Best electronic albums of 2020: please do not throw these special mentions off a cliff

Throughout this countdown, there will be many albums that didn't make the final list but still deserve to be festooned with garlands and cocaine and fresh puppies. Welcome to the first selection of 'special mentions'.

Firstly, I try not to include compilations in my Best Albums list, but I have to give a tip of the hat to the blistering Alterity from Houndstooth. In a piece of especially quality journalism, I described this album in Electronic Sound as sounding "like a bunch of synth modules being chucked off a cliff. Like, properly chucked with a run-up and everything." That was meant to be a good thing.

Another compilation worth a nod is PlanetMµ25. The sauciest thing to ever come out of Worcester, Mike Paradinas's Planet Mu celebrates its silver anniversary with some of my favourite artists, including Ital Tek, Gábor Lázár and Bogdan Raczynski. Right good treat.

Back to artist albums. Here are some dark, dubby delights that deserve a special mention despite not making my final 25. Following rereleases of his early albums, it was great to get some glorious new glitch from Pole in Fading (Mute). This was utterly hypnotic, as was Recondite's haunting Dwell (Ghostly International), an album which took one minimal monotone and turned it into something as immersive as falling into a pool of Diet Pepsi (I really like Diet Pepsi).

Let's also not forget Life Cycles (Cultivated Electronics), a lively collection of old rusted electro from the archives of Orbital’s early label-mates The Advent (1995's Elements of Life is still worth a listen). Finland's Morphology achieved a vintage feel too on the echoing electronics of Horta Proxima (FireScope Records). I'm amazed this didn't make my final 25. And finally, I loved the haze that emanated the smoked-out techno knees-up going on at the heart of Matt Karmil's ace STS371 (Smalltown Supersound).

More special mentions to come. And more countdown to come. Stay tuned.

 

 

Browse the rest of the Best Electronic Albums of 2020

Best electronic albums of 2016: an introduction

Welcome to my end of year list. The only one that matters. That's right... it's time for the ugliest pandas of 2016.

No, wait.

It's time for my top best favouritest electronic albums of 2016. This is my annual countdown of the long-players that have lured my earlobes throughout this most lurid of years. And although I probably write with some authority on the subject having scrawled many words about this kind of gubbins, I guess I should give some disclaimers.

Firstly, this list is not definitive. I've expanded it to a top 20 this year, and there will be another 90-or-so albums that will get the slightest of mentions. That's a lot of mentions. But I looked in an encyclopedia which said there were 32 billion albums released every day in 2016, so I'm going to miss stuff.

Secondly, I'll get things wrong. Opinion is not a static state. I look back on my previous lists (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009) and curse the day Vengaboys didn't win every single one. I may even edit these blog posts in the days to come. Just drop in a jpeg of the Vengabus or something.

Thirdly, I've missed out compilations. Sorry, Objekt (Kern Vol 3), the immense #savefabric or Houndstooth's impressive Tessellations.

I'm also not bothered about things in the charts that much, even though I've actually bought real life actual concert tickets for Take That, Kylie and Clean Bandit in the past. But as far as this blog goes, I'm looking through a narrow funnel. Literally.

Disclaimers done. I will slowly unfurl the top 20 over the next few days. Follow me on Twitter, where I'll welcome your responses and mentions. If you like a blog post, stick a link on your timeline - that's why I do this: to get more people listening to good noises. The number one album of 2016, which brightened up my year no end, will be revealed at noon on New Year's Eve.

I lied, of course. Pandas aren't ugly. It's your mind that's ugly for even thinking I was serious. Psyche.

You'll see this link at the bottom of all the posts. It may come in useful: 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: