Sunday, January 25, 2009

favourite sets from 2008


this cartoon is from a site called toothpaste for dinner, which i've been enjoying recently... anyway, i've had this post half-finished for a couple of weeks and it is now starting to get seriously out of date as we have almost made it through the first month of 2009 (how did that happen?!). well since i'd already written the post, i figured i might as finish it... i'll get some new sets up soon, as they've been some beauties floating about. so, without any more delays, here are some of my favourite mixes, podcasts and recordings from 2008. five preliminary points to note, though:

(1) i have very purposely not included any of the mnml ssgs mixes here. for starters it would make the list much, much longer. also, i have great respect and appreciation to all the artists who have contributed mixes so i am not going to play favourites.

(2) for a lot of the people on this list (eg dozzy, steffi) there are multiple sets of theirs that belong here, but i've decided to limit it to one per artist. actually, in many ways this is a semi-complete list of my favourite DJs and live acts from 2008.

(3) a few of these sets aren't actually from 2008, but i only discovered them last year so they are being included.

(4) the list is not ranked. the order is random.

(5) i've provided working links as many as possible. if anyone wants to fill in the blanks, feel free to post them. and of course, please add to this list in your comments. i'm very interested to hear what your favourites have been.

ok, here we go.

steffi - panorama bar mix II. half a year ago i'd barely heard of her. now i'm in love. what defines her style - and indeed this is something that makes all the panorama/berghain djs stand out - is the perfect feel and intuition she has. she's just got the groove. you can feel that she really knows every single record in her case. like everyone on this list, she knows.

seth troxler - bunker podcast 33. while i did say the order is random, i put seth after steffi because for me they have similar strengths and charms - the intuition, the feel that defines their sets. i've said this before, but what really strikes me about his DJ'ing is how mature it is for someone who is still relatively young. there is real depth and inspiration in the way he plays. this is someone who definitely has a very bright future after 2008 very deservedly being a breakout year.

shed - bodytoniclive. in true sesame street fashion, lets keep with the letter 's'. if we are talking about people that had a breakout year, i dont think anyone had a bigger one than shed. 12 months ago he was not on many people's radars, by december he was on top of a couple of RA's 'best of' lists. not bad, huh? and thoroughly deserved to. i chose this over his excellent bunker podcast dj set because it better represents what made him one of the big stories of 2008.

silent servant - el baile mix. yes. no rest from 's'. this mix really shows the breadth of the man's tastes, going well beyond the sounds he and sandwell district are known for. beyond there being some real classics in this mix, it is also an a great introduction and education into minimal synth and nu wave. nice.

stott, andy and claro intellecto - RA podcast. a bit of a stretch to include this as my last 's'. i am not sure if this fully showcases how good either can be, but i do like this recording and come back to regularly. a good year for these guys undoubtedly, even though i find it frustrating that people have been rating claro's album in their end of year charts. he is a great artist, but i found the album incredibly mediocre. he has, and can, do much better as this 'cast shows. also, i should take this opportunity to say much respect to RA for their podcasts in 2008. i thought that on the whole they did an excellent job of presenting a range of bigger and lesser known names, as well as covering a fair range of styles and sounds.

donato dozzy - mix for radioactivity show. to be honest, i think i marginally prefer the set he recorded for electronique.it, but because they are only make their podcast available to members (booo!) i can't post a link for it here. if anyone has a download link for it, please post it because the set is magical. the mix he did for the radioactivity show is another goodie and both are a bit better than his RA'cast i feel. anyway, not too much more to say about dozz - you've heard me rave about him enough here. an amazing dj and person. much respect.

convextion - livepa @ faktion. might as well post the artists from labyrinth together. i prefer the set he played in japan, but that is most likely just because i experienced it in the flesh. convextion's being doing quality stuff for a very, very long time (rod modell told me since '92) so it's great he is finally getting some much-deserved love. very rich, textured sounds all perfectly put together.

peter van hoesen (aka 'the hose') - process part 78 mix. LWE very justly annointed him one of their 'breakout artists' of 2008, and i think the hose and his label, time to express, will continue onwards and upwards in 2009. peter's done some tremendous mixes this year, but i've chosen this modyfier one because like the mix from silent servant above, it displays a real breadth and depth of musical knowledge, which i greatly respect and admire. plus he plays 'dead eyes open' pitched down. fuck, that is sooooo cool.

cio d'or - vanille 11 mix. this is from 2007 (i think), which made me tempted to post her modyfier set instead, but ultimately i had to include this one because it has been one of my most listened to mixes in the last couple of months since i chanced upon it. cio is another DJ you can tell really knows and loves her records. each one of her mixes is so carefully put together and composed. everything fits so well, the set as a whole is perfectly weighted and balanced. cio has promised a ssg mix for us in 2009 and i am really, really excited about how it's going to sound. i can't wait!

benjamin brunn - livepa @ westwerk. most of what i could say about brunn i said recently in introducing his contribution to the mnml ssgs mix series. but to summarise: warmth. warmth is the word i would use to describe brunn. his music feels like the musical equivalent of a big friendly hug. and we all need a hug now and again.

marcel dettmann - houztek radio 1.2.08. the debate over his recent RA podcast was very interesting - it really seemed to divide people. i've only listened to it a couple of times (well i guess that says something) an think it is a good mix, but he's done much better. like this one. i think mix gives one of the best representations of his sound as a DJ, at least from what i've heard. i've definitely listened to it more than his berghain 2 mix. it coheres perfectly and the last 10-15 minutes are just amazing. much respect to the dettmann. really hoping to see him spin somewhere in 2009.

eli verveine - carebear mix. this is actually about 4 years old, but i only discovered it in 2008, so i'm putting it on the list. sometimes i wonder whether i like this just because it has one of my alltime favourite tracks, and an old plastikman classic. but there's definitely more to the mix than that. eli is able to give her sets a very close, personal feel which i love. i know it's not the case, but it feels like she's made the mix for you. how can you not like that?

rising sun - random circuits mix 09. a real strength of the random circuits mix series, and indeed their site as a whole, is that they often highlight quality people you might not be aware of. this mix is the perfect example of that. i must admit, before listening to it i didn't know who rising sun were. now i do. and i like. this is a mix that always brings a bit of sunshine to my office. inviting house sounds that bring a smile to your face.

leonid - LWE podcast 04. this one beats out the even tuell mix as my favourite from LWE. my description of this one is basically the same as the one i just gave for rising sun. a new name for me, opening my ears with a well crafted mix of lovely house sounds. i don't think it quite got the love it deserved. it's a great mix.

prosumer - beats in space mix. since we are on the house tip, might as well slot the 'sumer in here. anything i might say will look half-hearted compared to teleost's praise, so i suggest reading any of the100 posts or so he has written on prosumer instead.

moritz von oswald with tikiman @ shanti, moscow 11.04.08. sorry, i am starting to run out of motivation to give proper write ups of these mixes. but really, this one speaks for itself. moritz: the master. and much, much respect to for sound+ making this and many other amazing sets available.

nd baumecker @ berghain 9.2.08. while baumecker may normally hang out at panorama, here he makes it very clear that he can mix it up with the big boys on the berghain floor. this is a long mix - about 4.5 hours from memory - and his ability as a DJ really can be heard in the way he manages the set as a whole (even if i think he plays a record twice. tut tut). perhaps better than any mix i've heard this captures the intensity of berghain.

shackleton @ breezeblock. i know people have been raving about him for a while. but i was slow catching on. it was only with his 'soundboy's ashes get hacked up and spat out in disgust' ep released early in the year that i began to understand. often, though, i find i best connect with sounds through DJ sets and livepas. it's normally the way i introduce myself to a new sound or artist. and so it was with shackleton. with this recording it really hit me how talented this guy is, and how unique and different what he is doing is. i remember having a moment listening to this on my headphones after doing some shopping. i just stopped walking and stood there for a minute in shock. i could feel my mind expanding. i guess that is enough for it to qualify for my top sets for the year...

well i guess that is good a place as any to finish. there are other sets i could add to this list, but i think this is more than enough. please add your own thoughts, lists and links in the comments.

new stuff from 2009 soon!

chris

33 comments:

  1. unfortunatly the link for steffis mix is not working :(

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  2. sorry. updated the link. steffi should be working fine now...

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  3. here's the link for the slickest mix of 2008 from your list:

    Silent Servant - El Baile MIx:

    http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=8fa8fca6fb390f78ab1eab3e9fa335ca30747299a5a8514f

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  4. thanks for posting these sets

    my favourite mixes from last year:

    ana -mnml ssgs mx 10
    move d - ra podcast 125
    peter van hoesen - december mix
    dj bone - lwe podcast

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  5. sven - could i ask: why did you like the move d ra'cast so much? i must admit, that one didn't work for me. a bit too heavy on the preachappelas...

    i much prefer this one:

    http://podcastload.de/move_d/live%20sets/move%20d%20live%20@%20robert%20johnson%2012-22-07.mp3

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  6. i liked it so much because i got to know move d (and benjamin brunn) thanks to this podcast.
    after hearing this mix a couple of times, i bought some of his records and downloaded some other mixes. so it's not just the quality of the mix itself that made me decide to list it here, but also because it introduced me to a whole new kind of music that i did not listen to before

    the preachapella's don't really bother me that much, but i agree the mix could do without

    thanks for the link, downloading right now

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  7. thanks for the explanation sven. that makes more sense now. you really highlight what i love about being able to download podcasts, mixes etc for free. it is a way of really broadening your mind and discovering totally new sounds and artists. many people i now love i hadnt even heard of 18-24 months ago.

    there are heaps of move d sets at that site, definitely worth checking. hope you enjoy.

    chris

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  8. Glad to see that Prosumer mix getting a notice. Absolutely ace. Introduced me to 'Morning Factory', which is an unbelievable house gem, IMO.

    My (rather long) best of list (in no order)
    Beats In Space: Prosumer
    Beats In Space: Kim Ann Foxman (H&LA)
    Beats In Space: Hikaru (Blast Head)
    Bunker Podcast: Function
    Bunker Podcast: Shed
    Bunker Podcast: Vincent Lemieux
    Resident Advisor: Pigon
    Resident Advisor: Move D
    Resident Advisor: Murmur
    Resident Advisor: Donato Dozzy
    Resident Advisor: The Mole
    Resident Advisor: Appleblim
    Resident Advisor: Sascha Dive
    Resident Advisor: Four Tet
    Resident Advisor: Anders Ilar
    Resident Advisor: Mara Trax
    Resident Advisor: Steffi
    mnmlssgsmx: Shed
    mnmlssgsmx: Jackmate
    mnmlssgsmx: bvdub
    LWE: LWE In The Mix
    LWE: Adam Marshall
    LWE: Simon Flower
    LWE: Andrey Radovski
    LWE: Terrence Dixon

    OTHER
    Steve Mizek @ Sonotheque (11.25.2008)
    Peter Van Hoesen: Mix December 2008
    Sunday Best: Move D

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  9. chris re move d you shoud track down Move D 2007 1011 Live At Johanneskirche it is my favourite of all Move D sets, I can post it you don't have it or can't get to it.

    and a good Shackleton mix is Shackleton mixed by dubsta

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  10. thanks for the mention guys. its funny you should say that about not knowing about rising sun because neither did i. He told me he was working on his labels & the mix would be in due course, i had no idea his labels were MOM stryrax leaves etc :-O suffice to say i felt a little embaressed not knowing exactly who he was. i'd like to shout out a few ssgs sets which went into our top sets but sadly got deleted along with our other end of year posts :( shed's mix was the perfect blend of deeper sounds and great house for a warm summers day or a perfect hour on the ipod. another stand out has to be fenglers WOW! i dont think i heard a better ( non commercial) mix all year. in fact since i've burnt it to disc its been getting more plays than dettmanns ostgut mix.anyway biggup the ssgs for all the exellent mixes.

    Other mixes that would top my chart would be ...

    tama sumo - lwe
    workshop - lwe
    jus ed -ra
    steffi - ra
    moved - sunday best
    & a whole heap of various mixes from teleost site.

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  11. i hope i am not making enemies here but the ResidentAdvisor Podcast with Jus-Ed was pretty damn amazing house music to be honest. Same with the RA Podcast with Motorcity Drum Ensemble. Both sets really proove that the soul isnt gone yet;)

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  12. you are only making enemies by using the word 'soul'... the jus-ed 'cast is great, but have you heard his 5 hour bunker podcast? that is amazing. i much prefer it to the RA mix. absolutely beautiful. real joy and care in his music.

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  13. Appleblim's RA mix and Marcel Dettmann's Bodytonic are the winners for me.

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  14. dont forget adam marshall please

    at
    littlewhiteearbuds.com

    increadible.

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  15. listened to move d - sunday best more than anything this year followed up by eli verveine's dustbunnies mix. btw... thanks for posting that dustbunnies mix a while back.

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  16. wow that convention remix is superb.
    is there any more info on this one, like a tracklist ? i am guessing its alot of his own productions.

    love that less aggressive electro/detroit sound.

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  17. tracklisting for the convextion set here:

    http://sound.modelfruit.com/tracklists/convextion_faktion.html

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  18. far too little attention has been paid to donato dozzy's ra podcast..

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  19. Far little attention has been paid to Donato's mnml ssgs podcast if you ask me. The mood he creates in the 2nd part of that mix is absolutely sublime.

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  20. They're 'sentimental favourites' for me, but the play count on iTunes has it: my favourite mixes from last year were Prosumer's Beats in Space mix, and Leonid's mix for LWE.

    I find something inexhaustible on both, and this is the mark of a truly great mix.

    Steffi's mixes (RA and others) were also outstanding for me. Hers was the RA 'cast of the year.

    I also got right 'inside' something with Cio D'or's various intense mixes. Being very caffeinated and reading theory might have helped, but nonetheless...

    ...and Shed's mix for us SSGs... wow, wow, and still wow. It's the mix I use to wow anyone who asks me,

    'Peter, what is house music?'

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  21. i'd like to thank chris for all the sets he's posted this year, thanks mann !

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  22. My top 10 sets from 2008:

    - Mike Parker: mnml ssgs mx06

    - Donato Dozzy: Electronique.it Podcast 003

    - Marcel Fengler: mnml ssgs mx14

    - Cio D'Or: Vanille 11

    - The Parallel: Live Set (Test Industries post)

    - Function: Blood and Thunder Rendered (Bunker Podcast)

    - Marcel Dettmann: RA Podcast

    - Samuli Kemppi: Live 140308 (mnml ssgs post)

    - Regis: contact the legend return (Test Industries post)

    On a House tip...

    - Steffi: RA Podcast

    Inquisitor, thanks for posting Silent Servant's El Baile Mix. I've been searching for an active download link for a while.

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  23. Shed mix certainly tops my list, if only as a means to 'get lif-ted lifted yesss' for that is what happens when I indulge in it. there is a certain point in that mix, I'd like to say about 13 minutes in, when I for one feel compelled, naturally, to just pump up the volume, forgot about my worries, and LISTEN.

    also favorites were:

    prosumer beats in space
    martyn @ fabric
    2562 electronic explorations
    leonid LWE podcast

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  24. it's absolutely imperative that i find out the name of the track at around 13 mins on cio d'or's mix. way too good. anyone?

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  25. @ dgds: it's absolutely imperative you tell us which of her mixes you're talking about first...

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  26. @PC: he must be talking about the vanille mix.

    I too want to know what this incredible track is since I heard it.

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  27. yup, the vanille mix. it's incredible!

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  28. glad people are digging that cio set. i had it on repeat for a couple of months after getting it. the whole thing just fits *perfectly*.

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  29. So when's the cio d'or ssgs mix out then?! cant bloody wait... ps. i hope its 320 kbs. Two of her mixes I have are only 160 and its a shame when I play them on my nice speakers as it slightly detracts from their splendour... (although anything from her is always appreciated of course - good work for getting onto this one ssgs). Thnx, JP

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  30. @ Jp: don't know exactly when the cio ssg mix will appear. she agreed to do something in the new year after she'd moved to traktor. so we'll see. and we ask for mixes to be recorded in higher quality so fingers crossed...

    i've got another cio set i am sitting on, so i'll get off my ass and post that soon to keep everyone happy in the meantime.

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  31. absolutely agree with mr. anonymous bout shed's mnmlssgs mix and prosumer's beats in space - wonderful, magical feeling, warm as music can be. though the old records work themselves usually. thanks for all you're doing guys, big ups and respect!

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  32. just went back to listen to Andre Galluzzi - Live at Mystery Land Afterparty from 23.08.08.

    This is awesome....i think you guys posted the link to it a while ago.

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  33. The odds of a reply seem rather long, but does anyone have a link to the dettmann set above? I always keep an eye out for his sets, and here is one that pops up when I'm not looking, and ssg recommended no less!

    Unfortunately it was on megaupload, and we all know what happened there... If someone could re-host it I'd be forever grateful.

    Thanks!

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