Best Of 2011

Albums 

Africa Hitech – ‘93 Million Miles’ (Warp)

Barn Owl – ‘Lost In The Glare’ (Thrill Jockey)

Beyoncé – ‘4’ (Sony)

Frieder Butzmann – ‘Wie Zeit Vergeht’ (PAN-ACT)

Container – ‘LP’ (Spectrum Spools)

Contrepoison – ’…Until Next Morning’ (Avant!)

Cut Hands – ‘Afro Noise Vol.1’ (Susan Lawley)

Death Grips – ‘Ex Military’ (self-released)

Destroyer – ‘Kaputt’ (Dead Oceans)

Eternal Tapestry – ‘Beyond The Forth Door’ (Thrill Jockey)

Ricardo Donoso – ‘Progress Chance’ (Digitalis)

PJ Harvey – ‘Let England Shake’ (Vagrant)

Julia Holter – ‘Tragedy’ (Leaving)

Main Attrakionz – ‘808’s & Dark Grapes II’ (Mishka)

Niggas With Guitars – ‘Ethnic Frenzy’ (Digitalis)

Pariso – ‘Sooner Insignificant Better’ (Holy Roar)

Pikacyu*Makoto – ‘Om Sweet Home: We Are Shining Stars From Darkside’ (Riot Season)

Steve Reich – ‘WTC 9/11’ (Nonsuch)

Roly Porter – ‘Aftertime’ (Subtext)

R/S (Rehberg/Schmickler) – ‘USA’ (PAN-ACT)

Rustie – ‘Glass Swords’ (Warp)

Nicholas Szczepanik – ‘Please Stop Loving Me’ (Streamline)

The Weeknd – ‘House Of Balloons’ (self-released)

Wolves In The Throne Room – ‘Celestial Lineage’ (Southern)

Richard Youngs – ‘Amplifying Host’ (Jagjaguwar)

Compilations & Mixtapes

Juicy J – ‘Blue Dream & Lean’

Juicy J & Lex Luger – ‘Rubba Band Business 2’

‘Play That Beat Mr. Raja Vol. 1’ (Cartilage Records)

‘I Listen To The Wind That Obliterates My Traces’ (Dust-To-Digital)

‘Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound of Latin New York’ (Strut)

Clams Casino – ‘Instrumental’

Resident Advisor – ‘RA.282: Giorgio Gigli and Obtane’

Rock Tits DJ’s – ‘In Rock’

‘Music From Saharan Cellphones Vol. 1’ (Sahel Sounds)

Reissues

Christina Carter – ‘Texas Blues Working’ (Blackest Rainbow)

Kourosh Yaghmaei – ‘Back From The Brink: Pre-Revolution Psychedelic Rock From Iran 1973-1979’ (Now Again)

Albert Ayler: ‘Stockholm, Berlin 1966’ (Hat Hut) [NB: This record introduced me to ‘Lörrach, Paris 1966’ which I prefer]

Mahmoud Ahmed – ‘Jeguol Naw Betwa’ (Mississippi Records)

Jean-Claude Vannier – ‘Electro Rapide’ (Finders Keepers)

Daphne Oram – ‘The Oram Tapes: Volume One’ (Young Americans)

Roy Harper – various (Believe Digital)

Singles

Autre Ne Veut – ‘Sweetheart’ (Hippos In Tanks)

Azealia Banks – ‘212’ (self-released)

Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo – ‘Pause’ (Everyone Sang)

Benoit & Sergio – ‘Walk & Talk’ (Visionquest)

Beyoncé  – ‘Countdown’ (Sony)

Carmine – ‘Drive Through’ (self-released)

Death Grips -‘Spread Eagle Cross the Block’ (self-released)

Destroyer – ‘Kaputt’ (Dead Oceans)

Ricardo Donoso – ‘The North Quadrant (Ascension)’ (Digitalis)

EMA – ‘Butterfly Knife’ (Souterrain Transmissions)

Entrepreneurs feat. FOE & Ghostpoet – ‘Fuck Tactics’ (Fear & Records)

Mark Ernestus Meets BBC – ‘Mark Ernestus Meets BBC (Version)’ (Honest Jon’s)

Fatima Al Qadiri – ‘Hip Hop Spa’ (UNO)

Gang Gang Dance – ‘Mindkilla’  (4AD)

Implodes – ‘Meadowlands’ (Kranky)

Jojo – ‘Marvin’s Room (Can’t Do Better)’ (Streamline)

Loops Haunt – ‘Ark’ (Black Acre)

Moon Duo – ‘Goners’ (Sacred Bones)

Oneohtrix Point Never – ‘Replica’ (Mexican Summer)

Terius Nash – ‘Used To Be’ (self-released)

Pikacyu*Makoto – ‘AWA no UTA’ (Riot Season)

The Soft Moon – ‘Total Decay’ (Captured Tracks)

Trouble Books & Mark McGuire – ‘Floating Through Summer’ (Mexican Summer) 

U.S. Girls – ‘Island Song’ (Kraak)

The Weeknd – ‘House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls’ (self-released)