Full-on also-rans hysteria

Almost there. Here's a bunch of solid techno albums that didn't make my final list.

I didn't want to deal with old stuff, so no space in my top 20 for the newly polished-up classic Mike & Rich's Expert Knob Twiddlers (Planet Mu). That also goes for Altern 8's Full-On Mask Hysteria (Bleech) which carries the only design in the world I'd have tattooed on my face. And no space either for the hugely pleasing 1995 (Skam), an ancient Jega album found on an old tape somewhere.

Here are three names I was sad not to include, including two names in my best-of-2011. I liked the sprawling soundtrack styles of Kuedo's Slow Knife (Planet Mu). And Illum Sphere's Glass (Ninja Tune) had a kind of echoing subterranean vibe that made me want to live in a techno submarine. Meanwhile, Surgeon kicked up an evil disco with From Farthest Known Objects (Dynamic Tension).

On a lighter housier note, it may be worth looking into the airy jazz-tinged electronics of Steven Julien's Fallen (Apron Records), the '90s bleepery of A Sagittariun's Elasticity (Elastic Dreams) or how about Shinichi Atobe's World (DDS), all sprightly beats and dubby ambience.

Only one more of these 'also-rans' round-ups left while the main top 20 marches on. Who will be the number one album of 2016? Get to William Hill and place your bets now (minimum stake: 2p).





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

Future Daniel: Clark's massive Totem is July's essential purchase

Edit: This album is mentioned in my top ten electronica albums of 2009. 

I'm still in computer no-mans'-land, but that won't stop me telling you how to run your record collection.

You have to buy the following releases:

1. I know I've banged on about this before, but you have to buy Clark's Totems Flare album. About a week away from touch-down, the most anticipated Warp release of the year (yes, more than Warp 20) is set to elevate Chris Clark to Aphex-levels of respect and thumping-fist-against-chestness. Breakcore goes pop. Electronica goes emo. Choose your own lazy comparison.

2. Er...

3. ...that's it.

Oh, apart from Jega's Variance, which is probably Planet Mu's most important release this month. This slab of strokable bleepness was first leaked six years ago (Jega has released bugger all since 2000), and now rears its official head in the shape of a double CD. The first CD is more melodic, and the second CD is aimed at techno heads, with a smattering of glitch.

But really, July is all about Clark's absolutely massive Totems Flare. I'm so excited, I've even cut-and-pasted the track listing from the Warp website. See if you can work out which is my favourite track title:

01 - Outside Plume (04.21)
02 - Growls Garden (04.59)
03 - Rainbow Voodoo (04.36)
04 - Look Into The Heart Now (04.02
05 - Luxman Furs (04.08
06 - Totem Crackerjack (05.21)
07 - Future Daniel (04.09) <<< this one, definitely this one
08 - Primary Balloon Landing (01.17
09 - Talis (03.07
10 - Suns Of Temper (05.40
11 - Absence (03.10)

Five new IDM electronica releases I intend to purchase in the near and not so near future

Wisp: The Shimmering Hour. Not an actual wisp; that would be silly. It wouldn't stay in my CD player for a start. It would just float off and diffuse into my room's usual noxious haze of dust, fart gas and the terrible, belching smoke from burning puppies.

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest. Not an actual gizzly bear. I suspect that would be inadvisable. I have no immediate intentions to go bear buying. Apart from white ones: you know, the ones with translucent fur that live on overzise mint sweets.

Biosphere: Wireless. Not an actual biosphere. Fitting all the world's ecosystems into your mp3 player may void your warranty, and in any case all that moisture would way you down when getting chased off Eamon Holmes' property. Oops. I wasn't meant to mention that.

Clark: Totems Flare. Not an actual clerk. That would be dull. I mean, if you wanted someone to take notes, perhaps do a bit of filing for my campaign for 'twazmuppet' to become the most common word in the English language, then maybe I'd buy a clerk.

Jega - Variance. Not an actual... um... at this point, the whole premise of this piece deflates like an airship in a needlework shop. *backs away from blog slowly*

Things that make you go Yeeeeehhhaawww

I hadn't given Bogdan Raczynski much time of day - until last weekend, when I heard his new album would be called Yeeeeehhhaawww.

He promises that his new album will be "the music I would play if the universe only had 45 minutes left... Think 1992 megamixes, trance, math beats, my favorite basil-based kitchen recipes, four to the floor, giggles and an explosive happy energy."

Bogdan deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as Squarepusher, Mike Paradinas, Jega and the holy Aphex Twin. There, I've just done it. Mentioned him in the same sentence, that is.

>Pink

The only record I have of Raczynski's is My Love I Love (pictured), constructed of gorgeous pink vinyl. It's brimming of detuned accordian folk songs sung in a whiny falsetto voice. It's not exactly restaurant-at-the-end-of-the-universe stuff, although it's deranged enough to be piped throughout a Vogon spaceship.

Raczynski is the only Polish IDM / braindance artist who used to play trumpet in Japanese jazz clubs. Some of his live shows have only been ten minutes long, and he has recipes on his website. These are facts.

>Beer

This is a fact: I know two Polish people called Stefan. One of them has another Polish friend, co-incidentally called Bogdan, who taught me how to pronounce the name of the Polish beer, Zwytec. It's a bit like saying "serviettes" but with a 'zsch' instead of an 's'.

This blog post has more non sequiturs than Family Guy. Damn you vile woman, you've impeded my work since the day I escaped your vile womb!

Where was I?

Oh, yes. Say yes to Yeeeeehhhaawww, due for release in May 2007.