Best Tracks of 2012: 75 – 51

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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Here's 25 more of our favourite tracks of the year. Enjoy!

75 – Jack Sparrow – Good Old Days feat. Ruckspin

Deep Medi shows there’s still life in the old 140 horse yet, with this sultry jazz-inspired number from the Author duo.

74 – Marquis Hawkes – Sealion Woman

Tough, analogue workout accompanied by a showstopping US folk vocal-line. Something special.

73 – Bicep – Vision Of Love

Pitch-perfect piano House from the Northern Irish duo. Literally cannot be overplayed. EP Review.

72 – Jack Dixon – Find Shelter

Polished House number shows Dixon has a few real surprises up his sleeve. Detailed sounds and a strong groove make this one essential. EP Review.

71 – Helix – Honig

Proper Techno workout from one of the year’s most talented breakthroughs. Bright synth streaks and hammering beats sure to murder the dancefloor.

70 – Kuedo – Work, Live & Sleep In Collapsing Space

Destructive future-sounds from one of the scene’s most unique voices. Otherwordly sci-fi soundtracking.

69 – Disclosure – Tenderly

Infectiously bouncy Bass number courtesy of Disclosure, one of the year’s mainstream crossover successes. EP Review.

68 – Daphni – Yes I Know

Caribou’s Dan Snaith offers a soul-injected House workout under his Daphni moniker. Worth the price for the vocal sample alone. Album Review.

67 – Presk – Nobody Makes Me Do

Wonky stepper with a couple of earworm vocals and some seriously polished production skills. EP Review.

66 – u-202 – Straightjacket

Pure strangeness from the L.I.E.S. camp. Takes its time to build into a loping House roller. 

65 – Artifact – Deserted

4am stepper deal in drama with monstrous drops and moody synthwork. EP Review.

64 – Dark Sky – Shades

Epic night stomper from the Dark Sky trio. Powerful grooves and an unstoppable bass bounce. EP Review.

63 – Downliners Sekt – Trim / Tab (part one)

Beautiful dance deconstructions from a White Noise favourite. Vocals, piano chords and haunted beats are consigned to the fragmented clicks and all-consuming vinyl hiss. EP Review.

62 – XI – Squeeze

Tough percussive Garage from Toronto on Orca. Stop-start rhythms and a de-oxygenated vocal cry make this one something special. EP Review.

61 – Swindle – Mischief

140 Jazz madness from the Deep Medi camp. Totally unique, genre-defying stuff.

60 – Boddika – Acid Jackson

A red-hot slice of future Acid from the man who probably sleeps tucked up next to his 303.

59 – Airhead – Wait

A track that polarized opinions, here at White Noise we loved Airhead’s Karen O collage. Atmospheric and emotive. EP Review.

58 – Akkord – The Drums

The most atmospheric of the shadowy Manchester group’s releases so far. Fantastic vocals and rugged beat patterns. EP Review.

57 – Mosca – Eva Mendes

Unstoppable Jersey House track from one of the scene’s most dependable producers. Guaranteed to get any club moving.

56 – No Fixed Abode – Indian Street Slang

Leftfield electronic tune from our favourite of the LHF collective. Cross-cultural, cross-genre, totally brilliant. Album Review and EP Review.

55 – NY Stomp – The NY House Trak

Gerd, one of the House scene’s worst-kept secrets, put out one of the genre’s most irresistible, no-nonsense stompers this year under his NY Stomp alias. Perfectly judged vocal snips and a great synthline make this one a surefire weapon at any party.

54 – Bondax – Baby I Got That

Poppy Bass/ Disco hybrid from the impossibly young duo. If any song gave us summer in four short minutes, this was it.

53 – Last Magpie – (Who Knows) Where The Love Goes

Chilled House number that we couldn’t stop playing over the last few months. Addictive vocal, lush chords, punchy beats and a deep ambient hiss kept this one on repeat long after the summer had gone.

52 – Boddika & Joy Orbison – Swims

Ubiquitous acid number from two of the scene’s biggest stars. Superb vocal and the best cowbell solo you’ve ever heard. EP Review. (Dun Dun was a close second).

51 – Dean Blunt – track 2 feat inga copeland

The Hype Williams duo stepped out from the cloud of weed smoke for this nakedly beautiful warped-Pop track. A simple piano loop and a dusty drum machine was all that was needed to create a career highlight.

October Roundup 2012

Here are White Noise's top tunes of October, mostly in a handy Youtube playlist. Unfortunately a few of our top picks weren't available on the 'tube, so I've put up some alternative links at the bottom. This playlist gets darker as it goes on, so don't sleep on the devastating second half.

Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Daphni - Yes I Know

Maxxi Soundsystem feat. Name One - Regrets We Have No Use For

Andrés - Hart Plaza

Last Magpie - Hypno

U - Eah

Pangaea - Game

Elsewhere - Trippin'
Eats Everything - Trubble

Juju & Jordash - Track David Would Play

Vessel - Court of Lions

Jam City - ...Now We Relate
Dawn Day Night - Big Booty Girls
Swindle - Mischief

Here are some clips of our other favourite releases from this month:

Jack Dixon - E

 

Presk - Nobody Makes Me Do


Breach & Midland - 101 (/Somewhere)

 

Jets (Jimmy Edgar and Travis Stewart) - Lock Lock Key

Artifact - Turtle Flight (clip here)

Presk - Nobody Makes Me Do

Label: 2020 Midnight Visions

The third release on 2020 Visions offshoot Midnight Visions comes courtesy of Dutch producer Presk, who has something a little different to offer us. Previously his productions contrasted with the UK’s jumpy scene by way of their restraint and dignity, but here Presk is chopping and skipping like the rest of them; and if this EP is enough to go on, this style fits him to a tee. Scorching A-side Nobody Makes Me Do will be the first to grab attention, an off-kilter garage rhythm underlying a bouncing bass and a fantastic earworm vocal. This would surely be enough for a top tune, but with Presk nothing is left to settle. With the late introduction of an unexpected second vocal (just as catchy, and a glorious companion to the first) and a bassline that looks set to burst free from the track before the second drop, this is an explosive track that marks Presk as a real force to be reckoned with.

 

EP Clips

On the AA-side we stay hyper but get a little darker with the frantic and ominous Akola. Clipped drum samples and hammering synths mean the track never settles, lurching powerfully in its place amid another perfect pair of vocal samples and a collage of punchy atmospherics. Both lead tunes put a thoroughly modern, aggressive twist on classic house and electro, and they work a charm. Epic B-side Cerano City is another beast entirely, channelling moody Detroit pads to create a dark, hypnotic groove with burbling synths and a tightly structured arrangement of drumtracks and vocals which means every second of its 8-minute runtime is scintillating. Not only are all three of these tracks essential for any on-trend DJs; this is Presk like we’ve never seen him before: the gloves are off and the man is clearly making it his business to destroy dancefloors and take names.

8.5/10