Best electronic albums of 2016: big-name also-rans

Here are more people that didn't reach my final list.

If you spot holes in this top 20, that’s because some big names are missing. For example, you won’t find Katy B’s Honey (Rinse Recordings) because my usual listen-holes weren't streaming it. Or how about DJ Shadow’s The Mountain Will Fall (Mass Appeal), absent for an entirely different reason. That reason being: a snoozesome meh.

It was a shame not to include Loop the Loop (DEEK) by Bullion with its slices of scrumptious melody. Same for Bibio’s A Mineral Love (Warp Records) who are sounding more than ever like the BeeGees. I also appreciated The Gamble (R&S Records), an addictive noodly number from nonkeen.

And finally some miscellaneous treats for this particular also-rans section – yep, more of these to come. Have a listen to the retro techno disco of Prins Thomas’s Principe Del Norte (Smalltown Supersound), the playful electro of Letherette’s Last Night On The Planet (Ninja Tune), the post-punky Sport (XL Recordings) by Powell, and the one-off pop oddity that is Nicolas Jaar's Sirens (Other People).

There you go. Something for your noise receptors. More to come as the top 20 contines.





Scroll all of the best 2016 electronic albums by clicking here.

New releases: Houndstooth, Bullion and Pantha Du Prince

Here are three forthcoming releases that may be worthy of your ears.

To mark their third birthday and slow transition into long trousers, the Houndstooth label (logo pictured) will release a compilation this week called Tessellations.

Houndstooth is partly run by Rob Booth of Electronic Explorations, who's kind of a don round these parts. The album should be good, and features loads of their artists including the compelling Call Super and the incredible junglist Special Request.

On the same day, Bullion plopped out his debut album Loop The Loop. This electronic popster was first mentioned on this blog seven years ago and it's nice to see him release a long-player.  It seems his influences include Can, Devo and Thomas Dolby.

Not to be left out, the ridiculously influential Pantha Du Prince has just announced his first album for six years. His previous one, Black Noise, was my fifth favourite album of 2010, and all of its haunting tinkles have stayed with me ever since.

Listen below.





And an old one from Pantha Du Prince:

A digger full of puppies makes the Miike Snow go down: new singles from Bullion, Miike Snow and Joker / Om Unit

Bullion

I swear the Coen Brothers would approve of Bullion's new single: it has more than a hint of Jefferson Airplane circling around the edges.

Say Goodbye To What is a californicating slice of pop psychedelia and it will be released on One-Handed Music on January 25th. Imagine a Led Zeppelin filled with laughing gas - it floats nicely alongside Bullion's Young Heartache EP from last year. Worth checking out too is the b-side Crazy Over You, but it's the a-side that had my spine tingling like a dead-leg.

Pop to Bullion's Bandcamp page, or click play here:



There are a couple of other tracks you need to know about...

Miike Snow

I may be going soft in the head, but I'm rather fond of Sweden's Miike Snow at the moment (pictured). Silvia is weaker than his usual fayre, although the six minute version is more lovely than a digger full of puppies once it gets into its meandering, kooky stride.

Miike Snow appear to be the pop band it's okay for electronica nuts to be into. You can watch the new video of Sylvia on Youtube: no, that isn't Viggo Mortensen.

Joker

Finally, the mauve boy wonder Joker is producing some seriously good stuff at the moment (see what I did there? Joker? Serious? Oh never mind.). His 2009 track Digidesign has got itself an electro-tastic Om Unit remix, and it has more kick than a donkey can-can. Meanwhile, Joker's recent single City Hopper, on the Tectonic label, is worth it for the slow fat fuzz basslines of the b-side Output 1-2.

Fat Roland's 2010 electronica preview, part one: or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Instead Develop A Festering Hatred For Anything On The Wrong Side Of Easy Listening

This is part one of two 2010 preview posts. Here is the link to part two.


Welcome to my ball-bursting, clown-punching, thigh-nuzzling preview of what to expect from electronic music in 2010.

I cannot claim this to be comprehensive, nor even accurate, and I am likely to veer off the rails to feature music I wouldn’t normally be too bothered with on this purist blog. But if it goes “bleep”, then it’s probably registered on my radar at some point, even if it didn’t make the final edit.

Where shall we start? I know...

January: "it sounds exactly like La Bloody Roux"

Beth Ditto will be shouting her massive gob all over the radio again, this time on Simian Mobile Disco’s Cruel Intentions. It will be massive? Why? Because it sounds exactly like La Bloody Roux. To counter that, why not bring things down with noise experimentalist Merzbow, who will complete his massive but quite unlistenable Japanese Birds series with the final two albums in January and February. (See my original, bird-filled post on that series here.)

Manchester glorious bleep poppers Delphic will channel the spirit of New Order when they drop their Acolyte album in mid-January.

See him mashing up the beats and then serving them with peas and a steaming pork joint? That's Bullion. Already known for filtering the sixties through his turntablism sensibilities, his Say Goodbye To What single is described as having a “magical Boards of Canada-visit-Studio 54 feel”.

Howse about a big name for 2010? Croydon mailboy Peter O’Grady will have a great time as Joy Orbison. He is also working on tracks on Four Tet’s fifth album - and their first for four years: There Is Love In You is out towards the end of the month.

Also look out for Miike Snow's Silvia: there's something I like about that guy, despite his unkept hair. Keep one eye out for the Super 8 Bit Brothers, if only to distract you from the energy-sapping truth that William Orbit is releasing a whole box set ('Odyssey') of his pleasing, populist electronica.

Oh and if there isn't enough brainless acid mentalism in January, Mike Dred's got new material out.

February: "an ill-fated 22-track concept album"

February is an absolutely massive month for dance music fans. And no, I'm not referring to Josh Wink's Airplane Electronique or Groove Armada's no-doubt snoozesome Black Light album. Nor do I mean The Streets' Computers And Blues, or indeed Fatboy Slim and David Byrne's ill-fated 22-track concept album about Imelda Marcos.

No, the 'massive' refers to the return of Massive Attack with what is only their fifth studio album in a billion years. Heligoland will be released exactly seven years after 100th Window, and promises treats in the shape of Guy Garvey, Martina Topley-Bird, the guitarist from Portishead AND a seriously exciting remix project from dubstep king Burial.

Speaking of Bristol musicians, production mad skills for 2010 will go to Joker - watch out for his various mixes sprinkling the record shelves throughout the year.

Oh and speaking of dubstep, this slightly jaded sub-genre could go go seriously mainstream in 2010. The main contender could be Benga and DJ Zinc when they collaborate with Ms Dynamite in February. Look out for La Roux remixer Skream too.

Or maybe the battle for the mainstream will be won by Philadelphia’s Diplo, who has teamed up with chart-topper Robyn (the Swedish Kate Bush, anyone?) – although following the pair’s studio sessions, Diplo admitted “I think we broke dubstep.” Silly Diplo.

Hot Chip will make a welcome return in February. Their new long-player One Life Stand will include 70s rock legend, This Heat drummer Charles Hayward. No, me neither.

The Album Leaf will present A Chorus Of Storytellers. mixed by a member of Sigur Ros which gives you an idea of the direction of the album, while Flying Lotus will appear on Muhsinah's single Always / Lose My Fuse. Also watch out for FlyLo's other projects this year: his work with Samiyam under the name FLYamSAM and an inevitably stupendous DJ Kicks album.

If there isn't enough brainless acid mentalism in February, Ceephax Acid Crew has got a new one out ('United Acid Emirates' - genius).

Members of !!! and LCD Soundsystem will guest on electro producer Pantha Du Prince's Black Noise album in February. LCD themselves will release an album in March, although with its rock and disco influences, don’t expect it to feature too heavily on this blog. Which brings us neatly to...

March: "hear it on a BBC ident near you"

Cartoon popstars the Gorillaz have signed up very real, uncartoony versions of Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed and, um, Barry Gibb for their third LP Plastic Beach. Expect it to arrive before Easter.

Electronic breaks / trance duo Hybrid have promised an orchestra on their new album Disappear Here in March or April. I don’t think it’ll be very interesting, but do expect to hear it in a BBC ident near you.

For the less commercially-minded, there's Gonja Sufi's essential new album A Sufi And A Killer. There is also Plaid's "experimental Ambisonic piece" Nord Rute based on recordings taken with reindeer herders. Expect a launch event with Luke Vibert in March.

Autechre will feature on the same bill as Salt N Pepa at Bloc 2010 (mentioned here in November). I cannot write that enough. Autechre will feature on the same bill as Salt N Pepa at Bloc 2010. If you think about it, what's the difference? Really?

Tim Simenon will revive his Bomb The Bass moniker with LP Back To Light, while Dan Le Sac and his quick-tongued chum Scroobius Pip will try to revive the good old days of 2007 - they will start March with a single called Get Better and follow it with album Logic Of Chance a couple of weeks later.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? have the most nauseating album title of the year. Don't Say We Didn't Warn You will complete their final metamorphosis into being a slightly synthier Muse.

Ooo, I nearly forgot Goldfrapp. Head First will be preceded by single Rocket. I have something scribbled here about Tyondai Braxton, but I'm not sure what it means. Hopefullly he will take time out from his fancy classical music commissions to produde a new Battles album.

Finally in March, To Rococo Rot (they of big beat fame) promise their new album Speculation will be "measured" and "restrained". If you want to be as adventurous as Keane, what's the point? And Starkey will follow his 2009 single OK Luv with some more bad boy bleeps on his album Ear Drums and Black Holes, due out at the end of the month.

Sadly, there isn't enough brainless acid mentalism in March.

This is part one of two 2010 preview posts. Here is the link to part two.

Bullion's trundling, Mount Kimbie's clonking, while Dan Deacon does the splits

I'm not one for sweeping statements, but...

The single is dead. Downloads beat it in the face with a hammer until it was reduced to a bloody, single-flavoured soup.

So let me pop you a few quick reviews of, er, two EPs and a 12-inch. They're definitely not singles. They are two EPs and a 12-inch.

The first EP can be filed under 'psych soul'. Bullion's Young Heartache EP grabs recognisable, commercial soul sounds and gently caresses them until they're a wobbling wreck of half-hip hop.  It's smooth house that's been put on rollers and trundled into a river. Disorienting currents, courtesy of some nifty compressor work in the studio, spin the music from one side of your brain to the other. It's almost too commercial for me, but it's somehow so addictive. Grab a copy from your local independent internet shop.

Secondly, the spacious Maybes EP is definitely by Mount Kimbie (picture above adapted from their MySpace page). Combining the darkness of Burial and the spaciness of Battles, this debut singl-- er-- EP is probably the smartest opening salvo I've heard for a while. Drones and drips and clonks and warm, luscious pads build into something that is quite ominous. Just please don't call it dubstep. Although I'd made a lazy note to write about Mount Kimbie some time ago, thanks to Anclove for properly turning me onto this duo.

Finally, the 12-inch. And it's the most beautiful 12-inch you have ever seen. (If you think 'day glo' is beautiful, that is.) Dan Deacon and Adventure took one side each of a garish yellow slab of vinyl and called it the Dan Deacon Adventure Split 12", Dan goes for speed drumming over a busy vocoder, while Adventure turns in a jaunty arcade game synth workout. It's all pretty ho hum, and not as exciting as Dan Deacon's album Bromst, which you can stream in its entirety here. (Edit: this link no longer has audio - get an up-to-date Dan Deacon link here.)

The single is dead, although with those sort of efforts from Mount Kimbie and Bullion, the corpse is looking pretty sexy.