WDPK’s Top 10 of 2011
It’s that time of the year again, folks, where this author recaps this year in music, which was TREMENDOUS mind you. But before I get into the good stuff, here’s a little about me in case you’re wondering. If not, skip below to the bold sections…
- I moved away from an iPhone and got an Android phone.
- I momentarily had a Blackberry, laughed, sold the phone and went back to my Android.
- I was hit by a car. Then after I kicked the car after he tried fleeing, he and his friends returned to try and fight my friends and I. Ultimately, this buster was arrested in October.
- I went to New York, and holy shit I want to go back. The girlface and I visited the spot John Lennon was assassinated.
- I began my final year of University.
- I move to midtown with my girlfriend, away from people that hit people with cars and attack them after.
So that’s that guys, my year in a nutshell. But none of the above could have happened without music. In particular, these 10 songs made 2011 a year to cream about musically. Let’s get this party started.
10) Patrice Baumel – Mike Tyson
We start at number 10 with a devastating techno number in the form Mike Tyson. This number is constant progression, has bass as wicked as Mike Tyson’s power and an outro that segways perfectly for other song mixtures. Here’s what I said about Mike Tyson earlier this year, “how knocking on someone’s door should sound like…” What the?!
Techno perfection. Someone on Soundcloud states, “fight back!” Now I don’t know what that means but it must be heavy. What did I say in 2011? “…sure to give you an auditory orgasm.”
8) Renaissance Man – Stalker Humanoid
Have you ever wondered what a gong would sound like in a dance song? Renaissance Man did and put it into practice with Stalker Humanoid. I’ve been wanting Renaissance Man to debut an album for years and as soon as I heard Turbo Records acquired the duo, I was stoked. Some months later and their album drops, in my ears a work of art, but for the ears of others a disappointment. Stalker Humanoid is perhaps the danciest and grittiest thing they released on their LP.
7) The Art Department – Without You
Toronto’s own The Art Department championed a sound so distinct that it sends chills down my spine. Earlier this year, I said, “… maybe the vocals are about house music… I just can’t make it without you, house music. By the way, how awesome is the name The Art Department?“
6) Blawan – What You Do With What You Have
This one is a juggernaut. This number is so wicked that being so high up on the chart means that the numbers below need to be immaculate, which they are. Nonetheless, I had this to say, which didn’t make sense then and still doesn’t now, ““[this] is heavy, heavy like an elephant riding a submarine.”
The moment this song graced my ears, I needed to own it. If it could take a physical form I would put it on my shelf so that I could see it and cherish it everyday as I walk by it. “A brilliant 2011 spin on a 90s R&B/Pop style.” There is something utterly charming about the vibe of this tune juxtaposed with the vocals – a perfect combo.
The collaboration of Luca C and Ali Love is one of excellence. Earlier this year I blogged, “[Games possesses] undeniable funk charm and its ridiculously catchy vocals, because we can all agree it’s righteous.” Some of us disco dancers might think singing about our feelings is lame. I know you thugs out there can definitely agree. But Ali Love (I almost typed Ali G) brings emotion back with this unforgettable disco ensemble.
If there is a single musician to get you in a genre, could you pinpoint who he or she is? For dubstep and all of its wobowobowobo greatness, that artist is James Blake. Although he is considered into that genre, it is so subtle and it magnificently combines aspects of R&B (boy, this list is turning out to be quite the contrast from 2010). This song moves me the same way I’m moved when I wake up next to my girlfriend – ecstasy.
If you’re a WDPK regular, you knew Azari & III would make it on my top 10 list but you may not have known in what form. Manic is so good that explaining why is so very difficult. I’m frantically finding a way to articulate here but I simply cannot. Earlier in 2011, WDPK said, “Not only are the vocals maniacally correct but so too is the looping ‘mmmmhmmm’ over and over, frantically beautiful. This is most definitely my song for summer 2011 and it will be yours too.” The mmmmhmmm is truly this song’s niche – that is, by transforming it into a danceable melody that is very hard to duplicate, Manic has solidified itself, in my eyes at least, as a house music staple. How many is that for Azari & III, like four house music staples now?
1) The Chain – Suffer For Your Art
So how on Earth could Manic rank second… who or what placed WDPK’s golden child at number two? The Chain motherfuckers, The Chain. I undermined Suffer For Your Art’s resonance earlier this year, “… the smooth ominous base of The Chain’s Suffer for Your Art only to be complemented by the Chicago synths (this is one of the freshest bits of techno I’ve heard in awhile).” But it’s much much much more than that. The retro vibes. The video-game like synths. The vocals. The whispers. The bass. The rhythm. If God had a ringtone, he would definitely be using The Chain’s Suffer For Your Art. That’s right, I think this piece is godly and that is why it takes the number one spot on WDPK’s top 10 of 2011. (I feel as though this number isn’t getting the attention it deserves. This is a criminally underrated song and hopefully this will make some waves.)
This is probably the last time I’ll say this for 2011 but join WDPK’s Facebook fanpage and spread the word. Check back as I will discuss the albums, their highs and lows, of 2011.
great list. I would have put Sei A’s remix of Hungry For The Power, but fuck me, you’re up.