I recently asked friends in the music business and beyond to list the 10 pieces of music that made their year. Today, our music brother from another mother, Minusbaby, tells it how it is.
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I went with an intro rather than copy for each album because I find that a bit impossible.
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I have this slight problem where I spend each year listening to albums released the one prior; releases spattered between my obsession with three decades beginning with 1950. The habit has yet to let me down and will never be a source of guilt, but the detachment from what my contemporaries and their friends are up to is admittedly awkward at times.
But, because I’m perversely selective with new music – often unfairly comparing everything to what had already been written in the ’70s and before [in good jest (usually)] – year-end top ten lists are an easy batch to pick. They all relate to my favorite musical periods and will be a part of some grand list in fifty years time where the day’s albums will appear alongside slept-on noise EPs made from amplified recordings of the ridges on fingernails, ghostly Delta blues mastered from bourbon-spotted and -rusted tape reels and minimal electronic music rescued as OGG files from cheap CD-Rs.
Respecting time and pattern, it’s no surprise nor bother to make every year an anachronous, sonic jumble. We all find the music we love in due time. So yeah, it’s not a slight problem after all.
Here are 10 of what I enjoyed in 2010, in alphabetical order.
!!! · Strange Weather, Isn’t It? · Warp Records
http://chkchkchk.net/
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Alva Noto · For 2 · Line
http://www.alvanoto.com/
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Autechre · Move of Ten · Warp Records
http://www.autechre.ws/
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Balún · Memoria Textil · Sgulp! Discos
http://balunonline.com/
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Baths · Cerulean · Anticon
http://www.facebook.com/bathsmusic
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Mesak · School of Mesak · Harmonia
http://www.mesak.net/
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Rob Swift · The Architect · Ipecac Recordings
http://www.djrobswift.com/
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SE · L36 · Tympanik Audio
http://tympanikaudio.com/releases/ta039
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sylcmyk · sylcmyk · Self-released
http://www.sylcmyk.com/chip
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Tame Impala · Innerspeaker · Modular Recordings
http://www.tameimpala.com/
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Minusbaby is an electronic musician, long-time 8bitpeoples member, designer and pixel artist whom I met at 2009’s FMEL in Chicago. This was also the first time I saw him live on stage and will admit I was very confused because it looked like he was texting but what he was doing was creating a beautiful soundtrack to what was a beautiful night. Schooled! I’ve been stalking him ever since. He is a genius of the chip tune genre and has toured the world spreading his gospel to the masses. Minusbaby’s next album, “Saudade for Amateurs“, will be released on vinyl next year by San Francisco-based monobomb records. He lives in New York City.
