Techno, Afro-funk, hip-hop, modern classical, house, surf rock and so on.
In 2021, what would you do if you were an artist who listened to music on the spot to really make a difference?
Well, if you are any individual or collective on this list, you let it inspire your creative spirit: summon huge club cuts to turn your living room into a dance floor; shake your tail feathers during your day's -2C walk In Phuket, while trying the Next Top Chef Of Nowhere kitchen effort, the soundtrack of melting eyebrows.
No matter what environment they play and listen to, these EPs and singles manage to evoke the emotions usually reserved for the collective musical experience.
When will these moments come this year? The boys are their triumphant and sweet.
These are the EPs and singles recommended by VF Magazine in 2021.
The year-end report of VF Magazine highlights our favorite record of the past 12 months-the editorial team is returning to music over and over again in 2021.
Violet – Espírito EP and Eris Drew mixed by Violet
Portugal's Violet returned to her own Naive label with Espírito, featuring her own work and redo, plus a mix from the founder of "Motherbeat" and Breakbeat mistress Eris Drew. EP references iconic American electronic styles in six tracks-from Detroit electronic music to New York's hard beat tribal house aesthetics, reminiscent of electronic visionaries in the 90s. Violet begins with'Espirito', which is a rough rhythm for the dance floor, and'After Forever' builds sonic energy before the broken percussive euphoria of'Psyche'. On the other hand, three reimaginations of these tracks are presented, from Drew's complex breakthrough energy to the quiet electronic frequencies of the deconstruction of the "Psyche" environment. – Emily Hill
Paula Tape’s Astroturismo EP injects tropical house Phuket directly into your sound waves. Like any one released this year, it can instantly create a holiday atmosphere. (Given the roller coaster experience of the past 12 months, this is a very popular emotion.) By dunking in the deep room, Italo and Balearic are equal, four tracks see Tape provide stronger numbers on the A side, and then drop Contrary to more bulky airplanes. Astroturisomo marks the culmination of Tape's various highlights in 2021-check out her global FM shows for more fun, and the mark of an outstanding rhythm group staff. – Gabriela Helfert
BIPP (Autechre Mx) / UNISIL by SOPHIE
In 2021, the world tragically lost one of the most dazzling stars, the inspired SOPHIE-her personal work and collaboration with pop stars have changed the boundaries of music. As one of the only mixes approved by SOPHIE before it passed, Numbers showed off the spectacular version of Autechre "BIPP" and the previously unreleased track "UNSIL". Autechre reimagined but retained the integrity of the iconic original, turning SOPHIE's original glass electronics into a rhythmic alternative chugger. Side B'UNSIL' is a two-minute crisp and pure club perfection-an extraordinary work by an outstanding artist. – EH
After joining the "alternative idol" pop band BiS in the early 2010s, it became famous in Japan, and Tian Tianzi turned to experimental electronic products to be very popular. Her first LP of the same name in 2018 hinted at the upcoming sound reshaping, but Tentenko's excellent split with Kopy and Super Mild LP loudly announced her true intentions for her rapid love of underground electronic sound. Tentenko returns with more industrial nodding tracks on An Antworten, presenting an agitated, disturbing audio landscape. EP also has mixes from MM/KM, Nika Son, and Tolouse Low Trax, and their exemplary remake brings her work track into a darker dimension. – LR
Instructors like Mike Banks with Underground Resistance and jazz fan Marcus Belgrade, and considering the relevant personnel, before you even hear the EP by the Auto City resident Jon Dixon, the stakes are high. The exciting thing is that Detroit Get Down is very good. With strong rhythm-driven Detroit percussion as his framework, he puts overtones on it in various ways: looping vocals, key segments, and lively horn editing. Guest appearances from Moodymann, Kasan Belgrave and Sarah Charles further added interest to the whole process. It turned out to be very fashionable in an obvious Detroit way, and with two mixes, the same amazing trip to the same destination when flipped. – GH
This year, Eliza Rose launched its own brand Rosebud Recordings to capture the sound of "underground London" and deal with the whitewash and gender imbalance in British garages and more generally electronic music. Collaborating with Cody Currie is a smart move, Rose's singing swaying sexyly in Currie's leisurely work. Among its 4 tracks — 2 original songs, plus dubbing and Dan Shake mixes — EP moves between jazz-influenced houses, garages, and broken beats. The first is the main track, Shake uses the latter to perform, playing his editing of "Flame" through broken beat shapes. On side B, Eliza Rose's charming voice nodded to the early Eglo Floating Points stepping on "Another Love", while staring firmly at the future with both feet. Considering Flame and the other two editions released this year, Rosebud Recordings is a label that will bloom as charmingly as the flower from which its name comes from. – LR
Jlin is famous for her footwork works. However, in her latest EP, she also began to explore the "mutant techno" strain. Prominent repertoires include the nominal opening song, which has enough vitality to power an industrial factory, and the fuzzy texture of "autopilot" summons "robot police intersections, and high-speed virtual highways in the sky." If Jlin made this music to get rid of her own mind, the effect is mutual: the electronic products of the brain's spinning are so good that you don't even have time to think. – LR
For the fourth part of the PAN limited edition 12-inch series, the brand welcomes Toronto's defeat of experimentalist E-Saggila and Helsinki's "Changeless" founder Exploited Body. EP will shine on the dance floor, providing the national anthem infused with unabashedly gorgeous industrial technology. E-Saggila took control of the A side, opened with the'Cluebeat' digital jungle trend, and then used slamming techno to carry out nuclear design on the '83C'. On the other hand, the energy has not diminished: Exploited Body combines dramatic synthesizer work with gorgeous drum music to create two explosive big room techno rumbles. – EH
Ploy has honed his ability to make whirling dervishes, peak-time engine speeds, and launched his deaf test label as a home for his own production and collaborative efforts. (The name of the label refers to the hearing loss Ploy suffered when he was a child, and he was deaf in one ear when he was young.) As expected, the first EP, Rayhana, came from himself. The main track "Rayhana" proved to be a suitable start, because Ploy turned the energy up and wrapped the synth crank around the Baylor hook, getting tighter and tighter. Soon after, "Dark Lavis" used Arabic synthesizer riffs to increase energy levels, and then "5G" performed with a d'n'b rattle at a speed of 142 bpm. In short: yes, yes, please, we fucking gone. – GH
Japanese musician and producer Shintaro Sakamoto is a unique spiritual fuel rock music provider that exudes an aura similar to Haruomi Hosono. In other words, he is not afraid of strange flowers. His album The Feeling Of Love recorded during the pandemic demonstrated this excellent experimentalism in his vague surf rock glow. In the flute and portamento guitar, "Obscure Nightclub" distorts the high-pitched singing and the baby's vibrato into sounds that resemble chipmunks and goats rather than humans. Elsewhere, "By Swallon Season" abandons the blossoming flowers and focuses only on Sakamoto's sound and guitar, as well as drums and funny and fashionable urban pop saxophone solo. When Sakamoto is obsessed with you in this dazzling psychedelic land, you will only hope that the journey will be longer. – GH
SHERELLE swings the torch at a speed of 160+ bps, and the output in 2021 can only be described as a killer-whether it is through her own work, mixing, DJ settings, or the launch of her new creative platform Beautiful. In addition to her own projects, she is also a strong supporter of the much-needed paradigm shift in dance music.
SHERELLE's debut work 12" is just the tip of this artistic iceberg, which also includes her excellent fabric presentation mix, and the digital compilation Beautiful Vol. 1. (both are favorites of the year.) But back to the problematic 12 inches. ..... 160 DOWN THE A106. As its name implies, the percussion of the title song is whipped at a speed of 160 here, inspired by earworms that clink from the hooks of the synthesizer. Side B It spins emotions into more exciting terrain with its key flashes and unbalanced drum patterns. As all this unfolds in a year like 2021, we can’t wait to see how SHERELLE continues. What the rise and rise will bring.
After their 2020 debut, Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin further deepened the hypnotic fog of their exciting hip-hop music with the same excellent $mokebreak. EP marks one aspect of another super year for both parties, especially Pink Siifu and his Gumbo album, which just missed our album list due to their digital format. On $mokebreak, they invited good friends to join: Fosheé, Chuck Strangers, ZelooperZ, MAVI, YUNGMORPHEUS, Koncept Jack$on, Big Kahuna OG, 3wayslim and Peso Gordon, all of them helped in their soul sampling evening. Although this record includes works by Black Noi$e, Ahwlee, Budgie, Ohbliv, Graymatter, ewonee and iiye, it still keeps the sound in sync. In other words, imagine what would happen if someone like Inflo extended his touch to the entire shebang.
Ejokawulida of Nilotika Cultural Orchestra
Nyege Nyege Tapes released the shocking debut of two trackers from Nilotika Drum Ensemble, with dynamic drumming works that transcend the traditional language of Bungdan percussion. The band is composed of seven drummers. Under the leadership of Jajja Kalanda, their collective energy synthesizes a fierce rhythm pattern that attracts the attention of the audience-attracting them to the dance. The original multi-rhythm has acoustic technology and trance echoes. Each layer of percussion is complex and interesting, and is connected to the musical heritage of different parts of Uganda.
Ah, the charming charm of acid hook. In capable hands, these improvisations are like snake charmers, making you dazzled and in a trance. This is the case with Ukrainian/Australian Tim Jackiw’s excellent Vanishing Point EP on Seventh Sign. This sounds best on the B side thanks to the 6-minute roller "Wisteria", and thanks to its endless fascinating loop hooks that can dance gracefully around sci-fi nunchakus and bops, it can teleport you to the interstellar dimension. (Of course, the rest of the EP is also very exciting.) We have said before, but we have to repeat it again: B2 don't let it go, the best magic is often there waiting.
In 2021, Parisian artist Bambounou launched his own Bambe mark. Its solid debut Cascade release-showing some of our favorite artworks of the year-seeing Bambounou plunge headlong into a psychedelic acid lair-is well worth listening to repeatedly. However, the split EP between Bambounou and Bruce is the most exciting and trembling, using the above-mentioned sensitivity and presenting three clips for different emotions. The Final Conference kicked off with the'Crash' slippery line of fire technology, quickly eliminating anyone who was timid. Rai's sparkling synth vortex brings euphoria-this is one of the most enjoyable Techno tracks of the year, and there is no euphoria elsewhere. The two producers are not afraid to let their editing and dance dance freely. In a fashionable way, the title song "Final Meeting" reduces the bpm and emotions to a hypnotic state and enters the terrain of "deep night".
Australian-born producer Logic1000 continues to hone her craft with precision and keen ears, and demonstrates the ability to use pens to make fascinating popular hooks that are still rooted underground. Youve Got The Whole Night To Go reproduces the atmosphere of a nightclub that has been perfectly acoustically processed, with luxurious instruments, and clever use of separation and reverberation, so that every element can breathe. The old-school charm permeates the record, walking through the vibrant electronic music, the electronic music full of cowbells, the carnival of the 90s and the garage-each track has its own unique personality, as if capturing the long night on the dance floor Snapshot. – AW
Although Bulavan may have accepted a farm life during the coronavirus pandemic and became a full-time dairy farmer in Germany, there is nothing idyllic in "Wake Up Right Hand". Although "Under Belly" complements its haunted amusement park with its shaky club supersonic aesthetics, the other four tracks of EP are equally powerful. The EP bursts out with bursts of cheerful drums, Blawan's own singing and cunning electronic devices. It is the perfect soundtrack for parties around the world. For an artist who is so firmly rooted in the technique of "head down"—don’t look at “Immulsion” anymore—Woke Up Right is a powerful statement of experimentation and artistic freedom. – LR
Elkka, also known as Emma Kirby-London DJ, producer and head of record label-made its debut on the Ninja Tune sub-label Technicolor, with two outstanding EP Euphoric Melodies and Harmonic Frequencies. We return to Euphoric Melodies over and over again, creating a dance floor wherever we play it, thanks to its five-track ecstatic hook. In the gleaming synthesizer construction, Euphoric Melodies explored intimate moments, fighting against thriving existence and public desires. In addition to its theme inspiration, these tunes are also very attractive, reminiscent of the best charming qualities of the four Spring Festivals or reindeer. By using different bpm in its 5 tracks, you can hear the breadth of Kirby's talent as a producer. For example, the opening song "Burnt Orange" is a gentle national anthem that loops the drooping vocals into its shiny hooks. Elsewhere, "Alexandra" is the pulse of young hedonism. All in all, Euphoric Melodies are full of warmth, inviting the listener to enter and allowing the body to recalibrate. Considering that we have all spent this year, this is no easy task. – EH
Yagana was born in the same way as all great records: improvisation after the bar. Just as Pigeon seems to have young, free-flowing energy, so does their first EP, linking the dots between Afro-disco, no wave, jazz, disco, and retro synthesis experiments. However, the real charm of Yagana lies in the voice of Guinean singer Falle Nioke. He sang with Susu, Wolof and Malink, exploring desire, homesickness, family and separation with rare and amazing emotional dexterity. In the end, Yagana is a blazing EP that confidently achieves the goal of the best premiere: it creates excitement for the future. – LR
Few records this year are as emotionally evocative as cktrl's zero record. Similar to sipping a philtre slowly, cktrl's harp and clarinet expand throughout the body, warming and cooling the soul in the same way. Although the instrumental repertoire "maze" itself is quiet, the key to EP lies in its vocal contribution. Mereba's heartbreaking voice stretches across the universe like a beam of light. She calls "from infinity to zero", while the singing of anaiss, Annahstasia and Anajah overlaps and circulates among each other. cktrl may present zero as a study of love, but EP seems more: a celebration of freedom and change. – LR
If you’ve been to any club or music festival in the past 12 months, you’ll hear Overmono’s tunes sounded from the speaker stack: here is the future garage vocal tremor, there is the synthesizer hook that can be used alone . On the basis of the rise in 2020, the brother duo has successfully won the hearts of people who love dance in the past year. This proves their growing strength in creating electronic national anthems, with one or two small changes-mainly using electronic music, garage and breakbeat to create their tracks.
Any of their releases in the past 12 months may surpass our favorites at the end of the year, especially their Fabric portfolio, which also includes their excellent "So U Kno". The recently released 12-inch "Diamond Cut"/"Bby" is firmly at the top of our annual chart-showing two tracks that will attract staff at 5 am and craft lovers during peak hours. The "Diamond Cut" on the A side weaves a sultry r'n'b vocal loop through its dubbed bass swing to stunning effects; it is a shower and a planter-a popular appeal Head. On the other hand, the other side of the sonic coin of'Bby' which is the same as their beloved song'So U Kno' passes through a more shimmering late night with the lens closed. – GH
Yves Tumor was once a master of joyous rock bands, following Heaven To A Tortured Mind (one of our favorite albums of 2020), The Asymptotical World was unexpected and very popular. Putting aside the flash of LP's gorgeous rock and roll, Tumor effortlessly incorporates post-punk, pop rock, grunge rock, and even new wave fields into the 6 songs of The Asymptotical World. At the end of all this, Yves Tumor's starry light was even more dazzling, further elevating him to today's modern rock throne. – GH
Following its launch in 2020, SHERELLE and NAINA’s Hooversound Recordings label ushered in a year that can only be described as a killer. However, the most eye-catching and most-played collaboration is the prolific collaboration between Paul Woolford and Tim Reaper.
The EP was remastered from the four tracks from Special Request's 2019 album Zero Fucks. Reaper saw these tunes and turned them into exciting new things—as any great mix should be.
When the opening line "Elysian Fields" passed a smooth break, "Straight Off The Block" added a frenetic and heavy drum sound, allowing the party to continue. Elsewhere,'Quiet Storm' has retained its name with its shiny electronic equipment and elegant vocal samples. Before'Pull Up','Pull Up' was between the crystal-clear electronic flash and carnival preparations. Provides-sometimes-almost melancholic interpretation of jungle moments. Although Reaper has had a great year-with amazing releases on Banoffee Pies White Label and Lobster Theremin-his collaboration with SR stands out because of its emotional level, which is what we like in our favorite d Seen in'n'b. – LR
"Am I imagining or did I find that you are singing my song? I think you are very interested in me," George Riley said in the opening remarks of Anz's cheerful dance pop tone "You May". For potential love interests, this is both a declaration to anyone listening to Anz's music today, and a shy whisper. "You may be" is also an unlikely transition, from a producer who might have been called a technical artist before—for those who insist on putting her in a reduction box, that is to say. This is the beauty of watching Anz's evolving production magic. As her production prowess spans a wide range of voices, her influence and output on British dance is increasingly difficult to define. Anz is likely to release trembling electronic music, banging breakdance and lively British chic, because she is inspiring pop dance music, synthesizer tunes and nodding to draw top garage pops.
Her Ninja Tune debut "All Hours" was produced as "the soundtrack from sunrise to the next 24 hours", which brilliantly summarizes the kaleidoscope of going out at night, jumping between the highs and lows of the same song. "Decisions (AM Intro)" flashes the popular pleasure of "You could Be". Soon, the jumping and fashionable vocal loop of "Real Enough To Feel Good" entered the trial, and was brought back to the earth with the ear strike of "Inna Dance". At the beginning, even for the fifth time, listen, "Last Before Lights" added a variety of chaotic effects to the mix, and then summoned harmony from the noise. Just like the last moment before the club lights come on, you will hear the night’s laughter echoing in "Quest Select (AM Outro)".
Anz is not a piece of effort to become a metaphor for fashion dance, but is completely moving in another direction. EP is by far the most exciting statement of fulfilling her electronic intent. Of course, this is by design. In All Hours, she seamlessly expanded each track into another, realizing this concept, and in the process created a night of perfect soundtrack-no matter where you are -. – GH
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