In 2013 Daniel Avery released his debut album Drone Logic. I have to admit that techno wasn't the road I usually walked and I've always been suspicious when a new album is praised to the skies. Of course I knew something about electronic music (especially from the Café del Mar compilations from the mid 90') but this song blew me away. A decidedly sober acid jam and so incredibly attractive precisely because of the restraint it displays. I can say that this record opened my ears for a lot of other electronic music that I could develop during the following years.
It is autumn and the time before Christmas. Many record companies release anniversary editions of classic albums to make their business. Many of them are useless if you have copies of the originals but it is good that they remember you to releases you might have forgotten. So it happened these days when I read about that Daniel Avery is going to release his debut album from 2013 in a remastered version. He was the shooting star of the London club scene of 2012. Within twelve months, he made the rise from unknown provincial DJ to resident in the London cult club Fabric, published restlessly and on a high level, so that he also gets a standing as a producer. From a local DJ in Bournemouth he went to London to find his own way supported by Andrew Weatherall who opened several doors for him and he recorded his debut in Weatherall's studio. Drone Logic was groundbreaking because he combined techno with implied noise and a whole series of driving, crisp beats infiltrated and also playing with acid. For me this record was one of those my musical taste changed and opened my ears for new electronic sounds. A classic record.
I featured the other days albums that impressed me much and was played often at my place and I thought it was the time to write down the best songs of this year. Many of them you can find on the long posts and I have to admit that I am not the one that is able to finish the list because there were so many songs I heard the first time this year that made me happy once or several times. Other songs crossed my attention weeks later when I listened to them on my yearly playlist on Spotify where I collect new songs year by year. Looking at this playlist I find more than 200 songs and the more I think about it I can't decide which one would reach a top ten. So here are some songs, subjective of course and not showing the full range of music I listened too but still worth to be named when you look back on this year.
Part two of my personal review of albums that impressed me much this year. When I look at the list it seems that my taste in music reduced speed and turned into more ambient. But this is not the truth. It is only because less complete albums made me feel to listen completely for several times. Anyway, a list I can agree and I hope there were some inspirations for you all.
Liminanas / Laurent Garnier - Le Pelicula
Saint Etienne - I've Been Trying To Tell You
The Vendetta Suite - The Kempe Stone Portal
Richard Norris - Hypnotic Response
Daniel Avery - Together In Static
The Grid / Robert Fripp - Leviathan
Tindersticks - Distractions
Late Night Tales - Version Excursion with Don Letts
One of the most productive artists today in electronic music is Daniel Avery. After his superb collaboration with Alessandro Cortini he released in spring a handful of EP's, singles and remixes he is now back with a new album. Together In Static was planed as another 12-inch but soon turned into a complete album full of synth-laden ambient with pulsing beats. Hazel and Gold sounds sometimes like early Aphex Twin having a session with Boards of Canada. Another high class record from Mr. Avery.
Alessandro Cortini is well known as a part of Nine Inch Nails and for me during the last years by his collaboration with Daniel Avery released his second solo album Scuro Chiaro the recent days. Bright and dark is the perfect translation/description of his album. There are short songs with a kind of dark vibe in it and there are dark songs like Nessumo that sounds like they were from behind a wall of fog evoking a kind of slow-motion panic. The songs as far as I heard yet are not easy to listen to but the more I listen to them and it's somber mood the more I like them.
This year is almost gone and looking back on it I have say it was a horrible one. Covid-19 changed our lives completely and I suppose the life after the pandemic won't be the same any more. The virus changed the way we met, the way we work and the public life at all. Incompetent leaders and governments made the wrong decisions or ignored the risk. I can fill the list with much more but I will stop now. One of the things that made life easier was music. Retrospective I can say that it was a good year for music. The main thing this year was the day Andrew Weatherall passed away. He was the one that gave us new music - always one step ahead of us all. A year ends list could be filled nearly with of his songs and mixes. But this was already made by others from us. So I decided to make a list based on a playlist I made on Spotify for new songs that was released in 2020. This is not an ultimate list because I find almost everyday new songs from this year that will be saved on this playlist. Also the songs are with any ranking. So let's start.
The Cry - Truth (Remix 2020)
Four Tet - Baby
Daniel Avery and Alesandro Cortini - Illusion of Time
Glok - Cloud Cover (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
Military Genius - L.M.G.D.
Nadine Shah - Ladies for Babies
Les Big Bird - Tinitus Aetérum
Andrew Weatherall - Unknown Plunder/End time sound (I couldn't resist)
Sonic Boom - Just imagine
Anna Calvi - Wish (Haunted Version)
Hot Since 82 - Make Up
Roisin Murphy - Murphy's Law
Golden Bug & Limininas - Variation Sur 3 bancs
Kanaan - Double Sun pt 2
Yard Act - The Trappers Pelt
Noun, Daniel Avery, Roman Flügel - Meeting of the Mind
Mogwai - Major Treat
Moon Duo -- Planet Caravan
Les Sympatics de Porto Novo - A min we vo nou
Woodleigh Research Facility - Aprés Le Villa 2
Gang Of Four - Forevers Starts Now
Michael Rother - Bitter Tang
Close Lobsters - Let The Day Drift Away (Canopy of Dust Remix)
Dan Wainwright - Rain Dance
Josephie Öhm + The Liberation - Rushing Through My Mind
Total Control - Glass
Steve Gunn - Tommy's Congo
The Oriells - Bobby's Second World (Confidence Man Remix)
Daniel Avery was a true friend to Andrew Weatherall and he released a few days ago Lone Swordman a tribute song him. This song carries the spirit of Lord Sabre with soft flowing electronic positive sounds. This song was created when Avery got the news of Weatherall's dead and this is what he said about this song:
The track “Lone Swordsman” is what formed that day. Andrew was a hero, a friend and someone who regularly reminded us all how it should be done, not to mention the funniest fucker around. Proceeds from this record will be donated to Amnesty International in his memory. Thank you for everything.
Yesterday I got the news that Daniel Avery collected 45 various electronic and dance artists to compile a sampler to support NHS Charities Together charity. The charity provides support which is required by NHS stuff, volunteers and patients. You can listen more here. As far as I know NHS suffers for long years by misgovernment and budgetary rigour. I think this is a good idea to support especially when you come from a country that hasn't these problems.
Last week Daniel Avery released his collaboration with Nine Inch Nail's Alessandro Cortini Illusion of Time. Since I got this album it is on heavy rotation at my place. Avery went away with this album from the club to create with Cortini a very special and unique sound. Two great artists on synths are ready to a musical trip into new spaces. Inspired by kosmische music the invite us to follow and this superb album is the perfect soundtrack to slow down in these days. Water is one of the most winding and beautiful pieces of ambient I ever heard.
The recent days I listened often to Daniel Avery's new album the B-sides and remixes from his last year record Songs For Alpha. I can't say if it is better than the original but these songs are fascinating me much today and they make me relax after a hard day at work. This is the remix of Days By Now made by Richard Fearless a pulsating and almost meditative piece of music. The picture above is a painting by Hannes Steinert, a local painter I know since he began with art with some other artists more than 40 years ago in a former factory at my place.
Two new tracks by London based electronica and techno producer Max Cooper who released his latest album One Hundred Billion Sparks a few days ago. Probably one of the less artists that received his Ph.D. in his younger days he decided almost 8 years ago to focus entirely on music production and his kind of music. He made a lot of remixes during the last years and he is named when many talk about ambient techno. He cited Jon Hopkins and Sigur Ros as one of his influences. Identity reminds me with it's throbbing beats to the recent works of Daniel Avery.
Hope is with it's endless, steady beat and the electronic sound effect more cosmic that other songs from this genre I listened to this year.
Daniel Avery is joining Jon Hopkins on his North American tour and Jon Hopkins made a remix of Avery's Glitter. The result is a fantastic collaboration made in heaven. A more than seven minute journey through electronic percussive rhythms. I read these words in the internet and it describes all:
“Hopkins adapts the celestial, choral elements of the original track, layering them atop a heavy, almost-meditative bass weight, resulting in a remix that compliments the work of both artists in its unforgiving yet introspective quality.”
Another stressful week is over and the weather forecast predicts a sunny and warm weekend. So there are no big plans than make myself a peaceful time and hanging around with a few friends. A perfect soundtrack to this could be Shadow Mountain a track from the new EP by Daniel Avery. Starting with a fuzzy and suggestive sound that was disturbed when the drums kick in and turn into a club track.
