2015: Our Year in Music

What’s everyone’s music highlights of the year? I’m really hoping someone mentions an incredible album brimming with electronics that I’ve missed.


If you accompany your mentions with links/embeds we can more readily check them out.


Favorite Albums
It wasn’t a strong album year for me, but there’s a couple I came across later in the year that are slow burners working their way from indifference to fondness.

Floating Points - Elaenia

Kamasi Washington - The Epic


Favorite Songs
Too many. If listed with embeds it would cripple page loading. Here’s just one.
Turzi - Colombe (Polo & Pan Remix)


Most Played Song
Jamie Woon - Message


Favorite Performance
Could be mistaken as a Cannes film festival entry, but it’s a performance of a song from a forthcoming coming from 1/2 of Air.
Nicolas Godin - Bach Off


Favorite Instrument Release
Ableton Push 2. It empowers a uniquely and wonderfully fluid and all-embracing workflow. With the OP-1, they stand as the exemplars in industrial and interface design. And—I never thought I would ever say this—it’s even sexier than the OP-1. I am so grateful Teenage Engineering and Ableton exist.

I only bought very less music this year and if, it was mostly old stuff…

I like this user’s music (probably a forum memeber as well) Very prolific guy, good to listen to in between. Very 90’s that’s why I like it !

https://soundcloud.com/rondostudios

https://soundcloud.com/rondostudios/nightclub

This Mix was on heavy rotation, 70’s Japanese Disco, incredible : D

https://soundcloud.com/sameheads/japan-blues-live-dj-kashual-plastik-night-250915-sameheads?in=sameheads/sets/kashual-plastik

Favourite performance also from a forum member @jjbbllkk on the LXR

https://youtu.be/30ALDLB7b2Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-EH3pKnpG4

This Mix was on heavy rotation, 70's Japanese Disco, incredible : D

https://soundcloud.com/sameheads/japan-blues-live-dj-kashual-plastik-night-250915-sameheads?in=sameheads/sets/kashual-plastik


This could be my thing, as I use to follow the Japanese Indie scene feverishly. Gonna check it now.

Have you heard of Soichi Terada? An obscure (in the west at least), mostly house producer who had quite a bit of press this year as Rush Hour records reissued some of his work in a well received compilation.

Enjoyed the Linkwood and LNRDCROY LPs from Firecracker. Gear-wise: Push 2 is incredible. And I still love my friend’s recently acquired Jupiter 8. :0

Amongst all the year end summaries, this looks like it should be more elucidating, ennobling and thoughtfully curated than most: https://boomkat.com/charts/2015

I tried to look up some songs from the mix on YouTube, but I couldn’t find those. Maybe, Rajie and Miki Matsubara. I should track some of the songs but it’s not really my thing to do this ; )
The music is very poppish not very alternative, but this doesn’t matter… @LibertineLush.
I’m gonna look up Soichi Terada soon, don’t know him yet…

It seems that most of the new music I’ve listened to in 2015 doesn’t come from this year but this thread will help to redress that balance.


The highlight of 2015 for me is this short piece by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith which is organic and beautiful in equal measure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygCLmD7y4bs


This Mix was on heavy rotation, 70's Japanese Disco, incredible : D

https://soundcloud.com/sameheads/japan-blues-live-dj-kashual-plastik-night-250915-sameheads?in=sameheads/sets/kashual-plastik


I’m going to sample the shit out of this! Thanks for sharing dude!

I tried to look up some songs from the mix on YouTube, but I couldn't find those. Maybe, Rajie and Miki Matsubara. I should track some of the songs but it's not really my thing to do this ; )
The music is very poppish not very alternative, but this doesn't matter... @LibertineLush.
I'm gonna look up Soichi Terada soon, don't know him yet...

I ended up listening to the whole mix. There’s a lot to like. Most of it however, especially the first two-thirds or so, was not so much disco as the mix synopsis claims but various genres of pop music from an era when it was called Kayokyoku (or Showa Era pop). You can look that up and may find songs to your liking. There’s also a few enka songs thrown in.


I’m not versed in kayokyoku or enka, but it’s rare I come across it and find it disagreeable. Something about the melodies and instrumentation and the imagery of a bygone Japan that’s charming.

The highlight of 2015 for me is this short piece by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith which is organic and beautiful in equal measure:

That is immensely beautiful. The fluttery sequences are so beautifully supported by that warm bass hum. I came across her through the other performance video on her Youtube page this year.


Just subscribed to her Youtube so I don’t miss any more of her work.

@libertinelush I stubbled across her on a few years ago, really love her work. That Buchla video is also amazing, it really shows the possibilities of the music easel. She has a classical composition sensibility but applied to synthesis and brings out expression in electronics that I find refreshing.


I’m pretty familiar with Make Noise stuff and I still can’t quite work out how she did this, but then understanding the tech is often the smallest part of the story.

https://1080pcollection.bandcamp.com/album/i-want-to-believe

https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/chlorine
https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hes-not-real
https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gemini
https://bootlegtapes.bandcamp.com/album/redshift
https://ohbliv.bandcamp.com/album/raw-spirit-jewels
https://cindystapes.bandcamp.com/album/primaparte-matatabi
https://beerontherug.bandcamp.com/album/buy-now
https://astralblack.bandcamp.com/album/95-mindfulness

Fav tape label stuff this year.

https://1080pcollection.bandcamp.com/album/i-want-to-believe
https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/chlorine
https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hes-not-real
https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gemini
https://bootlegtapes.bandcamp.com/album/redshift
https://ohbliv.bandcamp.com/album/raw-spirit-jewels
https://cindystapes.bandcamp.com/album/primaparte-matatabi
https://beerontherug.bandcamp.com/album/buy-now
https://astralblack.bandcamp.com/album/95-mindfulness

Fav tape label stuff this year.

Nice list my dude!