Posts in Best Of

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Lawrence has been a favorite of mine over the last 10 years creating structure to the mellow melodic end of Detroit techno. He has stayed true to himself and his sound so the quality of music runs deep in his catalog. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED album.

Almost a decade after his last Dial Records album, after an enormous amount of releases on labels like Pampa, Mule Musiq, Ghostly International, Kompakt, Styrax, and many more, Lawrence continues with a wonderful selection of extraterrestrial dance music: Films & Windows. From the first sparkle to the last whisper, this album is dedicated to “Angels at Night.” As the album title suggests, Lawrence as a cineaste and voyeur is inspired by an endless number of screened movies and real-life films — some only appearing while watching landscapes, stars and people passing by in front of a train window. While wondering at moments like this, strange ideas and colorful sounds occur inside the mind of the musician. The ideal approach would be to transfer these ideas into music without any norms or rules — but there is the club and it was always there. So no matter where Films & Windows started, it should always arrive at the dancefloor with frenzied people and other addicts of the outer-world’s soul. For over 20 years, clubs and nights out at places such as the Front, the ’90s WMF, Golden Pudel Club, Click, Sud Electronic, Panorama Bar, Robert Johnson, Smallville, Yellow, Precious Hall, etc., have been at the center of Lawrence’s universe. House music, techno, alien-funk, the unheard, the unseen — it is all magic everywhere.

PURCHASE LAWRENCE ON VINYL / DIGITAL

Also, he runs one of the most well branded record shops in the world in Hamburg called Smallville.

Sure everyone knows the usual Super Mario Bros., Tetris, Castlevania, Zelda, Metroid, Jackal, Ninja Gaiden, Double Dragon, etc. What I come to realize is how much of an impact it made on enjoying certain sounds and being aware of them at such an early age. Well here it is, feel free to list what you think I missed in the comments, remember the key word is underrated.

5. Town & Country Surf Designs

The surf game no one could beat in my neighborhood, loved the loop and chord change, and the cover oh how great that cover was.

4. Super Dodge Ball – Kenya Theme

I remember playing this game for hours just to get to Kenya so I can hear those drums, that flute… wellllllll lets not talk about the flute.

3. Blades Of Steel

Oh those lower notes, I loved them, the kid in me would cry if I didn’t put a hockey game on this list so here you go you weird time traveling crybaby.

2. Battletoads

At 0:28 my child mind felt like it was glowing, made we worship delayed sounds every since.

1. Bad Dudes

It almost makes me tear up its soo good, I almost want to knock on my neighbors door now and ask him if he wants to go outside and play guns.

Both spawned from the “New Class”, the 2002 and E9/CSL models were critical to establishing BMW as not only an international brand, but as a serious contender in automotive racing. The styling of these two cars are as good as it gets for me, on both ends of the spectrum: The 2002 is minimal, sleek, and small- while the 3.0 CSL employed much more radical styling, especially the race-bred models, making extensive use of garish aerodynamic bodywork. Both were hugely influential and paved the way for the best selling BMW in history: the ubiquitous 3-Series.

I’ve never had the priveledge of driving a CSL, but my grandmother had an imported 2002tii in lime green when I was a kid, I have awesome memories of drives through Dutchess County in that baseball glove leather interior.

-Rory

Here’s the last bit of the end of the year playlists, I’m sure I missed some key players but getting all 60 tracks together felt great. I’d love to see your lists, feel free to post them in the comment section.

60. ADR – Jupiter Rising
59. Samiyam – Pressure
58. The Miracles Club – A New Love
57. Pure X – Twisted Mirror
56. Solar Bears – Cub (Keep Shelly in Athens remix)
55. Silk Flowers – Columns
54. Le Révélateur – Bleu Nuit
53. Light Asylum – Dark Allies
52. Gold Zebra – Love, French, Better
51. Geotic – Beaming Husband

Turn down the lights, fire up the projector and light a candle if that’s your style…here’s my picks for the Top 15 Music Videos Of 2011. I tried to encompass a lot of image styles and music in this list. There’s all types of directors and production scales ranging from Canon 7D equipped bare bones budgets to freaking Michel Gondry shooting stop motion on a Bolex (or so I read). I think that’s what’s crazy and great about being a director and designer in this time. If you want to, you have access to pretty much everything (visually speaking) if you put time into it. Hopefully some directors, DPs and photographers are inspired by this, it was a good year for the moving image and I suspect it to only get better and more creative in 2012. Hope you all dig the list and if you make it through each video all the way through, no skipping…you can rule out any form of attention deficit disorder.

I haven’t listed any of these in a rank, only because they’re all good at specific things. However, if I had to pick one favorite, it’d be Eric Epstein’s magically haunting work for Memory Tapes.

View all the videos after the break (more…)

Here it is, I hope you all like it, as always any feedback is great, I know I might be missing your favorite song but maybe you’ll enjoy this listen, thanks again. Tomorrow i’ll do Honorable Mentions.

IN ORDER:
25. The Drums – Money
24. ASAP Rocky – Wassup (Prod. By Clams Casino)
23. Walls – Sunporch Reprise
22. Austra – Lose It
21. Deepchord – Balm
20. Cut Copy – Blink and You’ll Miss A Revolution (Tornado Wallace Remix)
19. Sepalcure – Pencil Pimp
18. Peaking Lights – Amazing and Wonderful
17. High Wolf – Free Your Energy Field
16. The Field – Is This Power
15. Beirut – Port Of Call
14. Holy Other – Yr Love
13. Keep Shelly in Athens – DIY
12. Hype Williams – RIse Up
11. Warm Ghost – Myths on Rotting Ships
10. James Blake – The Wilhelm Scream
9. Benoit & Sergio – Boy Trouble
8. Toro Y Moi – I Can Get Love
7. Neon Indian – Polish Girl
6. M83 – Midnight City
5. Real Estate – Green Aisle
4. Gang Gang Dance – Glass Jar
3. Belong – Perfect Life
2. Gotye – Somebody that I used to know
1. John Maus – Streetlight

I had a lot of fun making this years Top 50 songs of 2011, before you say anything lets all agree to disagree, these songs are all songs that are my go to for when I work, DJ, or share on mixtapes, they might not match up with ever other blogs lists which is a damn shame, oh well 🙂 enjoy!

IN ORDER:
50. Sun Glitters – The Wind Caresses Her Hair
49. Poolside – Harvest Moon
48. Loscil – Fromme
47. Kolombo – Waiting For
46. Trouble Books & Mark McGuire – The Golden Waste
45. Dolphins Into The Future – On The HIgh Seas
44. Ford & Lopatin – Channel Pressure (Instrumental Version)
43. Dirty Beaches – Speedway King
42. Radiohead – Feral
41. Gatto Fritto – Hex
40. Implodes – Oxblood
39. Craft Spells – You Should Close The Door
38. Midnight Televison – All Night
37. Braille – Riverbed
36. Active Child – Playing House (Feat. How To Dress Well)
35. Tiger & Woods – Love In Cambodgia
34. Oneohtrix Point Never – Up
33. Tim Hecker – Hatred of Music I
32. Selebrities – Time
31. Nacho Patrol – Stratus Chant (Live @ Paradiso 2010)
30. Bibio – Mind Bokeh
29. Daphni – Mapfumo
28. Soft Metals – Psychic Driving
27. Washed Out – Eyes Be Closed
26. Machinedrum – Listen 2 Me

Here it is, my selection of most refreshing music to listen to that came out in 2011. It’s a collection of records that grabbed my ear and made me put my coat on and head to the record store. I’ll have my Top 50 singles of 2011 which include the Atlas Sounds, James Blakes, and all the other goodies from the indie world but this list less about the best of the best but more of what sticks to my bones, i’m sure everyone has their favorites of the year too, feel free to list them below i’d love to see them.

fyi: this list does not include any records I was apart of ala releasing or distributing. i.e. the Tycho album, Ghostly releases, and Moodgadget releases.

Enjoy the playlist, thanks for all the feedback, comments, “likes” etc. over the last year, always a pleasure reading what you all have on your mind.

Le Révélateur – Fictions – Gneiss Things – BUY

Nacho Patrol – The Africa Jet Band Album – M Division Recordings – BUY

Deepchord – Hash-Bar Loops – Soma Recordings – BUY

Eddie C – Parts Unknown – Endless Flight – BUY

Sepalcure – Sepalcure – Hotflush Recordings – BUY

Dirty Beaches – Badlands – Zoo Music – BUY

Hatchback – Zeus & Apollo – Lo Recordings – BUY

Warm Ghost – Narrows – Partisan Records – BUY

Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica – Software – BUY

Peaking Lights – 936 – Not Not Fun – BUY

The Field – Looping State Of Mind – Kompakt – BUY

John Maus – We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves – Ribbon Music – BUY

Unbelievably unbelievable Flickr set going on over here. Can’t get enough, that Sony stuff in particular is amazing. Want prints…

Insect54 via Matthew Lyons

I wasn’t able to stop at 50 songs for 2010, these were definitely worth mentioning and all sat in the Top 50 list during the shuffling, not only are all of them great musicians but these as a playlist felt great to share.

60. Spirituals – Manzanita
59. Laurel Halo – Embassy
58. Viernes – Entire Empire
57. Nacho Lovers – Deeper (CFCF Remix)
56. Winter Hinterland – No Logic
55. John Roberts – Navy Blue
54. Seams – Hung Market
53. Best Coast – Boyfriend
52. Nice Nice – A Way We Glow
51. The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio