Mixes:
Presha - HOR
Somewhat inevitably Samurai Records and PRSPCT Recordings have been the sources of the year's best music and I don't see this changing any time soon. Hard to pick a particular favourite from Samurai but this superbly varied, deep, creative and uncompromising mix from the boss man Presha sums it all up - and hints at more excellent releases to come.
To compliment that, favourite releases from Samurai this year, I can't pick a track to show off but both EPs are excellent in their own right:
Tracks and EPs...
Dom & Crystl - Stimulant
Dom has been at the top of his game for nearly 3 decades with no sign of wavering, and this is as good as it gets. From FADNB thread: "a lovely blend of soaring melodies and tones like the cry of avian aliens, militant drums of a victorious army, and bass pulses direct from the earth's core"
Dom & Roland - Clash Of The Titans
(From the Against A Dark Background album - https://domandroland.bandcamp.com/album/against-a-dark-background-lp )
Roland too has been at the top of his game and this is one for the podium of classics. Epic hardly does it justice but it's a start - the soundtrack to your gnarliest board session, hardest redpoint, or walking onto stage at the Olympics. This track turns men into titans, mortals into heroes, and will make a champion out of you too.
Kilbourne - Sunshine Terror
(From the Milkshake EP https://prspctrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/milkshake )
The Empress of Electronic Music returns for the 4th year in a row having a best of the year track (previous ones being Pillsurfer, Pain Becomes Pleasure, and Cathedrals). Definitely both euphoric and energetic, but other than that it's a classic yin-yang of good and evil, light and dark, hard and soft, sunshine and terror.
The Bug - Brutalized
(From the Machines EP series https://thebugmusic.bandcamp.com/music )
Apocalyptically good industrial doom dub from the master. Who know the soundtrack to the Earth melting under the weight of human civilisation would be so damn groovy??
Neurocore - Dawn Of The Rising Spirits
(From the Existences album https://prspctrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/existences )
Is this uncategorisably excellent track the ultimate electronic dance music track?? Are there any sets it wouldn't fit into perfectly as peak time euphoria?? There's only one way to find out, and that's a full listen at full volume. Once you've done that, check out the album for all your cinematic-euphoric-techno-ambient-soundtrack-trance-melodic-hardcore-electro-rave needs.
Offish & Attempt - The Faceless
A fantastic future-looking track on Homemade Weapon's "Armoury" imprint so you know it's going to be good. Smoothly rolling drums, pulsing caresses of downright erotic bass, and taut analogue bleeps combined in a perfect cyberfunk blend.
Homemade Weapons & Red Army - Spellbound (Homemade Weapons remix)
An unusually direct track from the deadly Homemade Weapons, but no less quality than his more creative and quirky dubbed out steppers. Absolutely fierce, absolutely groovy, headbanging and bootyshaking.
Rediscovery of the year:
Pascal - Johnny - )E|3( remix
A Bad Company track / remixed I missed for 20 years?? I've been making up for that with repeated plays in the last fortnight. As good as anything they've done with that classic BC energy - YA BADBWOY
