Well, that happened. As I pored over my iTunes, looking at the songs that I had added to my library over this past year, I couldn’t help but be amazed at what the year had provided for us, musically speaking. The overexposure and prominence in popular culture of Tyler and the rest of Odd Future, the term ‘post-dubstep’, James Blake releasing his debut to much fanfare, A$AP Rocky, I could genuinely go on for ages. For those of us that were musically inclined, we were quite spoiled, treated to albums upon albums of fantastic material rather than the EPs so many of us became accustomed to. Rather than speak extemporaneously on the matter, I’ll actually get to my picks, the reason for your reading in the first place. Once again, thank you for your readership that allows us to keep going with this funny little project that started in a Facebook message thread senior year of high school. There’s no order to this, just a compilation of what I loved. Apologies for the tardiness, my laptop seems to manage to completely crap out whenever I need it most. Biggups library computers for letting me finish this. Support the acts and hit up your favorite record store, online or in person, and make sure they can keep making greatness. Here’s to 2011.

Top Originals

Quick note. Had way too many original tracks chosen (one of those years) so those tracks that also fell under my favorite albums are exclusively listed there so as to avoid repetition. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

 

Floating Points – Sais

 

Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame – 15th And The 1st Ft. YG Hootie

 

Drake – Lord Knows (feat. Rick Ross)

This is the kind of beat that can put a producer on the map or define their career. For Just Blaze, it’s another day in the office. Drake’s verse is okay but Rick Ross’ ridiculousness is a perfect compliment to this over the top beat. My grandmother could read nursery rhymes on top of this track and it’d still probably make it on this list.

 

Ifan Dafydd – No Good

Although I realize he’s done interviews, has pictures of himself all over the internet, and is an entirely different person, I can’t shake the idea that Ifan Dafydd is the first human clone and that the scientists brilliantly decided to make James Blake their first test subject. Conspiracy theories aside, his brilliance shines through on all of his tracks, nowhere more so than the hauntingly beautiful ‘No Good’. Though phrases like ‘hauntingly beautiful’ tend to grind my gears I think this is about as applicable as it gets. The timely release and proximity to the passing of Amy Winehouse, coupled with the lyrical sampling Ifan chose make for a track that won’t simply fade away with time.

Mosca – Bax

 

 

Vince Staples, “Versace Rap” (Prod. by Michael Uzowuru) by The FADER

Vince Staples & Michael Uzowuru – Versace Rap

 

Drake – Marvin’s Room

I don’t think there’s a word in the English language that sufficiently describes how much it pains me to put this track on here but it most definitely belongs. I may normally be a Drake hater extraordinaire but sometimes music is just pertinent and comes out at just the right time, such was the case for ‘Marvin’s Room’ and Take Care. Sometimes you just relate to a track and your life situation has you wanting to be all whiney and emotional, this was the case for this track. Embarrassing number of plays but it really is flame.

 

French Fries – What To Do 2011

Basically a peek into my mind every Friday night in Paris, Valentino manages to curate simplicity and make it beautiful in its own right. Hear this played out live and you’ll get it.

 

Pangaea – Hex

What the hell is going on here? Was really feeling the track during my first listen and then I hit 1:26. Whoa. This was a whole other monster. So excessive and ridiculous, this one is an absolute smasher. Like every Pangaea track it seems like it might be a minute too long but then you realize how dumb you are for ever thinking there should be less Pangaea material available to you. Put away those thoughts.

 

Jay-Z & Kanye West – Ni**as in Paris

About 45% of the DJs that I saw in Paris, no matter the genre, played this track. Sure, it was (quite literally) a little played out and the fact that they perform it 7+ times on their tour is very questionable but it seems to match the track’s nature. Don’t front, you love this song.

 

Yung Joc – Ugh (feat. Rick Ross)

Probably the most hilarious ‘feature’ of all time. Rick Ross’ contributions to this track are without equal. I’ll let the track do the rest.

Joy Orbison & Boddika – Swims

 

Disclosure – i love…that you know

 

Jamie XX – Far Nearer

 
Janet – New Look by The FADER
New Look – Janet

 

Kingdom & Girl Unit – Ride It Every Time

 

Bok Bok – Silo Pass

 

Blawan – Getting Me Down

Duh.

 

Lil Silva – Cheese and Bun

 

Jai Paul – BTSTU

Genuinely one of the most impressive pieces of music I’ve heard in a very long time. Go on their myspace and read the reviews they posted for a good chuckle or two. Still no clue what to file this track under but that doesn’t deter me from loving it any less. Crossing everything I can in hopes that it brings about a Jai Paul album in 2012.

 

Top Remixes

 

Girl Unit – Wut (Claude Vonstroke Remix) [Undressed Mix]

I forgot where I first heard this song but I still know the rush of warmth and happiness it brought about inside of me. While Ned will speak of the original’s coit-creating vibes, this one just makes me want to..I don’t even know. But it does. (This isn’t English but listen and you’ll get it, I promise.) Seeing Girl Unit drop this at some tiny spot in LA over the summer for one of those Scion shows was an awesome moment. What a rewind.

Emeli Sande – Daddy (Ifan Dafydd Remix) by pushandrun

Emeli Sande – Daddy (Ifan Dafydd Remix)

Jeeeeebus. Emotions. Feeeelings.

 

DJ Kent Feat. Malehloka Hlalele – Falling (DJ Black Coffee Remix)

 

Ben Westbeech – Falling (DS Remix) by Dark Sky

Ben Westbeech – Falling (Dark Sky Remix)

 

Trim – Confidence Boost (Harmonimix)

Not quite sure if there’s any song out there remotely similar to this particular Harmonimix. The youtube video, for which I must account for ~30% of the views, has Ben UFO narrating as it builds up and reaches its apex. ‘Are you hearing what’s happening?’ Are you?

 

Adele – Rolling In The Deep (Jamie XX Shuffle)

 

Addison Groove – Jimmy Mack (Addison Groove Rmx)

Sure, it’s gimmicky. That being said, I can sometimes get down with a good gimmick. See this one life, rewound once or twice over, and you’ll love the gimmick as well. Biggups Ben UFO for letting me experience such an event. Also, lol @ Jackmaster in the vid.

 

Look At Me Now (RL Grime Remix)- Chris Brown Ft. Busta Rhymes & Lil’ Wayne by RLGrime

Chris Brown Ft. Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne – Look At Me Now (RL Grime Remix)

That he took away a banger of beat that invaded every club in America and still made this a fantastic track is a testament to how difficult a task this was and how well he accomplished his goals.

 

Over (RL Grime’s Rly 2 Yung Remix)- Drake by RLGrime
Drake – Over (RL Grime Remix)

Thanks to Henry for uploading this for us. Tuuuuune.

 

Chaos in the CBD – Trying To Get A Dub (French Fries & Bambounou Remix)

Listen to this on real speakers and get back to me.

 

Elektropusher – Belcome Wack (Nic Sarno remix)

Nic sent this over and, if my memory serves me correctly, told me that this was ‘really, really weird’. It is, but that’s why I like it. A total deviation from most of his production tendencies, one of the cooler, more bizarre songs of the year. Nic has been on my list one way or another all three years. Keep the streak going, sir.

 

Friendly Fires – Blue Cassette (Tiga Remix)

 

Top EPs + Compilations

 

Machinedrum – Alarma EP

Every track is great in its own way, the sure sign of a complete EP. The different production styles on this one EP are a microcosm/reflection of the year that Machinedrum had. All over the place but great at the same time, it’s production dexterity to be envious of.

 

Various Artists – IOTDXI

 

Chaos in the CBD – The Moving Image EP

This is one of those rare EPs where each original, as well as the paired remixes, are each great in their own right without overlapping with one another and sounding monotonous. Hard picking a favorite but French Fries and Bambounou’s remix is wild on the right soundsystem. Favorite original goes to ‘Distant’. Vybz.

 

Dark Sky – Radius EP

 

Clouds – Matter EP

Bang bang bang. Pow pow pow. Keep your ears out for their next Turbo EP, it’s fiyah.

 

Floating Points – Shadows

This is beautiful music, simple and plain. ‘Sais’ shows up on my favorite originals but picking which was my favorite was a tough process. Floating Points delivers consistently.

 

xxxy – You Always Start It / Ordinary Things

Probably my favorite piece of vinyl I own, the packaging and presentation were great and unique. The music shares very similar characteristics. ‘You Always Start It’ is easily one of my favorite tracks of the year, more xxxy further down the page.

 

Koreless – 4D / MTI

Probably my personal favorite in terms of being the breakout artist of the year, my play count on his 35 minute Boiler Room mix is at about 35+ times, and that’s not counting the times I didn’t make it all the way through. The tracks on this EP were definitely what had me keep listening.

 

Various Artists – 116 And Rising (Hessle Audio)

 

Top Albums

 

Shlomo – Bad Vibes

 

Zomby – Dedication

Awesome album, better twitter.

Kendrick Lamar – Section 80

 

Elzhi – Elmatic

Elzhi, my vote for the most slept on MC of all time, has managed to slay any and all projects these past few years. His latest was perhaps his most ambitious: embark on what amounts to a remix album of. my favorite hip-hop album of all time, Illmatic. The result was Elmatic, a pairing of Elzhi and Will Simmons, a producer who manages to create variations of the classic beats that compliment Elzhi’s delivery, pay homage to the original, but also allow for room between Nas’ debut and Elzhi’s project. Hip-hop fans, grab this (and everything else Elzhi has ever done).

 

Martyn – Ghost People

When I first heard about the Martyn x Brainfeeder pairing, I wasn’t exactly sure what the final product would be. A pretty pure 4×4 producer and one of the least traditional hip-hop labels left me with many scenarios to consider. Wound up being great and I hope things like this happen again in the future.

 

Tyler, The Creator – Goblin

Reviewed this back when it came out and my feelings then still apply now. Check it out here.

Favorite tracks: ‘Yonkers’, ‘She (feat. Frank Ocean)’

 

Lil B – I’m Gay

 

James Blake – James Blake

I don’t really remember the last time I was as excited for a release as for James Blake’s self-titled debut. Upon downloading the album I put on my headphones, sat down, and did a full listenthrough free of distractions. I’m glad I did. From the first listen until today, I remain enamored with this album and amazed at the guy’s talent. His musical dexterity is incredible and his ability to fluctuate between his older production style and his newer, more vocal work is astounding. Top 3 live shows I’ve ever seen.

Favorite tracks: ‘I Never Learnt to Share’, ‘Unluck’, ‘I Mind’

 

A$AP Rocky – LiveLoveA$AP

I was hanging out with my friend in New York back in August when he showed me a video by some unknown MC for his track, ‘Purple Swag’. Then, everything changed. I proceeded to become absolutely obsessed with That Pretty Motherfucker and infected as many of my friends as possible, posting anything and everything on Squeegie (to a fault?). ‘Peso’ and ‘Purple Swag’ alone had me satisfied but this mixtape (soon to be packaged into an album) really put it over the edge. The pairing of Clams Casino and A$AP works wonders and, as far as debut mixtapes go, this is about as good as it gets. So begins the legend of A$AP.

Favorite tracks: ‘Palace’, ‘Bass’

 

Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra

Favorite tracks: ‘Dust’, ‘Novacane’, ‘We All Try’

Pinch & Shackleton – Pinch & Shackleton

 

Instra:Mental – Resolution 653

 

The Weeknd – House of Balloons

Favorite tracks: ‘What You Need’, ‘The Morning’

 

Machinedrum – Room(s)

 

SBTRKT – SBTRKT

To say I was obsessed or enamored with this CD would be a pretty big understatement. I’d always believed SBTRKT to be a pretty talented producer whose work I tended to enjoy, but wasn’t over the moon about. I downloaded the album out of curiosity and would end up spending the next month or so listening to his debut almost exclusively. There are too many great tracks to name but it’s the work done with Sampha that is truly extraordinary. Seeing the two of them perform live only reinforced my feelings. No track is performed all that similarly to the album yet you still know which is which and Sampha’s voice is just as impressive live. If you have the chance, see them.

Favorite tracks: ‘Never Never’, ‘Pharaohs’

 

Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise

 

Domo Genesis – Under The Influence

I can’t remember the last time an MC showed such drastic improvement between released efforts. Listening to Rolling Papers, it was evident that Domo was a pretty talented MC but was middle of the pack when it came to Odd Future. The weed raps got pretty old pretty quick and there were only so many songs I could listen to before switching to something else. Cue Under The Influence. While weed references are still abundant, Domo turns his focus towards being successful in every realm and delivers a great product. The results: an extremely listenable mixtape, many standout tracks, and a transformed MC.

Favorite tracks: ‘Mission Statement’, ‘Glory’

 

The Roots – Undun

 

Gil Scott-Heron And Jamie XX – We’re New Here

When I first heard of the project I couldn’t help but be slightly bewildered by the pairing: influential wordsmith and poet + the guy that plays the drums for the XX? Luckily, my skepticism was unwarranted and the final product was fantastic. Shame it inspired that Drake x Rihanna track though. That being said, get money get paid, Jamie.

 

Top Artists

 

Boddika

 

Koreless

Definitely my favorite newcomer of the year, the Scot has a distinct sound that seemed to catch everyone’s ear in 2011. His Boiler Room session could be considered his coming out moment, but the man won’t fly under anyone’s radar in the future. Excited to see what 2012 has in store.

 

Chaos in the CBD

 

Machinedrum

To switch up styles in drastic ways over several years or a whole career isn’t that crazy a concept. If anything, this progression and evolution is expected of great artists. That being said, when you examine the year Travis Stewart had and the diversity of styles he employed, you can’t help but be flabbergasted. Rooms(S) and Alarma EP are nearly opposites but each great in their own right. Admirable work.

 

James Blake

Self-titled debut, the Enough Thunder EP, various Harmonimixes, his R&S EPs, the list goes on. James Blake had a year that musicians can only dream of yet I genuinely believe he can replicate this success in years to come. Maybe this sentiment is derived from what he did this past year and I’m simply jaded but if anyone can do it, it’s him.

 

Blawan

Does anyone do percussion quite as well as Blawan does? He had the white label of the year with ‘Getting Me Down’, a track that if you didn’t hear it played out live; you must’ve been living in a cave. Add on ‘Shader’, Peaches EP, What You Do With What You Have EP, and other productions and you have a career year. Pretty astounding the meteoric rise the man has had over these past two years.

 

Pangaea

xxxy

A mind-boggling number of releases, xxxy’s 2011 had output to be envious of. ‘You Always Start It/Ordinary People’ is one of my top EPs of the year and ‘Kerpow/Down Wit U’, the second xxxy vs. Ike Release, and ‘You Gotta Do You’ are all awesome as well. Man = machine.

 

Well, if you’ve made it this far, I presume you read some (maybe even all) of my 2011 list. For that, I thank you. I hope you were able to find some good stuff that you weren’t previously aware of; don’t hesitate to throw some knowledge darts at the comment section and hit me with things I missed. Very excited for 2012 and what it has in store, hope you’ll be here with us to navigate the treacherous waters. What a lame last sentence.

Sincerely,

Justin