Music

Top 10 Electronic Releases: 2011

by Jesse Ship

2011 was a year. And like years before it, people released albums. And like those other years, we ranked what we thought were the best of the respective genres we cover — Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, Metal, Punk, and Electronic.

We also reached out to as many of the artists featured here as we could to get lists of their own. Click on a name to check out our best-of the year’s best-of the year’s.

Top 10 Electronic Releases: 2011

 

10. Austra – Feel It Break
	Gold Panda’s Lucky Shiner album is kind of like a mimosa. Light, bubbly, and guaranteed to keep your morning buzzing with sparkling beats, long after the drugs have worn off.

8. Rustie – Glass Swords
	Who ever said rave was dead? Rustie’s Glass Swords takes you through a slow-mo time warp that helps you imagine what the world might sound like if you never stopped popping those pills every weekend since the early ’90s. It’s a scary, strange and wonderful place filled with distorted synth waves, chipmunk vocals, underwater conga rhythms and fuzzed-out Sega Genesis graphics.

7. Jesse Futerman – Super Basement EP

Step into the Paris Buddha Bar on a swanky Saturday night and you’d hope to be hearing the likes of Toronto’s Jesse Futerman. At the age of 15, the young DJ/producer got under the skin of BBC host and DJ Gilles Peterson, who to this day four years later still play out his tracks on his radio shows. Super Basement is a deep, jazzy and introverted first EP that shows wisdom far beyond his years. (Read Jesse Futerman’s own year end list)

6. Com Truise – Galactic Melt
	’80s synths, lasers, and Boards of Canada influences. Com Truise summons the powers of the great galactic beast Xenu and the Flying Spaghetti Monster on Galactic Melt, his first ear-canal bending release on the experimental techno label, Ghostly International. (Read Com Truise’s own year end list)

5. Opopo – Lightwork
	Despite only two album releases, electro-rock shamans Opopo have transmogrified their live show over and over again in the span of a few years. Currently outfitted as a lean two-man band, Lightwork demonstrates their capacity to spread their love for glowy things, and the rest of the universe, with tracks like “The Bump” and “Space Dust.” (Read Opopo’s own year end list)

5. James Blake – James Blake

It’s impossible to deny the influence that James Blake has had in this evolution of ‘post-dubstep’. Love him or hate him for his seemingly arbitrary key signatures, and mopey lyrics, there’s a simple genius in his ability to appeal to an oceanic demographic. Tunes like “Limit To Your Love” and “Wilhelm’s Scream” have attracted fans from both the adult contemporary/R&B Sade-loving crowd to 20-something bloggers.

3. Trentemøller – Remixed/Reworked

Sticking to a tried and true formula, Trentemøller can do no wrong with his epic remixes and revisitations. This time, he enlists producers and indie rock vocalists like Unkle, I Blame Coco (Sting’s daughter), and Efterklang, to put their own spin on some of his hits from past albums, Into The Great Wide Yonder, and The Last Resort. Remixed/Reworked also features a collection of his favourite remixes for other artists.

2. David Lynch – Crazy Clown Time
	David Lynch gets a mention for making what is probably his most cohesive piece of work since… ever! His bluesy electro-tinged singles like “I Know” and “Good Day Today” released in the summer topped charts with remixes by the likes of Boys Noize, Rob Da Bank, Underworld, and a host of others. Listen to the full album backwards for clues into the identity of the murder of Laura Palmer.

1. Chase & Status – No More Idols

Chase & Status veered slightly away from the drum & bass/dubstep formula with a unique album that featured a number of bass-engaging styles that refuse categorization, with a single thread of sweet, soulful lyrics. “Blind Faith” featuring Liam Bailey used a variety of trance inducing buildups and joyful choruses. Other tracks enlisted help from UK rappers like Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah, and “Brixton Briefcase” featured a surprise cameo from Ceelo Green putting on the patois.