Nokturnalist

Wow, is it really almost 2012?  I mean I know they say time flies, but at this rate we’ll be 70 before we know it.  2011 was one of the best years for music in a while.  If I think back to two, three, even four years ago, there weren’t too many memorable tracks or compilations that would jump out at me.  But 2012 saw the re-emergence of down to earth, simple, good ass house music.  And while genres like dubstep really took off, it was compilations from the likes of Lawrence, Deetron, Henry Saiz, and Robag Wruhme that caught our ears and reminded us how much fun this music is.  Let’s get to the list shall we:

10) Lawrence – Timeless

Though not as well known as some of the other DJ’s on Cocoon, Lawrence pans out a fine mix of new techno with some classics thrown in for good measure.  Certainly not mind blowing, but solid enough to make it worth the money spent.   The Isolee – Thirteen Hours Alone track makes it worth it by itself.

09) Wolf + Lamb Vs. Soulclap

No surprise here.  2 of the best tag teams of DJ goodness around, W+L and Soulclap put forth a great release which further proves how talented these four guys are.  Even though the Marcy Hotel parties are over, this is the type of mix that will remind you of them years down the road.  And with a remix by one of our favorites, Beniot & Sergio, it’s one of this years best at number 9.

08) Robag Wruhme – Wuppdeckmischmampflow

If you were at the Wighomy Brothers party last year in Brooklyn then you know how good these guys can be.  Now that they’ve moved onto solo projects, Robag has really begun to take off getting his name out on dance floors across the world.

07) Pearson Sound – Fabriclive 56

Ramadanman has had quite the year.  Virtually unknown two years ago, he has stepped out of the dark to put out the best Fabriclive we heard in a while.  Some say Four Tet did a better job, but we’ll leave that up to you guys to decide.  All we know is, it’s good stuff.

06) Fabric 057 – Agoria

Fabric really had a solid year.  Between the two series, there were some really stellar albums put out to keep them on top of the mountain.  Frenchman Agoria had a busy year running his Infine label and releasing some floorkillers such as Speechless that he did along side our techno hero Carl Craig.  It’s gooooood.

05) Henry Saiz – Balance 19

Henry stood up this year and put out some of the best progressive house bombs we’ve heard in a while.  Working with the Bedrock camp, his tracks were hammered out by the whose who of the progressive world.  Balance 19 was his masterpiece as he slaved for 6 months turning out remixes and special edits to put together this truly special comp.  Review we did earlier this year: http://www.nokturnalist.com/2011/07/03/review-henry-saiz-balance-019/

04) Global Communication – Back In The Box

Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton make up Global Communication, which if you remember (or don’t remember), put out a fine little release called 76:14 which is probably one of the best compilations ever.  Yes, ever.  These two guys are a fine example of the issues we have with electronic music today.  So damn talented, but lacking the PR and whatever else it is that would have them selling out venues left and right the way some other uhhh, less talented folks seem to do at ease.  They’re vets, so there is no surprise why this made the list.

03) Jamie Jones – Fabric 059

Hell of a year for Jamie Jones.  RA named him the best DJ of the year and it’s pretty on par with what we think.  Doing gigs all summer long in Ibiza next to his buddy Seth Troxler, Jamie pretty much had his hand in everything.  An absolute work horse, he played so many damn gigs that I think he played more parties than days we went to work.  Fabric 059 helped show the world outside Ibiza his talents and helped some of us over here state side realize what we’re missing out on.

02) Dixon – Live At Robert Johnson Vol. 8

We read some reviews and they were either great, or not great.  Some said fantastic, some said boring, you say tomato we say potato.  To us, Dixon is one of the most prolific DJ’s and producers out there, besides running the Innervisions label with Ame.  This mix really showcased why he’s so sought after, and why we put it so high up on our list.

01) Deetron – Balance 20

The guys been releasing music for years and is finally getting some props.  To us it’s the best mix of the year.  We’ll let the review speak for itself: http://www.nokturnalist.com/2011/11/08/balance-20-deetron-review/

No related posts.