as per 2020, i spent most of last year listening to new material by old faves such as the blistering final ep, shadow of funk, by cabaret voltaire, the excellent ambient techno album, music for photographers, by the black dog, the insanely over the top sonic excess of the future sound of london, and the widescreen grooves of unkle.
however, there were a few new surprises sprinkled across the year.
first and foremost was finding out about spectacular diagnostics. first via his old school boom bap productions for the latest kid acne album null & void, and then his solo album, ancient methods, that revisited the psychedelic stoned trip hop beats and samples of classic ninja tune and mo wax releases, and then late in the year, lil obeah released his debut album, from transylvania, proving that reggae can still sound futuristic, weird and wonderful.
oh, and speaking of ninja tune, the label put out the album that easily hit the hardest, fire, by the bug : an absolute beast of an album with a variety of rants and raves set to the most intense speaker troubling productions.
so, here is the list of albums that made 2021 a lot more interesting.
in no particular order :
cabaret voltaire – shadow of funk ep
kid acne/spectacular diagnostics – null & void
the bug – fire
koreless – agor
blood wine or honey – dtx2
madlib – sound ancestors
the black dog – music for photographers
adam gibbons – the last bastion (o.s.t)
lil obeah – from transylvania
future sound of london – we persuade ourselves we are immortal
nochexxx – splangers & mash/b-o-m mkii
pepe deluxe – phantom cabinet vol. 1
hollywood burns – the age of the saucers
dynatron – origins
perturbator – lustful sacraments
spectacular diagnostics – ancient methods
unkle – ronin
bronx slang – substance
primitive ignorant – life or death ep
compilations
don letts – version excursion
overmono – fabric presents overmono