2018: A Year in Electronic Music
Today I would like to talk about my year in electronic music.
Below are my favorite dj, live, b2b (back to back) and ambient sets I have seen, witnessed and danced to this year, my favorite parties, my favorite podcasts / recorded sets of the year, and my favorite albums / eps of the year. There is no particular order and I limited myself to 12 per category.
My musical tastes include techno, ebm, industrial, electro, noise and ambient music. I have crafted this list after taking into consideration, the numerous parties, records, and podcasts I have listened to throughout the year. I have made this selection from my heavy podcast listening, weekly partygoing, and avid record listening.
For sets, I take into consideration, my experience, the track selection and overall mixing of the dj as well as the vibe and dancing experience they establish. Djs, curated and mix a sonic experience that take you into new experiences and places unknown. For live sets, I take into consideration how they perform, how they conjure the sonic experience taken for granted when listening to tracks. For ambient sets, I take into consideration the overall vibe, as well as expansion of time and space. Music experiences for me across all of the types above are a way for me to grow and expand consciousness as well as wellness. They have healing and transcending properties. The best sets take you out of your body and ground you at the same time. In my curation below I take these all into consideration.
For parties, it’s about the vibe, sound, lighting, curation, and overall experience crafted by the promoters, the djs/musicians, and sound + lighting technicians. A good party must have the best of all of these things to make it on my list. They cultivated the proper venue, atmosphere, and order of operations. For me a party can have good sets but, a great party is to have all of the above.
For mixes / recorded sets, these are the sets that have stuck with me throughout the year. When they came out they blew my mind and I played them til I couldn’t listen to it anymore. I limited myself to 1 per artist. Honestly it was hard to choose between mixes from the same artist. Zanias’ other 2018 podcasts (metamorph, lunacy) I love very much but I am not including here to make it fair for the other artists I want to include. Same thing with X-Tin, the Brvtalist Per Forma Mix and their UY mixes are excellent but not including here for the same reason.
For records, each ep have specific tracks I love that are played out throughout the year. For full length records, they take me on a journey and as a sonic experience bring me somewhere I never been before. They have several tracks that I love and hold dear. I included eps and full lengths together to give equal playing field. Records are artworks well crafted no matter the length or duration.
Hope you all like it! Enjoy! ❤
Top DJ Sets of 2018
Adam X at the RA 24 hour party at Nowadays
Amanda Mussi at Unter Discwoman at Sugar Hill
Ancient Methods at Hospital Fest at Knockdown Center
Courtesy at Sustain Release
DVS1 at Unter at Nowadays
Katie Rex at Synthicide at Bossa Nova Civic Club
Nerea at Synthicide at Bossa Nova Civic Club
Phase Fatale at Nails and Wax at Brooklyn Loft
Pure Immanence at Unter at the Gateway
Vatican Shadow at Synthicide at Saint Vitus Bar
Wata Igarashi at the Bunkerat Nowadays
X tin at Exile at Bossa Nova Civic Club
Zanias at Ribs and Techno rooftop party
Top B2B Sets
Otavio b2b Clarissa at Ribs and Techno rooftop party
Silent Servant b2b L.Sangre (8 hour set) at Nowadays
Zanias b2b Nerea at Ribs and Techno rooftop party
Top Live Sets:
Anatomy at Nothing Changes
Blush Response at Sonic Groove at Output
Headless Horseman at Elsewhere
JK Flesh @ Johnson Warehouse
Kontravoid at Synthicide at Saint Vitus Bar
Minimal Violence at Sustain Release
Orphx at Sonic Groove at Output
Schwefelgelb at Bound at Elsewhere / Zone 1
Silent Servant at Hospital Fest at Knockdown Center
Xosar at Mutual Dreaming at H0l0
Zanias at Synthicide at Zone 1 at Elsewhere
Best Ambient Sets:
Hypnotic Spa at Sustain Release
Maraliz Campos (live) at Exile
Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement at Elsewhere
Favorite Parties Overall:
Bound at Elsewhere in May
Exile September at Bossa Nova Civic Club
Hospital Fest at Knockdown Center
Pure Immanence in August at Bossa Nova Civic Club
Ribs and Techno on a Brooklyn rooftop in June
Sustain-Release
Sonic Groove Showcase at Output
Synthicide at Bossa Nova Civic Club in March
Synthicide at Bossa Nova Civic Club in May
Unter Birthday in April at Gateway
Favorite Mixes / Recorded Sets of 2018:
Ancient Methods XLR8R Podcast
Andi — Container Podcast 172
Christina Sealey — New Brvtalism №147
Courtesy — Truancy Volume 195
Dasha Rush — Reaktor ADE NDSM Warehouse
Fractions — Fleisch Podcast
Katie Rex — Fresh Kicks 80
Nur Jaber at Fusion Festival 2018
Pure Immanence — Live at Buttons
Reka — New Brvtalism №129
X Tin — Upperberry Vibrations
Zanias — The Forgotten CXXXV
Favorite Albums + Eps:
Adam X — Recon Mission
Ancient Methods — The Jericho Records
Answer Code Request — Gens
Fractions — Control
Headless Horseman — 47014
I Hate Models — Midnight Cults
JK Flesh — PI014
Kontravoid — Undone
Mass-X-Odus — Societal Decline
NX1 — BT (Bite Records)
Phase Fatale , Silent Servant — Confess
Silent Servant — Shadows of Death and Desire
Zanias — Into The All
Article written by John Rohrer
