Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving market; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Electronic, and Pop with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Electronic Releases:
October

 

Fatima Al Qadiri – Desert StrikeEP

If you’re tired of vague club tracks and the technical-for-technical-sake electronic music, here’s an album with a very real and specific inspiration: War. Fatima Al Qadiri was a child in Kuwait during the Gulf War, nicknamed “Video Game War” after media first broadcast images from the POV of American bombers. The lines between fiction and reality must have been blurred as the young Al Qadiri took up ’92 Sega video game Desert Strike: Return To The Gulf. Her experiences provide a backdrop for this 4-track EP, an apocalyptic mix of grime and minor-noted synth tracks. (Fade to Mind) [Listen]

Daphni – Jiaolong

Ontario’s Dan Snaith is known for his psych-pop as Caribou but is gaining a rep as a general electronic music genius after whipping up a dancefloor-ready house LP under the moniker Daphni, sounding as if he’s been DJing warehouses since the 80s. Just enough Trax Records-era organic, disco-esque beats and soulful vocals to please the house heads, while the tripped-out synth experimentation will please the indie lovers who dug Caribou/Manitoba. (Merge/Jiaolong) [Listen]

Norman Nodge – Berghain 06
	Hear the latest edgy techno that patrons of Berlin club Berghain would hear at one of the industrial space’s notorious all-night parties, courtesy of one of their long-time resident DJs. Includes tracks from Detroit vet Jeff Mills, Chicago’s DJ T-1000, and rising Dutch touring mates Xosar and Legowelt. (Ostgut Ton) [Listen]

Flying Lotus – Until The Quiet Comes

Although L.A. beat maker FlyLo has described his fourth album as dreamy, child-like lullabies, this is his most mature release to date. His meld of hip hop, jazz, and funk with overall electronic wizardry is a massage to the brain. He no longer needs to impress us with his glitchy technical prowess (see ëCosmogrammaí), instead exploring subtleties. Features previous collaborators Thom Yorke and Erykah Badu. (Warp) [Listen]

Lukid – Lonely at the Top
	Enigmatic Londoner Lukid works outside-of-the-box on his fourth album, Lonely At The Top, mixing techno with hip hop and bass but really evading all categorization. It all seems to work as long as he keeps that lo-fi, factory-work overlay. Recommended if you like his label head Actress, who made one of the albums of the year last spring. (Werk Discs/Ninja Tune). [Watch]

Mix of the Month, Surprises, and albums to watch for next month

Mix of the month: Rising future-house producer Jacques Greene, of Montreal, is only 22 and already runs his own label while hooking up with electronic big players around the world (see Nightslugs). Greene’s debut mix for BBC radio 6 – feat. Derrick May, MachineDrum, Kendrick Lamar, among others – shows off his promise as tastemaker. [Listen]

Surprises: Whilst in the depths of depression, some producers are able to pull off some of their best work in years. Deepchild’s first LP in five years Neuk lln Burning (Thoughtless) shows the Aussie native’s resiliency.

Out in November: Norwegian producer Lindstrom will release the dancefloor-focused Smalhans. Juno-winning drone artist Tim Hecker pairs with Brooklyn experimentalist Daniel Lopatin to release Instrumental Tourist, said to use “the acoustic resonance of digitally-sourced ‘Instruments of the World,'” whatever that means.