Typhoner's 2014
Better late than never, I though sharing some of my favorite releases of 2014 with you. Some of these are not very known around here, so maybe you find something. No ranking, no distinction between albums, EPs, or compilations |
| 1 |  | A Made Up Sound
Night Owl
The David Bowie sample on situation alone makes this a great EP. But it's still better that Dave Huismans (aka 2562) made the other 3 tracks amazing, too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMqNk6O91t8 |
| 2 |  | Answer Code Request
Code
An adventurous techno album with some garage influences. Just one of the many great techno albums of the year - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucRpL2JEinc |
| 3 |  | A/T/O/S
A/T/O/S
Just a simply stunning album that luckily received quite a bit of attention here (elsewhere, not that much, sadly enough). Very smooth, but also touching donwtempo RnB/trip hop with some dubstep stylings. Production quality and vocals are off the hook - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8WNShnEL8g |
| 4 |  | Banks
Goddess
For me, Goddess' strongest point is how well Banks' vocals are paired with the production. Although some tracks can sound extremely heavy and electronic, Banks can always make them feel very human. I'd definitely recommend to find the delux edition, as it includes some extra (older) tracks of that type - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naMvm2DUKiE |
| 5 |  | Caribou
Our Love
Our Love might sound simple. And it is, really. It's a great sounding, but also extremely efficient dancefloor album. It is, however, also unapologetically emotional: the unconditional happiness of a young father, his love for his family, and the many worries he has about the people he loves - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMwgcRByA8Y |
| 6 |  | Distance
Outer Limits
Distance returns back to form, and churns out some of the best and heavy dubstep tracks in recent memory - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvNAhcmM0TY |
| 7 |  | DjRum
The Miracle
Genre-defying open spaces, as constructed by magic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfXECARmcJU |
| 8 |  | Ena
Binaural
Ena continues his quest to further deconstruct drum & bass, and reassemble it into something alien. His previous album Bilateral still contained somewhat unaltered genre influences, but real formulas have been left now. It's for the better - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BAt88be0oY |
| 9 |  | Gesloten Cirkel
Submit X
The Arnold Schwarzenegger of techno albums: bad ass, eclectic, a bit cheesy, but with plenty of humor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYPpprVMmOE |
| 10 |  | Huerco S
A Verdigris Reader
This year, I finally came across Huerco S's debut album "Colonial Patterns", and I'm ashamed I dind't include it in my 2013 list. Anyway, his 2014 output is a similar brand of hypnotic techno - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nxpDiN3LS0 |
| 11 |  | Inigo Kennedy
Vaudeville
My album of the year. Brutal, but breathtakingly beautiful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRHZE2MAoGk |
| 12 |  | Kyle Hall
Girl U So Strong/Take Me Away
Two tracks that show Hall's will to experiment, and why he's so at home at Hyperdub - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWnuwAxEDHM |
| 13 |  | Lana Del Rey
Ultraviolence
I really like Del Rey's slower, more thoughtful side. The arrangements of the tracks are very good, and Del Rey sounds great and her lyrics are quite clever and self-aware - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFWC4SiZBao |
| 14 |  | Recondite
PSY
Recondite is known and loved for his restraint and well-crafted medidative techno. But that doesn't mean he can't go full banger mode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx-Gkk0cn9s |
| 15 |  | Scuba Death
Nitrogen Narcosis
The fear of drowning, the dark depths of the sea, our existential dread in a vast world we can't grasp - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ9Oxp6C2Dk |
| 16 |  | Shackleton
Freezing Opening Thawing
Shack once again shows that he's in his now totally in his own genre, but now he's pushing poly-rythmics and synthesized sounds forward at an aggressive pace - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TW49X2G_Ss |
| 17 |  | Shinichi Atobe
Butterfly Effect
A collection of tracks from a mysterious producer who, for almost years 15 only had one single to his name. This collection of from-the-vault tracks feels similarly out of time: it isn't exactly modern sounding, but definitely not dated. Rather, it's how dub/ambient techno and house have evolved from 2001, in isolation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCPPJUp-Cvk |
| 18 |  | Taylor Swift
1989
The best, most fun pop album of 2014 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CmadmM5cOk |
| 19 |  | Tobias.
A Series Of Shocks
The best sounding techno album of the year: every sound, rythm, sample or layer is just perfectly put together, to sublime results - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0YM9jlGP2k |
| 20 |  | Token Records
Aphelion
A compilation from one of the best techno labels, featuring some of the biggest names at the more darker, heavier side of the genre - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Txn2RUcK2o |
| 21 |  | Traumprinz
All The Things
Plainly beautiful, melancholic house - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJFR-Xrv_8U |
| 22 |  | Vaccine (US)
Decryption
No ASC release on this list, but luckily we still have his wife, who released some from-the-vault tracks. If you're into the more futuristic side of dubstep, ASC's 'Nothing Is Certain' or Instra:mental around the "Watching You" era, this comes highly recommended (and check out her other stuff, too) - https://auxiliary.bandcamp.com/album/decryption-ep |
| 23 |  | Voices From The Lake
Velo Di Maya
A more aggressive cousin of VFTL's seminal self-titled album. Being parts of a live set, it is not the tightly constructed journey of the latter, but it's still amazing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFN0XXDrMM |
| 24 |  | Warpaint
Warpaint
An album I love more than I like. After a full listen it leaves me somewhat unsatisfied, but memory of it's impeccable heights always draw me in again - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhtip8sYtb0 |
| 25 |  | Zella Day
Zella Day
Four tight, fun and promising summery pop jams - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta3OsyNCuvs |
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