Editor’s Note: The following article is written by James Kirsch and republished on Headphone Commute with permission of the author. James kindly updated the contents of the text, which was originally written in 2008.

I’m going to lay out a couple of things I’ve learned in the past decade of producing free music. They would probably apply to any aspiring musician. Many of them may be obvious and intuitive, but it’s always helpful to take stock.

No one cares about my music the way I do. There’s no reason for them to – for me its a primary extension of self. It’s what I pour myself into, laboring, debating, molding, and refining everything for a ridiculous number of hours. Then, after all this toil and triumph, I release an album, where all my pride and insecurities are balled up in an explosive state of nervous excitement. My friends and fans will support and celebrate with me, which is truly amazing, but it’s important to recognize that most people don’t care about it, nor understand the effort it takes. It’s important (though almost impossible) not to have expectations of how my music will be received. What’s most important is how I feel about my music. You’ll hear this again and again when you’re an artist – it just took experience for me to internalize it.

This is so true for so many things in life. I watch a movie, and when the credits are rolling I start thinking about what to do next. Only when I start watching the “making of” on the DVD do I begin to appreciate how amazing the process of creating the movie was. I created an interactive “making of” page for one my previous albums to give a listener some insight to the creation process. Hopefully it made the music more interesting to listen to.

It’s always a good idea to talk to people about the process of creating something, be it an event, a piece of art, a cake, or whatever. I’m often oblivious of the extraordinary effort it takes to accomplish a task.

When I released my first two albums, I really pushed my music on my friends, family, and peers, since, well, there’s already an established relationship. What I didn’t recognize is that many people I know don’t really care about music. Then there’s those who do, but don’t really dig my downtempo stylings. While of course there are exceptions, I finally recognized this isn’t really my target audience. My target audience are folks who dig downtempo melodic electronica, which is a certainly a niche category.

Why was no one coming to my website to download my free music for the first few years? Because no one knew about it. I had to learn the art of promotion. Since I’m not trying to sell my music, the traditional channels – i.e. labels – are not available. I must contact the radio stations, magazines, websites, blogs, and forums myself. Occasionally a fan will help spread the word – and to those people I am incredibly grateful.

Successful promotion turns out to be cast a wide a net as possible, putting a lot of effort in spreading the word, sending out cds, and getting very little back. You have to accept a lot of rejection. I’ve learned to be happy if 5% of my emails or mailings gets a response – that is, not even a positive response, but a message indicating that the party will or did check out my music. It’s not really something that I enjoy.

Just because people know about something, doesn’t mean they’ll care. When I hand someone a business card, realistically, there’s a minuscule chance they’ll go check out my website. When I hand someone a cd, there’s maybe a 50% chance they’ll listen to it. The best time to hand someone a cd is when they’re about to go their car, and I can suggest they check it out on their journey. We now live in an era where data is free, and people collect it without using it. Humans like to have stuff. If they do end up on my website and download an album or track, it may get lost in the shuffle of other downloads.

Unless your music is simple and poppy, or incredibly accessible, most people won’t be able to make sense of it on first listen, and consequently not return for a second listen. I can not approach my own music with fresh ears – I’m intimate with every second of it. It’s great to have someone who’s not a huge music fan listen to my music before I release it to gauge how most people will receive it. It has previously helped shape the ordering of  tracks on an album. Accessible music will always be more popular than complex music.

I’ve learned that it often takes many listens for people to start really enjoying my music. My favorite story is of a co-worker who’s cd player broke with my cd in it, so they had to listen to it all day on repeat. The next day he told me never to stop writing music.

This is the most important thing I’ve learned – the small percentage that do care and listen to my music, don’t think how important it is for me to get feedback from them. This is completely normal. How often to do you appreciate something and think “I should tell the artist (or whatever) how much I enjoy their art?” Not often. Since the process of acquiring my music is completely devoid of personal interaction (click on a link on a website), there’s nothing bonding the downloader to me. They download the music, and perhaps listen to it sometime down the line. Maybe they like it – maybe the don’t. I will most likely never get feedback. The thing I’ve taken away from this is to always contact artists when I enjoy their work. It’s a great habit. Or if an artist is serious about soliciting feedback, both negative and positive, I try to do so. They always really appreciate it.

I don’t mean to sound like it’s a negative experience to create and release music – it’s not. There’s simply a lot of challenges I never imagined. I absolutely celebrate the tools, ability, and lifestyle that allows me to craft the music that I want to. I’m still in awe that there’s a distribution method that allows me to share my music at almost no cost to the entire world.

We are still very much at the beginning of the musical explosion that’s about to take place. The tools that are available completely eliminate the cost barrier to create music. As this generation learns those tools, the variety and quantity of output will be staggering.

I recently released my 6th album, “miles tones”. The album (along with all my other music) is available for streaming/free download on my website: generalfuzz.net. My fifth album, “soulful filling” was ranked #9 in the top 200 albums ever played in the 20 year history of the nationally syndicated radio show echoes.

Good times ahead. And good times right now.

Well, here’s indeed something special! The wonderful folks at Oktaf are releasing tracks in a new Sketches series into the world one at a time, and we got our dirty hands on the fourth installment from Marsen Jules, titled Serenade, exclusively for Headphone Commute! That’s right – this is the _ONLY_ place where you can hear this particular track for the next couple of weeks before it is available to the rest of the world!

Here’s more from the label on this exclusive series:

“OKTAF SKETCHES is a place for improvisational ideas and authentical moments in music. A preview to futures’ unreachable perfection – a tribute to the rough beauty of spontaneity.”

oktaf.com | marsenjules.de

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UPDATE: THE RESULTS ARE IN!

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I really appreciate all of you who took the time to answer these ten questions! These results will really help me optimize my time. I’ve received an overwhelming amount of feedback from all of you, and here are some of the findings that I’d like to share with you!

1. Most of you found Headphone Commute through a variety of places, although a nice chunk of you still got here through Google (of course), about 15% still surf over via last.fm, 10% from Facebook, and the rest via HC reviews on Amazon.com, Discogs, The Music Lobby, and a few of my favorite podcasts – Electronic Explorations and Solipsistic Nation.

2. You guys read the reviews directly on the site – so I’ll keep pumping energy into that, with 27% of you reading via Facebook, and 20% via your favorite RSS reader. Pretty much no one reads on myspace, as I expected, so I’ll probably stop publishing there, as this will save me a ton of time!

3. You do read every few days (35%), so I’ll keep pumping out the content. And even though 20% of you read HC daily, I’ll admit – my goal for 2010 is quality, not quantity.

4. Your favorite feature is, of course, album reviews. 20% of you love everything, with Two and a Half Questions taking the third and fourth place. Only 8% like Label Profiles – to me that means that I should instead make that a bit more exciting. Right?

5. Your favorite feature of the reviews are the references to other artists. This was an overwhelming response, peaking at 48%! I would have thought it’s audio samples, which came in second at 24%. Not surprisingly, the recently added youtube videos are only liked by 3%, so I’ll probably curb my time in digging those up. A few nice ‘other’ comments that warmed my heart included “quality of writing” and “intelligence”. Thank you for that.

6. Oooh, this is my favorite question, regarding the favorite genres. Here’s the roundup in descending order of most votes: Ambient, Minimal and Experimental, IDM, and Modern Classical, with the rest (10%) loving everything! It’s wonderful to know that HC attracts a sophisticated and discerning audience. Not that there’s anything wrong with other genres! At 5% of votes we still captured shoegaze, post-rock, dubstep, trip-hop and breakcore.

7. This one was interesting as well. Regarding questions I should ask the artists more about, you wanted to hear about their production techniques (25%) followed by musical influences (23%), anything at all (17%) and upcoming releases (12%). Some of you recommended that I should also ask about the studio setup, how the artist got started, and their motivation.

8. I’ve got hundreds of submissions on artists that you guys want me to interview. I don’t even know how I’m going to go about summarizing this one. But be assured that I’ll read each one!

9. So who is lurking at these pages? 34% of you turned out to be musical connoisseurs, with 22% being artists. We also have 20% casual listeners, while the rest are DJs, label owners, and other journalists. A few ‘others’ made me smile as well – these are “electronic music addicts”, “half assed artists”, “music geeks”, with one “human”, and even one “motherf—er”. Nice one!

10. The last open ended question allowed you to leave me anything at all. I’m not surprised some of you want more free music – I’ll try my best to provide that when I can [HC mixes are your best option]. But most of you simply thanked me for my work and encouraged to just keep on going! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear! Thank you for all your kind words – this is precisely the kind of thing that fuels my desire to share the words about good music!

20 FULL LENGTH ALBUMS

(listed in alphabetical order by artist)
Anders Ilar – Twilight Rainfalls (self)
Benge – Twenty Systems (Expanding)
BLÆRG – Dysphoric Sonorities (Bottle Imp Productions)
The Caretaker – Persistent Repetition Of Phrases (Install)
De La Mancha – Atlas (Crying Bob)
DeepChord – Vantage Isle Sessions (echospace [detroit])
Fanu & Bill Laswell – Lodge (Ohm Resistance)
Funckarma – Psar Dymog (Symbolic Interaction)
The Future Sound of London – Environments II (fsoldigital)
Gagarin – Adaptogen
Grails – Take Refuge In Clean Living (Important)
Jasper TX – This Quiet Season (Slaapwel)
Last Step – 1961 (Planet Mu)
Mad EP – Bass.hed (Ad Noiseam)
Mathieu Ruhlmann + Celer – Mesoscaphe (Spekk)
Natural Self – The Art Of Vibration (Tru Thoughts)
Obfusc – City of Cedar (Boldfish)
Takahiro Kido – Fleursy Music (PLOP)
Tomasz Bednarczyk – Summer Feelings (Room40)
Vibesquad – Bass Love (Vibesquad)

20 EPS AND SINGLES

(listed in alphabetical order by artist)
Access To Arasaka – :Port (illphabetik)
Barry Lynn – 98 EP (Acroplane)
Bitstream – The Severed EP (Touchin’ Bass)
Bop & Dephecta – Autumn Melancholy / The Space Between Us (Misspent)
Broken Note – Crux / Zealot (Ad Noiseam)
bvdub – Return To Tonglu (Quietus)
Dabrye – Get Dirty EP (Ghostly International)
Escapee Planes – Perfume (Eight:FX)
Fennesz – Transition (Touch)
Four Tet – Ringer (Domino)
Funckarma – Dubstoned Vol. 2 (Ad Noiseam)
Harmonic 313 – Dirtbox (Warp)
Library Tapes – Fragment (Kning Disk)
NHK – Unununium (Raster-Noton)
Noisia – Creep Out / The Bends (Non Vogue)
Reso – Tags & Throw-Ups Vol. 5 (Urban Graffiti)
The Sight Below – No Place For us EP (Ghostly International)
Tycho – Adrift / From Home (Ghostly International)
Vex’d – 3rd Choice (Planet Mu)
Welder – Chalice Well (Ancestor)

10 MIXES AND COMPILATIONS

(listed in alphabetical order by title)
All Sounds Electric Two (Critical)
Goldie – Watch The Ride (Harmless)
Sasha – Invol2ver (Global Underground)
Simon & Shaker – Surfaces #1: Plastic (Armada)
Technical Itch Presents You Need Therapy (Ohm Resistance)
Skream! – Watch The Ride (Harmless)
I Love Dubstep (Rinse)
Mary Anne Hobbs – Evangeline (Planet Mu)
Round Black Ghosts (~scape)
You Don’t Know: Ninja Cuts (Ninja Tune)

Don’t forget to read the original Headphone Commute’s Best of 2008 article.

If you’ve missed the first half of this article, make sure to read 20 Compilations and Mixes of 2009 [part 1].

Hope is the very first release by Fluid Audio, an offshoot of Fluid Radio, a UK radioshow, podcast, and an e-zine. And for the label’s opening, the compilations kick off with 13 tracks across some very established artists in the electronica, psybient, and downtempo scenes, including Hol Baumann, Digitonal, Ishq, Bersarin Quartett, and James Murray. The music on Hope revolves around the concept of positivity and “the alleviation of strife through the creative translation of emotion into sounds sent to soothe (and) images formed to inspire“. The contributing artists were asked to create compositions interpreting their definition and embodiment of “hope”. And with 50% of all the sales contributing towards a charity for homeless children in Latin America, Toybox, you can’t help but feel hopeful that the music may be the answer to all the problems in our heads.

French downtempo and psybient label, Ultimae Records puts together a thematic collection of eleven tracks centered around the child’s ability to create tutelary companions. To some of us, Imaginary Friends eventually turn into the stories we tell each other when listening to music. Music that surrounds us during solitude, loneliness and isolation. This is a product of sound geared specifically towards the headphone experience during those personal moments. In a sense, this compilation becomes an “audio poetry” piece. Sharing the label’s vision for the project, the selection of contributed artists include Rena Jones, offthesky, Cell, Hol Baumann, James Murray, Solar Fields, and the label’s owner, Aes Dana. This is a marvelous collection of tracks across the range of mind altering genres with a touch of glitch, modern classical, and ambient.

I wouldn’t be spilling any secrets here if I told you that an English DJ, radio personality and music journalist, Mary Anne Hobbs, has been a hot item for more than a few years now. In 2006, Planet Mu picked up Hobbs for a dubstep compilation, titled Warrior Dubz. Two years later, she released Evangeline mix on the same label. And now, Wild Angels compiles some of the best artists across the palette of genres. Opening up with Mark Pritchard she sets the stage for a moody trip, which eventually rolls over to bass and grime with artists like Untold, Starkey, Rustie and Nosaj Thing. The compilation is sprinkled with many abstract hip-hop tracks, among them appearances by Hudson Mohawke, Tranqill and Architeq. This is quite a trip across the styles, including of course dubstep and glitch. This unmixed collection of 19 tracks is bound to mark the next chapter of evolution in electronic music. Jump on board.

It’s time for Hymen Records to flaunt its wares. A German sub-label of Ant-Zen, Hymen has been tickling my eardrums since the late 90s. Miwak Twelve is a double disc compilation celebrating the label’s 12th year, featuring 33 tracks by 33 projects. This is a monster of a release, covering electronica, IDM, breakbeat, ambient, dubstep, and a kitchen sink smashed in a blender! Just follow a sample of this lineup: Somatic Responses, Nebulo, Deru, Black Lung, Lowfish, Architect, Dryft, Hecq, Ginormous, Snog, Crunch, Keef Baker, Blackfilm, Wisp, Mad EP and so many others! Whew! Get ready to be introduced to the label’s new faces, and get blown away with the opener of the second disc from Combustion. Don’t miss this amazing release. Own it, hear it, and know what makes Hymen one of the leading labels in electronic music today!

Canadian based downtempo label, Interchill Records, compiles a selection of sound evolved from the original roots of Jamaican reggae. The 15 track unmixed compilation features tracks from artists around the world, including Italy, Poland, New Zealand and Canada, taking the endless echo dubs to the next level. There is nothing psychedelic or dubstep about this – One Dub is about the next level of dub reggae with vocals and all. Sugar Minott opens up into world beats by Gaudi, followed by electronic treatments from Liquid Stranger. A few other known artists show up, such as Michael Rose, Luciano, and Dr. Israel. This is an interesting exploration of a genre, and a must for all followers of reggae influenced dubtronica. Perfect for hot summer car rides, with your windows down, and the wind changing direction with the bass waves. One love, one dub…

Every year, since 2001, the Cologne (Germany) based Kompakt label releases another installment in its Pop Ambient series. Curated by the label’s co-founder Wolfgang Voigt, aka Gas, this is a collection of 12 tracks arranged to keep you warm throughout the cold winter. The 2009 edition features a delightful selection of artists beginning with Klimek and following through with Sylvain Chauveau, Jürgen Paape, Marsen Jules, Tim Hecker, The Fun Years and Voigt’s collaboration with Jörg Burger. Wolfgang shows up on the compilation once more, this time under his Mint moniker. An excellent addition to anyone’s collection of ambient and modern classical archives – especially if you already own the first eight volumes.  Make sure to also pick up the dance oriented arm of Kompakt with the double disc compilation release Total 10.

“Badman like good tings, badman like the best tings, as a matter of fact. Badman like to wear the best clothes, they like to umm… drive the best cars, they like to listen to the best music. So wherever there’s a DJ that is happening, the rude boys… they’re going to be there.“ This is the opener track Badman from Kryptic Minds, and from there on, Mark Newton, aka N-Type, takes us through 34 tracks of pure dubstep mayhem. All the “rude boys” are here – Headhunter, LD, Benga, Distance, Emalkay, Joker, Coki, Skream and so many others! This is the 9th installment from Rinse Recordings – a label from the pirate radio station rinse.fm. And it’s a total winner for me – I only have to look at my play count to know that. Such evil grinding shizzle. My previous absolute favorite release from Rinse was its last year’s Rinse: 06 by Plastician and who could forget the 2008 epic I Love Dubstep anthology?

More bass for your cavernous head! Among the many dubstep mixes and compilations of 2009, A Continuous DJ Mix By Starkey consisting of 25 tracks really stood out. This is a dirty, wobbly, solid mix by a Philadelphia-based producer, Paul Geissinger, aka Starkey. The mix was tailored specifically for a pretty fresh label, Lo Dubs, an offshoot of San Francisco based Losonofono Records. Starkey opens up with a fun interlude, Trouble In Starkville Ep: 3, diving right into the usual suspects like Cardopusher, DZ, Drop The Lime, Raffertie, Zomby, Geeneus, Joker, and Stenchman. There are more than a few new names in the mix, mostly from the the label’s 12″ output in the last two years. So this is a nice compilation to celebrate the underground West Coast sound, bridging a few bass categories, such as garage, grime, and dubstep, and a touch of hip-hop attitude.

Is it possible for Warp Records to do anything wrong? OK, maybe there were a few bumps in the road, but this box set compilation, celebrating the label’s 20th anniversary, should smooth out the ride. I’ve got the entire package, and let me just be upfront – there’s way too much music on this release. The Elemental disc itself, although spread across 13 tracks, is a continuous mix of 65 tracks! Mixed by Osymyso, this is a trip across all of  Warp’s stars, including LFO, Nightmares On Wax, Battles, Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert, Prefuse 73, Broadcast, Boards of Canada, Jamie Lidell, Harmonic 313, Seefeel, Grizzly Bear, Chris Clark, Squarepusher, Autechre, Plaid, Sabres of Paradise, and many, many more. This is a great example of where instead of writing about the compilation, I’m just better off listing the artists in the mix. A solid release to own for decades!

This compilation was a total surprise. I’ll admit that I’ve never even heard of Point Music before – although I see that Philip Glass and Gavin Bryars released a few albums on this sub-label of London based Decca, which is in turn owned by the Universal Music Group umbrella. But back to XVI Reflections On Classical Music, which aims to compile selections from artists who have been part of a “silent revolution” in contemporary classical music – the genre I usually refer to as modern classical. And here are all of my absolute favorites: Hauschka, Sylvain Chauveau, Alva Noto + Ryuchi Sakamoto, Gas, Murcof, Max Richter, Ryan Teague and a contribution from Philip Glass and Gavin Bryars. It’s no wonder that with a roster like that, my ear instantly perks up and my wallet opens like a reverse mousetrap (whatever that is). Thanks for Me Raabenstein, aka Slowcream, for making the selections!

There’s no way that I can cover every single compilation that made my rotations this year. Most labels that I follow release a yearly showcase of their artists, while some compile 12″ EPs into a mixed digital archive. What I can promise you is that the following are also worth your money. So be sure to dive into each one as time permits.

The below are listed in alphabetical order by title.

Black Operator (Symbolic Interaction)
Colorfield Variations (Line)
Ghostly Swim (Ghostly)
Hospital Mix.Seven (Mixed By Danny Byrd) (Hospital)
Little Darla Has A Treat For You V.27 Eternal Spring Edition (Darla)
Natural Born Chillers 2 (Aleph Zero)
Ninja Tune Big Dada Counter Sampler 2009 (Ninja Tune / Big Dada / Counter)
Runeology 4 (Rune Grammofon)
Subtle Audio Vol I (Subtle Audio)
Tectonic Plates Volume 2 (Tectonic)

Being the first one alphanumerically, it’s kind of difficult to skip a compilation celebrating the fifth anniversary of one of the most influential labels of dubstep – Hyperdub. Across two discs and 32 tracks, the owner of the label, Steve Goodman, aka Kode9, compiles many of the past 12″ and some unreleased tracks in a variety of genres, such as dub, garage, grime, dancehall, house, and of course dubstep. Here are more than just a few stylistic pioneers like Burial, The Bug, Flying Lotus, Martyn, Rustie, Zomby, King Midas Sound, Joker and of course Kode9 himself. The first disc contains all new material from the label, while the second disc includes the highlights and the essentials of the last five years. More than just a collector’s release, this double-disc unmixed marker in time, simply titled 5 Years of Hyperdub, is an essential addition for any serious bass head.

Previously covered, this compilation from Cambridge based Keshhhhhh Recordings run by Simon Scott, features some of the well known and celebrated masters of ambiance and minimalism. Mastered by 12k label owner, Taylor Deupree, the 18 track selection of sound explorations embody a theme of remixes and reworkings from recordings made by Scott on an audio cassette in 1988. Scott invites many of his friends to participate in the label’s first release, among them we find Aus, Mark Templeton, Fourcolor, Sawako, Lawrence English, Christopher Bissonnette, Benoît Pioulard and Hannu. With a roster like that, it’s no wonder this release makes our list of favorite compilations of 2009. Since the entrance onto the experimental music scene, the label has put out a dozen of releases that you surely must explore. Be sure to read a full review of 88 Tapes on Headphone Commute.

There’s no better way to get to know a label then through its own selection of tracks picked to showcase its catalog. And what more can one ask for, when such a compilation is free (you can upgrade to a high-res 320kbps for about 5.00 €). And if you purchase anything directly from the Berlin based Ad Noiseam, you get a free CDr copy. Featuring 16 tracks from the label releases, the artist roster includes all of my favorites: The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Detritus, DJ Hidden, Cardopusher, Somatic Responses, The Teknoist, Mad EP, Funckarma, and many others. Since the label is known for a range of experimental electronic music, this grab bag includes dark ambient, industrial, drum’n'bass and other genres. Download this release for free: Ad Noiseam Summer 2009 Label Compilation.

Chicago based Tympanik Audio has been quietly rising up to the top of the most influential electronic labels within the last few years. The label has been steadily pumping out amazing releases since 2007, with many albums making it to the “best of” lists. Focusing mostly on the darker side of IDM, ambient, industrial and rhythmic noise, Approach Lights 09 is the label’s catalog sampler for 2009. Here are some of the label’s rising stars, like Totakeke, Aphorism, Zentriert Ins Antlitz, Access To Arasaka, Stendeck, Autoclav 1.1, Mechanical Steering, and Displacer among the many. Emerge yourself within the beauty and darkness of some of the edgiest music to hit the scene. If you like this compilation, be sure to pick up Tympanik’s Approach Lights from 2008, as well as Emerging Organisms and Emerging Organisms Vol. 2.

Mixed by Ed Keeley, aka Friction, one of the best drum and bass DJs on the scene today, this compilation from Shogun Audio showcases some of the finest d’n'b from around the globe. Shogun Audio has previously released a few remixes by Friction, as well as some excellent EPs from Spor, Noisia, and Commix, all of whom appear on this compilation. Giving each track on average a minute and a half to develop, Keeley does not let us breathe, starting off with Ed Rush & Optical moving across monumental tracks from artists like Total Science, Alix Perez, Dillinja, Break, London Elektricity, High Contrast, Icicle, and Apex just to name a few! There are 32 tracks in total on this 70 minute mix. What did I tell you in my intro to this article above? It’s impossible to cover mixes like this one in their entirety, especially when there are so many great artists showcased in one place!

Forget the happy-go-lucky Buddha Machine… The Black Box is here! This tombstone shaped hand held device, which eerily mimics a monolith, contains looped instrumental tracks and two dark spoken word sound pieces from Annie Feldmeier Adams, that will make you shiver in despair. Try commuting with one of these in your pocket, the volume turned all the way up on the first track, continuously repeating a phrase in different intonations: “Today I will not kill myself” or “I don’t feel anything”. Get my drift? With nine tracks in total, composed specifically for this project, Flingco Sound System creates a one of a kind compilation that is a lot more than just a novelty item. I personally enjoy having it fight against the two Buddha Machines and watching it melt their faces off with its evil drones. Incidentally, I see that FM3 and Throbbing Gristle have released Gristleism (Buddha Machine 3.0), but never mind that now – get The Black Box for Christmas!

Please don’t hate me, but I’m still on a d’n'b kick… Every year London’s Fabric label puts out some of the most thought out compilations. I have officially become a fan, because I own every single volume. For FabricLive series, volume 44, the label invited George Levings and Guy Brewer, collectively known as Commix, to rip us a new one. Interestingly enough, the mix was recorded on the same day that Barack Obama became the President of the United States. On this mix, Commix starts off smooth, riding into nu-school, and finishing off with some classics, like Photek. Commix contributes four tracks of their own to the mix, picking out the anthems from Rufige Crew, Logistics, Calibre, Jonny L, and Instra:mental. And let’s face it, the cover art is pretty damn awesome. Be sure to also check out a mixed compilation by Omar S – Fabric 45: Omar S – Detroit.

This is a very limited CDr that I was lucky enough to get my dirty hands on. And what a trip it is! Join friends of Bedroom Community to take you through some experimental, left field, and abstract lo-fi songs that showcase the sound of Iceland and beyond. Here, label owner, Valgeir Sigurðsson, appears alongside the critically acclaimed Ben Frost, as well as globally recognized contemporary classical musician, Nico Muhly. We’re also introduced to Shahzad Ismaily, Sturla Þórisson, and Indigo Street among the many. Listening to 16 tracks that were designed For Your Listening Pleasure And Occasional Terror is like eavesdropping on a gathering of musicians in a studio, each passing the instrument to each other in turn to play. Well, maybe not eavesdropping… “surrounded” is a better word to describe the experience.

German based label, Raster-Noton, founded by Olaf Bender, Frank Bretschneider, and Carsten Nicolai, has been known for turning static noise into rhythms and re-interpreting daily patterns back into noise. The experimentation of sound approaches the academic level of archival dissertation and museum installations. So when the label compiles a disc with 14 tracks from its top notch artists, you don’t ask questions, you simply follow. Here are all of my favorite artists: CoH, Kangding Ray, Vladislav Delay, Fennesz, Pixel, SnD, Atom™, Byetone, and of course, Alva Noto. This compilation was originally given out for free with the ticket purchase for the OFFF Festival (Lisbon, May 2009), during which Raster-Noton showcased its artist roster in the same-titled event. With some unreleased material, this release is a must!

There’s a simple rule of thumb with this, common knowledge, if you will: if you’re feeling really sick, you must go to the hospital – seek professional help for all of your troubles. Hospital Records has previously brought us The Future Sound of Budapest, The Future Sound of Cambridge, and The Future Sound of Tokyo. It is now Russia’s turn to showcase the country’s drum’n'bass talent. And what a selection it is! Taking on a whole new range of the genre’s sub-styles, the 12 tracks on this unmixed compilation range from micro programmed minimalism to upbeat jazzy riffs that drop into the darkness with the saw-toothed bass, then soar up the cliff with ambiance. Among the well known are Bop and the recently signed Subwave. There are also many new faces here, such as Mendelayev, Engage, Nothing, Despot, and Mr Sizef. This release has only hit the streets, and it’s already blowing out my ceiling paint. Grab your CD, vinyl or digital download directly from the label.

Ten more mini-reviews of Compilations and Mixes of 2009, along with a list of 10 Honorable Mentions are in [part 2] of this article.

I’ve been a big fan of Jeff McIlwain, and his Lusine moniker since his 2002 release on Hymen, Iron City. His 2007 album as Lusine Icl (the suffix which, he told me, stands for “intercontinental”), Language Barrier made it to my Best of 2007 list. So it’s no wonder that I had to pick up his new Two Dots single when it was digitally released by Ghostly International this summer. Showcasing the vocals of Vilja Larjosto, McIlwain creates an electronic poppy tune that gets remixed by Dave Pezzner and further reverse-engineered by Jeff himself. As a teaser for his upcoming album, A Certain Distance, released later by Ghostly, I listened to the three tracks over and over, until the phrase “Two Dots” rang in my ears through many sleepless nights. And you know what that means… Be sure to pick up A Certain Distance.

I just can’t get into Mark Pritchard‘s entire discography at this moment. Let me just say that his involvement in Harmonic 33 and Global Communication has already changed the landscape of the electronic music scene. In 2008, Pritchard returned to the scene as Harmonic 313 with his dubstep influenced instrumental hip-hop album, When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence, on Warp. But for this EP, it’s the first time that Pritchard uses his real name. There are two tracks on this single put out by Ho Hum Records. The first one, mysteriously titled ?, is a dark ambient brooding piece with a few standout synth notes piercing through the thick chords like ice drops. On the second, The Hologram, Pritchard whips out his staple dark hip-hop beats with a dubstep flava. Pritchard’s style always leaves me thirsty for more of his music, so I’ll always keep a faithful watch on all of his odds and ends. Be sure to also pick up a 12″ single on Huperdub, featuring Om’mas Keith, titled Wind It Up.
– See also HC review of When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence

The CEO of Ableton, Gerhard Behles, should be proud. His old partner in crime behind the Monolake moniker, Robert Henke, is still going strong. This dub infused techno record with spacey pads and solid percussion continues to capture the staple sound of the German underground. This is the newest material since the release of Polygon Cities back in 2006. It is edgier, yet subdued, with the silent claw for dark-steppers. Purely atonal, with a synthetic woodwind hook and a riding minimal low-octave minor chord, the rhythm progresses steadily at 138 bpm, in beat with the Monolake fans’ feet. Torsten Pröfrock contributed a T++ remix as the newest member of Monolake on a separate vinyl. If you’re hungry for more, Monolake has self released quite a few free tracks directly on the label’s site. Also, be sure to check out Monolake’s recently announced new album, Silence, out on Imbalance Computer Music in December.

In April, Ólafur Arnalds set out on a quest to compose and release seven songs in seven days. These tracks were initially distributed via his Twitter account, and when the project ended, it was obvious that this was going to be a hit among his followers and fans of neo-classical music. On Found Songs, gentle piano melodies are complimented by soft strings and lightly sprinkled electronica. The music evokes nostalgia and melancholy. But what’s more important is that it touches your heart. Immediately and permanently. And you end up searching for the rest of this beauty through Arnalds’ previous EP, Variations of Static, and his 2007 full-length debut, Eulogy For Evolution. And you find it there. The seven vignettes on this mini release are accompanied by photos from the Found Songs flickr group, created by fans specifically for this project.  These tracks are still available for free from foundsongs.erasedtapes.com but I recommend that you pick-up a high-quality download,  limited CD, or a beautiful 10″ vinyl directly from Erased Tapes.
– See also HC review of Variations of Static and an article on Ólafur Arnalds

Here’s another great release from the Athens (Greece) based Spectraliquid label that brought us acts like Blackfilm, Subheim, and A Wake A Week. This is the label’s introduction to a sound designer, John Valasis, who goes by the name of Poordream. Influenced by the Zeitgeist movie series, the sound of Immaterial Monarch is apocalyptic in nature, mixing up downtempo, breaks, and melodic IDM. The title track features the famous Mad as Hell sample delivered in its entirety by Howard Beale from his 1976 film,Network. These words always remind me of despair, social slavery, and collapsing reality. The track is remixed by seven artists, coming from all different backgrounds and genres. The second track on the EP, Sound of Consciousness, features an amazing short speech on Spirituality and the Now delivered by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Accompanied by ambient sweeps and backdrop world beats, this is truly an experience in the now.
– See also HC review of Blackfilm and Subheim’s Approach

God damn it, I love Reso! There are so many flavors of dubstep out there, from melodic to grinding evil, but no one rips it up like Reso. Sharp saw teeth of the bass just ooze nastiness from the darkness of my soul. Alex Melia has been releasing mostly 12″ on a variety of labels, from Pitch Black, to Urban Graffiti to Ranking Records. This year, he returned to Civil Music with a Heavy Arms EP. And it’s everything that I expect from Reso. Pristine production, with heavy beats, and roaring bass that gurgles and stretches from here to your neighbor’s bed. There are four solid tracks on this EP with an additional remix by I.D. The latter collaboration must have worked out very well, since the duo released another three track 12″ on Smokin’ Sessions, titled Shifty. For the lovers of everything bass.
– See also HC review of Reso Live @ The Kinetic Playground

Ever since the reclusive Seattle-based artist only known by the name of The Sight Below has released his debut Glider on Ghostly International, I have become a fan. (OK, I actually know who this is, but I promised not to tell, so if you end up figuring it out from other sources you didn’t hear it from me!) On Murmur EP, The Sight Below returns with his known, perfected and applauded sound. Sweet ambient guitar sweeps flowing through the ether are accompanied by dub minor chords and punctuated pounding four-four kick. The tracks are complimented by two more remixes of No Place For Us by Eluvium and At First Touch by Simon Scott. The sound of ambient-dub-techno will appeal to followers of Yagya, Gas and bvdub. Oh, and if you were lucky enough to grab the super limited clear vinyl with a very special rare remix by Biosphere, consider me a foe. I know where you live, and I’m coming to get it.
– See also HC review of Glider, No Place For Us EP,  and Two and a Half Questions with The Sight Below

When Squarepusher released Just A Souvenir on Warp in 2008, the album received a handful of mixed reviews. I personally enjoyed it, and for those who heard between the notes, the follow up EP, Numbers Lucent, is more than just a treat. The familiar melodies and bass riffs originally explored on the album are now remixed with that Squarepusher flair. Here is the deeper slapping bass, the drilling breaks, some jungle rhythms, 90′s rave minor chords, and even 909 for spice. This is Tom Jenkinson the way you love him. The six tracks totaling 25 minutes on the EP should make it up to all the disappointed fans as well. If you loved the Big Loada, don’t let this EP slip off your radar! For the acoustic side of Jenkinson, make sure you pick up Squarepusher’s Solo Electric Bass 1 released this past August on Warp.
– See also HC review of Just A Souvenir

Leave it to Australia’s Hidden Shoal Records to wrap us in a warm blanket of sonic threads. And this EP by an English ambient drone architect, Stray Ghost, is no exception. Anthony Saggers reconstructs resonant chords through their decomposition and back. Contemplation of space and silence is always at the center, as blurry field recordings move in and out of focus. During the ten minutes of Réminiscences Et Rêves De Beauté, the thick layer of vaporous sound descends from the speakers and drips on the floor. Fans of William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops would feel right at home. This is the first release in a series of digital-only series, so make sure to grab yours directly from the the label. For more from Stray Ghost, pick up his latest limited edition album, An Avalanche Of Swollen Tongues, from Dead Pilot Records.

The founder and owner of the acclaimed American ambient and experimental label, 12k, releases a limited 7″ transparent vinyl that will make all drone heads drool. The digital edition contains an additional 23 minute Still Mix that in itself is worth obtaining. And on the two title tracks, Taylor Deupree slowly lullabies us with a gentle soundscape evoked by his own playing of e-bow, kalimba, harmonica, tambourine, claves, and an acoustic guitar. A light touch of an effect credited as “Cat Snoring” creates an auditory environment in which you cuddle and drown. This is a beautiful addition to all 12k connoisseurs. Oh, and did you get the Solo Andata release? It’s divine! For another timeless classic, be sure to pick up the 2009 release by Stephan Mathieu and Taylor Deupree titled Transcriptions from Spekk.
– See also HC review of Solo Andata

Love him or hate him, but you can’t let Venetian Snares simply pass in your peripheral vision. He comes at you strong, from every direction, with his insane rhythms that may only make sense when slowed down at a fraction of the original speed, and even then, what are those words that make me uncomfortable in all the wrong places? “Hey horse-teeth girl. I wanna make you make horsey noises.” It’s only Aaron Funk, tweaking it only the way he can, with Horsey Noises on Planet Mu. I can say so much about Funk, but must I really waste my breath on those unexposed to his sound? And are their innocent ears ready for the onslaught? Techno, breakcore, acid… Stir it up and drink it raw. And if there is no heartburn, follow up with Filfth – his last full length on Warp in 2009. And don’t forget Rossz Csillag Alatt Született!!!
– See also HC review of Detrimentalist

Well? Did you make it this far? Find something you like? Drop me a comment on here! Meanwhile I will ponder on covering my favorite compilations of 2009 before we get into the full final Best Of…

First up is a 22-minute limited edition mini-album from Benn Jordan (aka The Flashbulb) released by his own label, Alphabasic. On Louisiana Mourning, Jordan picks up his guitar and strums gentle acoustic chords in dedication to his friend, the late Charles Wesley Cooper, one half of Telefon Tel Aviv, who sadly passed away in January of 2009. Born and raised in Louisiana, Charlie’s death had a massive impact on the music scene, and in particular the Chicago community. Lousiana Mourning reflects the feelings expressed by Jordan during the eulogy of his lost friend, and serves as a timeless memorial of his short and fruitful life. This is as sad as it sounds. Some beautiful string work on here by Chihsuan Yang and Greg Hirte.
– See also Two and a Half Questions with Benn Jordan and Pale Blue Dot

In April, Evan Bartholomew released his highly anticipated full length on Aleph Zero, as Bluetech, titled The Divine Invasion. That was followed up with a Honey In The Heart EP on the same label in June. And a few days later we got this Call of the Wild EP on Autonomous Music as a free digital release. This 5 track EP of downtempo, breaks, and psybient sounds approaches almost the 30 minute mark, as Bartholomew revisits some of his signature Bluetech moves. And yes, you did see that I said this release was FREE, so how can you miss out on these crunchy, chunky, and melodic tunes? Grab this release, donate, and then proceed to checking out the rest of the label’s offerings, like Emancipator, Ott, and Phutureprimitive.
– See also Two and a Half Questions with Bluetech and The Devine Invasion

In July, Bop (pronounced “vor” which means “theif” in Russian) has finally released his debut full length on Med School (sub label of Hospital Records), titled Clear Your Mind. But prior to that, he teased us with a 12″ featuring only two tracks, Song About My Dog, and Random Thoughts. The music that Alexander Dmitriev releases is some of the most amazing, melodic, and intelligent drum’n'bass I have heard to date. In a way, it defies classification and begs for its own genre. You’ve got the thick deep rolling bass, the glitchy clicks, and the melodic synth sweeps, that all get wrapped up into a micro-programmed solid beat. Both tracks re-appear on his full length that you must hear. I have yet to give the album a proper writeup this year. But if you’re a vinyl junkie, this one is for keeps. Also check out Universum EP out on Sonorous and his free Autumn Studio Mix.

In May, the music scene was abuzz with a new collaboration from Burial and Four Tet. It seemed that everyone was talking about two tracks pressed on black vinyl with just an etching of the suspects. What should one expect when you combine the skills of an early child of electronica, Kieran Hebden, and the previously anonymous face of a euphoric dubstep artist, unmasked to be William Bevan? You get just that – infusion of dubstep over silky rolling beats. The A-side’s Moth is the winner for me on this record, with its memorable minor chord hook, vocal echoes, and minimal tech-house beat. That single track alone deserves a full writeup, and I wish the duo would take this formula and create a full length album!

In March Christopher Stephen Clark slammed us with a 6-track EP following his 2008 release, Turning Dragon out on Warp. Whoah! Clark is not going to let up anytime soon! This was quite a teaser for his upcoming full length later in the year, Totems Flare. But with only the title track reappearing on the album, this is an EP to add to your collection of solid tunes! Dark punctuated electro and techno beats are accompanied by experimental twists and even Clark’s own distorted voice on a title track! Don’t let this one accidentally drop off your radar. Seriously sick stuff for the fans of this innovative artist that continues to push the boundaries. And it’s just getting better and better!

Following Volker Bertelmann’s (Hauschka) 2008 critically acclaimed Ferndorf album, we are treated to a seven-track 40-minute extended EP of previously unreleased material recorded for the Ferndorf sessions. And since I haven’t had enough of this Düsseldorf-based pianist, who prepares the piano by modifying the hammers and inserting foil between the strings, this is a perfect companion for my hungry mind. The string duo adds a nice touch to the melancholic and nostalgic melodies, making this one of my favorite modern classical EPs of the year. This one came out early in the year on FatCat, and as if that wasn’t enough, there is a 300-limited 3″ CDr on an evasive label, Secret Furry Hole, titled Small Pieces. While you’re there check out similar releases by Library Tapes, Machinefabriek, and Peter Broderick.
– See also Two and a Half Questions with Hauschka and Ferndorf

Leave it to Planet Mu to spearhead the edgiest of the genres. This year, Mike Paradinas‘ (µ-Ziq) label doesn’t slow down with its output of releases across the spectrum of evolving sound. And leave it to Alan Myson (iTAL tEK) to drop some of the heaviest hip-hop influenced nasty bass on the title track, Massive Error. Following his 2008 album cYCLiCAL, Myson gave out a free track, Double, that did not make it onto the release. But it is for Planet Mu that he seems to reserve his crème de la crop. This selection contains five tracks spanning wonky dubstep, grimey beats, melodic IDM, and even a deep bass four-to-the-floor stepper. Be sure to also grab his latest 12″, Mako, released on his very own label, Atom River.
– See also Two and a Half Questions with iTAL tEK and cYCLiCAL

This mini album, limited to just 1000 copies, was only sold while Jóhann Jóhannsson was on his US tour. At under 37 minutes, the eleven tracks are taken from the Jóhannsson’s award-winning score for Marc Craste‘s animated film Varmints. Here are gentle strings and beautiful modern classical piano arrangements wrapped in light electronic processing that Jóhannsson is known for. His 2008 release Fordlandia left many critics in standing ovation. And this short soundtrack does not disappoint. The production is top notch with a performance from City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, and beautiful ghostly vocals from Michaela Srumova. Released on NTOV Phonoautogram, this is a must have for every fan. And you’ve got to see the animation! Here’s the trailer.
– See also Headphone Commute review of Fordlandia

Six Silicates is yet another gem from Jamie Watts (KiloWatts). Besides the fact that it tickles all the nerve endings of crunchy IDM receptors, this six track EP is absolutely FREE – it was released on a donation basis. Here are all the colors of Watts’ style – tight punchy beats, atmospheric swirls, and glitchy elements of soaring melodies. For 42 minutes, you will be entranced with a slight hint of ambient psychedelia, digital euphoria, and intelligent production. This EP is also co-released by one of the leading net-labels, Kahvi Collective and is available in a mixed form as a podcast. Be sure to also check out Watts’ recent ambient work, Undercurrent released this summer on Somnia Sound. Favorite track – Quartz.
– See also Two and a Half Questions with KiloWatts and Undercurrent

I don’t know what Ghostly is thinking, but the label is definitely heading in the right direction. Their recent signing of Scott Morgan (Loscil) demonstrates that they’re interested in exploring all depths of music, including its surreal ambient branch. The last time I checked, Morgan released Plume on Chicago’s Kranky label back in 2006. And it seems that he’s back with this three track digital EP. I can only hope that these minimalist and cinematic compositions, spreading over the soundscape like a cold textured cloud on a hot hazy day, are a prelude to a full length album by an artist whose alias is derived from a “looping oscillator” function. This is seriously delicious. Be sure to also check out Loscil’s free digital release, Stases, out on a Canadian “yet another netlabel”, One.

Once I got through reviewing the first half of EPs and singles, I realized that this article probably needs to be split in half. Point your clickers here and move on to 20 EPs of 2009 [part 2].

Have you noticed our new logo? That’s right! The new face of Headphone Commute is none other than Zoetica Ebb – artist, writer, photographer, style technician and a co-founder of Coilhouse magazine who has written up a praise for Headphone Commute, and now agreed to be our new protagonist, if you will. Let’s be honest – we think Zo is beautiful, and love the presence she adds to the music, the mood, and the weight of our words. We hope you feel the same. Check out Zoetica’s recently relaunched site, Biorequiem.com, and drop us a line on your thoughts.

We would also like to welcome Tigon as a new contributor to HC. Tigon has been following our write-ups for quiet some time, and finally decided to try his hand at writing. We’ve stumbled upon his reviews and they closely resembled our words and more importantly our taste. Basically, Tigon covered albums that we’ve lacked the time to praise. Not to mention the fact that his posts came at a time during our transition, becoming indispensable words to carry us through the move. Tigon’s recent reviews covered music by Proem, Rival Consoles, and even Alva Noto + Ryuchi Sakamoto, with a follow up of our Two and a Half Questions! We’re looking forward to having Tigon as a regular contributor to HC with many more great things to come!

And last, but not least, to carry you through the silence during this dreadful period of our relocation, we offer you another mix. This one is a little special to our hearts, titled Thank You, Chicago, Good Bye. Recorded live at Chicago’s Hidden Forms radio, WNUR 89.3FM, the one hour mix of crunchy IDM and melodic electronica features a handful of special tracks from significant moments during our five year stay in Chicago. It’s not exactly nostalgic or celebratory, but more of a marking point in time of yet another transition. Here are your usual suspects like Lusine, Hecq, Deru, Yasume, KiloWatts, Trentemøller and many more…

Download this free mix, and see full track listing only on Headphone Commute

Full Article has been ported over and is now available here:
Artificial Intelligence

What a great year! As I began my survey of the music that has left its imprint on my mind in the last twelve months, the entries quickly grew from ten, to fifty, and to one hundred and twenty five! How can I reasonably classify, rate, or group all of this music? And have I actually listened to all of the below entries? I have… Numerous times… Which is why it is especially difficult to compare one album to another. Each, a small macro universe of its own, a message wrapped into an auditory communication protocol, a memento of time embedded in memory. And what about all the music that I missed? By now I am completely convinced that it is not possible to keep up. Even for someone like me, who consumes on average five new albums a week. That is why lists like these are essential. A little stamp on a date which forces to reflect. And even it’s not final. Revisits and addendums will continuously warp the entries, imploring to come back and listen one more time. I would be absolutely grateful, if you find an album on here that speaks uniquely to you. Than my job has been complete. Meanwhile, I begin my long journey into albums that I failed to notice, as I pour over other recommendations and numerous lists.

This year saw an astonishing development in modern classical and ambient. It could be that the genre has grown on me more. But judging by the overall international appeal, it’s surely picking up. 2008 saw many artists familiar with the edgy breaks and micro-programmed beats drop the percussion altogether and recede into the realms of bliss and calmness. Dubstep continues to evolve, with the world looking towards UK for the latest and the greatest. Electronica and IDM keep getting crunchier and more experimental with a touch of melody for taste. Breakcore and drum’n'bass is becoming even more complex and definitely louder. Minimal techno has receded a bit into tech-house, restraining from the pounding grinds. And post-rock blended into shoe-gaze, into instrumental rock, and into indie, with a flavor of its own. Or at least that’s my take on it, and the direction that I’ve been heading in.

To present a list without ratings, I offer you the albums grouped in tiers, and sorted alphabetically. The 1st tier of 10 albums are the absolute must of 2008. They are all rated #1 in my mind, and can’t compete for that one desired place. In the 2nd tier I introduce the 25 albums that are truly the very best of 2008. I could rate them all #2 as they make up the top of the crop of the releases. In the 3rd tier of 40 albums, I go over the essentials of 2008 – the music that this year couldn’t be without. In the 4th tier are all the honorable mentions and compilations spanning another 50 albums. I assure you, that all of these are still getting playtime on my rotations. The 5th and final tier, is an aggregation of all the additional albums (not mentioned above) that have come from my readers. This list of 50 albums has been compiled from over 1200 entries with over 600 being unique. Lets just say that I spent a few hours in Excel to pivot, aggregate, and sort. The resulting entries are unique on their own, and many even new to me.

So enough of my chatter. Dig into the lists, the music, and its essence. Feel free to send your comments my way, submit something that I missed, or let me know if you’ve found something here that has left an impression on you. It is truly what keeps me going. And one more final thought. The digital age offers unlimited capabilities of distributed piracy. And I’m not here to preach. But if you truly love the music, then please go out and buy the album. Support the artist and the label. Without them this would be empty. And they give us so much more then a dirty cash can buy. Thank you. See you in 2009! ~HC

also on Headphone Commute

• Headphone Commute’s Best of 2007 (revisit)

Headphone Commute’s Top 50 of 2007
(listed in alphabetical order)
Aaron Spectre – Lost Tracks (Ad Noiseam)
Amon Tobin – Foley Room (Ninja Tune)
Apparat – Walls (Shitkatapult)
Architect – Lower Lip Interface (Hymen)
Balmorhea – Balmorhea (self)
Ben Frost – Theory Of Machines (Bedroom Community)
Boxcutter – Glyphic (Planet Mu)
Burial – Untrue (Hyperdub)
DJ Hidden – The Later After (Ad Noiseam)
DJ Kentaro – Enter (Ninja Tune)
DeepChord presents Echospace – The Coldest Season (Modern Love)
Elegi – Sistereis (Miasmah)
Eluvium – Copia (Temporary Residence)
Evan Bartholomew – Caverns of Time (Somnia)
Fennesz * Sakamoto – Cendre (Touch / Commons)
Goldmund – Two Point Discrimination (Western Vinyl)
Grails – Burning Off Impurities (Temporary Residence Limited)
Hauschka – Room To Expand (130701)
Hecq – 0000 (Hymen)
Kashiwa Daisuke – Program Music I (MIDI Creative / Noble)
Keef Baker – Redeye (Hymen)
Kettel – Whisper Me Wishes (Djak-Up-Bitch)
KiloWatts – Ground State (Native State)
Krill.Minima – Nautica (Native State)
Lights Out Asia – Tanks And Recognizers (n5MD)
Lusine ICL – Language Barrier (Hymen)
Manual – Lost Days, Open Skies And Streaming Tides (Darla)
Modeselektor – Happy Birthday! (BPitch Control)
Morning Recordings – The Welcome Kinetic (Loose Thread)
Mr. 76ix – 3 (Minority Of 1) (Skam)
Murcof – Cosmos (Leaf)
Near The Parenthesis – Of Soft Construction (n5MD)
Ólafur Arnalds – Eulogy For Evolution (Erased Tapes)
Onra – Chinoiseries (Label Rouge Prod / Favorite)
Pan Sonic – Katodivaihe / Cathodephase (Blast First Petite)
Porn Sword Tobacco – New Exclusive Olympic Heights (City Centre Offices)
Port-Royal – Afraid To Dance (Resonant)
Rafael Anton Irisarri – Daydreaming (Miasmah)
Sankt Otten – Wir Koennen Ja Freunde Bleiben (Hidden Shoal)
Stars Of The Lid – And Their Refinement Of The Decline (Kranky)
Stateless – Stateless (Studio !K7)
Swod – Sekunden (City Centre Offices)
The Cinematic Orchestra – Ma Fleur (Ninja Tune / Domino)
The Field – From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt)
The Flashbulb – That Missing Week (Alphabasic)
The World on Higher Downs – Land Patterns (Plop)
Valgeir Sigurðsson – Ekvílíbrium (Bedroom Community)
Venetian Snares – My Downfall (Planet Mu)
Vladislav Delay – Whistleblower (Huume)
World’s End Girlfriend – Hurtbreak Wonderland (Human Highway)

also on Headphone Commute

• Headphone Commute’s Best of 2008

Besides listening to albums and compilations, I do tend to consume a lot of mixes released around the net on various blogs, podcasts, and labels. Although this selection is pretty enormous, I’d like to take the time and document some of the mixes that have appeared in my rotations more than a few times, and will most likely remain on the list. The other, most important reason for this post, is so that I could share this music with you. And best of all, these are all FREE for you to grab right now!

Bop – Autumn Studio Mix (Sonorous Music)
This one was recommended to me very recently, and I have already listened to it a bunch of times. Bop compiles a mix of intelligent drum’n'bass with a hint of bass heavy IDM elements. This one is exclusive to Sonorous Music. A big portion of tracks are produced by St. Petersburg (Russia) based Bop himself, which is very impressive. The tracks are minimal, glitchy, and deep. Highly recommended. I’m definitely keeping my eye on Bop.

Anders Ilar – Love Fields (Electronique.it)
Anders sent me a copy of this mix himself, but it appears to be featured on Italian electronic music magazine and podcast, electronique.it. Ilar arranges an experimental glitchy mix layered with ambient and modern classical pieces, featuring Murcof, Alvo Noto, Deru, Kettel, krill.minima, Morgan Packard, and even Shadow Huntaz. An excellent selection and very fluid flow.

Luke Hess – mnml ssgs mx05 (mnml ssgs)
Here’s a mix featured on a blog I frequent, mnml ssgs, covering everything minimal. On this exclusive mix, Detroit based Luke Hess compiles up some tech house, minimal techno, and dub-tech, featuring tracks by himself, Sistema, Luciano, Efdemin, Urban Force and others. This mix has kept me upbeat, even during the most stressful situations. I especially remember bopping my head to the groove in the airport security line. Hope it does the same for you.

Jasper TX – mnml ssgs mx08 (mnml ssgs)
OK, while I’m still covering the mnml ssgs blog, here’s a treat from Dag Rosenqvist, aka Jasper TX. On this exclusive mix, Dag features some ambient, modern classical and minimal tracks from Eluvium, Tsukimono, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Machinefabriek, and himself with a beautifully crafted flow of sound. Don’t forget to add mnml ssgs your RSS feed and keep up with their nice writeups and a nice selection of exclusive mixes.

Surgeon – For Dog Faces Only (Spannered)
If you feel like hitting something a bit more harder, you can always count on the Surgeon. Put this in your pipe and smoke it. An excellent grind through Jeff Mills, Monolake, Joey Beltram, Basic Channel, The Surgeon himself and many of his other favorites. This mix comes from Spannered radio where it is still one of the most popular on their list. If you poke around on the site, there are a few more nice ones by Neil Landstrumm and Aaron Spectre that I recommend grabbing

Ambivalent & JPLS – M_nus 10-Year Anniversary Mix (XLR8R)
This mix, celebrating M_nus Records’ 10 year anniversary, appeared in XLR8R Podcast. I’ll be honest, that most of the magazine’s podcast episodes are blotchy, but this excellent mix features tracks from False, Heartthrob, Gaiser, Ambivalent, and of course, the label owner, Richie Hawtin and his famous Plastikman moniker. Pretty solid coverage of all the label’s favorites.

The Glitch Mob Mix (XLR8R)
Since I already mentioned the XLR8R podcast above, I might as well bring your attention to this compilation of the Los Angeles based collective, Glitch Mob, featuring some of the west-coast electro-infused instrumental hip-hop, chopped-up glitch and head-bopping beats. The names to watch for on this one are edIT, Ooah, Boreta & Eprom, and Clipse. Definitely a great party flavor there…

Pinch – EE.ORG 1st Anniversary Mix (Electronic Explorations)
It’s no secret by now, that for all of my dubstep needs, I regularly tune into Electronic Explorations podcast. Last week, EE celebrated its one-year anniversary, and Pinch contributed an exclusive mix featuring a handful of his own tracks, plus a few from Distance, 30Hz, Peverelist and Deleted Scenes. Apart from the continuous mix appearing in the middle of the podcast, Rob features a few of forthcoming releases from Planas, Mount Kimbie, and a favorite of mine, Reso. Just add this to your subscription list, grab previous episodes (all, if you ask me), and forget about searching for the latest tracks – Rob’s got it covered for you!

Amon Tobin – Solipsistic Nation No 82 (Solipsistic Nation)
Solipsistic Nation is yet another podcast that is regularly on my rotations list. This year, Bazooka Joe, covered a variety of the best styles in electronic music. My favorite episode happens to be his interview with Amon Tobin featuring some of his earlier tracks released under Cujo moniker. Besides the music, the interview itself is very informative, and although this is not really a continuous mix by Amon Tobin himself, I still felt compelled listing it here as one of the best for this year.

Emanuele Errante – Live Set (Somnia Podcast)
Somnia Records had only four episodes in its podcast this year, yet one of the labels artists, Emanuele Errante, happened to secure a spot with his exclusive Live Set. Grab this one to dive into some gorgeous ambient and modern classical. I really hope that Somnia will resume its podcast, perhaps featuring a live set by the label’s owner, Evan Bartholomew, who recently released another LP, “Phoenix Rising” under his famous Bluetech alias.

I’m going to leave off this post here, inviting you to submit some of your own favorite mixes of the year. Please chime in and drop off links to free and legal downloads. I’d be sure to check them out!!!