2014 in a nutshell and in no specific order: Music – Favorites, discoveries and rediscoveries

• Clipping – CLPPNG
  • Experimental Hip Hop doesn’t get any better than this. A demanding and very intense release that seems to go against any concept of flow without loosing it’s strange way of grabbing your attention. The vinyl edition comes with a hundred endless loops on the second side of the second lp which is something that encourages the listener to experiment with the needle drop over and over again.

• Jack Dice – Sip Paint
  • Modern Love continues to be an amazing label that manages to take me completely by surprise over and over again and this release by Jack Dice is no exception. Very moody, mellow, urban and dark suddenly drifting into the strangely erotic rap track that is Stash’s Theme and afterwards returning to some even darker instrumentals with more well accentuated climaxes.

• Moon Zero – Tombs/Loss (Denovali)
  • Dark and brooding walls of sound that never cease to amaze. Lower the lights, turn the volume and the bass up to 11 and just close your eyes and let go. This combination of two EPs just struck a nerve with me.

• Andy Stott – Faith in Strangers (Modern Love)
  • This one was highly anitcipated and didn’t disappoint at all! When Faith in Strangers first landed on my turntable I was blown away and suprised about the evolution of Stott’s characteristic and distinguished sound that recieved yet another facet that works out more than well. The album almost sounds peacable in comparison to his last works and still manages to keep those experimental and abstract high points that we learned to love when it comes to the work of Andy Stott.

• The Soundcarriers – Entropicalia (Ghostbox)
  • Musically speaking the year 2014 was kind of a psychedelic one for me and this album turned out to be a very good companion in this context. It’s nostalgic yet fresh and very entertaining and smooth on one hand and complex and adventurous on the other. If you have a thing for neo-psychedelia check this one out!

• Kiasmos – Kiasmos (Erased Tapes)
  • This one might be a bit obvious but still deserves a mention I think. For me it is a nice surprise to see musicians from different genres and schools experiment with more electronic sounds and techno like structures. This one is a highly melancholic and beautiful experience that makes you want to dance despite it’s introverted character.

• Deaf Center – Recount (Sonic Pieces)
  • Normally those more dark and ambient like pieces I stumble across are more or less something I listen to during Autumn or Winter but Deaf Center’s minimalistic and highly melancholic EP managed to grab my attention and unfold it’s silent impact on a warm and wonderful day in the middle of summer.

• PYE Corner Audio/Not Waving – Intercepts (Ecstatic)
  • Brilliant split by two amazing artists that go together more than well! The very specific yet distinguished retro sound of this record is something that seems from a differend decade and still has not lost any of it’s appeal. It’s catchy, full of energy and I’ve been coming back to this one a lot since it initially landed on my turntable.

• Franz Kirmann – Meridians (Denovali)
  • Kirmann’s first solo release on Denovali is really something worth your while. It’s an album that seems totally light-fooded but never trivial. It’s a dreamy and romantic journey that (like a roadmovie) is going through different states while constantly moving forward and seeing the sunslowly set in the rearview mirror.

• Birds of Passage – This kindly Slumber (Denovali)
  • Starting the year with a new album by Birds of Passage might have not been the most optimistic way regarding the mood of this record but it was the right thing to do nonetheless. Like a warm blanket during the coldest and darkest days of winter this album encloses you with it’s whispered vocals and minimalistic soundscapes.

• Dirk Geiger – Connected Worlds (Tympanik Audio)
  • He has done it again! Connected Worlds is an album that is right on the spot and also a very nice contrast to the hyperactive culture today. Diffenrent, even more complex than it’s predecessor and still full of Geiger’s handwriting.

• Ecstasphere – Feed your Head (Raumklang Music)
  • Ecstasphere’s debut is a highly energetic and (thankfully) radical work with lots of personality and emotion trying to counteract and undermine thoughts of control and domination while focusing on releasing one’s own potential and freeing yourself from external regulation.

• Mobthrow – Unfolded (Ad Noiseam)
  • Somehow I couldn’t really get into the sound of his debut that was released a couple of years back but his recent release took me by surprise and just clicked with me. It seems to have more structure and concept than the last one. Also add a really great production and a whole lot of very creative ideas to make this one an experience that shouldn’t be ignored.

• Winterkälte – Maschinenfest Tracks 1999 – 2014 (HANDS)
  • It’s loud, it’s harsh, it’s Winterkälte! A great compilation of tracks and a really beautiful vinyl release that is a must own for every fan of this project and everyone who has a faible for powerful rhythmic noise!

• Scuba Death – Nitrogen Death (Further Records)
  • Somewhere between modern techno, ambient and seventies sci-fi, this one is developing from minimalistic structures and field recordings to more and more rhythmic sections and complex sounds. Dark, deep, wonderful and a record that invites you to discover.

• Honorable Mentions:
  • A winged Victory for the Sullen – Atomos
  • Deru – 1979
  • Dream Police – Hypnotized
  • Killing Sound – Killing Sound
  • Machine Code – Samurai
  • Driftmachine – Nocturnes
  • Dalhous – Visibility is a Trap
  • Ben Frost – Aurora
  • Dryft – The blur Vent
  • [basementgrrr] – A certain Kind of Decay

• Discoveries/Rediscoveries:
  • Bersarin Quartett – Bersarin Quartett
  • Steve Moore – Pangea Ultima
  • Ben Frost – By the Throat
  • Voices from the Lake – Voices from the Lake
  • Burial – Untrue
  • Björk – Biophilia
  • Nightmares on Wax – Carboot Soul/Smoker’s Delight
  • Pet Shop Boys – Electric