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, Incite, Kap Bambino, Vitalic, fennesz, Have a Nice Life, Gang of Four, Rethaw, Frank Film, Louis Clichy, Advanced Beauty, Serial Cut

Badjes by Njama

L.E.T.S D.A.N.C.E

Mp3 | Junior Boys - No Kinda Man [ Body Language Exclusive Track ]
Mp3 | The Rapture - I Need Your Love [ lcd Soundsystem mix ]
Mp3 | Hot Chip - Just like we break down [ Booka shade vocal mix ]
Mp3 | Alter Ego - why not [ Tim Deluxe mix ]
Mp3 | The Rice Twins - Can I Say
Mp3 | Ascii Disko - Moi, Je Veux
Mp3 | Tiefschwars - Ghost Track [ Black Strobe mix ]
Mp3 | Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus [ Boys Noize mix ]

Download full Let's Dance.rar





Incite is the Hamburg-based experimental audiovisual electronics duo of Kera Nagel (solo: axiomatic integration) and André Aspelmeier (solo: GradCom). incite/ plays bone-dry electronics, fragmented idm grooves in broken rhythmic arrangements synced with abstract grayscale videos. Fragmented electric junk and fragile bursts of static noise meet with extra-charged sub-bass-kicks in impressive conjunction with the intensity of the meticulously constructed visuals and physical presence of the duo within their projected image.

Mp3 | Incite - Duocentric
Mp3 | Incite - Temp Disturbance
Mp3 | Incite - Think Of One

Watch | incite/ live at The Great Escape, Breda
Watch | incite/ at Kontra-Musik-Festival
Watch | incite/ at WRO07 playing duocentric


" zero life night vision " - Alt-Delete - 2008
Electro / New Wave / Punk / Trash / Metal

Following the famous "neutral ep" Kap Bambino comes back with 12 new songs on a cd called, "zero life,night vision". result from distortion beat and bass ,and the shouts by khima France. It is also very speedy.
one can find love songs,hatred songs and hatred of hatred songs. We can always find devastating,direct and completely impulsive spirit of Kap Bambino !! maucassins and spangles for this discopunk traumatized.
Born in October 2001, as well as their own label WWILKO, KAP BAMBINO (the French Orion Bouvier and Caroline Martial) plays an effective and energetic contemporary electronic music. Based on incisive rythms, intoxicating riffs and dyslexic lyrics, this music defies classification. Out of control, it is sometimes pop and melancholic, sometimes skinned-raw, but always agressive. They try to exist in the fringe of the actual French musical movement, like some no-futur bastards, totally devoted to non-stop amazing performance. They can perform all their live shows as if they play with their own lives.

Mp3 | Kap Bambino - Night Vision Ocean
Mp3 | Kap Bambino - Seed


" V Vitalic Live " - Different - 2007
Electro / Techno
Vitalic
Recorded in October 2006 in Brussels, it's a damn-near perfect showcase that the guy has an incredible skill to raise layer over layer of sound and play with the crowd's nerves as you hear it yelling at various points on this brilliant record, where classics such as "La Rock 01" or "My Friend Dario" are mixed alongside new tracks (such as the deeply tribal "Bambalec", the hard disco-edged "Anatoles", or the razor-shaped "30000 Feet Club") that are all but overshadowed by these earlier groundbreaking hits. Hurry up, cause it's supposed to be limited to 5.000 copies, but I guess (hope ?) such a classic electro record (something that doesn't seem to happen so much in these times) shouldn't be confined to a small audience. Dieudonne - Amazon

Mp3 | Vitalic - la rock 01 - Live
Mp3 | Vitalic - Anatoles - Live

Watch | Vitalic Live @ Pantiero 2007 / Cannes France


" On A Desolate Shore A Shadow Passes By " - Touch - 2007
Electronic / Ambient

A digital-only release from the folks over at Touch, with this new emission from Christian Fennesz, always one of electronic music's most exciting figures. 'On A Desolate Shore A Shadow Passes' is vintage Fennesz, spouting forth digital warmth and gaseous plumes of abstracted guitar in a fashion that manages to be both harmoniously coherent and compositionally challenging. Throughout, the piece is underscored by aggressive high frequency activity that prevents the effect-drenched guitar meanderings from coming too close to anything so banal as outright ambience. As ever, Fennesz' production substantially outweighs that of his imitators, with each passing moment occupied by great swathes of detail and a lighter-than-air sonic consistency. ESSENTIAL PURCHASE! Boomkat

Mp3 | Fennesz - On A Desolate Shore A Shadow Passes By


" Deathconsciousness " - Enemieslist - 2008
Gothic / Industrial / Shoegaze

Have a Nice Life Life is a two-piece outfit from Connecticut that includes a member of the hardcore band, In Pieces; although, this double CD collection has nothing in the way of sound that can compare to that outfit in any sense of the word. Instead, Have a Nice Life actually has a sound that pulls from a variety of influences like Joy Division, Swans, The Cure, etc. and is vaguely reminiscent of some "Brit pop;” but even trying to describe the band's sound in those terms does not fully explain it. The band also attempts to take on some fairly intellectual discourse surrounding a medieval heretical Christian group, called the Antiocheans, by including a thick booklet regarding the controversy, mystery, and persecution of the group over the course of their existence. The concept and execution of Deathconsciousness: The Plow that Broke the Plains & The Future is largely impressive and ambitious, specially so considering that Have a Nice Life funded, produced, and recorded the whole project on their own over the course of six years. Scenepointblank

Mp3 | Have a Nice Life - Hunter
Mp3 | Have a Nice Life - Deep, Deep



" Entertainment " - EMI/Warner Bros 1979
Post - Punk / Punk - Funk

Some of the most powerful, energized, and memorable music of the U.K.'s potent post-punk era of the late '70s and early '80s came from the trailblazing band Gang of Four, and it all started with 1979's stellar Entertainment! Dave Allen, Hugo Burnham, Andy Gill, and Jon King fused punk, funk, explosive prog-rock, and literate and often incendiary lyrics into a signature, groundbreaking sound that would influence countless bands to come. The original album's brilliant 12 tracks are now remastered and bolstered with four tracks from the rare Yellow EP, plus four never-before-released-songs-making this watershed disc sound bigger and better than ever.

The same year American college students and FM radio stations found hipness in the Clash's "Train in Vain," a quartet of students from England's Leeds University calling themselves Gang of Four released their debut album. Politically charged and pumped full of extremist theories and punk rock vehemence (and now out of print since 1997), Entertainment continues to rank among the most critically acclaimed and influential records of the post-punk epoch it helped to define. The record is funkified by stop-start rhythms and sharp vocals that mimic Joe Strummer's sing-to-shout shifts, a sound that has turned up in the music of a quarter-century of bands, from the Minutemen to Fugazi. The original 12-song track list--including the vehement slam on media and politics "I Found That Essence Rare" and the punk passion play "Damaged Goods"--is reinforced with all four songs from the band's 1980 EP Yellow, as well as four others never-before-released, including a live cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane." Scott Holter - Amazon

Mp3 | Gang of Four - Guns Before Butter
Mp3 | Gang of Four - Not Great Men



"Rethaw.com has been an on again off again project of David Steinberg's since 2002. Early site contents included photographs of a pilgrimmage to Iceland, and dabblings in sound art. The new site, launched in June 2008provides a new oeuvre into his individual efforts, including video art and experimental literature."
Rethaw is a metaphorical and anagrammatic word play upon at least three dimensions of a collectively imagined syzygy. The first and foremost being a conceptual resonance with ice, its transience, sudden shattering, gradual melting, and the sense in which frozen ice is areturn to a morphological presence it had once embraced, and willembrace again. The instant fracturing of ice upon reaching a certainmelting point could be when the ice has begun to rethaw.

Watch | Lt Sn 5 Clips



Frank Film is a 1973 animated short film. Co-creator Frank Mouris reads a list of words starting with the letter "f". This sound track is interwoven with the sound of his reading his autobiography. The visual is an animated collage of photos collected from magazines. Frank made the film with Caroline Mouris. The sound track was created by Tony Schwartz.

The movie won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Animated Films and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Watch | Frank Film



Another piece of the Advanced Beauty project , design and directed by Mate Steinforth

Watch | Advanced Beauty



Classic Edith Piaf and Theo Sarapo animated by Louis Clichy from Cube Creative

Watch | A Quoi Ça Sert L'amour?



Serial Cut™ is a creative studio established in 1999 by Sergio del Puerto, focused on Art Direction + Graphic Design + Illustration.

Watch | Serial Cut Reel