My TOP10 of 2009

Alphabetically......



+Aleksi Perala - Boom Blaster (Rephlex - CAT199EP)
Maybe we heard it before.. But rarely have I heard it in such a refined and warm way. An EP with something for every occasion. 'Voyager' was this year's most emotional techno song for me.





+Ancient Methods - Third Method (Ancient Methods - AM03)
Just when I thought noone would have the guts to release industrial techno again, these German "svärmorsdrömmar" (look it up) slaps us in the face! 'Else (Radio Edit)' is one of the best industrial techno songs ever made.





Casual Violence - Why So Few (Aftertaste - AFTERLTD001)
Finally the well deserved EP landed for Casual Violence. 'Dilute To Taste' is what I have been missing in techno since Force+Form. PS: his dog's name is Regis.





+Deuce - Deuce (Ostgut Tonträger - O-TON25)
The roughness of Dettmann meets the production skills and musical depth of Shed. 'Guttering' is such an outstanding track in all its sparse glory. And it is not with ease that I must admit to Ostgut being techno label of the year..





+Grovskopa / Agony Forces - Seventh Seal (WarmUp - WU022)
So lame to chart myself but I can't deny the POWER OF THE MULERO REMIX!! I can hear the Spanish crowds chanting "MULEEEE-RO, MULEEE-RO"





+Hudson Mohawke - Butter (Warp - WARPLP188)
Dear god, make sure Timbaland never hears this!
Such a fun and innovative album. If Flying Lotus was HipHop 2.0 I guess this is 2.5





+Planetary Assault Systems - Temporary Suspension LP (Ostgut Tonträger - OSTGUTLP04)
Remember how upset we used to be with Slater for making those MTV style trash pop records? Well he's forgiven, over and over and over and over.





+Robert Hood - Superman/Range (M-Plant - MPM3)
The king is back. Now we can stop using "minimal" as a cuss word!





+Shed - Remixes (Ostgut Tonträger - O-TON020)
Well there's got to be some Surgeon in the chart nay? Subtle and beautiful. The Martyn remix is quite a novelty as well!





+Tim Exile - Listening Tree (Warp - WARPLP173)
Cheeky and catchy pop in a rather disturbed way. The title song is really really "something else".

Writer's block...but Boomblasting!

Like the title said I am still (since august!) suffering from writer's block..
So nothing to write about music making..


Today's listening is: Aleksi Perälä - Boomblaster MP3ALBUM

One of this year's biggest EPs for me was Boomblaster EP on Rephlex. Such a diverse little EP with something for every occasion, even for playing in a techno set. Absolutely stunning and very overlooked EP. Just listen to the song called 'Voyager'..

Anyways, was longing for a digital release of the EP so I could get files for listening in car etc. Went trolling the interwebs and realized that Rephlex sells this MP3album containing all the songs from the EP and then some! What it lacks in artwork design (;P) it totally makes up for in aural emotion. It sounds a bit like old Brothomstates or Autechre and has that warm analogue sound we all crave. But it has something Autechre will never have, the Finnish bipolarity! The whole album is so worth the 9€ and can be previewed in full at the Rephlex store. Go buy now! Or atleast give it a proper listen.

DJs using Apple or Apple using DJs?

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the fact that at every gig I go to, the first thing I notice is X amount of brightly shining white apples on stage.

In these days of digital DJ:ing it seems every DJ and his/her grandmother has an Apple laptop.
There's nothing wrong with that, but how does it make sense to advertise Apple on a stage at a techno club night? Especially when Apple doesn't sponsor (most of) these events/DJs?

You already did enough for the company by buying their product, you don't need to expose their logo to the thousands of people who go to see your performance. Plus it kind of gives the club an office feeling, atleast to old fashioned me!

So unless you actually get paid by Apple to do this (like the guy on pic I think..), or feel strongly that Apple needs your support - please put a sticker on that Apple!



Today's listening is: Four Tet - Love Cry (Remixes)

Very very cheeky, on the brink to MTV:ish, dubstep. But hey, it's Christmas! Jolly = OKAY now. The Joy Orbison Remix sounds like a friendlier Burial. Very uplifting stuff. I wonder, is there any truth to the rumor that Four Tet = Burial?

Working on a remix for Dynamic Reflection

Going from my recent melodical and acoustic music making to remixing Voidloss' (depicted) stunning 'Actaeon' for Dynamic Reflection Records, kinda steep!

Been very influenced by Monolake's new 'Silence' album and some of the recent techier/housier "dubsteps" (Mordant Music - Symptoms, Harmonia and Eno 76 - By The Riverside (Appleblim & Komonazmuk Remix)) this week.
So intending to make this remix very atmospheric, wintery and shuffly. Like a mecha spider tap-dancing on a frozen lake.
We'll see what label says about that!


Today's listening is: Delta Funktionen - Silhouette

I heard Marcel Dettmann play this in his set in Sweden (yeah finally techno is coming to Sweden!!) two months ago and was blown away. I don't know what to say, it just has that amazing "white man can funk" G-Man groove.
Note to self (and you;), keep an eye on this fresh Dutch talent!

Jeff Mills playing Pohjola!

10 years ago I had a list of what I wanted to achieve in techno.
I think you can imagine what it looked like..

Anyways, today I can proudly announce that I am one step closer to finishing the (neverending?) list!

Jeff Mills plays 'Jeroen Search / Charlton - Kuudes Runo (Pohjola - POH006)'
Evidence is here, at 24:00:
Jeff Mills @ T In The Park 2006


Yeah yeah I know I shouldn't brag but suit yourself, no-one forced you to read the blog!!

Working on a new Sect 10"

Been working on this for the last few months.. It is very new ground for me, so it is going slower than usual. Not that I am ever fast! 

One of the EPs two tracks is 'Atopic' (original on Sect 5) remixed by New Zealanders Skallander (guys on pic, releasing on Type Records). Amazing amazing remix with live guitars, bass and vocals. Gives me goose bumps every time! It really is an honour to have had this made for me. I am going to return the favour.

The flipside will be a non-instrumental 'Skinstrumental' (original also from Sect 5) version with Saga on vocals! I haven't really worked with vocal music before so it is taking me a lot of time to adjust, not only the arrangment aspect but most of all the actual recording and post-recording treatment of vocals. What a jungle!

Anyways I feel this is going to be a special EP for me, maybe my fanboys will slag it off for not being dark or industrial enough but hey everyone's pink inside!!

PS: Welcome to my blog, let's see how this goes.

Today's listening is: Various Artists - Variations Of Silence

Beautiful compilation of, don't really know how to define it but..., contemporary classical meets electronica meets jazz? OK I probably just made a fool of myself..  Anyways, CD features some of my very favourite composers like Peter Broderick, Ryan Teague and Nico Muhly.