The Top 5 Electro tracks/albums of 2013
While tallying up the somethingyousaid.com contributors’ End of Year polls (results coming soon), we noticed a distinct lack of electro music within the Best Song and Best Album categories. So we thought we’d get our resident expert, Jess Matthews (of “How To Buy a Drink and Not be an Idiot” fame), to fill us in. Here are her favourite electronic tracks and albums of the year. Oh and there’s a cheeky bit of hip-hop thrown in for good measure:
TOP 5 ELECTRO TRACKS OF 2013
Charles Murdoch – Dekire
Enchantingly beautiful, ambient Electronica from Future Classic’s latest talent, Charles Murdoch (pictured, top). Dekire is a true sonic beauty, the track is simultaneously jagged and liquid, wavering between harrowing vocals and tightly wound synths.
Baio – Mira
Chris Baio of Vampire Weekend completely smashes the boundaries of expectation with his debut as an electronic producer. Mira is intensely rhythmic, and sophisticated, paving the way for modern Aussie Techno.
Darkside – Paper Trails
Nicolas Jaar & Dave Harrington are responsible for the quietly sinister, subtly sexual and densely melancholic sound of Paper Trails. The track possesses a unique energy in its duality, wavering between nostalgia and unfamiliarity.
Alison Wonderland – Get Ready
Fuck the Spice Girls. Alison Wonderland delivers girl power at its absolute best. Integrating local Aussie talent, Fishing, into her first originally produced track, Get Ready is a cohesive, dynamic exploration of potently heavy Hip Hop beats and clunky electronica.
Oliver Tank – Time Slows Down When You Walk Into A Room
A modern love song if I’ve ever heard one. Oliver Tank lulls his listeners into a haze of bliss with his ethereal, winding synths and gorgeously romantic vocals. He’ll never have any problems getting laid.
TOP 5 ELECTRO ALBUMS OF 2013
Well, a top four finished off with a bit of hip-hop, actually.
Bonobo – North Borders.
Perfectly timed, instrumental elegance from the remarkably talented Simon Green.
Booka Shade – Eve
A gorgeously intoxicating and heavily poignant comeback album from the godfathers of house, Booka Shade.
Moderat – 2
Deeply textured Minimal Tech from Berlin’s elusive Moderat. The album moodily winds it way into your consciousness with its resonating vocals and subtly ethereal synths.
Maya Jane Coles – Comfort
Sultry textured melodies that waver between tempo and create a blissful sense of ambiguity see Maya Jane Coles labelled as the new princess of Deep House after her release of Comfort this year.
Danny Brown – Old
Danny Brown intelligently combines his heavily nuanced Hip Hop swagger with unexpected guest artists to create a more contemporary (and easily digested) palette of sounds. Old is a game changer.
Words by Jess Matthews
