Top Tracks 2016 Part I 101 – 91

This introduction starts with my yearly apology for not writing more on this piece of shit of a blog. Every part of life takes its pound of flesh and I spent a lot of time on useless projects, which could have been used to write a great many reviews for great albums and tracks that didn´t even get the attention or recognition on other outlets. Maybe someday, I´ll get around and do this full time. But I´ve beend writing a lot, will finish a degree soon and might get down to bringing out more content in 2017. For all things, check out my articles over here and my visit on a German student radio, talking about some of my favorite tracks and my own biography through music. Enjoy this list, I sure do. 

 

101. Nagamatzu – Melancholy Oxide (Above This Noise)

Nagamatzu was a duo shortly active in the  1980´s and this years Above This Noise compiled some of their scattered material on a great compilation. "Melancholy Oxide", much like the other songs, captures the sound of new-wave music in its purest and most creative forms. Strictly instrumental, there is a driving, groovy darkness, more like a flashy pumped up black-light disco, then anything going into the disjointed and staggering. This is a great reminder of the sounds we find in many of today’s greatest acts, played with fresh ears of discovery. 

101. Abul Mogard – Despite Faith (Works)

As I like to, the last place(s) of the best tracks belongs to the past, and this is a fairly recent one. I still remember discovering Abul Mogard on VCO recordings in 2012 and getting his cassette. What I experienced, was the ability to create intricate synth landscapes, vistas, solely for the listening ear and barely scratching the visual imagination in any specific way. Mogard has honed this craft throughout the years, switching from the representational to the abstract, pastoral or philosophical without straining the listener. At that, “Despite Faith” stands as one of the highlights in his anthology Works, a sweeping atmosphere, between the ghostly and somber. There is no image here, no allusion, just sonic immersion. 

100. Rae Sremmurd – Black Beatles (ft. Gucci Mane) (SremmLife2)

Even before the mannequin challenge elevated this track into collective memory, "Black Beatles" was one of the standouts of SremmLife2. The catchy and highly energetic nature of this song shows the duo´s understanding of delivering on the promises made throughout their debut and manifests them (even though this might be the last Sremmurd project for a while) as one of the best pop rap acts of the recent years. As always, huge credits go to the impeccable production of MIKE WILL MADE IT.

99. The Body & Full Of Hell – Cain (One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache)

This collaboration is the perfect fit. Full Of Hell being known for their gut-wrenching intensity and fierce aural attack and The Body steadily climbing to the top of experimental metal with their fluid mixture of sonic disarray ranging from tortured shrieks deep into beats ripped straight from trap music. "Cain" is a noise ridden dive into the most visceral sides of both bands. While the track might seem to lean a little more to the side of The Body, it nonetheless stands out in this collection of tracks and displays two bands at the height of what stretching the boundaries of hard and abrasive music means. 

98. Kanye West – Real Friends (The Life Of Pablo)

A lot can be said about the antics of Kanye West and it feels sad that much of his dumb talk does take away from his musical endowers. The Life Of Pablo might be a mixed bag of sketches, ranging from unfinished and genius to just plain sloppy sounding. Nonetheless, "Real Friends" among others shows the side of Kanye West that is capable of utilizing the biggest names in recent hip-hop and gluing them together with his ear for sound and emotion. Content wise this is pretty much Kanye as we know him; self-conscious and braggadocios at the same time with his form a lament at new heights. The accomplishment yet again lies in the relatable nature, even if it´s about buying back the laptop “you was fucking bitches on” from your money grabbing cousin. 

97. Majid Jordan – Pacifico (Majid Jordan)

One thing to critique about the debut album of Majid Jordan is the lack of experimentation or the unwillingness to bring something new to the table after a great EP. While the songs are distinct, hook-driven vistas, there is nothing striking about any one of them. Maybe the duo played it safe, leaving the great songs for a later album, or maybe the stuck to their guns and tried their hand at refinement. Either way, "Pacifico" is a standout in their 50 minutes of very safe alt-rnb. A driving beat, with enough variation and casio-keyboard-esque charm to keep you nodding your head. 

96. Electric Rescue – Rexpiration (Parallel Behaviors)

This is a great techno track! A tight bass line keeping you in the sweet spot between suffocation and release, with an overall mind for the metallic and menacing within the pacing of these seven minutes. What shines through here, is the rewarding nature of dance music, an unfolding and steady heightening of layers upon layers while never becoming overly complex or straining. 

95. Saba – Bucket List (Bucket List Project)

I do favor Saba over Chance The Rapper while not wanting to compare the two artists too much. As Chance goes his way of spreading positivity, his sonic choices don´t resonate with me. I just can´t get around the soul, funk and gospel vibe, regardless of how much I enjoy his messages (apart from the heavy Christian content). While Saba does go into the same directions of spreading love and trying to move away from anything associated with trap or gangster rap, his ear for melody and beats do a better job for me. “Bucket List”, just as the whole project, grapples with death in a very heartwarming and sometimes even funny way and we see Saba delivering bars in a pretty straightforward fashion – nothing special or remarkable to comment on, but honest and energetic either way. 

94. Swet Shop Boys – Aaja (Cashmere)

The debut album by the Swet Shop Boys was a very mature evolution of their first EP. The two MC´s of Paki / Indian descent took their power of being a minority between minorities of hip hop to address very specific and not much talked about issues concerning their skin-color and being tagged a criminal by association. Much needed. But with “Aaja” the duo did the other thing, which I enjoy even more: Marrying the Bollywood-style Asian music with witty rap style. The beat ripping a vocal sample from a popular song(?) and the kind of cartoonish guitars make for an energetic listen, showing off the side of the Swet Shop Boys EP and becoming the equivalent of feel good rap of the last years. 

93. Flatbush Zombies – Trade-Off (3001: A Laced Odyssey)

A Laced Odyssey saw the Flatbush Zombies presenting themselves in their distinct sound but with a deeper focus and approach in compiling their songs and creating a closed experience; something their mixtapes lacked, mostly because of their length and filler songs. "Trade-Off" is one of the best cuts, letting every member shine lyrically and keeping the balance between their unique voices and cadences. 

92. Demdike Stare – Airborne Latency (Wonderland)

Demdike Stare are the undisputed masters of deconstructing electronic dance music (dub if you will). While there is much hype about Burial or other more well-known artists, DS output has been steady from day one and with every new release there is growth. "Airborne Latency" has as much an ambient and downtempo allure as it does carry the inflections and tone of a club banger. Dissolution is key in this track and the multifaceted approach leads to a grand trance, floating on top of sheer endlessly rising cloud of synths. 

91. Future – Low Life // Benjamin Burns // Salute (EVOL // E.T. // Purple Reign)

In 2016 Future continued his run of appearing almost everywhere and releasing a constant stream of mixtapes or other projects. Some will find this to be an unnecessary oversaturation of the same, with EVOL becoming the B-Sides of last year’s DS2 and the mixtapes and features falling into the monotone utilization of Future´s crystalline tone and lean infused aesthetics, and I won´t go as far as to dispute this. But, if one thing became apparent over the course of the various releases and times Future was heard on another artist's track, he has become a unique artist and influencer on his own. I see him at the front of the lineage of rappers like Yachty or Uzi, pushing the atmospheric value into the forefront of making rap music and thereby creating a sound and image that arrests attention and will go on to play a huge role in the development of sounds to come.