1. Nils Frahm – “For” (Luke Abbott Rework) RHIZOME
2014’s favorite single isn’t really much of a single at all. It’s a 42-minute DJ mix by Luke Abbott, who I’ve mentioned a lot in previous music recaps. Luke’s latest album was underwhelming for me, but he’s emerging as the king of DJ mixes.
Let me take a minute to discuss the culture of these mixes. In America, we tend to poke fun at the concept of a DJ mix, and rightly so because 9 times out of 10 it’s done by a hobbyist. A famous Portlandia sketch summed up the over-saturation of the “DJ”.
In Europe, however, it has become fashionable for the best-of-the-best musicians to do DJ sets at famous clubs. In the same way Kevin Spacey has migrated away from the Big Screen to the smaller screen of Netflix, top-tier European musicians find the DJ set as a liberating way to artfully blend the wide range of their musical inspiration. Mixes aren’t a collection of top 40 hits—what you’d see in a typical American bar. Instead, they tend to be seamless blends of every genre imaginable.
Personally, I’ve migrated towards listening to these mixes a lot more the past few years. It’s one reason Sound Cloud has become such an integral part of a music fan’s lifestyle. It’s a new form of radio, one that beats Pandora’s algorithm, Spotify’s suggestions (it’s just top 40 stuff), and of course the radio itself. What we are seeing is hour+ sessions of curated music from expertly skilled musicians. They are handpicking suggestions for us.
Without question these mixes have been the biggest source of “new” music for me. I’ve been exposed to more 80s reggae, 70s Brazilian soul, 60s Indian folk, and early British jazz than I ever would have via modern software or business models.
There are different tiers of music fans, no doubt. Some are casual, while some are rabid. Somewhere along the spectrum when music starts to mean something deeper to the listener, I believe the Spotify software and Hollywood business model breaks down. New music discovery becomes a personal, trusted conversation with others in a similar or more aggressive tier. Personal recommendations end up being the way we find music, not Pandora.
These DJ mixes are basically the best digital representation of that dynamic. Luke Abbott, a skilled musician from Norwich in the UK, can share his personal recommendations instantly thousands of miles away with Kris Gösser, a simple guy hanging out in Madison, Wisconsin, with a mix like this.
To me, this is the future of music I see for the deeper music fan. I find myself listening less and less to albums, or the algorithms of Pandora and Spotify, and more to these mixes you find on Sound Cloud. It’s an interesting time in music.
At any rate, this particular mix from Luke earlier in 2014 was my favorite of the year, and is without question the thing I listened to the most. Every other European-based musician I hold in high regard—Four Tet, Matthew Dear, Caribou, Floating Points, Pearson Sound, Jamie xx, Thom York, and so on—had mixes throughout 2014. It was a blast listening to them.
Interestingly enough, Luke had another mix in August that would be my #2 “single” selection, but for the sake of diversity, I’ll just link to it here.
2. Sun Kill Moon – “Ben’s My Friend”
I like Mark Kozelek. While I struggle to connect with his albums as a whole, he has continuously provided awe-inspiring singles. “Ben’s My Friend” was my favorite formal single this year.
3.Todd Terje – “Inspector Norse”
Who likes to dance?! Oh man, that got weird quickly.
4. Pure X – “Starlight”
I had a chance to see Pure X open for Real Estate in Minneapolis. It was the first I had heard of them. They opened with “Starlight”, and it blew us away. I love this 1980s Golden Girls sound, but done in an artful, slower way. A great romantic song.
5. Bahamas – “All The Time”
The song featured in a James Franco / Verizon commercial. I know, commercial music is bad. But this song is fantastic. Rena and I absolutely loved it.
6. Tiga – “Bugatti”
My favorite music video of the year. I love the story that it tells too. Tiga is a genius.
7. Eno • Hyde – “Lilac”
Brian Eno and Karl Hyde came out with a fun album this year, and “Lilac” was the best song of a worthy bunch.
8. Arial Pink – “Black Ballerina”
I can’t think of an artist with as big of a gulf between the high highs and low lows as Arial Pink. A few years ago, “Round and Round” was my favorite single, and continues to be one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. He consistently has certain singles that stand out as complete works of art.
Then his albums underwhelm with a few tracks that are immediate skippers. If wink-wink-nudge-nudge is part of his allure, then I’m not sure I’ll ever appreciate his work a whole.
Regardless, “Black Ballerina” is another example of the fun singles Arial consistently creates. So weird, but so good.
9. Tops – “Outside”
This was a fun find. It reminded me of the music you’d find on the Drive soundtrack. Once in a while I like the sound of an 80s prom dance.
10. DJ Dodger Stadium – “Love Songs”
Cool music video. What I call an “ear worm” song, where it gets in there, and then you can’t get it out.