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

Qwel & Meaty Ogre: Freezer Burner
Galapagos4

MC Qwel (Typical Cats) and beat producer Meaty Ogre showcase some noteworthy hip-hop skills on Galapogos4's Freezerburner. It's a solid effort, one thankfully free of interludes and time-wasting frivolity, that finds conscientious flow married to punchy boom-bap; at the same time, while one never doubts the passion driving Qwel's delivery, over the length of an album his haranguing style proves wearying—something one can't say for Meaty Ogre's banging beats and richly orchestrated backings. A snarling guitar riff and a tight break power the melancholy “Saved” and the crushing “Fallen Rome” and snakepit beats render “High Tithe” equally memorable. In addition, the soulful “Practice For Hope” is crowned by a jubilantly singing flute melody while “Winterlude” shows how powerfully MO's dubbed-out attack rattles the cage all by its lonesome. “Read Writer” succeeds nicely too, with Qwel's syllable-packed flow nicely offset by a female's plaintive voice (“This is my life”). Even better is the scathing indictment of hip-hop sell-outs that finds Qwel pondering how his writing might be judged after he dies: “I don't want God standing in front of me and bein' like ‘What're you talkin' about and what's this crap?': ‘Let me see your thong? Or it's getting hot in here take off all your clothes?' Man, if cats are listening to me, I want to say something important to them.” Can't argue with that.

December 2006