit, “Nigeria What?” [Civil Music]
22. Jamie Woon, “Night Air” (Ramadanman Refix) [Candent Songs]
23. Ikonika, “Idiot” [Hyperdub]
24. Lone, “Pineapple Crush” [Magic Wire]
25. Pantha du Prince, “Stick To My Side” [Rough Trade]
26. Illum Sphere, “Titan” [3024]
27. MMM, “Nous Sommes MMM” [MMM]
28. FunkinEven, “Heart Pound” [Eglo]
29. Aeroplane, “We Can’t Fly” [Eskimo]
30. Daedelus, “You’ve Heard” [All City]

[!K7 Records]

DJ mix CDs are a funny thing sometimes. In theory they’re supposed to showcase a DJ’s mixing skills and present a set of music that motivates listeners to check out where the music comes from. Brackles first mix compilation, Songs For Endless Cities seems to heavily favor the discovery side, although the man born as Rob Kemp is no slouch behind the decks. The selection here is the key, taking in a survey of some of the biggest names in our post-dubstep world of beats. What makes this mix notable is how it melds together a disparate group of fairly well-known tracks and artists into a cohesive compilation. Techno, hip-hop, dubstep and funky all make appearances here and Brackles treats them all the same, creating one groove line throughout the hour.

The patron saint of pretty much all things off-kilter and global in music these days, Flying Lotus, kicks the mix off with a somewhat obscure track, “My Chippy.” The crushing kicks, cracking snares, and bubbling warbles set a sort of mood for what is to follow. Floating Points, Zomby, and Roska take those sharp and angular beats and smooth them out slightly before Brackles and younger brother Martin Kemp swing everything into a funky bridge with Kyle Hall, DJ Dom, and Cooly G in tow. This is partly what the mix is about, using beats to bridge different style of music. DJ Dom’s “Sunshowers” falls close to the middle of the mix and creates a brief pause, languid synths and drifting vocals floating over simple percussion. DJ Mystery amps the energy with “Speechless” before Hypno’s “Over The Top” lives up to it’s name with frenetic staccato melodies and drums. There is much to be said for weaving in these dance floor gems and presenting a slice of what makes the current musical scene so exciting. The ethnic beats of Rishi Romero’s “African Forest” are a good lead in to the Eastern feel of “Fatherless” by up and comer Breach.

2562 starts the mix’s descent with a sonically complicated monster named “Dinosaur,” the beats flipping back and forth and synths sounding as if they are rolling around a clothes dryer. The instantly recognizable and thoroughly insane “Trilingual Dance Sexperience” by Dorian Concept is our penultimate slice of dance floor mayhem. It’s a song so wild and different, so difficult to actually explain, that the escalating and falling syncopation of closer Funkineven “Must Move” comes as a relief mingled with surprise, like many of the intricacies of a quality mix. By putting together well-known tracks with a few under the radar gems, Brackles has effectively replicated the experience of a good night out, dancing to your recent favorites and moments that have you scouring the Internet for clues days later. For dance music fans standing hesitantly on the edge of the nameless swathes of bass music it provides stepping stones that make the gap seem much more manageable.

After resting his ears and brain cells, LWE’s editor-in-chief, Steve Mizek, files his report on Movement 2010

As May rolls around each year, many dance music fans in America and around the world instinctively reach for their wallets and begin making preparations for Detroit’s annual electronic music festival, Movement. Although the festival has gone through many iterations in its eleven years of existence, this habit proved equally entrenched in 2010 as fans of all ages and from every corner of dance music culture returned to the Motor City to visit with old friends, make new ones, and dance until their feet threw in the towel.

Inner City. Photo by Bryan Mitchell for Paxahau

Slung across Memorial Day weekend, set outside in Hart Plaza, and featuring a broad range of musical acts, Movement is closer to a Lollapalooza style of festival than the substantially more niche events that make up the Mutek and Unsound NY festivals. This approach has its advantages and drawbacks. On the positive side, an abundance of acts assures that attendees will have their tastes will be catered to — however briefly — and provided alternates in case of disappointments. The all-at-once style also puts a larger strain on the promoter’s resources, and spending in one area (eg. adding extra talent) can mean less for another (eg. no free water in the VIP section). If attendance numbers are any indication, this format has grown increasingly popular since Movement first became a paid event, attracting a record number of more than 95,000 ticket holders in 2010, according to The Detroit News. Overall I enjoyed my time at Movement, but I suspect some of the fest’s shortcomings were the result of the give and take required to cast its net so widely, so quickly.

Martyn. Photo by Joe Gall for Paxahau

At first glance, Movement’s line up was spectacular, bringing together dozens of artists I’d long wanted to see, such as Ricardo Villalobos, Kyle Hall, Theo Parrish, Martyn, and many more. The reality was slightly less rosy, not least because visa issues caused Villalobos canceled his long awaited appearance. Many of the artists I wanted to see were also clustered around the same times, leaving me dashing from stage to stage in hopes of at least sampling both Cassy and Anthony “Shake” Shakir, or dOP and DJ Koze. I was disappointed with the line-up for the Red Bull stage, which was occupied by drum and bass acts for the majority of Saturday with only a token artist to represent the burgeoning U.K. bass music scene — and few would argue Martyn even remotely fits that classification. There were a few other lame bookings as well (is Booka Shade still relevant in 2010?), but the biggest disappointment on this front was the Movement Torino stage.

dOP. Photo by Paul Kelley for Paxahau

Inaugurated this year after Movement launched the Torino-based version of the fest in 2009, the Torino stage brought the total number to five and was comfortably positioned in a grassy area along Hart Plaza’s streetside perimeter. A long, nearly wall-less tent stacked full of speaker cabinets, the stage was looked upon with jealousy by those of us who spent much of the weekend in the tomb-like underground area hosting the Made In Detroit stage. Not only did the stage have a weak line-up, it was sparsely attended for long stretches of time when more desirable artists like Kirk Degiorgio were playing. Considering how full the Made In Detroit stage stayed throughout the fest, it seemed foolish to find it it once again relegated to an underground, concrete clad stage with poor acoustics. It’s a shame Paxahau, the promoters behind the festival, still hadn’t learned their lesson three years on.

The Moritz Von Oswald Trio with Carl Craig. Photo by Joe Gall for Paxahau

Keeping five stages running simultaneously and smoothly throughout the festival requires a large, skilled crew to handle all sorts of problems. Sadly tech problems were not uncommon throughout the weekend; and while it’s presumptuous to attribute these to Movement’s expansive size it certainly didn’t help that five stages needed attention. Where strings of sound dampeners hung from the ceiling yielded modest gains in the sound quality of the Made In Detroit stage, various gear problems left artists playing at inconsistent volumes, through turntables emitting obnoxious feedback (as marred Kyle Hall’s set), and without sound at all (during Robert Hood’s live set). If not for the quick thinking and hard work of an unsung hero like producer/engineer Kevin Reynolds, the Made In Detroit stage would’ve been in shambles. Gear problems also took a large bite out of The Moritz Von Oswald Trio’s highly anticipated set and decimated their audience.

DJ Koze. Photo by Joe Gall for Paxahau

For many electronic artists, events aiming to please the broadest range of fest-goers means tapping into the most populist part of their sound. Unfortunately few DJs do this well; it’s as if there is a formula dictating that for every hundred dancers beyond the first the music needs to be more visceral and less challenging or detailed. For example, Chicago acid pioneer DJ Pierre peppered his set with unflattering minimal house cuts that forfeited the momentum of his better, more acidic selections (and hearing him play Dubfire’s remix of Radio Slave’s “Grindhouse” was enough to make me walk away). Although this phenomenon was most prevalent at the usually minimal-focused Beatport stage, it also affected artists like DJ Koze, Kirk Degiorgio and Onur Özer who I expected to throw off the shackles of lowest common denominator techno/house but ended up embracing it in order to attract and keep bigger audiences. DJs like The Martinez Brothers reveled in the inanity of their music, endlessly milking the entertainment value of dropping the bass on their exasperating facile Latin house tracks.

The Martinez Brothers. Photo by Paul Kelley for Paxahau

Cassy. Photo by Paul Kelley for Paxahau

Thankfully, there were also DJs who played to bigger crowds without sacrificing any quality from their selections. Cassy, who opted for the hardest tracks I’ve ever heard her play, was especially successful in this regard. She satisfied her audience with a mix of techno bangers (seemingly culled from minimal’s first, Detroit-based heyday) and effortless, summery house grooves without veering into dry patches. Larry Heard ran with the acid house vibe his predecessor, DJ Pierre, couldn’t reliably deliver and kept the concrete bowl of the main stage relatively full. Martyn, an artist whose appeal is defined by his ineffable nature, kept his set varied and thick with hooks and vocals. Whether he was playing 2-step, minimal techno, wobbly dubstep or classic house audience his audience never missed a beat, even launching into crowd surfing during Adonis’ “No Way Back.” Derrick Carter and Derrick May also deserve praise for their canny populism, tossing classics like Paperclip People’s “Throw” into their minimally-inclined but decidedly funkier house sets.

Derrick Carter. Photo by Douglas Wojciechowski for Paxahau

Theo Parrish. Photo by Aaron M. Jones for Paxahau

Yet my favorite sets came from artists who tried to lead their audiences or seemed completely uninterested in crowd expectations. Theo Parrish was the king of the latter domain, weeding out those who were there for anything but the music with loose, free jazz cuts before launching into an eclectic mix of contemporary R&B, proto-house, new wave, remixes of Marvin Gaye, and a few of his own tracks — including his LCD Soundsystem remix. His ability to be recondite but irrepressibly fun made his set worth waiting the extra hour while he readied himself off-stage. Rick Wilhite was also good at confounding and entertaining audiences with a set that had as much to do with rock as funk, dropping remixes of Bjork between unusual old house tracks with a regal air to his posture while at the decks.

Rick Wilhite. Photo by Aaron M. Jones for Paxahau

Visibly frustrated but equally determined, Kyle Hall worked through a buzzing turntable to keep his dancers happy, finding common ground between jack tracks, old school classics like Cajmere’s “Brighter Days” (Underground Goodie Mix), and new, soon-to-be classics like Wax’s “No. 30003-A.” One of my most beloved moments of the entire festival arrived during a similarly diverse set from Anthony “Shake” Shakir, whose brusque transitions were made unimportant by his unexpected track selections. Those who doubted the dance floor potential of Kyle Hall’s “Kaychunk” were proven misinformed when Shake unleashed the cut to the delight of a packed Made In Detroit stage, dancers following along even through its beatless portions and throwing hands in the air when the kicks returned. I also enjoyed a deep and techy set by Patrice Scott of Sistrum Recordings and parts of the blistering techno churned out by DJ Rolando, an admired UR-affiliate.

Anthony “Shake” Shakir. Photo by Aaron M. Jones for Paxahau

The live PA is an arena that usually allows artists to avoid giving in wholly to populism because they’re playing their own material. Yet the biggest pitfall of live PAs is how they magnify an artist’s aesthetic weaknesses and require consistently engaging music to keep the ball rolling. This was especially noticeable for Martin Buttrich, who drew largely upon his debut album with all its indistinct arrangements writ large over an hour’s time. Much to my surprise, dOP similarly struggled to keep fest-goers engaged. Oozing charisma, vocalist Jonathan Illel did his best to keep the crowd pepped up with goofy stage antics, but the set seemed canned and unusually insipid for a group as stylistically diverse as dOP. René Löwe and Peter Kuschnereit, the men charged with keeping Basic Channel’s music alive as Scion, had a hard time building momentum behind their feathered dub chords and drones. Fans of Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman material were understandably thrilled with his rare performance, but I found his shimmering LED display more interesting than his straightforward minimal techno.

Plastikman. Photo by Bryan Mitchell for Paxahau

Of course it wasn’t all bad on the live PA front. Ryan Crosson and Niko Marks were more engaging, the former because his psychedelic style kept shifting and the latter because he sang along and played keys with his prerecorded tracks. Despite the rain and lengthy gear troubles, The Moritz Von Oswald Trio, who were joined by Carl Craig, gave no quarter to accessibility and soldiered on through free jazzy arrangements and dub-flecked rhythms. Kevin Saunderson and Paris Gray’s Inner City project proved to be an entertaining if predictable headliner for Sunday night, performing the radio-ready tunes that brought them acclaim without renovating much for the 21st century. But the granddaddy of all live PA’s came from Robert Hood. Dressed in his signature jump suit and tweaking a bank of analog equipment, Hood built impossibly complex rhythmic structures higher and higher before demolishing them under the weight of truly gargantuan kickdrum hits. Even when his equipment suddenly gave out he was quick to find a solution and launched right back into destroying what remained of audience’s hearing.

Robert Hood. Photo by Paul Kelley for Paxahau

The cure for the blandness of so many DJs’ festival sets was attending afterparties, which seemed to be held almost anywhere people could fit a PA. As we noted in our afterparty guide, there were so many going on it was impossible to attend everything you wanted without a car, superhuman stamina, and a fat stack of bills. But the parties I did attend offered such concentrated good times that I didn’t mind missing the Shit Show or the infamous boat party. The best party I attended was NDATL’s Deep Detroit at 1515 Broadway. Essentially the back room of a late night cafe, the space was perfect for hearing Kai Alce lay down some unconventional deep-house, one of the most perfect house sets I’ve ever enjoyed care of Larry Heard, and a James Brown-heavy set from Theo Parrish — not to mention the exclusive 7″ single on sale. That same night I tried to catch Ben Klock at the Centre Street Social but left disappointed as the long line I waited in was informed the party had been shut down by the police. This became a common theme throughout the weekend as the police shut down party after party, possibly in response to a number of shootings that reportedly occurred early Sunday morning. Early Monday morning I made it to the MetroPlex 25 party located in a gigantic building stocked with three floors of DJs. There I enjoyed an uniformly excellent house set from Eddie “Flashin” Fowlkes and a surprisingly decent and techy set by Kevin Saunderson, offering more evidence that the big stage mentality is only temporary.

Larry Heard. Photo by Douglas Wojciechowski for Paxahau

As much as I’m glad that Movement is becoming a truly popular destination for electronic music fans of all stripes, I’m also disheartened by what that’s meant for the quality of the festival. Granted any large scale event is going to feature DJs playing to the sensibilities of unwashed masses, but Movement’s continual enlargement has escalated the rate at which I’ve been disappointed by jocks giving in to these instincts. The addition of a fifth stage yielded very little of interest and was another slap in the face to Detroit’s homegrown talent who were without a doubt the festival’s highlight — even in an unfavorable venue. Focusing on creating a catch-all electronic music festival to sell ever more tickets has come at the expense of the bedrock on which it was founded. What’s more, the quality of the afterparties schedule that weekend made it easier for fans to skip the festival entirely and catch sought after artists in settings conducive to the highest caliber of music instead of what might work for candy ravers, guys in green body suits, and average fest-goers alike. I sincerely hope Paxahau and all involved at Movement continue to refine what works and show more respect for Detroit’s artists instead of relentlessly expanding. It’s a wonderful festival that I’ve enjoyed a great deal each year — including this one — but the reasons for returning for the festival itself are dwindling.

Save your free pass for another youngster: Kyle Hall gets by perfectly fine on his own merits. Having cultivated a mouthwatering discography and forthcoming release schedule while still barely legal, one might expect Hall to embrace the title of Detroit’s next great dance music producer. Yet while speaking with him in a recent phone interview, it seemed being released on FXHE, Moods & Grooves, Hyperdub, and Third Ear Recordings was small beer next to the scope of his ambitions. His enterprising nature is backed by vibrant creative energy that cannot be contained by genres or expectations, yielding a loose but carefully considered strain of organic dance music whose affecting quality knocks you back in your chair. It’s little wonder that he can imagine producing for pop music megastars in five year’s time. Boundlessly optimistic and precocious to boot, it was my pleasure to speak with Hall in advance of his Movement ’10 appearance about his passion for the visual arts, how he’s dealt with success, and the future as he sees it.

For past generations of producers it was difficult to gain acclaim while being stylistically multifaceted (like “Shake”), because no one knew how to market them. From your own personal experience as a multifarious musician, do you think it’s any easier these days for producers to gain acclaim while making diverse music?

Kyle Hall: Yeah, of course, I think it’s way easier now. I don’t really see an issue with doing different things. As long as it’s good stuff…

That’s true. Do you think that’s because there are fewer boundaries now; it just seems everything was so segregated in the past.

I guess so, I wasn’t back then. I just like making music, period; I don’t really tend to lean towards one thing more than another. Music is music.

I imagine most if not all of the music you have lined up for Warp, Planet E, Nonplus etc was all written in 2009. Have you had much chance to compose this year?

Oh yeah, plenty. I do it all the time — as soon as I’m home.

How is your stuff now different from the material for the forthcoming EPs?

I mean, it’s still me doing the same stuff. There might be a difference outwardly to other people. It’s different of course because I’m trying to improve what I do.

What were some things you wanted to improve that you’ve had the chance to work on?

Integration between hardware and software, things like that. Getting better gear, getting to be able to do things more easily more than anything. Learning about the transfer from digital audio to vinyl. Learning about that process is how you can optimize your sound — what works best for the format. More of the technical things, but some musical stuff, too. Picking up different progressions and different key signatures, doing stuff in different time signatures other than 4/4, doing things in 3/4, doing things in half tempos. Just exploring musically what I can do, but that’s just a natural thing.

When you say you’re working in different time signatures, does that mean you’re doing more stuff like your Hyperdub 12″?

Yeah yeah, I mean, that’s still kinda 4/4 — kinda. The drum patterns are in 4/4 time signature but the way the bass is, in “Kaychunk” for instance, that comes around on every third beat. I’m doing that kind of stuff too. I just did a remix for [Instra:mental]‘s “Leave It All Behind” that’s… well it’s still got a 4/4 kick, but I’m doing things more broken up and experimenting with using less drums to get my point across.

You’ve had an incredible amount of success over the last year’s time and what I’ve heard of your release schedule suggests there’s much more to come. What do you do to keep yourself from getting too big of a head from all the accolades?

I just keep listening to stuff [chuckles] that I want to be as good as or better. Searching for more music for myself to consume, just to challenge myself to get better. That’s more or less how I try to keep myself grounded. It’s not hard to keep yourself grounded, but I guess this is just a way to keep things interesting for me so I can focus on making music. You try not to do the last thing you did. That’s hard to do some times, especially in a remix situation. A lot of times people hear the last remix you did and want you to do one kinda like it. [laughs] That’s why they liked it, that’s why they asked you to do the same thing. I try not to do that but keep people pleased to where they want to come along with me, and me trying to expand things.

What’s your song-writing methodology like?

Sometimes I start with a melody. Well, lately I’ve been starting with melodic things and then kind of working downwards to make everything gel together. It depends on what you want to be the main idea. Usually what I start with is what I intend to make the focal point of the track, but that’s not always true. Sometimes you end up finding something else you added that might have been supplementary originally but it ended up being the focal point of the track. I might start with the hi-hats just to get a rhythmic element going, and then I’ll find the right kick drum. It’s not so much a creative reasoning of me creating songs, it’s more so using sounds to come up with my songs — they just kind of come together themselves.

Do you bounce ideas off people as you go or do you usually have full tracks before getting feedback?

Yeah, I do share stuff with friends. Sometimes I’ll send stuff to DJs who I think might appreciate it. Usually that’s about it, but it’s not like I’m looking for some kind of confirmation to make my track feel like it’s credible or good enough. Usually it’s done when I let someone hear it, or that’s how I want it to be and it just needs some minor adjustments. Sometimes you might hear things later because your ears get tired and you don’t exactly know how things sound anymore after you’ve been working on it. Some little pointers from people help, too.

Is there anyone unexpected who you use as a sounding board? I imagine people might think, ‘Oh, I bet he’s showing tracks to Omar-S.’

He’s probably the person I don’t ever let hear my music! [laughs] Not for any particular reason, it’s just… it’s not easy to just send him an email, so it’s not often I let him hear stuff. Actually, Dennis Ferrer, I let him hear my stuff. He’s a cool dude and he knows a lot about the technical stuff, so every now and then I send him some stuff and ask him what he thinks, as far as mix-wise. Sometimes he’ll give me cool tips I can use because he’s super technical when it comes to studio stuff — it’s good. Carl Craig, too, I let him hear some things. And then people who don’t really do music either. That’s probably the majority of people I let hear it. People who I look to just to get an honest opinion. People who don’t already have much of an idea about it because they’ll give you the most honest opinion. They won’t be analyzing it as much [laughs] about how you did something and just hear it. It’s good or bad, that’s about it. Sometimes I don’t let anyone hear it and just put it out.

As someone who is as much a DJ as producer, how important is it for your tracks to work on the dance floor?

Now it’s more important as I’m playing out more and traveling because I want to play my own stuff. Before, I guess about a year ago, I didn’t really care as much — I was just making music. I’d play it I guess. [laughs] It’s important to a certain degree to make a lot of stuff work that other people might not be able to make work. As long as I can play it, I’m kinda happy. I’ll have one I’ll play for sure and there’s usually another track I’ll make and think, ‘Yeah, that’s for everyone else to play.’ This is for the less complex DJs, less technical DJs. As long as I can play it I’m cool, that’s what I make music for.

What music industry advice have you received that’s resonated the most and from whom?

There’s a lot of stuff! I guess one is, be in control of where you music goes and how it’s presented to people. That’s where running my own label comes into play, and licensing things — don’t give stuff away.

Who taught you about that?

My music production teacher in school, he taught me about that. Carl Craig, my agent, Alex [Omar-S].

I do know that you have taken that advice. I remember last year after Movement ’09 I sent you an email about doing a podcast for LWE. And you said something like, ‘Sure, as long as you pay me the same amount as 10 mix CDs.’ I have to admit, at first I was a bit taken aback…

[Bursts out in laughter] Ahh, sorry.

It’s fine, because the more I thought about it the more it made sense. So many people are willing to give away their DJ mixes or whatever else and you’re looking to make money on what you’re spending time on.

Yeah, yeah. At that point in time I was really trying to get things together and have a focal point on what I was doing, and I definitely think that had to do with my answer. I don’t know, the whole mix thing online, I didn’t quite get it. When I was selling mix CDs I was like, ‘Why would I give one away for free [laughs] so people can go listen to that and not buy my mix CD?’ [laughs]

Has that changed at all?

Yeah, the mix CD thing is not as important. It is in a way, it’s more a grassroots thing because I hand make those mix CDs and I put care into them, so when I do the mix CDs it’s a little piece of art that I do. Some online mixes are cool for promotion. When I did the FACT mix, that kind of helped me a lot. I didn’t know; I just did it because some people told me it was pretty cool and they had some other people’s mixes that I kinda liked, so I just went ahead and did it. Why not, get some promotion.

Your interest in the visual arts is apparent in your records: the center labels of your records, “I <3 Dr. Girlfriend” as a track title. How do the visual arts influence the way you perceive music and its creation?

Yeah, at the end of the process when the music is made… anything that people visually see, it’s something that can attack their senses actually influences what they think of the music — the connotations of the music itself. So I try to imprint how I feel about the music visually and title-wise so it influences what people think or people see where I’m coming from and relate to what went on. In the case of the second release on my label [Perfekt Sin] I had all the band members illustrated on the label in a cartoon kinda thing. I wanted people to see, we all did this track together — this was live. The other ones where I used the cassette tape, I wanted to illustrate, ‘Yes, I used cassette tapes.’ [laughs] It’s not just on there to look cool, that’s part of the process of me making this — how the sound is processed — and I wanted people to get a feeling for that.

Even with the Hyperdub one, I had my friend do the illustration for it, and I’m like, ‘This is where I’m at now,’ the whole KMFH thing. I want people to see, this is how this music is supposed to feel to you, it’s supposed to feel like a beautiful girl right next to you. So that’s why I put that there, because that’s what this music is about. The title, “You Know What I Feel,” this girl knows what I feel and that’s why she’s so close. I mean, some of the titles are kind of goofy too, but I come up with those with a certain feeling I have and a word comes to mind. It might even be not a real word, it just sounds phonetically what I’m feeling. If I could make up a word for that feeling or the sound of that song, that’s what it would be.

I have to say, I really loved the word bubble, “You’re about to see this 38th chamber,” that really cracked me up.

[Laughs] Yeah, yeah. That’s a Wu-Tang Clan reference that this girl, Blue Raspberry, who is part of Wu-Tang Clan. One day — and it’s a whole crazy story — I dropped her off at her house and she told us about the “38th chamber.” And we’re like, ‘What the– There’s a 38th? That doesn’t make any sense! I don’t even understand!’ We just thought it was hilarious. After that we just talked about it, me and my friend Cleveland — Mr. Thrasher — who did the artwork, we talk about that all the time. [laughs] It was just so relevant, it just worked! [laughs]

One producer I know you enjoy, Sam Shepherd, has done some gigs with a live band as Floating Points Ensemble. I was curious if you aspired to do something like that with a group like Bsmnt City Anymle Kontrol.

Bsmnt City Anymle Kontrol, that’s over, that’s done. My friend Dorian passed–

Rest in peace.

Yeah, so that’s where that is. [laughs] I’m not really aspiring to do anything with a live band, I just thought it would be something neat to do in the basement. [laughs] My friend Gary, he came all the way from Ohio and two of my friends from middle school I’ve known for a really long time came by to do some stuff. After we finished it, Dorian was over here to play the drums. After we finished it I was like, ‘I like this, I’m gonna put this out’ They were like, ‘You serious?’ I was like, ‘Yep!’ and I put it out. That was that. But that’s the end of Bsmnt City Anymle Kontrol, that’s the last there will ever be of that. It ain’t no more of that. I don’t think I’m trying to do nothing live like playing keyboard in a band or nothing, that’s not what I do. I mean, maybe one day, I can’t say anything for sure; but at this point in time I’m not thinking about doing a soul band or anything. But that is sweet, I like that. I like seeing [Shepherd] do it, that’s just not what I do.

I was surprised to see Jay-Z, Deadmau5, Soulja Boy and Tiesto next to Carl Craig in a list of the artists you said you wanted to remix and Lady Gaga and Pharrell as artists you’d like to collaborate with.

Oh yeah, definitely.

Do you aspire to produce tracks for the pop sphere at some point?

Yeah, definitely! This music’s gotta get out here! This has to. I mean, it doesn’t have to, but I want it to. I want to be doing stuff for them, plus they’re looking for new blood, different stuff than what’s going on. They need that next song! I want to be that. [laughs] Tiesto, he probably out there thinking, ‘How can I take it to the next level.’ You never know, he might see that and be like, ‘Kyle Hall, he’s gotta remix this track.’ And I’m down, put my own spin on it.

A lot of underground dance music producers aren’t very interested in going above ground, why are you?

That’s ridiculous. Why would anybody not want to go above ground? Would anybody not want to make more money? Why would anybody not want more people to be into what they do? That’s dumb; who would think like that? No one, no one thinks like that!

[Laughs] I believe that everybody wants that sort of exposure and the money that goes along with it, but I know a lot of people are scared off by what the music industry is at that stage of the game when you get to the level of those big artists, it’s a lot more cut-throat and about cutting deals. So are you looking forward to seeing your name next to Beyonce’s on a record?

No, no, it’s about actually creating the music for Beyonce.

Right, right.

It’s not just like, I can brag to people, ‘Kyle accolades because he did this on this project.’ I wouldn’t even like listing those things, ‘Kyle was involved on…’ No! I want people to hear that stuff and be like, ‘Dang, this dude has transcended to that next level type of stuff.’ Even if it’s just somebody else that gets out there. I think people are scared and they think you get taken advantage of at that point. No, not true anymore, because the major labels need you. Nowadays major labels won’t actually sign you unless you’re already selling 10,000 mixtapes on your own, on the Internet, through blogs and all that. But you don’t really need that! You can do that yourself!

I’m not talking about getting signed; I mean, yeah, Universal would be dope, something like that, or some affiliate like Deutsche Grammophon, that’s ridiculous. But in actuality, with the size of phone companies I’d rather get signed to AT&T or something, be the first artist on Sprint or Verizon. [laughs] They have constant revenue through people paying their phone bills every month, they have a global appeal because everyone needs cell phones. Everybody knows Verizon, everybody knows T-Mobile, everybody knows AT&T! It’s more so the outlet that those type of things provide to get your music out there to more people, and working with those artists would also appeal to another set of people who weren’t open to things like underground dance music. That’s what it comes back to: I don’t really care about genres, about being underground, the next great Detroit techno artist. That’s not really my interest. I’m more into making great music, just like any other great producer would want to be.

It’s probably difficult to see past your 21st birthday right now, but where would you like to see yourself in five and ten years from now?

So I guess like 23 and 28?

Yeah.

I hope to be like… I don’t know, man, that is pretty far ahead. [laughs] I should be pretty established, I guess? I should be OK. [laughs] I’m thinking that by the time I’m 20 I should be on some Lil’ Wayne, I should be doing something like that. I don’t know, that’s ridiculous. I might be president of the United States somehow, or his right hand man, I don’t know! [laughs] I might even be doing something more ridiculous than I’m doing now. Definitely something more ridiculous. I might be the guy on MTV, I don’t know. Who knows, who knows? That’s what I hope. I want to be running TV networks and crap like that. I hope to.

My last question came via a reader: What is your favorite possession?

Uhh… dang.

Say your dad’s place is on fire and you have to run downstairs and grab something…

[Laughs] That made me think, ‘What’s the most expensive thing?’ [laughs] Not my favorite. I mean, records, obviously not replaceable, you can’t insure them. Maybe records? I like my records a lot. Maybe my MacBook, I don’t know [laughs]. That’s a tough one, man. Because I feel like if I’ve got the tools necessary to rebuild, in the case I’m just thinking about what I can’t get back. I don’t know. That’s a cool question, but I don’t even know, man.

It must be said that Warp choosing Kyle Hall to remix “Dressed In Dresden” by nascent dance-punkers The Hundred In The Hands was a shrewd move. Not only does Hall have a considerable amount of well earned buzz around him, he’s able to take the tune from the messy living room dance party it starts in and guide it to a proper nightclub’s booming dance floor without losing the rambunctious energy. While the original recalls The Rapture, Hall’s Motor City touch sands off the edges and tightens a few bolts. Eleanore Everdell’s vocals are pared back to a few ethereal accents on his efficient swinging beat, with florid keyboard vamps and fluttering synth lines threaded throughout. Our thanks to Warp for making this stunning, celebratory revision available for free.

Download: The Hundred In The Hands, “Dressed in Dresden” (Kyle MF Hall Remix)

[Glass Table]

As is perhaps expected from a multi-alias producer who started releasing music in his teens, Jimmy Edgar’s catalog has variously shifted styles, ranging from glitchy instrumental hip-hop to sleazy electro funk/IDM crossovers. Now in his twenties, Edgar seems to be attempting to subdue his manic tendencies. Both of his compositions for Hush, the first release on new British label Glass Table, are notably streamlined, slow and loopy with the formerly prevalent glitchy stutter reduced to a few minor flourishes. Meanwhile, similarly precocious Detroiter Kyle Hall contributes a remix of “Hush” that further solidifies his reputation for loose, spacey funk.

“Hush” is a looping, airy piece, led by slow-and-steady stepping percussion. Edgar laces organ pulses and atmospherics throughout, broken up by with a woman yelping the title, swathed in varying measures of delay. There’s a palpable sense of unease and emanating from its swinging form, one that’s mirrored by its X-rated video — a montage of low budget pornographic videos pre-sex-act (mostly), uncomfortable women removing their clothes and posing for photographs in grimy surroundings. You get the sense that under its svelte, considerable groove there’s an eerie emptiness it’s just barely masking. Kyle Hall’s remix, then, gives its dead eyes some life, implementing his trademark bottom-heavy shuffle and a much-needed change in bass line. Where some of his prior efforts threatened to come apart at the seams in their busy clatter, this remix coasts confidently by, countering Edgar’s sedate shadiness with tones of skyline grandeur. Rolling and symphonic, fans of his Darkstar remix, “Fuse N Me,” and Floating Points will not be disappointed.

Edgar’s second track, “BThere,” follows “Hush” in theme, repetitive and glazed with the same sort of icy veneer and yelped vocal samples. Nevertheless, it’s a bit more upbeat, notably due to a strikingly catchy, buzzing bass line and clean, forceful synth stabs. In spite of their commonalities (and the fact that the latter is older than the former), Kyle Hall seems like the mature opposite of Edgar’s young eclecticism. Both appear to be in a period of refinement; but while Hall’s streamlining hasn’t sacrificed any excitement, Edgar might be minimizing too much of the liveliness that made his best work pop. But I digress. Jimmy Edgar has long been interested in crossing sleekness with red-light district vibes, and these tracks typify that contrast, simultaneously glossy and late-night seedy.

Jack Hamill can be forgiven for his cosmically comical references, from the outer-planetary names he gives his music to the cover art that looks like it was beamed direct to Earth some time in the early 80′s. He can be forgiven these things because it doesn’t hide any of his incredible talent, which becomes very clear upon first listening to one of his releases. The young producer (barely nudging twenty years, I believe) has only two previous credits to his Space Dimension Controller handle, though one of those, Unidentified Flying Oscillator, is a full length foray into spaced out electro (available here for free). He has also recorded earlier, more experimental, downbeat work under the name RL/VL. His new EP for Royal Oak carries some of those influences but leans more towards deep, atmospheric house and Detroit techno.

Those nods to Detroit can mostly be found on “Cosmo30 Travel Duration,” which sends out sonar tracer bullets, eventually landing a direct hit on some funked up Herbie Hancock-styled keys. The bass notes work wonderfully off those keys, creating a deep, body popping groove. Hamill heads further into the land of space boogie with the title track, dropping the tempo slightly and giving those hot vintage synths a real workout. There is a strong Detroit influence here too, though with both tracks here the familiar elements we recognize as being of a Detroit-y nature occur through the melodies rather than the percussion, which carries the simplistic automation of robotic, electro funk. Closing track “BBD Alignment” is of immeasurable deepness and feeling. At first it marred the rest of the EP for me as I was so focused on it, quite happy to pass over the others to return to its dreamy embrace. A lot of the time when I listen to music I am anticipating what is coming next, or taking note of what the producer has done to effect certain sounds. Listening to “BBD Alignment,” none of those thoughts entered my head, it was simply a matter of completely feeling the music.

Detroit wunderkind Kyle Hall’s remix of the title track, true to his form, sounds unlike any of his other productions. He keeps the majority of the melodies, propels things into a higher gear and straps on a more substantial kick, hollowing out the bass line in the process. For all its inherent sense of funk within the melodies, there is a tweaked out, manic feel to the track that will probably divide opinion. For me this EP is made by the three incredible original tracks, which all point to a very promising career for Jack Hamill.

[Hyperdub]

In a city with a rich and diverse cultural heritage like Detroit, it’s not difficult to understand how so many of its native electronic music producers have avoided being penned into a single genre like techno. Following in the footsteps of artists like Kenny Dixon Jr. and Anthony “Shake” Shakir, Theo Parrish and Omar-S, young turk Kyle Hall is the latest to throw off the yoke of listener expectations and create without concern for categories. Hall was raised by a creative clan who engulfed him in house music at an early age and fostered his innate talents with an education at the Detroit School for the Arts. Add to that unfettered access to a world’s worth of music care of the Internet (something his predecessors could only dream of) and you’ve got a free-thinking, well-equipped producer for whom genre boundaries are as outmoded as landline phone service. So far in his relatively brief discography he’s offered everything from delectable house melodies and grinding techno grooves to loose-limbed hip-hop beats and sprawling jazzy excursions. The genrebusters at Hyperdub proved keenly aware of his capabilities when they asked him to remix Darkstar’s “Aidy’s Girl Is A Computer” and positively prescient in nabbing him for his own 12″, Kaychunk/You Know What I Feel. It’s easily his most accomplished release to date.

Varied as Hall’s past releases have been from cut to cut, those inclined to categorize each would have little difficulty doing so. Yet his latest jams seem immune to definition, floating freely through the porous membrane of bass musics while retaining distinct Detroit flavors. Each element seems fully considered in its relationship with the rest of the song, allowing listeners to focus on single instrument and hear something new with each subsequent spin (eg. the kick drum, which seems to shift patterns every few bars or go missing altogether). Bustling snare patterns, widely reverberating snaps and periodic, pitched up shouts of “want it!” impart a nervous energy to “Kaychunk” that’s somewhat alleviated when thick, colorful bass tone works its way through the din and ushers in sumptuous pads. Hall unspools ravishing synth vamps which move like silk fluttering in the wind, cloaking listeners in reams of melody. Don’t be surprised if you end up yearning for more when they finally recede into the hazy chords.

Thankfully, B-side “You Know What I Feel” hits just as hard. Incandescent chords beckon listeners inside its head-rocking breakbeat frame before releasing an ascending keyboard riff — a gorgeous staircase to the stars that wiggles mid-note. With your head above the clouds, Hall strafes the horizon with stinging single pitches as he switches up the rhythms and prepares a bassy slide to let audiences down easy. His productions are so intricate but feel effortless to enjoy and never get tangled in their own complexities. They operate in a space that can only be called “dance music” yet feel immediately familiar and cry out for repeated airings. I can say without exaggeration that I’ve listened to Kaychunk/You Know What I Feel more than any other record so far this year, and its appeal is so great I can’t foresee shelving it anytime soon. It’s no wonder Planet E, Warp, and Nonplus have all added Kyle Hall to their release schedules; you should do similarly for your vinyl collection.

[Hyperdub]

For those keeping close tabs on Darkstar, Hyperdub, or the broader “dubstep etc.” community, there’s a sense of “it’s about time” in the ship date of “Aidy’s Girl Is A Computer.” Landing in shops this month both on Hyperdub’s fifth anniversary compilation and as the advance single of an eventual Darkstar album, the track’s been floating around on Internet and radio for some time. If you’ve not heard it already, count on more of the bouncy bass lines, spare percussion, 8-bit keyboards and digitized vox that made the duo’s woozy, chilly “Need You” a crossover hit last year. Brace yourself, though, for a sweeter and much more melancholy pop song this time around — albeit a cool, depersonalized one. If you’ll forgive a hackneyed electronic music cliché, “Aidy’s Girl” sounds of clunky, malfunctioning technologies striving to express, or at least approximate, human emotion. The meek computer-generated vocals play the key role, but even the malleted percussion and squealing bit-stream chords seem to voice a stammering loneliness that tugs at the heartstrings. A remarkable realization of their dual interests of science fiction and simple, effective pop music, it’s Darkstar’s finest work yet, as far as I’m concerned.

Hyperdub has shied from the standard “remix on the flip” format, but “Aidy’s Girl” drafts Detroit house phenom Kyle Hall to rework the A-side. It’s an unexpected pairing and, moreover, unlike anything Hyperdub’s issued before, which is exactly what I like about it. Hall’s rework uses shavings of the original’s computerized vocal to form a sort of feathery down over a slow, deliberate pattern of deep techno oscillations and vintage house rhythms. An intermittent, high-pitched keyboard solo recalls the interstellar funk of Hall’s work on “Perfekt Sin” this summer, but actually this remix doesn’t show particularly clear connections to his earlier material. Its technoid soul vibe, unsurprisingly, reminds me of Hall mentor Omar-S, but the gauzy, micro-sampling of Darkstar’s track situates this track closer to dreamy Kompakt tracks of yesteryear. Just reading Hall’s name on a Hyperdub sticker comes as a surprise, but I certainly couldn’t have anticipated the track that results from the pairing.

You’ll find Kyle Hall’s records filed under “house,” but the music of this protégé of Rick Wilhite, Mike Huckaby, and Omar S has just as much to do with funk, jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. An unkempt braid of diverse influences and bright-eyed talent, this record — Hall’s second release for his own Wild Oats imprint and his fifth overall — resists categorizations as pat as “deep house.” Progressing further along the warm and woolly path of last year’s “Worx of Art” EP, Hall’s latest bears the markings of a Roy Ayers acid jam, a dusty Dilla riff, and some Parliament funk. It’s easy to imagine this record finding a receptive audience outside the dance music demographic, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still try to horde him for our own. Indeed, you’ll hear plenty of evidence of Hall’s reverence for those aforementioned house music mentors too, though this time the music settles on soul-jazz territory adjacent to the plot Theo Parrish has claimed for his recent work.

The title track is credited to Bsmnt City Anymle Kontrol, a combo featuring Hall and the late Dorian Fiddler (son of Amp Fiddler), among others. The live instrumentation comes off assured but decidedly unpolished. This isn’t a combo flexing its musicianship so much as doggedly pursuing a groove. Both soulful and cosmic, the hair-down vibe verges on fusion, but has a weathered roughness to it, so that “The Perfekt Sin” manages to sound both busted-up and like a spaceship taking off. “Love Kontrol” is an airy tangle of sweet, absently tinkling keys. It has a charming music box feel, enhanced by occasional soft coos (from Hall himself?). At the same time, it could pass for a side of abstract hip-hop. Hall says he’s cooked up a CD’s worth of boom-bap for pending release. This, along with last year’s “I <3 Dr. Girlfriend," suggests that he'll have no trouble making the transition.

To my ears, "OatN Out" shows the clearest Theo Parrish similarities, but there's something playful and bright here that's Hall's own thing. An inebriated, dense composition of disparate grooves, melodies, and noodlings, it toes the line on looseness. Had things strayed just a little further, or had he added two more elements to the mix, and this might have sounded like a rehearsal in Hall's garage. But Hall's background in dance music keeps things orderly, and we're instead treated to the musical ruminations of a capable, imaginative musician with enthusiasm to burn. I suppose now is as good a time as any to bring up the unavoidable fact that Kyle Hall is all of 18-years-old. As sheepishly humbled as I am by the quality of work and maturity of taste he shows at this age, I'm more so excited by a sneaking suspicion that Hall's best work lies ahead of him. Most of all, though, I'm grateful that I don't have to wait til then to get to know his already well-defined musical personality.