22 Favorite Releases of 2021

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share my favorite releases of the year. Not exhaustive, just some personal highlights. Happy new year!

Previously: 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory, 1991
buy
Beat Happening – Dreamy, 1991
buy / download
Carlos Maria Trindade & Nuno Canavarro – Mr. Wollogallu, 1991
buy / download
Dip In The Pool – Aurorae, 1991
buy / download
Enya – Shepherd Moons, 1991
buy
Flipper’s Guitar – Doctor Head’s World Tower, 1991
buy / download
Harold Budd – By The Dawn’s Early Light, 1991
buy / download
The Hilliard Ensemble – 
Carlos Gesualdo: Tenebrae, 1991
buy / download
Jean C. Roché – Rossignols: A Nocturne of Nightingales, 1991
buy / download
Keisuke Sakurai – Is It Japan ?, 1991
buy / download
Laurie Spiegel – Unseen Worlds, 1991
buy
LFO – Frequencies, 1991
buy / download
Main Source – Breaking Atoms, 1991
buy / download
Mariah Carey – Emotions, 1991
buy
Massive Attack – Blue Lines, 1991
buy
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless, 1991
buy
Mychael Danna – Sirens, 1991
buy / download
Nirvana – Nevermind, 1991
buy
The Orb – The Orb’s Adventures
Beyond The Ultraworld, 1991
buy
Primal Scream – Screamadelica, 1991
buy
Roberto Mazza – Scoprire Le Orme, 1991
buy / download
Talk Talk – Laughing Stock, 1991
buy

[Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 59

My newest episode of Getting Warmer for NTS Radio is a mix of some of my favorite high-drama extra slinky synth pop, and proof positive that my musical brain will perhaps always be trapped in the late 80s. I hope you like it! You can download an mp3 version here.

Tracklist:
1. Alexander O’Neal – Hearsay ’89 (Remix)
2. Cliff Richard – Lean On You
3. Icehouse – Paradise
4. Lauren Wood – Fallen
5. Freur – Doot-Doot
6. Billy Mackenzie – In Windows All
7. Level 42 – Children Say
8. Peter Cetera – Body Language (There in the Dark)
9. Vanessa Paradis – Joe Le Taxi
10. Martin Page – In the House of Stone and Light
11. Pet Shop Boys – Being Boring
12. Phil Collins – One More Night
13. Boy George – The Crying Game

15 Favorite Releases of 2020

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share my favorite releases of the year. Not exhaustive, just some personal highlights. Happy holidays!

Previously: 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

Ali Akbar Khan – Signature Series: Three Ragas, 1990
buy / download
Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks, 1990
buy / download
The ARC Gospel Choir – Bound For The Promised Land, 1990
buy / download
The Art Of Noise – The Ambient Collection, 1990
buy / download
Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas, 1990
buy
Dead Can Dance – Aion, 1990
buy
Deee-Lite – World Clique, 1990
buy / download
Depeche Mode – Violator, 1990
buy
Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey, 1990
buy
No Smoke – International Smoke Signal, 1990
buy / download
Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour, 1990
buy / download
Pixies – Bossanova, 1990
buy
Prefab Sprout – Jordan: The Comeback, 1990
buy / download
Soul II Soul – Vol. II (1990 – A New Decade), 1990
buy / download
Woo – Into The Heart Of Love, 1990
buy / download

[Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 49: Classic Kpop Special

My newest episode of Getting Warmer for NTS Radio is a classic K-pop special I made with very special co-host Bread Face. It’s mostly from the 90s, with a few early aughts tracks. Until recently I had been under the (false!) impression that K-pop was mostly limited to dance-oriented bubblegum synth pop, but I’ve been loving delving into all of its sub-genres: included here are moments of hip hop, trip hop, r&b, and even some ska influences. We had so much fun putting this together (my first time bringing a guest onto NTS!), so I hope you enjoy it. If you do, you can download an mp3 version here. Thanks as always for listening 💚

Tracklist:
1. Fin.K.L – 당신은 모르실꺼야 (You’ll Never Know)
2. 베이비복스 (Baby VOX) – Get Up
3. 엄정화 (Uhm Jung Hwa) – 초대 (Invitation)
4. 宋光植 (S.E.S.) – Feeling
5. 제이 (J) – 가사 첨부 (Time Out)
6. 영턱스클럽 (Young Turks Club) – 타인 (Ta In)
7. 지누션 (Jinusean) – How Deep Is Your Love
8. 룰라 (Roo’ra) – 날개 잃은 천사 (Angel Without Wings)
9. 宋光植 (S.E.S.) – Dreams Come True
10. 박지윤 (Park Jiyoon) – 아무것도 몰라요 (I Don’t Know)
11. 영턱스클럽 (Young Turks Club) – 정 (Jung)
12. 드렁큰 타이거 (Drunken Tiger) – 난 널 원해 (I Want You)
13. 宋光植 (S.E.S.) – Be Natural
14. 박지윤 (Park Jiyoon) – 박지윤 – (Coming Of Age Ceremony)
15. 타샤니 (Tashannie) – 경고 (Caution)
16. 이정현 (Lee Jung Hyun) – 와 (Wa)

[Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 41

My newest episode of Getting Warmer for NTS Radio is an hour of housey favorites with a few R&B and trancey moments thrown in. I hope you like it! You can download an mp3 version here; thanks as always for listening.

Tracklist:
1. Bappi Lahiri – Dream
2. Sybil – Don’t Make Me Over (Daytime Mix)
3. Craig T. Cooper – Sweet Water
4. Marco Tegui, Max Almazorra & Cari Golden – Next To Me
5. Artful & Ridney ft. Terri Walker – Missing You (Eric Kuppers Directors Cut Tribute FK Mix)
6. Crazy Penis – Keep On (Daniel Wang & Brennan Green Vas Referens Mix)
7. Chris & Cosey – One Minute More
8. Frankie Knuckles, Director’s Cut, Sybil – Let Yourself Go (A Director’s Cut Master)
9. Laava – Wherever You Are (I Feel Love)
10. Kim English – HIgher Things

25 Favorite Releases of 2019

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share some of my favorite releases of the year. Such a brooding year for music, with some really strong aesthetic and political statements and boundary-pushing uses of both guitars and electronics, suggesting many exciting changes on their way in the next decade. Obviously this isn’t meant to be exhaustive or authoritative; just some personal highlights. Quite a few of these are giant major label releases, so I’ll be taking down those download links quickly or leaving them off accordingly. Let me know if links are broken. Happy new year!

Previously: 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

A.C. Marias – One Of Our Girls, 1989
buy / download
The B-52’s – Cosmic Thing, 1989
buy / download
The Blue Nile – Hats, 1989
buy / download
The Cure – Disintegration, 1989
buy
De La Soul – 3 Feet High And Rising, 1989
buy
dip in the pool – Retinae, 1989
download
Forrest Fang – The Wolf At The Ruins, 1989
buy / download
Galaxie 500 – On Fire, 1989
buy
Harry Case – In A Mood, 1989
download
The Hilliard Ensemble – Pérotin, 1989
buy / download
Haruomi Hosono – Omni Sight Seeing, 1989
download
Inner City – Paradise, 1989
buy
Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation 1814, 1989
buy
Joan Bibiloni – Born, 1989
buy / download
Julee Cruise – Floating Into The Night, 1989
buy
Kate Bush – The Sensual World, 1989
buy
Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine, 1989
buy
Nirvana – Bleach, 1989
buy
Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster & Panaiotis – Deep Listening, 1989
buy / download
Piero Milesi & Daniel Bacalov – La Camera Astratta, 1989
buy / download
Pixies – Doolittle, 1989
buy
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Beauty, 1989
buy
Soul II Soul – Club Classics Vol. One, 1989
buy
The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses, 1989
buy
Woo – It’s Cosy Inside, 1989
buy / download

Soul Connection – Rough & Ready

The first of two full-lengths from Toyin Agbetu and Earl Meyers. Toyin Agbetu was the owner of four independent dance labels, including Intrigue, the label who released all of Soul Connection’s output; and between his work with these labels and his work as a musician and producer across a slew of groups, he’s been a defining figure of UK street soul. Still, his Wikipedia page doesn’t even mention his musical body of work, as he has risen to global prominence as a Pan-African human rights activist, artist, author, filmmaker, and community educator.

Rough & Ready is an unusual instance of ballooning rare record prices on Discogs that feel somewhat justified. It’s consistent and excellent all the way through, with slinky R&B grooves, housey drum loops, and slick vocals courtesy of Thomas Esterine. Some have called this an ideal makeout soundtrack, but personally I think it’s night time driving music: discrete, minimal, tasteful, monotonous (in a good way), and although it’s technically dance music, it never picks up too much speed.

(download removed as reissue is forthcoming)