Tracks and reissues I really liked in 2017
Sometimes a 12", EP or album is a bit meh but there is one killer tune on it. Here are some of my faves which weren’t on one of the releases I really liked in 2017. Also I snuck my fave reissues of the year at the bottom too. Ugh, too much music, so little time!
Best tracks.
CoastDream - Soft Moon
Probably one of my favourite tracks this year on consistently excellent label X-Kalay. That piano line coupled with the video makes for some powerful nostalgic feels. Oh La La is also great.
Fisher - Ya Kidding
Dirtybird is pretty hit and miss for me, usually a lot more misses then hits. Their vein of bumpy tech house is mostly very formulaic but sometimes they churn out a complete banger like this debut from Fisher. Probably the track I played out/on the radio the most this year.
Baba Stiltz — Can’t Help It
KH -Question
The Identification of Music Facebook group frothed over this Kieren Hebden funk edit all (European) summer.
Objekt — Theme From Q
Surprisingly ‘garage’ monster from a usually stoically clinical Objekt.
Pearson Sound — Robin Chasing Butterflies
I’ve also found Person Sound’s productions too clinical recently but this is beautiful.
Floating Points — Ratio
Dusky — Cold Heart
Denis Sulta - Dubelle Oh XX (JVIP)
Cubicolor - Dead End Thrills (Patrice Bäumel Remix)
Todd Terje - Jungelknugen (Four Tet Remix)
Talaboman - Samsa
Artwork - Let Go Of This Acid
Lanark Artefax - Touch Absence
O’Flynn - Eleven
Luke Vibert - The Future
Soulwax - Is It Always Binary
Sweely - The Time Has Come (Paterson’s rhythm Plate rework)
Skinnerbox — Gender
Best reissues
micronism — inside a quiet mind 1997 (Remastered reissue)
Probably one of the greatest electronic albums to come out of Aotearoa, perhaps second only to the Nurture comp on Kog. It received the reissue treatment by Loop this year and I pre-ordered that sucker on SIGHT.
Ability II — Pressure
Probably the single greatest Sheffield Bleep record to emerge still sounds fresh 27 years (!) later. It’s all about the Dub that burns on and on and on and… This nicely repackaged reissue on Major Problems also features a tasty Luca Lozano Remix.
More audio clips on the Discogs page:
Mr. YT — Brand New Day
House and ambient classic reissued with bonus trax by Apollo after 20 years, a relief as OG copies were going for stacks on Discogs.
Garageland-Last Exit To Garageland (Deluxe Reissue)
Pick of the bunch of the Flying Nun ‘90’s Nun Reissue club’ series which took an age to get reissued, my copy was delivered almost 3 years after I pre-orderd it! Brilliant twangy pop album that soundtracked my teenage years. Still waiting on the Headless Chickens re-issue!
Ron Trent - Prescription : Word, Sound & Power
Excellent retrospective of some of this mans amazing output.
