The sound of 2003


New new york: we gonna celebrate!

Electronic music. Music made by machines. Machines remixing others. People rappin' about computers. A laptop and a horse. This is the new land. Fucking with other's material is still one of the best way to go. Unexpected meeting. Unexpected way to use instruments. Listening to music is still far more interesting than suffering trying to record what you got in your mind. Advice for 2004: do what you want. Surprise yerself, and don't give a fuck about fashion. These boots are made for walkin' (and that's what they do).

In no particular order...
1
Wobbly / People Like Us / Matmos - Wide open space
(Tigerbeat 6)

who&what
the reunion, live on stage in SF of tops laptopists.
a live impro around the theme of 'western' and 'country': the funniest collection of far west sounds ever.
very well constructed for a live perfomance !
why?
because it's far more funny than 99% of all laptop 'exp' music.
because it works so well !

2
Takeo Toyoma - Hello 88
(Karaoke Kalk)

who&what
this guy from Japan, playing the piano. right ? he's from Osaka by the way.
why?
it's genius - I know this doesn't give you a lot of info, but believe me it's really good. A lot of piano, good drumworks, lots of good ideas, great vocals, overall, a VERY good ambiance. You're my hero, Takeo.

3
Outkast - Speakerboxx / The love below
(Arista)

who&what
the return of one of the craziest hip hop band: amazing producers, very funny guys, cool attitude.
a unique mix of instruments and beats and voices and layers of sounds everywhere. a 2 CD fresh album !
why?
they are on every TV / bestoftheyear / charts around the world. do they deserve it? yes. they are truly amazing.
Even if you don't like hip hop, you will love this album. The second CD 'the love below' is an amazing piece of work. clever, very clever.

4
L'atelier - Buffet des anciens eleves
(Institubes)

who&what
remember TTC? well, add even more glitchery and nanolaptop blips, good lyrics, and amazing production and you got the most interesting french hip hop band in years.
why?
TTC was already good, but this side project is even better. BUY IT NOW ! and if you speak french it's even better: )
even if you don't like...well, you know what I mean.

5
Blur - Think tank
(EMI)

who&what
a british band that doesn't care about been on top of the pops anymore.
why?
Blur is a creative-arty band, but everything they did before now seem pretty lame. This is their best album in years, if not ever. And its Marocco influence gives one of the best ambiance of 2003. Forget about the Norman Cook tracks, and enjoy some of the best popsongs in a long time.

6
Matmos - The civil war
(Matador)

who&what
They did Bjork - well, they produced Vespertine. Now they're back in their very own way - folk-elektronik-music.
why?
think Momus Folktronic with a less-homemade production, no vocals and more laptop glitchery and you got a wonderful 'concept' album (and a great design!). Yes, that's the second Matmos record on my list.

7
Sketch Show - Tronika
(Daisy World)

who&what
remember YMO ? well, it's YMO II: return of the lost producers. And they brought some friends this time.
why?
Yellow Magic Orchestra 2003 update? kinda. Laptop glitches, swedish lyrics, Cornelius remixes? yeah, that too.
Hosono & Takahashi are still geniuses. Where have you been guys?


8
Broadcast - Haha sound
(Warp)

who&what
Years in the studio, looking for the perfect album, Broadcast finally emerged.
why?
just for the time spend on this record they should be on this list, but the result is quite wonderful. An attention to details I have rarely seen before (how do they make those sounds??!), cute voice and very good song constructions are the key elements here.

9
Remixes.

who&what
yourself, your neighbor and your sister. or maybe your cat? oh, and Christian Fennesz, EYE and Mathew Herbert too.
why?
remixes are as much interesting as original material, if not better.

10
Your choice is the best.

who&what
your selection, here and now. It was your soundtrack for 2003, and I'm very curious about it. Tell me who/what/why. Share the taste. Give me a reason to spend even more money on records. Here you go !
why?
top 10 list are useless anyway. It's all about tastes !

More reasons to stay broke:
VA - PM Cornelius by Humans
junior Boys - LAst Exit (Fennesz remix)
Black Dice - Endless Happiness (EYE remix)
Polaris - Lemon (Masakazu Takagi rehome mix)
Oval - Wohnton Outtakes & Installation
Les Rallizes Denudes - LIVE'77
Colin Blunstone: one year (re-issue)
Active Suspension vs. Clapping Music - We are the Parisian Avant Garde (ok, it's not the official name I know !:)

See you in 2004 !!