#bandcloud

Anastasia Kristensen is a force to be reckoned with. Her online mixes are constantly banging, her tracks are subtle yet monstrous. I’m seeing her for the first time this weekend and I’m hyped for her set.

Bruce. Larry only put out one release this year (not counting the remixes of his tracks on Timedance) but that one was a beaut, and he was also a brilliant interview subject.

Call Super. Yet again my favourite DJ and producer gave us a consistent run of stellar music, from his life-affirming fabric mix to his split release with Shanti and his collab with Beatrice, and then of course there’s AOTY contender Arpo. 

Dublin Digital Radio. A world of thanks to the team and general community at DDR, it’s a wonderful place to have a home. Long may it flourish.

Emra Grid. Rivalling Arpo in the AOTY stakes was Emra Grid’s Shay’s Vacation House on Opal Tapes (on vinyl). A gorgeous album, its dolorous tones were matched by the dark intensity of its artwork. 

Family. Orla and Cathal are my world <3

Graham Dunning is such a dude. He makes weird techno, puts out tapes taped from tapes taped from tapes, his label is super weird and he’s just a lovely guy.

Helm put on a great show in Dublin’s Bello Bar, one of the rare mid-week gigs I got to attend this year. Shout out to Off Target for bringing him over. More things in store next year, keep your ears open.

Intrigued By The Drum by Ploy was probably his strongest release outright to date. Sure, his records have had bangers, but this one featured championship-winning strength in depth. From the trippy percussion of the title track to the haunted wind of ‘Zoom’, the nervous tension of ‘Blow Poke’ to the half-time olde worlde loopiness of ‘Bad Seed’, it’s a delight from start to finish.

Jacktone is a wonderful label run by lovely people.

Johanna Knutsson gets a mention for several reasons - not least her incredible mixtape for Klasse entitled Somnis Vius. She put out a call for weird ambient music and I sent her some tracks I’d been working on. She played on her radio show, the first person to do so this year (or ever). So many kind thanks to Johanna!

L is for Leaaves and also Larson (April Larson). Two amazing artists who were behind the first exclusives on bandcloud.org. Leaaves with a split tape (with Opaline) on Oxtail Records that melted my heart, Larson with a release on Tobago Tracks that documented the various workings of said heart. Both were sublime bodies of work I was proud to share.

Mhysa is another inspirational artist, her fantasii album quickly becoming a firm favourite. Somewhere between confessional rnb and apocalyptic club, it’s a true statement of intent. 

Nina made my favourite tape of 2016, and she put out a bunch more this year. She really does make the weirdest and most wonderful mixes you’ll ever hear. 

Ole, aka DJ Fomo, brought me on as a guest to Subcity Radio in Glasgow. We played b2b with Beat Beneath, trawling the archives for trance classics and proggy goodness. Ole came through with the best transition I heard all year, a long blend of Call Super’s remix of ‘DTMF’ and Bedrock’s remix of ‘3.2′ by Humate. No one man should have all that power.

Pauline Anna Strom. Last year’s best reissue was Breadwoman, this year’s was Pauline Anna Strom’s Trans-Millennia Music. Both on Re-RVNG. I suppose reissue is the wrong word, but it’s a collection of her old music lovingly put together for the current age, with gorgeous packaging, art and liner notes.

Rádio Quântica were kind enough to give me a show when I was in Lisbon for work. It was such a rush of excitement that I ran out of music and didn’t even speak on the mic. Honourable mention goes to Objekt’s ‘Theme from Q’, which is probably my track of the year.

Rroxymore. I’ve been listening to Rroxymore for years, and finally got to see her this year in Glasgow. She did not disappoint. She brought the strange funk of her releases to the live setting in thrilling style.

Sybil Jason has been working so hard for so long it’s to my shame that I only came across her work this past year. Better late than never, it’s been a pleasure and a privilege to get to know her and for her to contribute a superb Truancy Volume. 

Without Truants I don’t think I’d be in the position I’m in at all. All love forever.

Upsammy is a Dutch producer who’s playing with Call Super and co in Amsterdam this weekend. Her track ‘Wish I Could Still..’ featured in the mail recently, a mournful plod that pulls at my heartstrings. More please! 

V I S put out the Nina tape mentioned above last year. This year they released six stupendous records that redefined what I thought I knew or liked. More coming soon, I can’t wait to hear what’s to come. 

Wilted Woman did a super guest mix for Bandcloud, one of just a few this year, and it caught the attention of Pitchfork’s Philip Sherburne. Not only that, she put out two stellar records, one for She Rocks! and one for Alien Jams. Don’t sleep.

Xenie by Witchblood is a tape I bought largely for the art (since there was no audio preview) but it’s wonderful. Slightly dank sounds rendered danker by the hum and hiss of tape. Laboured piano, strange fuzz, all the hallmarks of weird metal-infused noise music. Big up Witchblood and Invisible City Records.

Yamaneko made music for a spa and then shared it with the world. It’s simply gorgeous. Not to mention his work as Talbot Fade. 

Olo - Common Bad (Help) A lovely track from a great album that's the first digital release in the Regelbau/Help universe.

Rui P. Andrade - Only To Become Water (ACR) A lush track from a pretty bleak album.

TALsounds - Over (Patient Sounds) Something nicer, this time from the Patient Sounds sampler, which is raising money for animals affected by recent hurricanes in the US.

H. Takahashi - Körper (Where To Now?) This was apparently composed on the artist's phone, which is incredible to me.

Teresa Winter - Untitled Death (Death of Rave) Long-awaited music from Winter, on this brilliant record from Manchester's Death of Rave. It doesn't disappoint.

Forest Drive West - Scafell Pike (Frequency Domain) The compilation this appears on shares a wealth of different electronic music, from noisy drone and blissful ambience to pounding techno. It's a great label.

LNS & DJ Sotofett - Jugando Con Fuego (Sunrise Mix) (Wania) This collaboration features a series of different versions of this theme, with one side basically a 17-minute original take. This is one of those versions.

Lindstrøm - Tensions (Will Long Remix) (Feedelity) Tokyo-based Will Long turns his hand to this Lindstrøm track with great effect.

DJ Python - Las Palmas (Proibito) Slightly weird reggaeton-influenced dance music. The whole album is cool!

Bicep - Ayaya (Ninja Tune) Conversely, I'm not mad about the Bicep album but this track really grabbed me. Slow trance.

Chmmr - User (CLI Mix) (Pear) Pear is a new label in Dublin that grew out of a radio show and party. This is a stellar track that's going to be on a label comp in November. It's been ruling my summer.

Duckett - She Answered Back Through No Medium (Wisdom Teeth) Duckett makes beautiful heartfelt modular jams. I just got this release and found out he's got another record and a tape coming soon.

St David - La Luna (Spiritual Dub) (Let's Play House NYC) Nice throwback house that's not cheesy or trite.

Patrice Scott - Do You Feel Me (Sistrum) Gorgeous old track that's been haunting me for years but that I only bought recently.

Minor Science - Volumes (Whities) Incredible stuff from Angus Finlayson. Choppy, weird, lush, powerful. The synths feel like prog house but everything else screams future. Kind of like Lanark Artefax’s stuff, which also appeared on Whities, so I guess that’s fitting.

Joe - Tail Light (Hessle Audio) This is an incredibly fun party track, so many silly and amusing and brilliant things about it. “I’m lazy, and I don’t wanna do NOTHIN.”

Aybee - Scroll (RDV) Deep house. Real deep house.

PQM - The Flying Song (Jason Jinx' Dirty Old Joystick Remix) (Yoshitoshi) I bought this double pack of remixes back in March, mainly for the Markus Schulz remixes, one of which appears on my favourite mix compilation OF ALL TIME (Deep Dish’s Renaissance Ibiza mix). I left it in a friend’s house the night I bought it and only retrieved it this month. So I had to play it.

Beatrice Dillon & Call Super - Inkjet (Hessle Audio) Aaand play it into some future house. Beaty D and Call Spoop are two heroes and their collaboration is unsurprisingly brilliant. I nearly didn’t play it, cause everyone else is, but it’s too good to leave behind.

Schiller - Ruhe (Schiller Remix) (Data) I forgot this existed until I recently put on Danny Tenaglia’s London edition of the Global Underground mix series. It’s got everything: tough beats, German vocal samples,

Felix Da Housecat - What Does It Feel Like? (Röyksopp Return The Sun Remix) (City Rockers) I love how this starts off dark and sinister before opening up like a gorgeous sunrise. Of course, I didn’t let it get that far but hey.

Mor Elian - Satellite (Delft) Lovely choppy percussive business from a very talented artist.

Ploy - Unruly (Hemlock) Ploy put out an excellent release on Timedance recently, which was followed by an accompanying brace of remixes that just came out the other week. This is a weird banger coming soon on Hemlock.

Aquarian - Hamburglar Helper (Hanger Management) Speaking of banging, this is full throttle. Laced with breaks and classic jungle samples, this track shows Aquarian’s refined palate.

Lakker - Song For Rathlin (Eotrax) Okay I have to apologise here. I took this track and sped it up digitally as if it were going from 33 to 45. Then in the studio I played at +8. It works at every tempo I think.

Artful Dodger & Robbie Craig ft Craig David - Woman Trouble (FFRR) I brought this album to play 'Please Don’t Turn Me On' but this worked better in the moment, I think.

Strict Face - Silk Swathes (NLV Records) Lovely garage meets grime meets ambient synth work from an artist who seems to grow with each release.

You and Me - Synthpipe (Self-released) This is from an album of guerrilla field recordings.

Pauline Anna Strom - Energies (ReRVNG) An archival release forthcoming on ReRVNG, it takes the new age synth explorations of Pauline Anna Strom recorded throughout the 1980s and presents this futuristic body of work in a modern context

Daniel Fagerström - 01110100 (Beat Concern) Meanwhile, here is some thoroughly modern synth music, gnarly and distorted in the best way. Fresh on new label Beat Concern. Out to Matt.

Earthly - Rainway NC (Bounce Pass) This is from a gorgeous album, almost quaint in its delicate approach.

In case you're interested, here's what I played at Beatyard on Saturday. Three half-hour sets, each talking things in a different direction. Fun baby. This was a highlight, naturally.

Ginuwine - When Doves Cry RJD2 - Ghostwriter Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full (Seven Minutes Of Madness - The Coldcut Remix) Lil Mama - Lip Gloss Mariah Carey - Fantasy (Bad Boy Remix) Eli Escobar - Heavenly Break Ghostface Killah - You Know I'm No Good (Goodlife Re-Edit) Busta Rhymes & Amerie - Touch It (A.Brucker & Sinden Mix) Ol' Dirty Bastard - Got Your Money Big Boi - Shutterbug  Pitbull - Bojangles 

Dominatrix - The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight Bullion - Blue Pedro  The Juan Maclean - Human Disaster (Holmes Price Cover)  Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That (DJ Apt One Edit) Dubtribe Sound System - Do It Now  Ying Yang + Pitbull Vs Yaz - Shake Situation Jamiroquai - Space Cowboy (Classic Club Remix) Armonics - Red Eye (Black Spuma Remix) Chmmr - User (CLI Mix)

Astoria Sound - 34°32'42-n (The Calm) (Self-released)  Beautiful sounds from San Diego.  

Jeliwan Tok Hudoq - Abadiah (Ripstore.asia) Released for Netlabel Day, this is strange and possibly upsetting. 

Meemo Comma - Dialup (Objects Ltd) Coming soon, this release from Lara Rix-Martin is a study in experimentation, with this appropriately named piece standing out for obvious reasons. Bleeps and tones. 

Topdown Dialectic - Phlt V1.4 (Unreleased) Thanks to Aught for sharing this with me from the vaults. 

Mhysa - Siren (Halcyon Veil) This whole album is stunning, shadowy club meeting heartfelt R&B and riven throughout with political intent. This swampy cover of TLC’s ‘Red Light Special’ is beautiful. 

Michel Philippot - Ambiance 1 (Cacophonic) Taken from a collection of early electronics, this shows where it all began. 

D Hansen - Idioms (Angoisse) I missed this split release when it came out but I’m glad I found it. Lots of strange movements in sound. 

Baraclough - Anaglyphic (Forris) Dale Cornish sold off some copies of this CD and I’m glad I snagged a copy. The album is wild, I especially love ‘Brigitte Fontaine In Cuba’, but this piece of weirdness worked best here. 

Holovr - Hillraiser (Likemind)  Jimmy B goes deep into ambient techno. 

CM-4 - Rain (Docsleep Remix) (Outpost)  Docsleep is a great artist and label head, I love this remix she’s done for her friends at Outpost. 

Mustapha 3000 - Kongo Thong (Unreleased) Getting silly with this old bootleg track from Erol Alkan. That new ‘Thong Song’ rework is awful, why Sisqo, why? 

Look Like - Delta (Akoya Circles)  This comes from a great release that works with well worn samples but gives them new life. 

Cailín - First Taste (Jheri Tracks)  I’m still playing tracks off that triple vinyl Jheri put out because they’re super. By summer’s end I might have exhausted the supply but this one from Cailín is a marvel. 

Aidan Wall - Stuxrunner Resin (Unreleased) Aidan stuck this banger on their SoundCloud and kindly shared it with me. 

Greyhouse - New Beats The House (Dark Entries)  Squawking acid that I heard Call Super play to great effect last weekend, even if I spent its duration at the bar. 

DJ Haram - Body Count (Self-released) Gunshots and drums, the perfect combination. Not everyone can pull it off, but Haram is a pro. 

Chekhov - Rotlicht (Peach)  Peach is really growing as a label, and Chekhov is a great new talent. Call Super played this one too! 

Paul Woolford - Pterygota (Unreleased)   Taken from a SoundCloud (that preceded the announcement of his latest Special Request album), this is emotive yet powerful. 

Flora FM - Drain Age (Acid Gate 2 Heaven) (Unreleased)   My man Taylor is going down a new road as Flora FM, and this is a true acid banger. 

Violet - Silver Lining (Naive)   More fun breaks, this time from Portugal’s Violet on her own label, due soon. 

Primitive Trust - Day One (Shanti Celeste Remix) (Aus Music)   This floral and fruity arrangement from Shanti is perfectly emblematic of her wonderful style. Playful and fun, airy, utterly delightful.

Arnaldo - Urgent Soul 100 (Naturist Recordings) Squelchy and bouncy house from Arnaldo. 

P Diddy Ft Kelis - Let’s Get Ill (Deep Dish Illicit Remix) (Bad Boy) More silliness with this ‘I Feel Love’-aping remix of Diddy’s foray into house music. 

Ikonika - Shovel (Nervous Horizon) From a comp on this London label, it’s a rattling banger. 

Mudwise - Plastic Models (Enklav) This new track from Chevel’s label is hypnotically aquatic and leads nicely into strange zones. 

Solid Blake - Mario (Outer Zone) BANGING techno from Solid Blake on this new label. Outer Zone is affiliated with La Cheetah in Glasgow, a wonderfully intimate spot for sweaty parties. 

SW - Untitled (Sued Records Via Apollo) One of many incredible tracks from SW’s album, now released digitally, it’s a perfect bridge track between modes. 

Body In The Thames - Loverboy Idiom (Self-released) BITT is a wonderfully talented artist who knows his way around a synth or two. Like with SW above this is just one of a load of great tracks on his self-released album. Great guy too. 

Daniel Karlsson - Gaining Traction With The Local Branches (Conditional Records) Conditional love to get wonky, and this is as wonky as it gets. 

Orlando Ft Nemesis - Cyaa Done (Gobstopper) Orlando’s been through various guises over the years, pop-dancehall producer is my favourite of late. Wake de neighbours indeed. 

M/M - Welcome To The Rain Season (Spring Break Tapes) Bandcloud guest mixer M/M just released this album on Spring Break Tapes, and this one is a beautiful taste of his international approach. 

Swim Platførm - Surface 3 (Kit Records) This is a bit old but deserved some airtime. Beautiful stuff as ever from Kit. 

Assel - Fitness Talk (Where To Now?) (Unreleased)  New stuff on Where To Now?, I’m not sure who it is but the whole album is weird and intriguing. This is a jolt of straightforwardness by comparison. 

Fes - Airyle (Fuck Off I'm Not Done Yet) (Patrúin) Fuzzy weirdness from a brilliant Irish compilation. 

Rhucle - York (Otherworldly Mystics) Gentle, blissful ambience to end things. At least until I had other plans. 

JEM - K3M (Unreleased)  Big up Joe, who sent me this strange workout.

Yamaneko - Hydrokinesis (Unreleased)

A beautiful track that reminds me of Morricone's Ecstasy of Gold, albeit through a modern, aquatic lens.

Juan Jose Calarco & Alma Laprida - Curva (Pakapi Records)

A musty crank of a track from a huge compilation of music from throughout the Americas.

Zwei Kreise - Inexorable (Quanta Records)

Dark modern IDM. 

Blend Architect - Cloud 1.1 (Groovement)

A moment of light from a release that is built on the bones of frenetic, driving techno.

Em Som - You Said That (Jheri Tracks)

Floaty, airy electro-folk.

Lanark Artefax - Flickering Debris (Whities)

Glossy electronics that belong in the shiniest of sci-fi anime.

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Delerium - Silence (Sanctuary Mix By Fade) (Nettwerk)

It's amazing what a remix can do. What started life as an overwrought trip-hop-meets-grunge meltdown becomes a dank and spiritual journey.

ATB - 9pm (Till I Come) (Kontor Records)

The simplest, most beautiful riff.

Three Drives On A Vinyl - Greece 2000 (Hooj Choons)

I will never forget hearing a DJ say "summer of 98 is what it reminds you of" about this tune. Perhaps it was his backwards way of speaking, who knows. This is a beautifully melancholic piece of work.

Nalin & Kane - Beachball (Urban)

This is wonderful because it marries a fun riff with a basic human desire (having fun at the beach!) with quite mournful chords. 

Tilt - Invisible (Lost Tribe Vocal Mix) (Hooj Choons)

Swirling, cavernous synth sounds that jump and build and grow into a bizarre vocal that I've never understood. Still got radio play.

Humate - Love Stimulation (Paul Van Dyk's Love-Club-Mix) (Deviant)

This one has a haunting bass line, wailing vocals, shuffling percussion and piano riffs that are just the right side of cheesy. Perfection.

Darude - Sandstorm (Neo)

I remember hearing this on radio and just thinking WOW this will be a smash. Still bangs. 

System F - Out Of The Blue (Essential Recordings)

This is the big one. Without this one I would never have gone down the rabbit hole. I still remember this one Friday night on the computer listening to a rare dance show on national radio and hearing the 12" version, it was on a tape I rinsed for months. I'd borrow compilations just to hear this mixed with other tunes and always be disappointed, the mixes in my head better than anything reality could offer. The main intro section is silly and goofy and it explodes into this gargantuan mess of trance heaven. Epic.

Gouryella - Gouryella (Tsunami)

Kind of like the weird cousin of Out of The Blue.

B.B.E. - Seven Days And One Week (Triangle)

This was on the radio and on MTV before I knew what trance was. It's weird and bleepy and then that breakdown gives you this gated sound that's just terrifying.  

Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar (Original Three'N'One Mix) (Hooj Choons)

Stupendous. Someone tweeted me "truly, if there is a piece of music more viscerally thrilling than the arpeggios in 'cafe del mar' then i've yet to hear it." Hard to follow that.

Art Of Trance - Madagascar (Ferry Corsten Remix) (Platipus)

This is a bit simple but really plays of silence and tension. The rolling percussion with that building synth line is incredible.

Veracocha - Carte Blanche (Positiva)

One of Ferry's few minor key tracks, this also really works with contrast, from nothing to everything in a moment.

Paul Van Dyk - For An Angel (Pvd E-Werk Club Mix) (Deviant)

Another classic, a highlight among highlights. Dreamily euphoric, mournful and uplifting, the titular angel forever out of reach. 

Chicane - Saltwater ft Maire Brennan (The Thrillseekers Remix) (Xtravaganza)

I played the original when I was on SubCity and wanted to close with this gorgeous retake. Out to Yamaneko, who's a big fan of the Brennans. 

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Calcium Club - Y Columba (Major Problems)

The label calls this "trance induction techno" and that's hard to top. 

Beta Librae - Whisper Game (Allergy Season)

This whole release is a marvel, tough, smooth, whole. Earthy?

Kemback - Carduelis (DBA Dubs)

A delightfully flavourful track that continues the run of stellar grooves on this sublabel.

Bb Bitflower - Wood Run (Jheri Tracks)

Floral techno. 

Ursa's Reef - Love Cult (One Eyed Jacks)

Jam & Spoon-indebted chuggy trance techno. Tugs at the heartstrings.

Lumigraph - Smelly Rockers At The Gypsy Rose (Jheri Tracks)

Similar in spirit to last year's Spectacular Times, this one rattles and jerks with aplomb.

Run The Jewels - Angel Duster (Mass Appeal)