Honestly people we have a tough time really remembering back to this time last year. 2009 flew by. SRSLY. It did. Dance music was like a swirling cosmic jetstream that picked us up and tossed us every which way. It was easy to get lost in the current. it was easy to get lost in novelties- the sparkle and sheen. It kinda felt like the dust was settling still from last year. Kinda feels like the hype machine surrounding electro bangers has totally cooled off. There are really only a few artists still grinding blog house and even fewer doing it well. We’ve enjoyed some of the new designer drugs tunes, and mustard pimp is still hustling (Hercules mixtape anyone?). Their bass-influenced babies are alive and well though, and amidst all the hustle and bustle and hyper-taxonomizing there were a TON of ‘oh shit’ moments in music this year.
Social media and independent promotion has continued to evolve. Twitter has become a force and facebook has further tightened its tentacles on our idenities. So, trends and memes are still moving as fast as ever, but much of the positivity of the last couple years has been dampened. The U.S. economy and healthcare are just now showing signs of recovery and more than a few artists didn’t make it out of ‘09 alive. Jerry fuchs, the drummer for the juan maclean and a number of other bands, died in a freak accident in an elevator shaft. DJ AM lost a battle of addiction. Michael Jackson, Les Paul, Baatin (Slum Village) and John Hughes are among them too. The effect has been more bitter than sweet, but nonetheless choons have continued to surface.  All in all we put a bunch of time into this and came up with a list that hits all our interests and made an impact on music in 2009.  We know its quite long but bear with us!  There’s a bit of us in the folds.  Cheers!

Designer Drugs – Drop Down

Mustard Pimp – Kiwi

DISCO

Disco music and indie house acts continued to have a big year. Some were feel good sing along tunes. Some were atmospheric chillers. Others were epic, spacey builders and sprawlers. The new juan maclean album also came out and was quite well received. They definitely get it, and DFA for sure gets it. Happy house and the station are more than epic, and nicely blend disco, house, and the grey area between the sound of an actual band and electronic production. The disco trend has continued but the electro synthiness has faded. In flagranti, classixx, and holy ghost all had good years. The alan braxe’s Fred Falke’s and treasure fingers‘ have continued to do their thing, but haven’t kept up with their prolific production of years past.

classixx – i’ll get you (treasure fingers remix) (cobra’s pick)

classixx – i’ll get you (gigamesh remix) (wyle’s pick)

v v brown – shark in the water (crazy p remix) (wyle’s pick)

curses! – the deep end (holy ghost! remix) (cobra’s pick)

van she – dont fear the reaper (holy ghost! remix) (cobra’s pick)

friendly fires – paris (aeroplane ft. au revoir simone remix) (cobra’s pick)

diplo – blow your head (dj eli remix) (wyles’s pick)

phenomenal hand clap band – you’ll disappear (horse meat disco remix) (cobra’s pick)

shazam – luckier (cobra’s pick)

beyone – broken-hearted girl (alan braxe dub remix) (cobra’s pick)

miami horror – make you mine (fred falke remix) (cobra’s pick)

annie – anthonio (fred falke remix) (cobra’s pick)

the toxic avenger – the nonsense anthem (the juan maclean remix) (wyle’s pick)

the juan maclean – happy house (wyle’s pick)

the juan maclean – one day (surkin remix) (cobra’s pick)

BASSLINE

The raw energy of bangin electrohouse/fidget recycled itself into some other hard incarnations this year as well. This is what held our attention mostly this year. Big bass was popular! It came in the form of dancehall-influenced 2step, the love it or hate it relationship with dubstep, and also house tempo wobbles and breaks termed, bassline. I understand the criticism of bass-heavy music, it can be alienating to party people. But, its been so much fun for sound explorers. Artists that captured catchy hooks, a bit of wobble and epic bass did real well. A couple dudes under the moniker, jack beats, started putting out nice wobbly bassline but kept the tempo at 125 – 130 and made things interesting. They had an amazing knack for remixing poppy tunes that drew both underground and mainstream listeners. Rico tubbs, lee mortimer, and Gtronic dropped some gems also. Skream’s remix of in for the kill has sat respectively at almost everyone’s top bass track of 2009. Drop the lime, AC Slater, Udachi, and all the trouble and bass crew kicked ass. Remember reading a xlr8r interview with Diplo from prolly 2.5 yrs ago, and he made the prediction that drop the lime (at the time we’d no idea who he was) would soon be big. He was right on. They owned the summer and ac slater’s remix/edit of show me love drove crowds insane. They are a major force, I’m sure 2010 will be good to them.

drop the lime – devil’s eyes (cobra’s pick)

drop the lime – we are the future (wyle’s pick)

heads we dance – when the sirens sound (gtronic remix) (wyle’s pick)

gtronic – iron man (hostage iron curtain remix) (wyle’s pick)

rico tubbs – born to bounce (mikix the cat) (wyle’s pick)

rico tubbs – born to bounce (supra1 remix) (cobra’s pick)

sporty-o – guestlist (rico tubbs remix) (wyle’s pick)

udachi & jess jubilee – paypur (wyle’s pick)

steve angello & laidback luke – show me love 2009 (ft. robin s. – ac slater edit) (cobra’s pick)

ac slater – play the record again (wyle’s pick)

toddla t – shake it (dj sega remix) (wyle’s pick)

toddla t – manabadman (wyle’s pick)

jack beats – ufo (k-hole riddim mix) (wyles pick)

blaqstarr – get off (jack beats remix) (wyles pick)

florence & the machine – drumming song (jack beats remix) (cobra’s pick)

passion pit – little secrets (jack beats remix) (cobra’s pick)

la roux – im not your toy (jack beats remix) (cobra’s pick)

Dub Pistols – I’m in love (foamo remix) (wyle’s pick)

Kelevra feat. Kop Out – Love You So (B.Rich remix) (wyle’s pick)

DUBSTEP

Dubstep made a huge imprint on music this year. It was interesting to see peeps reactions and talk about. Some loved, some hated. I love seeing people mess with sound. Yes dubstep isn’t that dancey, yes it is at times boring but def sparked curiousity. Excision’s shambala mix ripped a hole in the depths of filthy dubstep. A perfect combination of timing and growth as an artist/label head (rottun & ex7) put him and datsik in high demand. His ep with datsik and flux pavilion, boom, and his own track swagga brought it up a level . Dubstep saw a dramatic rise in popularity here in the states while some peeps overseas openly discounted its newer directions. Benga, Rusko, Bar 9, Nero, Joker, Caspa, Trolley Snatcha, Radikal Guru, Bassnectar, Flux Pavilion, Downlink, Martyn, 12th planet, Ed Solo, Rob Sparx, Deathface, Cookie Monsta, Vaski, Coki, Tes La Rok, Scuba, and Borgore were some of the bigger names we saw make their stamp on 2009.

excision & datsik – swagga (wyle’s pick)

pendulum – showdown (excision remix) (wyle’s pick)

trolley snatcha – the future (wyle’s pick)

downlink & datsik – against the machines (wyle’s pick)

rusko – jahova (VIP mix) (cobra’s pick *sounds like ass*)

rusko – cockney thug (caspa remix) (wyle’s pick)

the streets – blinded by the light (nero remix) (cobra’s pick)

nero – act like you know (dubstep mix) (wyle’s pick)

ed solo – age of dub (wyle’s pick)

white lies – death (chase and status remix) (cobra’s pick)

chase and status – eastern jam (cobra’s pick)

sub focus – could this be real (joker remix) (cobra’s pick)

B.Rich – killin’ it (wyle’s & cobra’s pick)

m83 – we own the sky (udachi dubstep remix) (cobra’s pick)

guns n bombs – riddleof steel (12th planet remix) (cobra’s pick)

TECH/FIDGET/TRIBAL

Its these writers opinion that as the fidgety end of bloghouse kinda fell out of favor with the masses that alot of producers delved deeper into their roots. but honestly, who knows why these sounds bubbled up from the nostalgic unconscious? Minimal tech with a tribal edge rolled through and delivered these spooky, wonky chillers. sirens, birds, mutant vocals, all with BIG 808’s created a new space for the electrohouse audience. it was deep. And an energetic notch above these producers were the nubalearic guys. bigroom bangers with big sirens, big kicks, and huge rinses. with a return to deeper, nostalgic house sounds, also came a return to the birthplace of piano stabs- chicago. dig it? house music, raw, transformed, mutated, having time traveled through einstein/rosen holes, delivered by an excellent bunch of decadent sound perverts!!! Definitely have to mention hot chip’s A bugged out mix. The second disc is some taste 70’s and 80’s pop bliss, but it was the first disc that got my attention. It’s a heady journey through deep house, very worth checking out. Claude vonstroke is so cool, and we’ve really enjoyed his guest tour blogs on discobelle. It’s been a great year for him and his label Dirty Bird. Lots odd sounds, but some towering bass. Pretty much anything thats come out on jesse rose’s made to play, Sound Pellegrino or switch’s dubsided has been fire. Savage Skulls, Jesse Rose, Oliver $, and the like have been gathering speed. Riva Starr and Renaissance Man have really grown as artists and dropped some huge tunes. Riva Starr’s I was drunk with its weird gypsy rhythms has sat on beatports top 100 for months now. There have been a few artists bridging the gap between bassline and this minimal tech. Sharkslayer (Sir nenis & dj pushups) has dropped some unreal remixes and origis. Their remixes have only been getting harder too. Douster, is another guy who stepped it up.

douster – king of africa (wyle’s pick)

douster – for weirdos only (momma’s boy remix) (cobra’s pick)

busy signal – da style deh (douster dagga remix) (wyle’s pick)

renaissance man – what is guru (riva starr remix) (wyle’s pick)

noob & brodinski – peanuts club (renaissance man ph7 remix) (wyle’s pick)

digital manges – manges (sharkslayer dubmix) (wyle’s pick)

daniel haaksman – pobum coco (sharkslayer bassdub) (wyle’s pick)

tune brothers – finally (sharkslayer nassau edit) (cobra’s pick)

andy caldwell – warrior (claude vonstroke sharp toof mix) (wyle’s pick)

claude vonstroke – beat that bird (riva starr re-chunk) (wyle’s pick)

claude vonstroke – Greasy Beats feat. Bootsy Collins (Tech Funk Mix) (cobra’s pick)

oliver$ – gypsy carnival (wyle’s pick)

crookers & kelis – no security (hot city remix) (cobra’s pick)

miike snow – black & blue (savage skulls remix) (cobra’s pick)

jesse rose – well now (savage skulls remix) (wyle’s pick)

taio cruz – break your heart (savage skulls remix) (wyle’s pick)

edu k – timbau (wyle’s pick)

Jak Z – Hurt Me (Edu K Remix) (wyle’s pick)

MINIMAL/TECH/TRIBAL

style of eye – grounded (original mix) (wyle’s pick)

empire of the sun – we are the people (style of eye remix) (cobra’s pick)

crookers – put your hands on me (jesse rose play prime remix) (cobra’s pick)

hess is more – ssshhhh (zombie disco squad remix) (cobra’s pick)

drop the lime – set me free (zombie disco squad remix) (wyle’s pick)

tensnake – holding back (my love) (wyle’s pick)

the faint – battlehymn for children (tensnake dub remix) (wyle’s pick)

It’s been a tad predictable though.  We heard a lot of really crappy music in clubs this year; played by underground dj’s and top 40 jersey shore type dj’s. strange energies in music over the last few years that captivated fringe audiences were reappropriated everywhere from pitbull to miley cyrus. some did it well, others did not. and sometimes its hard to tell, like a high school haircut, whether it was a decision in good taste or not, until theres enough time distance between us and the incident. hehe.  Laidback luke owned. His anthem with diplo, hey, was a summer blockbuster. Numerous remixes and originals of his dropped this year with much popularity.  The crookers, and sidney samson brought their A game. Crookers made a nice dent in mainstream music. They have an album coming out soon that has some crazy collabs, sure it’ll do well. Heard riverside and moombah quite a lot this year.  We like to root for the underdog though, prolly why we gravitate to weirder tunes and independent artists.  The major lazer album finally came out and did really well. We were more than happy about this as its still weird and pushed/blurred the limits of music. Autotuning a baby was hilarious/brilliant.  Switch and Diplo make a rather good team and are straight hilarious.  Diplo’s facial expressions in the video for keep it goin louder had us rollin on the floor.

BIGROOM/NU-BALEARIC

chuckie & silvio ecomo – moombah (afrojack remix) (cobra’s pick)

kid cudi – make her say (afrojack remix) (cobra’s pick)

fm audio – killer (afrojack remix) (wyle’s pick)

crookers – we love animals (ft. soulwax and mixhell) (cobra’s pick)

drop the lime – set me free (nrotb dark mix) (wyle’s pick)

amanda blank – might like you better (nrotb remix) (cobra’s pick)

laidback luke – my g.o.d. (cobra’s pick)

sidney samson – riverside (cobra & wyles pick)

HONORABLE MENTION

the rogues – pretty on the inside (feed me remix) (cobra’s pick)

grum – runaway (wyle’s pick)

basement jaxx – raindrops (louis la roche rework) (cobra’s pick)

kid sister – right hand hi (cobra & wyles pick)

starks & nacey – summer madness (cobra & wyles pick)

UNSTOPPABLE TRACKS ‘09

major lazer – pon de floor (laidback luke remix) (cobra’s pick)

major lazer – pon de floor (beatacue remix) (wyle’s pick)

ducksauce – anyway (so gold edit) (cobra’s pick)

ducksauce – anyway (black noise disco remix) (wyle’s pick)

NADASTROM

Our favorite artist of the year though is nadastrom, who we havent talked about. They can do everything, their remix of diplo/lbl – hey is epic and organic. Every remix is amazing and full of depth. They remixed the glass, gant man, designer drugs, and a few more more. Such an interesting combo. Nada has baltimore and punk roots, and nordstrom brings tech house and minimal roots. They dropped the ep pussy at the end of 2008, and the saved in nov of 2009 (both on dubsided). Saved has been in rotation since we got it. Amazing build ups, perfect bass, and the right mix of complexity/simplicity to keep us spun. They’re evolving too, the two ep’s are quite different. We really like where the saved ep is going too. Album of the year, not surprisingly is juan maclean’s the future will come.  It came out early in the year and just kept gaining momentum.  There’s def quite a few good remixes floating around too.  DFA will have another stellar year in 2010.  The Holy Ghost! album hopefully will drop along with another LCD Soundsystem album.  Juan Maclean and Nadastrom have definitely created something special.  Big up to everybody that’s shown us support and frequented here.  Thank you! We’ve met a lot of great people and had tons of laughs in our pursuits.  2010 is looking even better though.  BIG TINGZ!

nadastrom – save us (wyle’s pick)

nadastrom – squarez (cobra’s pick)

designer drugs – back up in this (nadastrom remix) (cobra’s pick)

laidback luke & diplo – hey (nadastrom hot latin dub) (wyle’s pick)

the glass – wanna be dancin (nadastrom dub edit) (cobra’s pick)

kid cudi – make her say (nadastrom remix) ft. kanye west & common (wyle’s pick)