London production unit Nowa Huta put out a fine debut EP a few months ago and a great set of three new songs recently. Here’s what they liked in music in 2011.
To avoid mentioning a lotta the same shit as a bunch of other lists, we gonna try & rep a few tunes that haven’t been mentioned quite so much… (Albums by Terius Nash, Clams Casino, Oneohtrix & Watch The Throne were v special this year tho… Just sayin’.) Here we go:
Palmistry – ‘Black Creps’
First few seconds of this alone are enough to crush hearts… Where the synths sound like waking up in a dream-haze and then suddenly remembering that the one you love has gone away. Deep. Grimey. Genuine classic. Man, I can listen to this one over & over…
Loney, Dear – ‘My Heart (Holy Strays rmx)’
Holy Strays didn’t get enough love for this… What was an earnestly triumphant indie-folk thing is recast into this thick psych-stew of yearning, based around a stuttering beat that almost falls apart at the end of every bar, only just about held together by a metronomic ticking clock. This guy operates in a new and special place.
William Cody Watson: Night Music for Driving
This album is like a composite soundtrack to every road movie ever. Simultaneously seductive and menacing – it throbs and flows like a machine come alive. Drive around at night with this on and nowhere to go – get lost with it.
Ghost Town DJs – ‘My Boo (Balam Acab remix)’
Ok, lots of people probably heard this already, but it’s sublime qualities were quickly passed over I think… The care taken over every element that seeps in over the course of these 3 1/2 minutes, that so deftly develop the sense of depth… Just incredible. Check those sheets of metallic noise that make the last chorus the biggest = best Balam Acab production this year.
.cp – ‘Can’t Get You out of My Head’
Insanely beautiful dejected dance music. When those moaning vocals hit proper, the whole thing just takes off. If you’re dancing on your own, this is the one. Perfect melancholia.
Beyonce – ‘I Miss You (Male version)’
Frank Ocean‘s minimal beauty becomes just the absolute most heart-crushing thing ever when Beyonce’s vox are screwed down to sound like a dude. So special. Been living inside this edit since I heard it.
Angel Haze – ‘Higher’ / ‘Fall for Your Type’
Ok so 1st tune’s an original production, the latter’s 1 of Angel Haze’s amazing remixes that just sinks the original into irrelevenace. Both absolute fire on all fronts… Really, I liked the ASAP Rocky tape as much as most, but shit it feels nice to hear someone this fuckin good & with something to actually rap about.. Girl makes pretty much all rappers sound like useless 1-dimensional automatons, which they pretty much all are.
Felicita – ‘Flowers and Swords’
Avant-garde dance music that puts me in a total trance. Everytime I listen to this, I swear, the sonic detail is gorgeous enough that I just get lost in it… And on top of that, compositionally it’s also a maze. Kinda feels like this overwhelming puzzle that continues to elude me the more I listen. Way deep.
After dropping two excellent EPs last year, the London-based production unit Nowa Huta kept quiet for most of 2012, so it was a really nice surprise to learn they released a new EP just the other day. Along with four original works, it features an Aeirs TV remix of ‘Beautiful Dreamer’, a tune Nowa Huta originally posted a few months ago. Speaking of which, the producer Joss Carter, who records under the Aeirs TV moniker, also dropped a new EP recently – you can check it out here. Peep Nowa Huta’s two dreamy garage gems below, and listen to the whole holla_e17_i’m_rain set on their Soundcloud.
