Another list. I’ve been wondering if I’ve overstretched myself here. I spent a couple of days, two days before the New Year, traveling around my home prefecture, Nagano, with my youngest son. His birthday falls on December 31st and as part of his present this traveling was what he wanted to do. He wanted to visit neighboring cites, Ueda, Nagano, Matsumoto, and battle their “crews” at an arcade game called Taiko No Tatsujin. A drumming game he’s been hooked on for a few years – hence “Ban Ban Ton Ton” (Bang, Bang, Crash, Crash). 

So waiting for trains, riding trains, and waiting for him to try to set high-scores, I started working on a list. Armed with a pen, notepad, and with Discogs on my phone as fact-check, I tested myself on what tunes I could remember from the last decade. Tunes that at the time were of the now. No re-edits, remixes, or reissues*. If I could remember them, then surely they were the most important, to me at least.

Given the circumstances, this, of course, is not exhaustive – there are limits to even Dr. Rob`s internal database – but typing it up today I thought it was quite interesting this looking back, reflecting over the holidays, taking stock of the music I and others, sometime “colleagues”, championed on blogs and websites over the last ten years. I, we, consumed huge quantities of music. Devouring the past – everything we could get our hands on – playlists, tapes, videos, documentaries, books, interviews, articles, and hearsay – you couldn’t move for the stuff – in order to put the musical present into context, and keep an eye on the future. 

I look at this list and wonder if we didn’t redefine the “genre” that is impossible to define. It does plot a path. All of these tunes hold memories. They were records I reviewed, made by folks I interviewed, friends I made.

If we were looking for the Balearic Beat, did we find it?

*That list would go on forever.

A

Africaine 808 – Lagos New York

Afrobuddha – Zone

Kai Alce – Take A Chance (Fingers Mixes)

Alma Vox – Theme II

Andras – Gold Coast

Apiento – ESP (Lexx Sunset Ashram Remix) / The Orange Place

Asphodells – We Are The Axis (Daniel Avery Remix)

B

BAR – Welcome To BAR

Mark Barrott – Pathways Of Our Lives

Lars Bartkhun – Massai

Bawrut – Ciquita

Beautiful Swimmers – Big Coast

Chrysta Bell – Beat The Beat

Barnaby Bruce – Feel The Wheel

Bullion – Say Arr Ee

C

Central Executives – Loveray 79

Cherry Garcia – I Am The Circle

Copenema – Deixa A Música Tocar / Te Faz Bem

Coyote – San Raphael (Rune Lindbaek Remix)

Les Crocodiles – La Nuit Des Tropiques

Crooked Man – No Presets

D

Bako Dagnon – Le Guide De Le Revolution

Das Hobos – White Lines

Das Komplex – Like A Fish

Death In Vegas – Consequences Of Love (Chris & Cosey Remix)

Dedication – Let Me Rock You

Deep88 – Yo House / Nightwave

Denial Of Service – Sensou

Jake Denaji – Wuhti (DJ Sotofett’s Bhakti Crew Mix)

Die Verboten – 2007

Django Django – Skies Over Cairo

DJ Nature – Return Of The Savage

DJ Sotofett – Drippin’ For A Tripp

Dolo – Percussion 2

Dominique Dumont – Comme Ca

Dude Energy – Renee Running

E

El Perro Del Mar – Walk On By

Esa – Sabela De Cuba

F

Factory Floor – Two Different Ways

Timothy J. Fairplay – The Final Reel

Faze Action – Mangwana

Flamingo Flame – Simmer

Foster – Neon Life

Scott Frasier – Life Of Silence (Tim`s Fall Of Shame)

Friendly Fires & The Asphodells – Velo / Before Your Eyes

Fuga Ronto – Journey Unknown

G

Games – Strawberry Skies

Glass Candy – Getto Boys

H

House Of Spirits – Holding On

Hubbabubbaklubb – Mopedbart

I

Insanlar – Kime Ne

J

Murphy Jax – Its The Music

Jeri Jeri – Bamba

Jex Opolis – Senses / Sharing

K

Angelique Kidjo – Remain In Light

Kinetic Electronix – Roamin

King Clyde – Request Line

Korallreven – Honey Mine (Dan Lissivik Remix)

Bassekou Kouyate – Jama Ko

Femi Kuti – Eh Oh (Liza Richardson Remix)

KXP – 18 Hours Of Love

L

Juan Laya & Jorge Montiel – Crie Sua Realidade 

Leisure Connection – Jungle Dancing

Les Crocodiles – La Nuit Des Tropiques

Rune Lindbaek – Disko Romeiko / Wonder

Locussolus – Next To You

M

Makadem – Nyako

Mama – Unmask Me (Ashley Beedle Remix)

Mariam The Believer – Invisible Giving (Wolf Muller Remix)

Steve Mason – Am I Just A Man

Daniel Melingo – Narigon

Moodymann – Freeki Mutha Fucker / Moodymann

Mopmop – Kamakumba

Mudd & Pollard – Mawson`s Walk

Rui Murka – Amigos (Vahagn Remix)

Roisin Murphy – Mi Senti

Mystic Jungle Tribe – Qvisisana

N

Nautic – Freedom Of The Floor (Apiento & Andrew Hale Remix)

New Order – Restless

Molly Nilsson – American Express

Nancy Noise – Kaia Un Beso No Mata / Azizi`s Dance (all mixes)

No Zu – Raw Vis Vision

Nu Guinea – Nuova Napoli

O

Om Unit – Lavender

Onyricon – Sweet Dream

P

Jose Padilla – Lollipop (I-Cube Casio Remix) / Solito (Wolf Muller Mixes)

Paranoid London – Eating Glue

Parkway Rhythm – The Answer (T-Kut Dub) / Broad Street Pressure

Gregory Porter – 1960 What?

R

Rampi – Feel It Burn

Real Lies – World Peace

Ruf Dug – Sorta Rican

S

Saxsyndrum – Up To You

Gil Scott-Heron – Nothing New

Seahawks – Look At The Sun

SFire – SFire 2 (Kris Baha 86 Remix)

Sinkane – Jeeper Creeper

Skatebard – Confirmation Bias (Telephones Remix)

Soft Rocks – Talking Jungle (Justin Van Der Volgen Remix)

Soft Rocks – We Hunt Buffalo Now (Andrew Weatherall Remix)

Someone – Beat

Songhoy Blues – Should I Stay Or Should I Go / Kashmir

Soulwax – Heaven Scent

Storm Queen – Look Right Through

Yuki Suzuki – Need Your Love (Lee Douglas Remix)

T

Telephones – Blaff

Pat Thomas – Odoo Be Ba

U

Underground System – Bella Ciao (Leo Mas, Fabrice & Gigi Masin Remix)

V

Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold – Camel Toe Central

W

Jessie Ware – Running

Wavetest – Wrong Planet

Matthew E. White – Big Love

Paul White – Where You Gonna Go?

Wild Rumpus – Cloud Hopping

Woodleigh Research Facility – Taqiya

Y

Yanga – Encendemos

Z

Zentash Gigawatt – Lost In The Jungle