Best of 2008,Remote,Our Sleepless Forest, Deerhunter,Fennesz, Arnaud Rebotini,Fuck Buttons, Munk, Duchess Says,Aidan Baker & Tim Hecker ,Kap Bambino

This week i was asked by Hype Machine to vote on my top 10 records of 2008.
this will be a hard and difficult exercise but i have a pretty good idea of a few of them . Its difficult because i normally listen to so many different styles of music , and to pick 10 , well its hard .

The order of the records is not importante , all this records have the same importance and impact throught out this year.


Remote
" Dark Enough " - Kill the Dj
Techno / Minimal / Electro / Electronic
Buy

From the beginning of the year that i new that this record had it all , thought i'm absolutely not a fan of techno , this is a really great crossover of techno and electro. Its dark , muscled and always on heavy rotation on my gym play lists.

I'm also a big fan of French Electro , i've start loving the whole thing listening to the Black Strobe , and this records as loads of it , that dark matter that i like so much on electro.

Mp3 | Remote - Veron


Our Sleepless Forest
" Our Sleepless Forest " - Resonant
Experimental / Post-Rock / Drone / Ambient
Buy

What a majestic record from this South London trio, it simply has to be heard.
I know is always unfair to compare records and artist , but the reason that made me like this record immediately , was is resemblance to Ben Frost "Theory of Machines" , it was like finally something as powerful had came out.

Its almost breathtaking , you could almost get lost in its complexity , "Clarion" its just beautiful , Drones and Experimental Post-Rock . "The Tinderbox" , apparently and easy and appealing tracks that at some point stops , you think the track as came to the end , and them starts this ravishing drone with sounds of landscapes filled with water sounds and exotic creatures. Its a must have.

Mp3 | Our Sleepless Forest - The Clarion

Sadly this was the last release of a great record label Resonant


Deerhunter
" Microcastle " - Kranky
Alternative / Indie
Buy

Mr. Cox had a very busy year , 3 records under is belt , " Microcastle " is definitely my favorite , in is other project Atlas Sound , Mr. Cox brought us another well crafted and excellent record " Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel "

" Nothing Ever Happened " , " Agoraphobia " and " Never Stops " are masterpieces in a all together a brilliant record.

Mp3 | Deerhunter - Agoraphobia


Fennesz
" Black Sea " - Touch
Ambient / Modern Classical / Drone
Buy

2008 saw the consolidation of Christian Fennesz on my top 10 favorite artist.
First because this year finally i had my ears on his collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto , its tremendous " Cender " , probably my favorite record at this moment.

Second because " Black Sea " new album out now on Touch Records, its just miraculous beautiful . normally i can do a lot of things at the same time , but with this , no . while i'm listening to is drones and acoustics all looped out is a calm and relaxing ambient , i think i'm nearly in a state of trance looking to a painting i have above my couch , i just steer at it numbly , even if the whole world was collapsing around me , i wouldn't fell a thing.
" Grey Scale " and " Perfume For Winter " are some of the most beautiful and profoundly tracks i've heard from Fennesz.

Mp3 | Fennesz - Grey Scale


Arnaud Rebotini
" Music Components " - Citizen
Electro / Techno
Buy

There was a lot of nasty talk about the Black Strobe split up , the reviews about the 2007 " Burn you own Church " were quite poor . To be honest , i don't listen to that kinda of stuff , i liked the record a lot , and the reasons that lead Ivan Smagghe to leap out because he wanted to focus more on his Dj Career are very valid.
The thing is , the Black Strobe are something very special their sound is unique and very appealing to me. Ever since i heard " Me and Madonna " for the first time , my world change a lot and my music tastes had to evolve into things that i didn't like a lot

Arnaud Rebotini , new solo record " Music Components " is very good , i can't say its awesome because the surprise element is not there anymore , but it doesn't invalidate being a very good record , and when comes to electro , Rebotini knows it all.

Mp3 | Rebotini -1314


Fuck Buttons
" Street Horrrsing " - ATP
Noise / Drone / Experimental
Buy

There was a lot of talk about Fuck Buttons , i saw them live and give them a 10/10
As for the record , leaps out on all the boundaries and extensions of what is permitted and allowed in music these days . Fuck Buttons broke all these limits and produced a unique piece of wonderful and tribal noise record .

Mp3 | Fuck Buttons - Sweet Love For Planet


Munk
" Cloudbuster " - Gomma
Krautdisco / Future Disco / Electro Funk
Buy

Gomma is one of my favorite record labels , and also one of the most underestimated in Europe , they are also known as the DFA of Europe , because of there inflamed disco beats .
Release after release , they always bring something fresh , this time was Munk's " Cloudbuster " with some fabulous spaced disco/funk .

The super " Psychomagic " and the smashing " live fast! die old! " feat. Asia Argento made Munk catapult and shows us some of their Gomma glamour.

Mp3 | Munk - Psychomagic


Duchess Says
" Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs " - Alien8
Punk-Rock / Alternative
Buy

They are Canadians and they make shit loads of noise , one the best Punk/Rock records of these year.

Rough bass lines , screaming guitars and heavy pounding drumming , add this to the screams of their sexy vocalist Annie-C and you get an explosive mix that will raise all you hidden hairs to hysteria.

Mp3 | Duchess Says - La friche


Aidan Baker & Tim Hecker
" Fantasma Parastasie " - Alien8
Drone / Ambient / Experimental
Buy

2008 i believed to be the year of the drone , it's something very recent to my ears.
Tim Hecker and Aidan Baker are recent addiction to my Audiopleasures world.
" Fantasma Parastasie " joins Nadja’s Aidan Baker and fellow Canadian Tim Hecker in their first collaboration on Alien8.
Both Canadian artist are exponents in the art of abstract and experimental music , while Tim Hecker explores the more ambient part of the compositions , Aidan Baker takes is darker backgrounds with distortion and noise.
If you like this combinations and enjoy experimental music , this a must have record.

Mp3 | Aidan Baker & Tim Hecker - hymn to the idea of night


Kap Bambino
" zero life night vision " - Alt+Delee
Electro / Punk / 8-Bit / Nu-Rave
Buy

Either you love or you hate it , there is no halve term on this record .

Its intoxicating and energetic to the bone , the beats are unreal hard , nu-rave mixed with 8-bit , electro and very punky attitude.
I give them my vote because of their courage and the freshness of the record , if you listen to it , put on your party gears and rock on.

Mp3 | Kap Bambino - Night Vision Ocean

Other records that deserve to be mentioned.

Flying Lotus - " Los Angeles " - Warp
Ezekiel Honig - " Surfaces of a Broken Marching Band " - Anticipate
Kangding Ray - " Automne Fold " - Raster-Noton
Cloudland Canyon - " Lie in Light " - Kranky
M83 - " Saturdays=Youth " - Mute
Padded Cell - " Night Must Fall " - Dc Recordings
MIT - " Coda " - Haute Areal
Tindersticks - " The Hungry Saw " - Beggars
These New Puritans - " Beat Pyramid " - Domino
Atlas Sound - " Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel " - Kranky

this could go on and on and on , appologise for those i forgot . Funny thing , normaly the best albums are those you will only discover next year.

Let's Dance, Remote, Trondheim, Dosh, Bersarin Quartett, Ninja Tune, Advanced Beauty, Waltz with Bashir, Ice Age 3

Mp3 | Nine Inch Nails - Hand That Feeds [ Dfa mix ]
Mp3 | Battles - Tonto [ Four Tet mix ]
Mp3 | The Robocop Kraus - Fake Boys [ Ascii Disko Mix ]
Mp3 | Foreign Island - Fine Dining With The Future [ Boys Noise mix ]
Mp3 | Schatsi - dead end
Mp3 | Monossoround - TakemeLovemeHateme


" Dark Enough " - Kill the Dj - 2008
Techno / Minimal / Electro / Electronic

tiga : AWESOME!!!!! My only problem...try to decide which I like best. Fuck...

Following the success of Chloé’s The Waiting Room, the label Kill the Dj continues to redefine a certain idea of electro music with the long-awaited release of the first album by Remote, aka Seb Fouble & Eric Guillanton. 2000-2003: the post-French touch period, everybody is on the look out for something new, and that something new is somewhere out there on vinyl. Seb & Eric release their first maxi as Joe Zas & Co. on Pamplemousse. Then another, this a really important record, a witness to its time: Astroglide, considered as one of the best maxis in 2003 by the press and DJs alike. Then the incredible first EP by Henry Goes Dirty, Seb & Eric’s side project, citing Sonic Youth and Syd Barett as well as Phuture as influences. A bizarre mix of electro-pop-rock revealing the roots of what is now REMOTE’s identity: a totally personal appropriation of current trends tinged with a certain independent romantism.

Mp3 | Remote - Sinister Boogie
Mp3 | Remote - Veron



" Zum Abschied " - Aerotone - 2008
Electronic / Experimental / Ambient

"Zum Abschied", Trondheim third netaudio appearance (after two EPs on Interdisco), is a collection of six pieces of electronic music ranging from happy Pling Plong to the melancholy of farewell. Pick your favorite state of mind.

Download Here

Mp3 | Trondheim - Sorgenfreies Heldentum


" Wolves And Wishes " - Anticon - 2008
Indie / Experimental / Electronic

Wolves and Wishes, Martin Dosh fourth official LP, arrives after its architect spent nearly a year on the road--touring solo and as a member of Andrew Bird’s band--and yet, he sounds reborn. If 2006’s The Lost Take reimagined the drums, Rhodes and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink virtuoso as a full band, his latest restocks the lineup with a fresh cast of collaborators, then stretches out as Dosh masterminds the material (composing, improvising, arranging) with all the explorative wonderment of a debut ablum. Never has our man sounded so free. And to think, there’s not a single drum machine in the mix. Anticon

Mp3 | Dosh - The Magic Stick
Mp3 | Dosh - Dont Wait for the Needle to Drop


" Bersarin Quartett " - Lidar - 2008
Electronic / Experimental / Ambient

After two contributions to the highly successful Electronica Unplugged compilation series on the Aerotone netlabel, Bersarin Quartett is prepared to take the world by storm with its debut release. Contrary to its namesake, Quartett is merely a one man show -- a "Thomas" -- who at this point in time remains mysterious and would rather let the music speak for itself. An attached press release informs the inquisitive listener that Thomas likens his music to "imaginary fictional filmscores" (as opposed to the "real fictional filmscores" or "imaginary factual filmscores"), which puts him directly in the company of four trillion other electronic/ambient artists with soundtrack ambitions. I'll gripe at small redundancies and cliches in the press release, because there's really nothing about the music itself that I can fault; no, quite the contrary, it's one of the best you're likely to hear all year. Jordan Volz - The Silent Ballet

Mp3 | Besarin Quartett - oktober
Mp3 | Besarin Quartett - nachtblind



Advanced Beauty is an ongoing exploration of digital artworks born and influenced by sound , Curated by Universal Everything and Freeform, this is an ever-growing collaboration between programmers, artists, animators and architects

The first release will be a collection of Audio-Visual Sound Sculptures, on High Definition DVD and 5:1 Surround Sound

Watch | Advanced Beauty

Coming in Spring 2008


CALLING ALL VISUAL ARTISTS

Who wants to submit some T.SHIRT designs to Ninja Tune?
We are looking for some skilled ninja artists. We know you're out there and we know you want to get noticed.
There are, of course, some guidelines... like you can only use 2 or 3 colors, and you have to put 'Ninja Tune' somewhere in the design. Remember, these are for t.shirts, not album cover artwork. You can put something on the front, on the back, or on the sleeve(s). All submissions have to be received by JUNE 1, so start thinking about it now and respond to this bulletin with your info TODAY.

To be considered for this contest, simply reply to this post with the following info:
a). your name
b). your email
c). a link to view some of your work (myspace profile is acceptable if you have stuff on there, link us to those images). Don't worry if you've never done any t.shirt designs, we just want to see your style.

If your work is to our liking, you will get more details and a template for the t.shirt design. We will also give you some hi-res ninja tune logos/images to play with.
If your design is selected as one of the 8 finalists, it will be submitted to hundreds of retailers across the U.S., who will then pick their favorites to buy in mass quantities! If your design is selected to go into production we'll give you some kind of outrageous prize like $200 to spend in the ninjashop, or guestlist to shows, or you hang out with your favorite artist on the label for one whole day! (not really the latter, we can't promise that).



Ari Folman animated documentary could easily turn out to be one of the most powerful statements of this Cannes and will leave its mark forever on the ethics of war films in general. Dealing from a very personal point of view with the Israeli incursion into the Lebanon in 1982 and culminating with the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacre, which the Israelis did not perpetrate but surely tolerated, this is not only a tremendously potent anti-war movie but also a formidable moral indictment of Israeli conduct at that time. Screen Daily - Dan Fainaru

Watch | Waltz with Bashir



Ice Age 3
The adventure continues as Diego, Manny, and Sid all return for another round of prehistoric fun in this installment of the popular computer-animated series.

Watch | Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs