Friday, December 3, 2010

[BEST OF 2010] My favourite producers, mixtapes and reissues.

blog 2010/12/03 - [BEST OF 2010] My favourite producers, mixtapes and reissues.


It has started!  The BEST OF 2010 will slowly be unveiled now.
To start, I want to review my favourite producers of the year, the hottest mixtapes, and the reissues and collections that I am most thankful for.

After this post, the rest will come as follows:
 - best experimental albums
 - best EPs
 - 10 honourable mentions
 - 15 good albums
 - 15 great albums
 - 10 best albums



MY FAVOURITE PRODUCERS OF 2010

I wanted to include this for the hit makers that don't always produce the amazing full lengths, but give us a steady stream of amazing singles and hot productions.
Alphabetical order!

Alias:  Ever since Alias stopped rapping and focused on the beats he and Ant have been the glue that kept Anticon so dope.  This year Alias did an incredible job on B. Dolan's "Fallen House Sunken City" and I flipped when I found that the instrumental version came out.  Because event when Dolan ever faltered on a rhyme, the beats were always brilliant.  I love how it's all so well put together, but at the same time it still has the aesthetic where you can close your eyes and see him performing live on an MPC2000.

Basti Grub:  Electronic music is SO DISPOSABLE, especially the likes of techno and house and such.  Normally there is just so much stuff out that you don't even bother with producers, since you're sifting 100 tracks to find one nugget.  But Basti Grub kept popping up in my "holy shit!" bin.  I took notice.  Perfectly lofi vocal ctups, a plodding rhythmatism that evokes Shackleton's crew, but all underpinned with crazy solid deep house essentials.

Claude VonStroke:  This man has been putting shit-eating grins on everyone subwoofer owning music afficionado for a few years now.  The way his bass just BOUNCES instead of slaps.  The way his groove is paramount.  He's on a level of his own.

Danny Byrd:  Danny Byrd is obviously a jungle afficionado with crates as deep as mine.  His productions span the history of jungle, from '91 hardcore to '94 ragga to '98 tech to the modern age of sidechain overload with dubstep bass swams.  It's all hear.   The rave pianos, the bass bubbles that are just veering North of splitting off to Happy Hardcore, the ragga choruses, the amen smashes, the floor-killing hoovers, the pills, the pants, the neon, omg omg omg omg *asplode*               ....I'll be over there in cuddle puddle.

Don Diablo:  So let's see.  Here we have this mastermind flipping the Moby rave classic into a modern D&B smasher.  Tweaking the new Chemical Brothers into a DaftPunkian ecstatic groove.  And beyond that, dropping a track which is probably my favourite Dragonette track since I Get Around?  This is on one trick pony.   The dance floors are getting it from all sides.

DZ:  Dubstep was declared dead early last year, but that was just because of the glut of shit producers.   DZ reminds us that the news of dubstep death has been exagerrated.  Not only has he been producing a constant stream of chart-topping bangers, but he did the unthinkable:  releasing "The Proliferation Sequence", an incredible 2 CDs of modern dubstep mastery.  Some context:  Producer albums are mostly garbage.  A few hot singles padded with B-side filler.  It's really fucking hard for a producer to create a captivating listening experince.  But here was a 2 CD set that kept keeping things hot and fresh.  Before the first disc was done, it was worth the price of admission.  The 2nd CD was just gravy.

El-P:  El Producto has been one of the hottest producers for over a decade.  What this person can do with an old organ, a drum kit and a sampler should, in a just world, meltdown every computer with Fruityloops installed for a few miles from his proximity.  Apparently he even had a new album and his HD fubared, and he didn't have it backed up?  OK, that was stupid of him.   But almost as if in an act of mourning, he gives us the hot beat tape Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3.  If these are toss offs from his studio playtime, the new album in 2011 is going to make me spasm in delight.

Nero:  Blending dubstep with garage and sex, I've been focused on Nero remixes for a while now.  There is no song he can't improve on.  And he doesn't just take a song, rip a few samples, and drop them in his template.  He seems to really love his source material and builds a structure that lets it shine.  Shine in a basspounding kind of way, of course.

Treasure Fingers:  Whenever I heard a Treasure Fingers production I totally think of people candy-flipping and spazzing out with glowsticks.  Not that there is anything really ravey going down, it's just the sheer joy and energy that floods from his tracks.    It's like what Kissy Sellout should have been.  I think of all the producers this year, Treasure Fingers is the one who most deserves to have an entire exercise program developed around their catalouge.


TRACKS INCLUDED FOR THIS SECTION:

Alias - Fifty Ways To Bleed Your Customer
Alias - Kitchen Sink
B. Rich - We Ball Harder (DZ's Spy Harder Remix)
Basti Grub - Eines Tages
Basti Grub - Lina
Basti Grub - Unzucht
Claude VonStroke - Bay Area
Claude VonStroke - The Greasy Beat ft Bootsy Collins (Funk Bomb DJ Version)
Danny Byrd - Planet Earth
Danny Byrd ft Liquid - Sweet Harmony
Don Diablo - Animale ft Dragonette
DZ - Killin' em Softly
DZ - Nevah
El-P - How To Serve Man (Stripped)
El-P - I Got This (EL-P Remix) Redux
El-P - Meanstreak (in 3 Parts)
MJ Cole - Sincere (Nero Remix)
Moby - Feeling So Real (Don Diablo Remix)
Monarchy - Love Get Out Of My Way (Treasure Fingers Remix)
The Chemical Brothers - Swoon (Don Diablo Remix)
The Streets - Blinded By The Lights (Nero Remix)
Treasure Fingers & Jocelyn Brown - What Am I Supposed To Do






MY FAVOURITE MIXTAPES OF 2010

Please note:  The first few mixes are from commercial releases or are no longer available for download from their original distributors.  We have included a 12 minute preview from the mix, or just some tracks from it.
The mixes at the bottom are still freely available online, so just directly download them online!  No files are included in the ZIP for them.


Chiddy Bang - Air Swell Mixtape
It is kind of awkward that Chiddy Bang's best works comes when he's riding on top of someone else's pop-culture gems.  Wait for a hit, jack a part for the beat, or jack the whole song and insert yourself remix style.  Ethical or not, his late-period Warholian take on party hiphop IS FUN.  That's why these are mixtapes, though.  Grab your favourite songs, stick 'em together, and add your own little flair.  Hella fun.

Four Tet - FACT Mix 182
After so much output in 2010, this mix is fabulous for the reason alone that it gives us insight in to Kieran's playlist.  The mixing isn't as tight as it could be, but there are some fabulously quirky bouncey tracks going on here.

James Holden - DJ Kicks
I always grit my teeth when entering a new DJ Kicks album since they tend to be such a mixed back, but James Holden renews my faith in the storied institution with the most shocking high-profile mix this year.  Focused on the mood more than on the dancefloor, al sorts of textures are in the works here.  The blips, the rock beats, the squiggly electro-light, the dubby electronics, etc.    I hereby declare this to be a fabulous mix to play strategy games by!

Justin Martin - Five Years Of Dirtybird
From the triple CD godsend available at http://www.dirtybirdrecords.com/5-years-of-dirtybird Justin Martin kills it, even though he's just riding the Dirtybird catalouge.  Total killer minimal bouncey tech house.  Oh so fucking good.

CPI - ineedaghostship
Indie rock taken to the dancefloor.  No bloghouse mess, all rocked out grooves.   http://thetastates.com/mp3s/CPI_-_ineedaghostship.mp3

CPI - Live for Original Plumbing & Toronto Pride, 2010-07-01
My summer megamix of hotttxxxttt dance ish.  First up was my set for the Original Plumbing party, which paid tribute to the recently deceased Will Munroe, founder of the venue there The Beaver.  Also includes references to the G20 fiasco, and part of my set for Toronto Pride.  You'll never want to leave the gym.  get the goodness at http://thetastates.com/mp3s/CPI_-_Live_for_Original_Plumbing_and_Toronto_Pride,_2010-07-01.mp3

CPI - Moonchild (in memoriam)
Dreamer beats.  Moods for the beat heads.  A personal journey, but you'll totally groove to it.  Get it at http://thetastates.com/mp3s/CPI_-_Moonchild_(in_memoriam).mp3

DJ Zhao - Fusion 2
Dubby afrobeat and crazy blunted rhythms.   What it sometimes lacks in mixing is made up by hot track selection and great atmosphere.  Download the whole thing at http://official.fm/track/159491

Girl Talk - All Day
OK OK, let's get it over with.  It's fucking dense.  His favourite hiphop is full of bullshit assholes that deserve divine retribution.  His live shows are full of bullshit assholes that deserve comeuppins.  But there's no denying his total love of wheezy pop vomit, and he puts it together in a way that you don't even taste the neon.  Get it all at http://illegal-art.net/allday/

Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - Infamous Quotes
J. Period is a mixtape genius that gives us some of the freshest storytelling mixes.  This time he hooks up with DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mad Skillz, throws in 60 minutes of movie quotes, and BAMMO, incredible hiphop mix!  Download the whole thing at http://www.jperiod.com/upload/skillz/infamousquotes.zip


Please note:   If you are reading this on facebook and have trouble downloading the direct mp3 links, they are all up at http://thetastates.com/ for easy download action.



TRACKS INCLUDED FOR THIS SECTION:

Chiddy Bang & Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets
Chiddy Bang & Lily Allen - Breakfast
Girl Talk - Oh No
James Holden - DJ Kicks (excerpt)
Justin Martin - Five Years Of Dirtybird (excerpt)
Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - Skillz
Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - This Shit Right Here?!




MY FAVOURITE REISSUES OF 2010

Elliott Smith - An Introduction to... Elliott Smith
FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, ONLY:  Elliott Smith was the ultimate in emo folk in the 90s.  He was so fucking hardcore that in the end he killed himself...  BY STABBING HIMSELF IN THE HEART.  WTF???  Keep that in mind as you listen to his genius.  If you don't know Elliott Smith, you need this collection right now.

MF Doom - DOOM!
40 tracks of total DOOM?  77 minutes long though, so nothing sits around too long, and it turns out it's one of the best ways to really soak in the doom.  Let him flip the beats, screw the flow, and 2 minutes later we're back at it in a new way.  This is a collection of rarities and unreleased, but ends up being one of my favourite Doom CDs.

Pavement - Quarantine The Past
Pavement was the definition of indie rock in the 90s, and the worst of whom singlehandedly fueled Pitchfork, it seems.  I never got it.  THEY WEREN'T THAT GOOD!   They were good, maybe even great, but fuck, the worship of them drove me crazy.  Thank goodness for greatest hits collections!  This collects all of the goods.  For people like me who only really liked Brighten The Corners and Slanted & Enchanted as total album works, it's a sigh of relief and a totaly pleasure.  If you haven't heard Pavement yet, you are probably 25 years old or younger.  Now's a time to start.

Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come
When this originally came out in 1998 I was out of punk rock.  Like most kids in the 90s in high school, there was much Fugazi, NOFX, Propagandhi and Dead Kennedys.  By the time 1998 came around I was mostly listening to IDM and noise and drone, but I am so happy I at least discovered this one 12 years after the fact.  Also includes a second disc of live versions, which is probably the best recorded punk show I've ever heard.  Like seriously, kudos to the live engineer and everyone on the boards and the mics.


TRACKS INCLUDED FOR THIS SECTION:

Elliott Smith - Alameda
Elliott Smith - Angeles
Elliott Smith - Needle in the Hay
MF Doom - 3214
MF Doom - Gazzillion Ear
MF Doom - The Mask ft Ghostface Killah
Pavement - Cut Your Hair
Pavement - Spit On A Stranger
Pavement - Stereo
Refused - Summer Holidays vs. Punk Routine (Live)
Refused - Worms Of The Senses; Faculties Of The Skull




Stay tuned, best of experimental coming soon!



FULL LIST OF TRACKS INLCUDED IN THIS POST:

Alias - Fifty Ways To Bleed Your Customer
Alias - Kitchen Sink
B. Rich - We Ball Harder (DZ's Spy Harder Remix)
Basti Grub - Eines Tages
Basti Grub - Lina
Basti Grub - Unzucht
Claude VonStroke - Bay Area
Claude VonStroke - The Greasy Beat ft Bootsy Collins (Funk Bomb DJ Version)
Danny Byrd - Planet Earth
Danny Byrd ft Liquid - Sweet Harmony
Don Diablo - Animale ft Dragonette
DZ - Killin' em Softly
DZ - Nevah
El-P - How To Serve Man (Stripped)
El-P - I Got This (EL-P Remix) Redux
El-P - Meanstreak (in 3 Parts)
MJ Cole - Sincere (Nero Remix)
Moby - Feeling So Real (Don Diablo Remix)
Monarchy - Love Get Out Of My Way (Treasure Fingers Remix)
The Chemical Brothers - Swoon (Don Diablo Remix)
The Streets - Blinded By The Lights (Nero Remix)
Treasure Fingers & Jocelyn Brown - What Am I Supposed To Do
Chiddy Bang & Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets
Chiddy Bang & Lily Allen - Breakfast
Girl Talk - Oh No
James Holden - DJ Kicks (excerpt)
Justin Martin - Five Years Of Dirtybird (excerpt)
Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - Skillz
Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - This Shit Right Here?!
Elliott Smith - Alameda
Elliott Smith - Angeles
Elliott Smith - Needle in the Hay
MF Doom - 3214
MF Doom - Gazzillion Ear
MF Doom - The Mask ft Ghostface Killah
Pavement - Cut Your Hair
Pavement - Spit On A Stranger
Pavement - Stereo
Refused - Summer Holidays vs. Punk Routine (Live)
Refused - Worms Of The Senses; Faculties Of The Skull


the madness starts here:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101203.zip


Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:

Enjoy!
~CPI

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