Best Albums of 2014

We may have been afk for three quarters of the last year, but White Noise never stopped listening to music. Aside from conducting explorations into the realms of disco, funk and Arabic music, we’ve been keeping tabs on the dance scene’s development across 2014, and in many ways a time out has been useful: cutting out the flotsam of a year’s releases and just focusing on the essential, checking in on the latest tunes without falling prey to the hype machine’s endless spin-cycle.

Even from a distance it’s clear that 2014 was a standout year for the electronic LP. Some albums provided conceptual weight to back up auditory pleasure, while others provided such strong narratives that to cherry-pick a track or two does a disservice to the whole. Elsewhere a handful of producers finally pulled off dance albums that didn’t resort to throwaway ambient passages to provide ‘flow’, while those that took ambient seriously upped their game to new levels.

This list may not be as exhaustive as those of our contemporaries, nor is it punctual. But we’re not here to push the reader count or sell ad-space, just to share good music. So here are our 16 favourite albums of 2014.

We love all these albums and the diversity of sound makes them fairly incomparable, so we’ve ordered the albums alphabetically. They’re all more than deserving of your time.

  

Andy Stott – Faith In Strangers [Modern Love]

Violence

On Faith In Strangers Andy Stott continued to tread his singular path into the murk, taking another step away from the dancefloor but remaining as beguiling as ever. His blend of fathomless atmospheres, brutalist meditations and even a title track that vaguely resembles a pop song resulted in his most memorable, rewarding LP to date.

The Bug – Angels & Devils [Ninja Tune]

Mi Lost

The Bug has never been one to rush, yet the 6 years he took to follow up the hi-def dread of London Zoo was more than worth the wait. Here he returns to those unique dancehall / bass hybrids, with an album of startling contrast, the first half loaded with woozy menace, the raucous final run going right for the jugular.

Caribou – Our Love [City Slang]

All I Ever Need

Dan Snaith's follow-up to the masterful Swim showcased songwriting more accessible and anthemic than ever before, and while it didn't please everyone, we kept with Our Love for its colour, its diverse palette and, even in its most stadium-bating moments, its disarming intimacy.

Edward – Into A Better Future [Giegling]

Skating Beats

One of the key players in Giegling's world-beating year was Edward, whose heady sophomore album introduced accomplished deep house to structures and sounds from as far afield as punk, new age, hardcore and disco. Whichever left-turn he took, we were more than eager to follow Edward thanks to the detail and finesse of his productions.

Fatima – Yellow Memories [Eglo]

Biggest Joke Of All

Eglo's resident songstress exploded our (already high) expectations with her sterling debut, a masterclass in modern RnB. With one foot planted firmly in the history of soul, Yellow Memories never shied from experimentalism and forward-thinking composition. Perhaps the greatest credit that can be given is that with production duties assigned to the likes of Theo Parrish, Floating Points, and Flako, Fatima's indomitable voice was never overshadowed.

HTRK – Psychic 9-5 Club [Ghostly International]

Give It Up

The story of this album's creation, of grief and healing, has perhaps been allowed to eclipse its remarkable musical achievement. On their third album HTRK conjured a half-lidded world of lethargy, doubt and sensuality, with Jonnine Standish's elliptical lyrics gliding over the stark soundscape of a wounded psyche.

Kassem Mosse – Workshop 19 [Workshop]

Untitled A3

Mosse's fullest release to date on the superb Workshop imprint was a collection of pure dancefloor fire. His articulated grooves rattle and writhe, welded to strikingly bright melodies and bound by sudden left turns. The work of a true original.

Kettenkarussell – Easy Listening [Giegling]

Drama

Giegling may now be synonymous with Prince of Denmark (Traumprinz) and Vril, but the imprint's first release was courtesy of this German duo, whose lush, meditative sound has continued to define the label's style. Here the pair lead the listener through playful compositions that pay homage to the best of Aphex Twin and Boards Of Canada without ever giving up their uniquely melancholic fingerprint (except on the wryly titled Chords Of Banana, which could be the work of a master forger).

Leon Vynehall – Music For The Uninvited [3024]

It’s Just (House Of Dupree)

Who cares if it's technically an album? After a couple of years at the fringes threatening to break out, 2014 was the year of Vynehall as he burst joyously onto the scene. On this wonderful collection he came up with his best work yet, delightfully organic house compositions drenched in warmth with groove to spare, always hitting that soulful sweet spot.

Lnrdcroy – Much Less Normal [1080p]

I Met You On BC Ferries

Lnrdcroy's lauded cassette debut was the best in a strong year for new imprint 1080p, his engrossing melodies making for one of the year's most beautifully nostalgic listens, drawing us inexorably onwards with a longing, heartsick glance over the shoulder.

Max Graef – Rivers Of The Red Planet [Tartelet Records]

Running

Max Graef's debut album fuses house and hip hop so well that you can't see the joins: crisp drums, smoky melodies and a healthy dose of funk, all cut together with imaginative samples, superb interludes and that cover. It's a classic case of an album being greater than the sum of its parts, but bear in mind that those are some damn fine parts to begin with.

Millie & Andrea – Drop The Vowels [Modern Love]

Stay Ugly

Andy Stott and Miles Whittaker (of Demdike Stare) return to their experimental pairing on this searing LP, combining fresh cuts and a couple of their best past releases. The world of these tunes is a hostile one, their distorted rhythms occupying the black space between techno, jungle and trap, where melodies like shards of glass lie glistening in the wreckage.

Moodymann – Moodymann [KDJ]

Lyk U Use 2 (feat Andres)

If Kenny Dixon Jr auditioned for the Greek pantheon, he'd get the part of Dionysus without even trying. His latest offering is hedonism in musical form, from its bloated tracklisting to the subject of its lyrics, not forgetting the gluttonous funk of his grooves; always sultry, often playful. When you want even the interludes on a 27-track album to be longer, you know you're onto something special.

Objekt – Flatland [PAN]

Ratchet

With his run of warped techno singles, Objekt had the bar unfeasibly high for his debut album. Yet Flatland exceeded all expectations, an LP of immaculately produced mutants that kept swerving but never sacrificed their groove. Flatland hits that sweet spot between techno, electro and experimentalism in glorious high definition; a jewel that shirks a singular approach, perplexing but always gleaming.

Session Victim – See You When You Get There [Delusions of Grandeur]

Never Forget

We were big fans of Session Victim's debut LP, and it was the greatest pleasure to get our hands on a follow-up that bettered it in every single way. Those sumptuous melodies are richer, brighter and more addictive than ever; their rhythms are looser and more confident, and the duo continue to equal, if not better, the warm US house sound they love so much. We challenge you to stay still to this one.

Vril – Torus [Forum]

Torus XXXII

The space occupied by Vril's stunning debut Torus (on Giegling offshoot Forum) is a strange one: dub techno with a house crunch, galactic exploration with an unexpected emotive pull. Yet it is from this unusual middle ground that Vril draws his unique appeal: an album of otherwordly music that seems to only bring us home.

That's all we've got for today, join us next time for the year's best tracks!

Best of 2014:

* Best Albums

* Best Tracks: 50-26

* Best Tracks: 25-1

Leon Vynehall - Open

Label: 3024

Leon Vynehall's stock has been rising at an impressive rate recently, following a series of great releases on Well Rounded, Aus, and ManMakeMusic. This is entirely down to his off-kilter approach to house: bringing a dusty, sample-worn toolset to his productions, with a shuffle in his step and an unending supply of soul. His latest for Martyn’s on-point 3024 imprint might not be Vynehall’s best yet, but it’s certainly his most intriguingly varied, exploring four different flavours of his own ineffable sound.

I Get Mine, You Get Yours / Step Or Stone (Breath Or Bone) / I Know Your Face, Heroine

All the trademarks of Brother are there on opener I Get Mine, You Get Yours: half-heard vocals, shuffling drums and whirring atmospherics. It’s a dusty, loose-limbed affair, lent flavour by its staccato atmospherics and filtered horns. Step Or Stone (Breath Or Bone) is a much stranger breed. The track’s sinuous synth melody is a real departure for Vynehall, as it takes centre-stage, snaking around the vocal and percussive accents. It’s both catchy and nauseous, but it’s undeniably braver than anything the producer has put out to date.

I Know Your Face, Heroine brings the listener firmly back into the comfort zone, a super-smooth counterpoint to the A-side’s mania which oozes jazz and soul, allowing languid keys to play across the track’s glassy surface. These first three tracks would make for another solid effort from Vynehall, but it’s final cut XVI (Rox Out) where he really steps up his game – here the producer assumes a rougher sound, as the softer atmospherics are sharpened and the vocal clips are left to duel with a pummelling beat pattern guaranteed to get feet on the floor. Vynehall still seems to be a producer honing in on his voice, but with each successive release he’s getting closer, narrowing in on a bold, compelling sound which he can call his own.

7/10

Jacques Greene – Ready

Label: 3024

Coming out of 2011 as one of the most hotly-tipped breakthrough producers, Jacques Greene had big hopes to live up to this year. His bright, airy take on bass music in the likes of the Greene01 EP and dancefloor anthem Another Girl were pure sugar to the ears of dance fans saturated with gritty Techno and over-wobbly Brostep, but in 2012 we’ve been forced to ask if he’d remain relevant as a producer. His first release of the year, the Concealer EP on his very own Vase label, was a minor disappointment, merely showing more of the same, and I have to admit I was starting to lose faith in the young Canadian. Luckily for us, Greene has really changed up his game for the searing Ready EP on Martyn’s 3024 label, and the result is superb.

Ready

Fitting the generally darker output on 3024, on Ready Greene has traded in a lot of his RnB stylings for Techno referencing House music, and he makes the transition perfectly. The best elements of Greene’s former sounds are retained but re-invigorated to suit the new style; in the title track the skipping 2step beats have been traded in for a hard House bounce, and the edge of distortion adds some much-needed grit to the sound. Ready is monstrous and current, with racing synthwork that flatten Greene’s trademark synth arpeggios into bristling static while the dreamy female vocals are cast into a ghostly monochrome. It’s the perfect trade-off; the style is still Greene’s own but the adaptation to a darker House sound is completely fluid, resulting in a track that pulses with energy while retaining a few calm moments, and it promises to be huge on the dancefloor.

Prism

Second cut Prism is another killer, with brighter synthwork that sounds more alarm than song, and that same pent-up tension very close to the smooth surface. Pitchbent synths and acid 303 flourishes ride over a bassline that bursts forth around the 1.30 mark to show its full potential, while myriad percussive and atmospheric details create a living, breathing sound that displays a richness and warmth that has always been vital to Greene’s output, setting him apart from producers who prefer soundfields that are more spare (compare Ready to Joy O and Boddika’s recent Mercy to hear two sides of the same coin). The no-nonsense second drop of Prism is especially notable, as the track explodes with phenomenal power, bringing forth a constantly shifting soundfield. Third cut Dakou is just as necessary as the first cuts despite being a digital exclusive, referencing Greene’s earlier work much more clearly. Here iridescent synth arpeggios and a skipping 2step beat meet pacing snares and floaty vocals but it still all feels darker, punchier and more vital than Greene’s previous fare.

Dakou

Jacques Greene has always had an edge over other producers by showing a talent at creating hard-hitting dance music tense enough to work wonders on the dancefloor while adding enough sonic detail and mutable structure to make his tracks a great experience for headphones too. Ready is no different, these are longer tracks but eminently listenable thanks to the deep atmospheres, unbridled energy and richness of sound. The Ready EP is an utter success for Greene; exquisite and perfectly structured, catchy yet tasteful, and a model release that should show others how to change up style while making music that remains relevant, emotive, and more powerful than ever.

8.5/10

Mosca – Wavey EP

Jager

Orange Jack

Wray & Neph

As a producer, London-based Mosca has always valued the groove above all else. Whereas other artists occasionally go off and produce ‘interesting’ or ‘experimental tracks, Mosca’s releases are always aimed squarely at the dancefloor. That is not at all to say that Mosca’s tracks aren’t interesting, but I feel it underlines a confusion that may come about from this, his most recent release. His biggest and brightest release of the year, the monstrous two-headed beast Done Me Wrong / Bax was a set of two brilliant, finely nuanced tracks that could be listened to at home, but were clearly purpose-built for mixing. His more recent (and free) 5000 Followers EP showed a pair of two super-slow and intensely groovy tunes but was still clearly crafted with the same goal. So when Mosca released the Wavey EP on Martyn’s oh-so-hot 3024 label, I just didn’t understand comments like ‘boring’ or ‘this doesn’t go anywhere’ – these are dance tracks, made for mixing, and while they don’t break any moulds the tracks here are fantastically solid club tunes,  and to that effect Mosca has achieved his goal in spectacular fashion.

This collection references techno more heavily than any of Mosca’s recent productions, eschewing big drops for tight layering and slow, throbbing builds. The short collection of four songs also shows that Mosca really has his finger on the pulse of today’s dance scene; everything is slowing down, and a lot of producers are getting more tech-y at the moment (see the latest releases of SCB, Pariah, Karenn). That said, these are by no means standard techno tunes, and the 4/4 beats belie some of the most swung and groovy compositions that Mosca has released to date. Furthermore, to say these are tech-y doesn't imply that they are fuzzy like the tracks linked above; on the contrary the production quality here is outstanding, with unbelievably clear highs and lows throughout. He kicks off the alcohol-themed selection of tracks with Dom Perignon, which takes no time to settle into a light thumper with warm bass stabs. The core of the tune changes little throughout its course, but the base elements are strong enough to make this a great dancefloor track. Added to this, Mosca heaps on the details with a great recurring vocal sample rendered down to a percussive snatch, as well as mechanical hisses and rips of static that keep the layers interesting. It’s a tight and concise tune that does exactly what it should do, and there’s no faulting that.

Second cut Orange Jack is a much darker affair, and all the better for it. A dusty 4/4 lays the foundations for vibrant synths that penetrate the dusky atmosphere, created with textured percussion, a great vocal loop and the occasional interruption of what sounds like the door in a prison being opened. It’s another really strong track, and would fit perfectly in a dark, eyes-down mix.  Jager plumbs these dark sounds even more deeply, with Mosca replacing the brighter synth stabs of the first two tracks with a sawing percussive noise that dominates the tune to exquisite the effect. The aggressive vocal breakdowns work better than the Wu-Tang sampling close of The Way We Were, and although there isn’t a great deal of forward motion on display here, this is perhaps the best dance cut of the lot and is another display of just how tight and concentrated Mosca’s great production can be.

That’ll be it if you buy the EP physically, but there’s a very welcome surprise in the digi-EP in the form of exclusive closer Wray & Neph which does things a little differently. This cut is more in tune with today’s bass scene than anything else, and could almost fit in as a B-side to this year’s Done Me Wrong release. A building synth line introduces the tune with great momentum, and when the perfect snares start to mingle with a dubstep-referencing bass wobble this track is really a joy to behold. Mosca keeps the pace up with perfectly-pitched miniature breakdowns, building up in seconds only for the core track to pound back into place. It’s a great touch and when the intro’s rising synths recur it wouldn’t be far-fetched to call this the standout tune of the EP.

This release doesn’t break any boundaries, but as far as I can see that’s never really what Mosca’s been about. This is a selection of unbelievably tight and controlled tunes from a producer at the very top of his game, and a must-have in every DJs collection.

8.5/10