Best Tracks of 2015 - Part 2

Following on from part one, here are some fantastic tunes that just missed out on the top spots. Running down from #40-21.

40. Jack J – Thirstin’ [Future Times]

While it may not be edged with the same melancholy as last year’s anthem, Jack J’s Future Times outing had all the ingredients for summer killer: effortlessly lazy vibes, an irresistible groove, milky keys and a catchy vocal line.

39. Unknown Artist – A Jazz Thing [Uniile]

While it may not be worth the extortionate prices currently on discogs, new label Uniile delivered the finest anonymous release of the year from a young French artist. All four tracks are fire, but the undisputed highlight is this low-slung jazzy number which strolls by with a seedy sax and a heaving reggae bassline.

38. Florian Kupfer – Discotag [WT Records]

The best thing Kupfer’s put out since Feelin, this slice of techno is both spare and raucous. A funky vocal struts out over a tunnelling acid workout to destructive effect.

37. The Galleria feat. Jessy Lanza – Mezzanine [Environ]

Alongside her solo work, Jessy Lanza put out a stunning series of guest vocalist spots in 2015, most notably with legend Morgan Geist on freestyle project The Galleria. Lanza’s voice flexes with pure-pop allure atop Geist’s titanium electro skeleton. This is how pop music should sound.

36. Porn Sword Tobacco – Kristallisering [Aniara]

PST made his name on a series of experimental/ IDM albums in the late 2000’s, but the past couple of years his sound has been refined and reborn on Kontra-Musik and with the trendy SVN crew. Kristallisering is one of his most appealing cuts to date, a breezy piano riff fluttering over a taut electro snap, a composition of air and joy.

35. Rita Furstenhof – Hadron Collider [Optimo Music]

This one seems to have flown under everyone’s radars. Out in September on JD Twitch’s reliable Glaswegian outpost, this is electro at its soaring zenith, with a cheeky malfunctioning breakdown and an unashamedly epic synth motif.

34. Matthew Herbert – Earthenware [Concrete Music]

Herbert may have put out an album this year, but our favourite cut of his in 2015 was this melodic house tune buried on a V/A release from Parisian clubnight Concrete. A sawtooth bassline and bright keys give way to a genuinely moving breakdown, fusing jazz and house as only Herbert can.

33. Hodge – I Don’t Recognise You Lately [Hemlock]

Any number of Hodge’s excellent techno/grime hybrids could have made our 2015 list, but it was this oddly subdued cut that ultimately impressed us most. By dialling down the energy Hodge makes the listener focus on the little things: that haunting glockenspiel melody, garbled voices and washes of static, a spare rhythm and near-constant bass pressure.

32. Paranoid London - Lovin U (Ahh Shit) With DJ Genesis [Paranoid London]

The debut album from this all-analog crew was as uncompromising as acid gets, yet firmly floor-focused. One tough-as-nails throwback acid workout. One ethereal synth melody. One fiery diva vocal. Built up, broken down. What more could you ask for?

31. Hunee – Rare Happiness [Rush Hour]

Deep at the heart of Hunee’s lush debut on Rush Hour was this aptly-titled gem, which wriggles infectiously around a clipped vocal, textured percussion and a re/de-tuning synthline. Pure bliss.

30. Asusu – Serra [Impasse]

Once the Livity Sound newcomer, Asusu has marked out a real unique spot of late. Nowhere was this more clear than on his first step outside the Livity stable with Serra, a masterclass on the tone, timbre and propulsion of rhythm.

29. Mosey – Tuff Times [Future Times]

Some dance tracks tug at your heartstrings in a way that you can’t even explain. This is certainly the case with Tuff Times, a relaxed house outing from newcomer Mosey. The rhythm is simple, as is the new-age melody, leaving just an eccentric bassline that hops through the frequencies to guide us each through our own tuff times.

28. Damiano von Erckert – We Flow ft. Amalia [ava.]

The centrepiece of Damiano’s sophomore album was this breezy cut of joy, with jazzy keys perfectly accompanying Amalia’s effortless vocal performance.

27. Aurora Halal – Shapeshifter [Mutual Dreaming]

Aurora Halal went through quite a stylistic shift from her first to her second EP, yet the new sound fits her like a glove. This is slinky Detroit techno par excellence, all twinkling keys, pacing percussion and an all-important sense of mystery.

26. Sparky – Signals [Numbers]

After delivering a lost anthem in 2013, Sparky’s new material this year was just as powerful. Translating pop-grade melodies to an electro format, Signals is unashamedly huge, with an unstoppable bassline and a cornea-searing melody.

25. Luca Lozano & Mr. Ho – Dripbox [Crème Organization]

Luca Lozano has been responsible for a number of heavyweight tunes this year, and our favourite was this pitch-black collaboration with Mr. Ho. A storming kick underpins two duelling grime-inflected melodies that’ll detonate the dancefloor.

24. DJ Richard – Vampire Dub [Dial]

So much of DJ Richard’s superb debut LP could’ve made this list, but final cut Vampire Dub just edged out the competition. A grand slice of deep house in a classic vein, its starry keys and martial stomp soundtracked us gazing mistily at many a sunset.

23. Domenique Dumont – L’Esprit de l’Escalier [Antinote]

Dumont’s lovely debut came out of nowhere, and this breathless appeal is sustained on its catchiest highlight. A mighty range of influences are handled with a light touch, resulting in a buoyant stoner-pop cut with a bridge that won’t quit and a chorus that’ll have you singing along even if you can’t make out the words.

22. Basic House – Cones [Opal Tapes]

The head of Opal Tapes issued a limited cassette at the end of 2014 with the mighty Cones hiding within. A venomous rhythm track with a melody like afterimage from a strobe, it didn’t leave our playlists in 2015 and it’s unlikely to in the year to come.

21. Floating Points – Peroration Six [Pluto]

The restless conclusion to Floating Points’ wonderful Elaenia album, Peroration Six has a whole jazz group building intensity to terminal velocity. You keep expecting it to boil over, something has to give, it’s too heavy – and then the track cuts out, leaving only a deafening silence. A brave and challenging finale to an uncompromising LP.

***

Come back in a few days for the twenty best tunes of the year.

Best Albums of 2015
Best Tracks of 2015 Part 1

Guest Mix

Fresh guest mix from WN resident Moth, here serving up a whole party in 90 minutes, from sultry summer slow jams to raucous rave and techno via footwork, salsa and acid. So many of our favourites in here we've lost count.

Exclusively on White Noise, here's the tracklist:

Linkwood Family – Miles Away

Pender Street Steppers – The Glass City

Ishmael – Time & Time Again

Hidden Spheres – Waiting

Mosey – Tuff Times

D-Ribeiro – Down You Will Get

Cool Peepl – Free

Damiano von Erckert – We Flow 

Harvey Sutherland – Bermuda

Matthew Herbert – Earthenware

Obas Nenor – Change Got To Come

La Pesada – Cumbia y Tambo (En La Lluvia)

Paradise’s Deep Groove – I Love

Adesse Versions – Pride

Todd Terry – Bounce To The Beat

TXC – Dream Is Alive

Luca Lozano & DJ Fett Burger – Telegronn

Luca Lozano & Mr. Ho – Dripbox

Henrik Bergqvist – Caballo Blanco

Paxton Fettel – Lift Off

Foreign – B1

Paranoid London – Lovin U (Ahh Shit)

AFX – VBS.Redlof.B

Jessy Lanza, DJ Spinn & Taso – You Never Show Your Love

Paranoid London - Paranoid London

Label: Paranoid London

Shadowy London outfit Paranoid London are about as purist as it gets. The duo draw from the rawest period of acid house without ever succumbing to throwback, releasing each of their limited edition EPs on luxurious heavyweight vinyl only. Earlier this year they made one concession to the eager public: re-releasing their best cuts alongside a handful of new tracks on a fierce club-primed LP.

The formula is simple: concise hardware jams whose raucous basslines and taut drum machine rhythms embody the soul of Chicago acid as much as its sound. It features previously released gems like Paris Dub 1, featuring the earworm vocal of OG Paris Brightledge, and the superb Eating Glue, which pairs a menacing bassline and stark percussion with a moody spoken word vocal. And the originals keep up the fine form: Machines Our Coming is surprisingly colourful, a play of laser synth strokes welded to a toughened kick, while Lovin U (Ahh Shit) is a veritable anthem, where PL’s trademark acid menace and raw drums are adorned by emotive, keening synths and a diva vocal on after-hours mode.

The album is as no-nonsense as we’ve come to expect from Paranoid London. It’s physical music, no concessions to the home-listening crowd or intellectual analysis. In fact, listening to this one straight through at home might be a little tiring. But as a collection for DJs looking for a rare fresh take on the sound, or just wanting to channel acid house’s raw soul without having to fork out for twenty-year-old vinyl, it delivers nothing but fire.

8/10

January / February Roundup 2015

Two months into the new year and we're getting back into the swing of things here at White Noise HQ. Today we've got a roundup of the top tunes from 2015's first two months, moving from moody deep house to techno via funk, disco and electro. Enjoy!

Tracklist: 

Route 8 - The Sunrise In Her Eyes

DJ Sotofett - Nondo

Hodge - I Don't Recognise You Lately

Romare - Roots

Anthony Naples - Refugio

Sven Atterton - Hot Sun

Vakula - Joywind

Project Pablo - Movin' Out

Tiger & Woods - Don't Try To Stop Me

Linkwood - Expressions

Denis Sulta - Saturday Nite

Dan Shake ft. Rennie Foster - Traders II

Dude Energy - Renee Running

Arttu - Evvy Steps

Hysterics - HTRX9

DJ Overdose - Master Control

Asusu - Serra

Basic House - Cones

Levon Vincent - E1 Black Arm w_Wolf

DJ Paypal - I'm Ready

...and there's always one which we can't find on youtube:

I.A. Bericochea - W4