Akkord - Navigate

Label: Houndstooth

With a rapid succession of intriguing releases skirting the UK’s darker dancefloors, Fabric’s Houndstooth imprint, helmed by local taste-maker Rob Booth, has stepped confidently into the limelight in 2013. Following an ace EP from Berlin’s Call Super and a fresh chapter from techno legend Dave Clarke, Houndstooth welcomes Mancunian bass scientists Akkord to the stage for their most extensive release to date.

Over two excellent self-released singles last year, the group combined exacting rhythmic experimentations with immaculately designed soundscapes, summoning portraits of dread in high definition that positively oozed atmosphere. On Navigate Akkord continue to toy with dubstep tropes and techno mechanics, offering a four-tracker that reveals myriad minute details over repeated listens.

Navigate / Compound / Destruction / Title Sequence

Befitting a dual interest in sound design and dancefloor muscle, two of these four tracks appear more suited to the club. First is the measured minimalism of Compound, a deeply textural experience made up of clipped percussive samples, buzzsaw bass swipes and dubbed-out vocal snatches. While it’s undoubtedly an impressive headphone listen, those looking for real dancing music should head straight to EP standout Destruction, a stunning exercise in rhythm where drums tumble and churn, ever-shifting, while a dangerous static hiss and ominous vocals bring an industrial slant to the track’s threatening second half.

Opener Navigate is just as beautifully produced, each snare and drum roll clicking satisfyingly in to place as a field of scifi whirs and blips augments the agitated percussion. Part of what made Akkord’s debut EP so impressive was the flawless marriage of atmospherics and club know-how, so the choice to focus closer Title Sequence solely on the former has the unfortunate result of removing half of a winning formula. While the track is undeniably pretty, melancholic chords and ghostly vocals plodding across a resigned soundfield, it lacks the visceral power of the rest of Akkord’s output, and as a result feels a tad sanitised.

Akkord and Houndstooth are clearly headed in an incredibly promising direction, and while this selection might not be as essential as their sterling debut, it’s still more than a worthwhile listen for their lovingly crafted sounds and timely re-appropriation of dubstep’s long-gone sense of dread. Meanwhile Houndstooth continue to go from strength to strength, offering another deeply impressive release that pushes sonic boundaries while promoting another relatively new production outfit.

7.5/10

20 Best EPs of 2012

Year End Coverage

* Best Albums of 2012

* Best EPs of 2012

* Best Labels of 2012

* Best Breakthrough Artists of 2012

* Best Tracks of 2012 - 101-76
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 75-51
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 50-26
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 25-1

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The majority of artists tally up a great deal more EP releases than albums, yet the extended players are often notably absent from music publications’ year-end lists. Here are White Noise we like to give credit to the artists who stretch the EP format beyond a killer club tracks and a handful of remixes, those who search out a coherent musical experience that’s more than a handful of disjointed tunes. These are the EPs that we’re still listening to a year on, and felt deserving of  an extra recommendation.

A wide range of styles made it to our list, and you can click on the titles to read our original reviews. Huge respect to all the artists here who went one step further this year, and here’s to a 2013 that’s just as exciting.

20 - Machinedrum – SXLND [Lucky Me]

 

SXLND

Travis Stewart’s first release of the year was a real palette-cleanser after last year’s heady (but excellent) album Room(s). Here the footwork fanatic lowered the tempo and brought out brighter textures, offering a stylish and bouncy collection that entered the mainstream through a couple of tracks that ended up as Azealia Banks backing tracks.

19 - George Fitzgerald – Child [Aus]

 

Child

Fitzgerald ruled the dancefloors this year, and nowhere were his House chops more apparent than on the excellent Child EP for Will Saul’s Aus imprint. His distinctive style fuses deadly basslines and thumping beats in a polished package, and the release spawned two tracks, Child and Lights Out , which were impossible to miss in clubs everywhere over the summer. 

18 - Pangaea – Release [Hessle]

Majestic 12

Pangaea put out Hessle’s longest release to date this year with the formidable Release double-EP. Mining elements of Dubstep and Jungle, the Hessle owner never sounded like anyone but himself across the course of these tracks which veered from ambient to breakneck 2step in the blink of an eye. Propulsive, frightening and cerebral, here Pangaea made good on the promise of his excellent early singles.

17 - Midland – Placement [Aus]

What We Know

Midland has always occupied a space slightly outside contemporary trends. With each release he offers detailed and meditative House cuts that amaze through headphones as much as the do on the dancefloor. From the slick vocals and pounding beats of What We Know to the restrained atmospherics of opener Tape Burn, every track on this release was a small marvel.

16 - oOoOO  - Our Loving Is Hurting Us [Tri Angle]

 

Break Yr Heartt

Shadowy American oOoOO continued to mine his utterly unique style this year with a much-anticipated follow-up to his self titled debut. A postmodern collision of Pop, RnB and the grimiest Hip Hop resulted in another excellent collection where razor-sharp beats complimented unsettling atmospherics and the inimitable vocals of collaborator Butterclock.

15 - Moodymann – Why Do U Feel [KDJ]

 

Why Do U Feel

Kenny Dixon Jr hardly became a House legend by accident, but it’s still a pleasant surprise to see him put out something so different after all these years. While the title track here is something very special, one of the year’s most nakedly beautiful dance tracks, the definitive cut of the unstoppably groovy I Got Werk and a surprisingly good Lana Del Ray remix filled out a pretty perfect package from one of the Dance scene’s most impressive stalwarts.

14 - Δkkord – Δkkord001 [Δkkord]

EP Clips

Another shadowy group of producers putting out dark sounds on their own label. Boring right? Not with Δkkord. Their debut release fused intensely atmospheric soundscapes with hard-as-nails beats that ranged from a slamming 4/4 to IDM-style twitches. Every track on this release is phenomenally powerful and impeccably produced, providing a whole range of DJs with the moodiest secret weapons for the clubs.

13 - A Thousand Years – Farmers in Fields of Stars [King Deluxe]

 

Flying High

Newcomer Zeké Africa blew us away with his debut EP, an impressively diverse array of sophisticated House cuts. This release really had it all; Flying High and its partner Have To Tell You were expertly detailed dancefloor numbers, while other tracks focussed on mood (superb opener No Light) and even went as far as Trap in the deeply unsettling Bake Take.

12 - Jets – Jets [Leisure System]

 

Lock Lock Key Key (Clip)

For us at White Noise, Jimmy Edgar and Travis Stewart (Machinedrum) are a match made in heaven. Their two distinctive styles were impressively fused on this debut collaborative EP, where lightning-fast beatscience duelled against warm synth textures, resulting in an relentlessly innovative EP that continued to amaze us months after the release date.

11 - Jacques Greene – Ready [3024]

 

Prism

It was clear that Jacques Greene was going to have to change up his style a bit to keep afloat. After a blisteringly successful 2011, spawning one of the year’s very best tracks, his signature airy style couldn’t compete with the darker sounds coming onto the dancefloors this year. But he did change, and for his debut on Martyn’s impeccable 3024 imprint he came out with one of his best releases to date. Here Greene delved deeper and darker, with Ready’s shuttering beat patterns providing a foil to Prism’s searing synth-work. This EP exuded class, right down to the noteworthy digital exclusive Dakou, where a bridge was drawn between this new, darker style and Greene’s early signature of skipping 2step rhythms.

10 - Beneath – Illusions [Keysound]

 

EP Clips

Beneath is one of the producers who emerged this year with a unique voice right out of the box. His moody soundscapes are home to skeletal UK Funky beat patterns and spare atmospherics that sound right at home on London’s darkest dancefloors. With his first EP for Keysound the fresh producer stepped up his game, with a more complete package that expanded his palette without ever losing the potency of those lethal drum patterns, including a deadly remix of  Ballistiq Beat’s Concrete Jungle.

9 - Fantastic Mr. Fox – San’en [Black Acre]

 

Pascal’s Chorus feat. Alby Daniels

After a long period of silence, San’en wasn’t really the FMF follow up that we were expecting. San’en toyed with live vocals, RnB styles, delicate textures and detailed soundscapes. It all goes to show that sometimes a little surprise is a very good thing indeed. Overlooked by many, here at White Noise we felt San’en was Mr. Fox’s finest hour (along with the brilliant one-sider Power); an impeccably produced collection of diverse tunes that looked out to the future of Bass music. And let’s not forget the gorgeous neo-pop closer Yesterday’s Fall, which was easily one of White Noise’s most played tracks this year.

8 - Duct – Circles [Shades of Grey]

EP Clips

Another slightly overlooked record this year came courtesy of Shades of Grey label-head Duct. Although the Bass music / Post-Dubstep genre may be a little dubious in its vagueness, not since Mount Kimbie’s debut LP or Sepalcure’s early EPs have such lush and delicate sounds found their way into the dance sphere. Each of these tunes is an immaculately detailed landscape of clipped samples and unusual rhythms, showing there’s still life in a genre many critics are doing their best to avoid.

7 - Dawn Day Night – Dawn Day Night [Astrophonica]

 

Alcoholic Dance Flow (Clip)

Dawn Day Night’s first foray into the exciting middle-ground separating DnB and Juke was utter madness from start to finish, and we loved it. Combining deft drum patterns and floor-killing sounds with ghetto sensibilities and a real sense of humour, it was easily one of the year’s most joyous releases.

6 - Cuthead – Brother [Uncanny Valley]

Vibratin’

Dresden’s Cuthead creates House cuts drenched in mood, with great samples sounding so smooth over those punchy beat patterns. It all just works for Cuthead, which is why we were so amazed when he chose to end the EP with two hilarious (and brilliant) slices of instrumental Hip Hop, capping off a great release with impressive diversity. It’s one of those releases where you’ll put on the first tune and sit transfixed, unable to turn it off until the end.

5 - Indigo – Symbol #7 [Auxiliary]

Symbol #7.1

We were a big fan of Indigo’s output this year, and nowhere was he more on form than on this untitled release for Auxiliary. Here was the perfect example of what makes Indigo’s style so unique; amazingly delicate melodies combined fluidly with superb drum programming and a host of atmospheric details. The second and fourth track showed how successful a producer he is outside of conventional beat patterns, pure mood pieces that oozed style and dread.

4 - 2562 – Air Jordan [When In Doubt]

Jerash Hekwerken

A Techno release made entirely out of field samples taken from a trip to Jordan? Could go very, very wrong. But not in the hands of 2562, one of the genre’s most consistently brilliant producers. Dave Huismans managed to keep it all under control, introducing his whiplash rhythms and rattling bass to these organic and exotic sonic textures. The concept reached its apex with the gloriously hypnotic closer Noctural Drummers, which brought a Technoid claustrophobia to textured tribal drum patterns.

3 - Shlohmo – Vacation [Friends of Friends]

Wen uuu

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to call us Shlohmo fanboys here at White Noise, but there’s a reason for that. No one out of the LA beat scene bridges the electronic and the acoustic quite so beautifully. With the follow-up to last years superb Bad Vibes album, Shlohmo let loose a trio of lushly atmospheric beat pieces with a few surprises along the way. Add that to an unusually excellent remix package (featuring a star turn from wonderkid Nicolas Jaar), and the Vacation EP easily made its way into our top three.

2 - Burial – Kindred [Hyperdub]

Ashtray Wasp

What is there left to say about Burial really? White Noise has certainly said more than enough for one year. Everyone knows, he’s just something very, very special. The Kindred EP was the moment where Burial did the impossible, matching (if not bettering) his classic Untrue album. These tracks saw the return of William Bevan’s grit, as well as a new experimentalism in his sonic structure that proved he’s still willing to push just about every boundary going. Almost a decade on, Burial is still peerless in his field. If you’ve never heard the Kindred EP, drop everything you’re doing and check it out right now. If you’ve heard it a hundred times, listen again. It’s still that good.

1 - Romare – Meditations on Afro-Centrism [Black Acre]

 

Down The Line (It Takes A Number)

Music can have profound meaning. Anyone who’s ended up reading this blog will already know that. But it’s not often that a real message can be found in an EP, let alone one that delves into the tropes of Dance music, a genre which more often than not aims purely to get bodies moving. Romare’s fascinating Meditations On Afrocentrism (ironically the only EP on this list we never got round to reviewing) is an electronic tour-de-force, fusing African rhythms and samples with modern dance structures and beat patterns. The tracks explore a range of BPMs, from the Footwork of the brilliant The Blues (It Began In Africa) to the venomous Hip Hop crunch of Down The Line (It Takes A Number). But this is more than simple culture-collage. The 13-minute cut-and-paste spoken word closer that comments on the artist’s own process is a (terribly post-modern) masterstroke, underlining the amount of research and work that went into these pieces. An EP which offers brilliant tunes while making a point is already worthy of our number one spot, but this message: on institutionalised racism in the music industry, on the deep roots of black music in our contemporary musical culture, is so vital that it positively demands to be heard.

Best Breakthrough Artists of 2012

Year End Coverage

* Best Albums of 2012

* Best EPs of 2012

* Best Labels of 2012

* Best Breakthrough Artists of 2012

* Best Tracks of 2012 - 101-76
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 75-51
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 50-26
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 25-1

Follow White Noise on Facebook and Twitter!

It gets harder every year for new artists to rise up and gain prominence through the fickle hype machine of the internet, in a world where every other Soundcloud user is an anonymous figure copying tired genre tropes. But it's clearer than ever that the one thing that will really get you noticed is quality tunes.

Not all of these are new artists, but for all of these producers this was the year where they truly broke into the limelight, capturing our hearts and imaginations here at White Noise. Because these artists have such diverse tastes and sounds, they will be listed alphabetically to save having to place them in a meaningless order. Without further ado, here are our favourite breakthrough artists of the year. Enjoy!

Bicep

 

Vision of Love

90’s house revivalism reached its peak (so far…) this year, but Northern Irish duo Bicep’s astonishing rise to prominence in the dance scene this year was more than a case of being in the right place at the right time. Coming from the success of their Feel My Bicep blog, the pair put out the excellent $tripper white label on Love Fever, where deep New Jersey pads and a jackin’ beat put the pair firmly on the map. They continued the thread in style with the inaugural release on their own Feel My Bicep label, Vision of Love, which offered three massive slices of feelgood throwback, and spawned the ubiquitous title track. But let’s not forget the duo proved themselves a cut above a simple throwback outfit with the superb You / Don’t EP on Aus, which offered two strikingly modern collaborations that explored more contemporary strains of the UK House sound.

Bondax

Baby I Got That

Young UK duo Bondax came to our attention at the beginning of the year with sugar-sweet bass numbers All Inside and Wet Summer. But it was their September release Baby I Got That which cemented the pair’s talents, an infectious bass / disco hybrid that was one of the year’s essential summer tunes. With a perfect synthesis of clipped vocal snips with longer hooks and bubbling, upbeat melodies, the pair have so far managed to conjure catchy tunes without ever venturing into total Pop territory. With the upcoming release of Gold on Just Us / Relentless in January, it looks like there’s a lot more to be excited about for Bondax in 2013.

Disclosure

 

Flow

Guy and Howard Lawrence couldn’t have possibly predicted the rise to fame that their Disclosure outfit has brought them in the space of a single year. Fusing garage and classic house tropes with bass trappings and more than a touch of pop, the duo’s productions have achieved a crossover success that’s perhaps not that surprising given the sheer quality of their tunes. While Latch and some of their Face EP were a little poppy for White Noise’s tastes, there was no arguing with their Jessie Ware Remix or the brilliant Tenderly / Flow single from the beginning of the year.

Dusky

Flo Jam

The Dusky duo of Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman have been producing together for years now, including an album as Dusky on Anjunadeep in 2011. But this year, thanks to some killer tunes and being played by the right DJs, the pair have broken into the big leagues. Dusky produced more bangers than almost anyone else this year, including the emotive epic Lost Highway, Flo Jam’s irresistible bounce and the bassy garage swing of No More. The pair pluck equally from house and garage but the end product is always polished and unpretentious, precision-built for the dancefloor. With their great new release Calling Me on Loefah's School imprint, there are surely big things to come.

Huxley

 

Let It Go

Huxley scored a high place on our Top Tunes of 2011 with the fantastic Shower Scene, but this year the house magician from Tring showed his true colours, prolifically putting out a series of unashamed big-room house numbers, with the sharp beats and big basslines to match those fantastic vocal hooks. He opened up the year with the ridiculously large Let It Go and didn’t let up, with an onslaught of other great tunes like Box Clever on the Out Of The Box EP.  With clear production chops and the consistency to match, Huxley nimbly stepped into the big leagues this year, and he doesn't look like he'll be leaving anytime soon.

Indigo

Symbol 7.1

The Mindset boss put out his first release back in 2008, but this year has really marked a breakthrough for Indigo. With a history of tasty collaborations with like-minded producer Synkro, Indigo put out a series of stellar releases for Exit, Hype Ltd and Apollo that showed a unique talent for combining twitchy beatscience with lush ambient soundscapes. Nowhere was this more evident than on his White Noise Picked Symbol 7 EP for Auxiliary, where the producer hopped nimbly between Oriental strings, impeccably precise drum patterns and pure ambient dread.

Leon Vynehall

Picture Frame

Brighton’s Vynehall turned quite a few heads recently, shining out amongst the legions of upstarts who were toying with the House formula. His debut EP, Mauve on Well Rounded, set the scene with warm soundscapes and slow beats that referenced classic House without ever seeming like pure throwback. But it was over the summer on his superb single Gold Language / Don’t Know Why for ManMakeMusic that Vynehall showed his true colours, producing a lush and genre-defying dance track on the A and one of this year’s most supremely chilled dance cuts on the B. With a return to WRHP due in the new year with the Rosalind EP, the future is looking very promising.

South London Ordnance

Trojan

Appearing out of nowhere, SLO has had a monumental first year. A prolific release schedule didn’t stop every tune from being of the highest quality, releasing big House numbers on Well Rounded and deeper Bass numbers for the likes of Teal Recordings. Wherever he turned, SLO’s productions all paid careful attention to the lower frequencies, with a keen bass-focus adding flavour to his elastic rhythms. Some slave for years on a single tune, in 2012 SLO was making superb music straight out of the box.

Tom Demac

Critical Distance Pt. 2

Although his debut was as far back as 2004, Tom Demac turned it up a notch in 2012. The producer put out an insane amount of releases this year, often on Hypercolour or its offshoots. He proved himself a versatile House producer, with highlights ranging from the lush Obstructing the Light EP on Glass Table to the monstrous Critical Distance Pt. 2, which was considered at White Noise HQ one of the year’s very best tunes.

Vessel

Court of Lions

As the only producer on this list who isn’t dedicated to the dancefloor, Vessel stands out about as much on this list as he did from his peers over the course of the year. White Noise has taken an interest in Sebastian Gainsborough since the beginning, but it appears the Wax Dance and Standard EPs were paving the way for something very special indeed. The producer’s debut album for Tri Angle, Order of Noise, touched a nerve for us, as Vessel experimented with an embarrassment of styles to stellar effect.

Honourable Mentions:

These artists are definitely ones to watch for 2013, but didn’t quite release enough quality material to make the list this time round.

Citizen

 

Room Service

GoldFFinch

Funky Steppa

Happa

Freak

Helix

Honig

Locked Groove

Rooted

Lorca

Can’t See Higher