ARTICLE
2006 10 Favourite Labels

ALBUMS
aMute
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Asphalt Jungle
Joseph Auer
Avia Gardner
Tommi Bass
Caural
Cdatakill
Christ.
Conjoint
Contriva
Cursor Minor
DJ Soul Slinger
DJ Wally/DJ Willie Ross
DoF
Electric Penguins
Encre
Flashbulb
Fuckpony
Funckarma
Cedric Gervais
Eglantine Gouzy
Greater Than One
Greg Haines
François Houle
Housemeister
Jan Jelinek
Eleni Karaindrou
Kode9 + Spaceape
Takagi Masakatsu
Mini
Move D
The New Law
Nuuro
Qwel & Meaty Ogre
Rant
Max Richter
Janek Schaefer
Svarte Greiner
Thighpaulsandra
Unwed Sailor
Geoff White
Wilt
Yellow6
Jesse Zubot

COMPILATIONS/MIXES
4 Women No Cry Vol. 2
Analog for Architecture
Assemblage Sessions
Jimmy Van M
King Unique/Nubreed
Monza Club Ibiza
Pop Ambient 2007
Rub-N-Tug
Thankful
The Rorschach Suite

3"/7"/10"/12"/EPs
Baseheadz
Big Toe
Franco Cangelli
Richard Chartier
Deadbeat/Monolake
Depth Affect
Diebombshelters
DJ Koze
Eltron
Johan Fotmeijer
Hellothisisalex
Mitsuaki Komamura
Múm
Ozka
Seekers Who Are Lovers
Strategy
Tandem 5
Andi Teichmann
The Twilight Sad
Ray Valioso

Jimmy Van M: Balance 010
EQ Recordings

Two things you'll know by the end of Jimmy Van M's sprawling three-disc Balance collection: on each of the downtempo, midtempo, and uptempo sets, he admirably eschews predictability for inspired, typically left-field choices; and Van M clearly has a gift for pacing and sequencing (capping the last disc with the spectacular Supermayer mix of Gui Boratto's “Like You,” for instance).

For a collection of such immense breadth, simply highlighting the selections almost suffices. Disc one's laid-back offerings include tracks by Future Sound of London (“Study of Six Guitars”), Laika (“Coming Down Glass”), Boards of Canada (“Dayvan Cowboy,” “Everything You is a Balloon”), Autechre (“Nine”). Stylistically, the disc emphasizes experimental electronica but includes dub (Bill Laswell's “Babylon Ghost”) and soulful trip-hop (Thievery Corporation's remix of Wax Poetic's “Angels” featuring Norah Jones) and even makes room for Depeche Mode (a dramatic Goldfrapp remix of “Halo”).

The more energized middle disc opens with a sleek sampling of Miles Tilmann's warm electro-funk (“Floating Windows”) before wading into Cocteau Twins' still-entrancing “Blue Bell Knoll” and Ellen Allien & Apparat's newly-entrancing “Bubbles.” Van M eases in the dance vibe at this stage (Rub-n-Tug's strutting mix of LCD Soundsystem's “Too Much Love” is especially sweet) with cuts by Adam Johnson, Babel, Aphex Twin, and I:Cube setting the stage for disc three's throwdown.

Naturally the last third adheres to a pumping club mix template though even here Van M works in idiosyncratic choices. Liftoff arrives with Solieb's bleepy “Integrale” and Ellen Allien & Apparat's magnificent “Jet” and stays aloft for Jordano's neck-snapper “No Gravity” and 16 Bit Lolitas' broiling “Ask Why” (Jennifer Horne's vocal entreaties almost as arresting as the track itself). Though Van M's Balance collection almost overwhelms in its sheer quantity, its consistently high quality compensates for its nearly four-hour duration.

December 2006