End Of 2013: House and Techno albums (part 2 of 4)
The end of another year is almost upon us, a time when bloggers, artists, magazines and audiophiles put together lists of their favourite records for the year. Here at Irregular Crates it is no different – over the next couple of posts I’ll be casting an ear over 2013 and highlighting my absolute favourites. There is a mix for each post – click on the image above to listen to mix 1 of 3
Beat driven music has had a massive hand in 2013 for me as a listener, as I put together the Warehouse Decay label and basically immersed myself in all things Deep House and Techno. In this post, I’ll run through my favourite albums of the year that fit loosely in these genres. Some of these may feature in the main ‘album of the year’ post which will be online soon.
I was amazed at how many House and Techno long players truly embraced the extended format this year…all too often when scouring for beat driven ‘dance’ albums, I notice that some beat creators struggle to give the extended play format the time and space to do something a bit different. There were ten albums in particular that really blew me away this year, listed below in order of preference. Click on the artwork for each to visit a link to buy – many of these are still available in vinyl, CD and of course, mp3.
(1).
DWIG – FORGET THE PINK ELEPHANT
[GIEGLING]
Vinyl-only release from German outfit DWIG (Die Wiese Im Garten), the cuts range from downtempo, dubbed out deepness onto Bass and Deep House all arranged with a vintage feel to it and a sense of humour. The vinyl format only enhances the feel of this magnificent creation – this will be a real classic for many years to come.
(2).
MEDLAR – SLEEP
[WOLF MUSIC]
Another physical-only release, this time in highly limited quantities from the Wolf Music label. I’ve really enjoyed Medlar’s tracks to date and this has proved to be the icing on a very tasty cake. ‘Sleep’ draws influence from Soul, Jazz, Funk and Disco, presented inside a well thought out Deep House framework.
(3).
RIO PADICE- TROPICAL INTERLUNE
[EARLY SOUNDS]
And yet more highly limited, vinyl only goodness released in the Deep House scene this year. There’s a real mid-nineties Guidance Recordings, Glenn Underground kind of vibe on this – utter quality and was very much the soundtrack to my summer.
(4).
LEIF – DINAS OLEU
[FEAR OF FLYING]
After years of buying records by Welsh Deep House artist Leif, I was extremely excited about the prospect of his debut album – released on BLM’s Fear Of Flying imprint. And it doesn’t disappoint – a thoroughly well executed album from start to finish.
(5).
HUERCO S – COLONIAL PATTERNS
[SOFTWARE RECORDS]
September 2013, enter the experimental genius Huerco S. who has been recording since 2011. It is his debut album and is full of hazed out woozy keys, murky ambience and analog goodness.
(6).
CARLOS NILMMNS AND NIKO MARKS – C’EST BON
[U2X]
Last year I was particularly impressed with Carlos Nilmmns’ ‘Lune E’Clair’ and this year, he has crafted another excellent Deep and Jazzy record with the help of musician Niko Marks.
(7).
STEVEN TANG – DISCONNECT TO CONNECT
[SMALLVILLE]
Harking back to how Techno sounded back in the nineties, Steven Tang’s ‘Disconnect To Connect’ released on Smallville, reminiscent of Carl Craig or Derrick May.
(8).
HOWES – TD-W700 / LEAZES
[MELODIC]
This EP, or album if you purchase through Boomkat (thanks to a bonus track) is produced by 19 year old Howes. It’s a mixed back of electronic/ambient experiments and dubbed out Techno.
(9).
SHIFTED – UNDER A SINGLE BANNER
[BED OF NAILS]
Next, we turn to Techno with an album released later this year and pretty much a last minute inclusion. It has made such an effect in a short space of time that it ranks highly – lots of textured, minimal loops with shards of noise and cavernous beds of sound. Proper Techno with an artful feel throughout.
(10).
FLUXION
[TYPE]
Not strictly a new release, but a worthy inclusion all the same. In October, Type re-released this Dub Techno classic by Fluxion from 1999 which sounds just as fresh now as it did back then
