2018 Year In Review

Click here for a YT playlist of many of the tracks from this list…

Unlike some previous years, I’ve done a pretty good job of writing about dope music all throughout 2018. I wouldn’t say there has been a particularly large amount of new music that I like, but there is definitely a lot that I LOVE including some hot jams by a number of my favorite producers who are not known for their volume of releases. These releases being so noteworthy forced my hand into more frequent posting. If you want the background of these things as they happened, read these posts first. If not, here goes my 2018 year end round-up…

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Since he dropped two records at the same time back in January, I’m gonna start with Marcellus Pittman’s year. By the end of the year there were three total new EPs for his Unirhythm imprint, and all were varied in sound and for me some of the best new dance music I heard in 2018. “Red Dogon Star” was my fav off the green record with its weird techno funk, while “Something Like {A Dream}” is my pick off the blue record. But it was definitely the purple record that was the best one of his releases this year, with three strong tracks not least of which is “Love Is All”, a warm soulful deep jam.

Jovonn’s new album Timeless comes on his own Body ‘N Deep label and it contains some of his nicest work in a long time. When Jwan and I DJed in Detroit in October, I had to pester him for no less than three track IDs, all of which ended up being jams from this album. It’s easy to be skeptical of old school producers since so many of them have changed things up in a usually negative manner, but Jovonn stays true to his deep garage dub roots and makes use of samples in a distinctive manner to create something that is new but also timeless, just as it says on the cover.

Another early killer that stayed with me all year is Kai Alcé’s remixes of Isoul8’s “On My Heart”. “Delvyn’s Groove Mix” is the one I beat the most thanks to the sick bassline and full on Paul Randolph vocal. For me this was an instant classic and surely one of the most memorable songs released this year. Kai’s remix of Kenneth Scott was another early year highlight, while his NDATL label dropped a number of dope releases including a new one by Andrés, Kai’s excellent solo Back In This Shit EP, and of course the Special Edition 2018 doublepack.

Patrice Scott had a great year for me based strictly on two of the best tracks I heard all year coming from his hands. First up was his lovely, garagey remix of Alton Miller’s “All The Little Things”, another modern classic vocal jam. And then closer to the end of the year he dropped a future deep classic, the jazzy instrumental “Moments & Concepts”. Both of these came out on his Sistrum label which has been on fire over the past few years, eclipsing even the early releases in quality.

Since 2000 Black and crew came back into full effect a few years ago, their output has been way more hit than miss though sometimes falling into something of a predictable pattern. Their exceptional releases this year stood out for me stylistically in a way that allowed me to play them alongside very different sounding records. “Sunday Avuncular” is a track that starts with smooth chords and ends with rudeboy basslines with only the most bananas drums to connect them. My only time playing this out it cleared the floor, but I will definitely be dropping it again and again until people are ready for it. Lord & Dego return with their second EP together in as many years, and like the first one, this can sit well with boogie, modern funk, and even Metro Area style jams as well as the broken rhythms. High levels of musicality and live playing keep this one in the bag.

Jon Dixon continued his ascendance with two EPs that are filled with the live dance music and jazz crossover sounds he specializes in. First up was his record for Planet E which featured some words and music from the late Marcus Belgrave, giving the record an updated vibe of the classic Planet E sound. He followed that up with another new one on his own excellent 4evr 4wrd label, the Sampa EP, a tribute to Brazil and its music. This one stands out with everything from live percussion led drum tracks to soulful vocal cuts etched into the grooves. Top quality UR style techno musicianship! His remix for Waajeed is nice as well, alongside the original and Jay Daniel remixes which are also cool.

One of my favorite records I got this year was an expertly assembled compilation by the Chicago label Perpetual Rhythms entitled The Barbershop. Each track is named after a hairstyle, product, or treatment which adds that extra layer of cohesion and theme to a selection of some of Chicago’s best house music producers. Everything from deepness to strange jack tracks is represented here, and most importantly it works as well for listening as it does in the mix. Highlights for me are by Damon Lamar and Specter, but every track is dope.

Specter had quite a year himself, headlined by his first LP entitled Built To Last which dropped on Sound Signature. Both his harder more experimental edge as well as his deeper soulful side were on display here, sometimes within the same track, creating a standout trippy album with artwork to match. The quality level didn’t drop for the newest release by his Our Own Organization collaboration with Jose Rico which came to be through the always excellent Neroli label. The Two Finger Hash Band EP is as strong as any house record that came out this year and makes for the perfect companion piece to the Specter album.

And speaking of Sound Signature, they had a typically diverse set of releases which all crossed genres just as you would expect. Specter’s album was the biggest release, but the 12” by Myele Manzanza that just dropped in December was also one of the more interesting releases this year. A live band cover of Theo’s classic “Love Is War For Miles” is just as much fun as it sounds, while “7 Bar Thing” goes a little more straightforward into house territory but with heaps of jazziness thrown in thanks to Mark De Clive-Lowe and Scott Maynard’s playing. Theo dropped another atypical record in “Preacher’s Comin” which sounds like his response to the trend of gospel music and samples in the house and funk worlds. Putting a bit more stank on it, this isn’t your uncle’s gospel house to put it mildly. And the fourth and final edition of Gentrified Love features Paul Randolph, Ideeyah, and Amp Fiddler amongst others on two nice tracks, one in a neo soul vibe and the other more crazy live sounding house.

Ron Trent is one of those cats who has been consistent for so long it seems almost impossible. Nearly everything he releases combines his expert knowledge of dance music of the past with his considerable studio chops, but then there are the times where he really strikes gold. His remix of Azymuth from a few years back was a good example of this, and then this year’s remix of Kyoto Jazz Sextet is another. Using his own dubby soulful house as the template, he weaves the live jazz playing into the grooves so perfectly it feels as if this is how it was originally made. This is an epic that really needs room to breathe in the mix, so don’t be in a hurry to get to that new track until it’s absolutely necessary.

Scott Grooves continued his ridiculous run of essential music with two new records in 2018. He got a live band together to create a cover of the classic “E2-E4” by Manuel Göttsching. This is a track that has been sampled and referenced countless times in dance music over the last 30+ years, but this version is one of the better interpretations. Funky live drumming, synths, and other live instrumentation give this a touch of the Cosmic vibe while retaining that Detroit groove. Scott’s other record, The Human Voice EP, finds him back in the soulful house vein with “Sum Good Music” being the standout dancefloor killer.

James Duncan is a long time resident in my record box going back fifteen years to when it wasn’t so common to throwback to 90s deep house. He has made his solo career out of his own version of that sound and he is expanding into releasing other peoples’ music more regularly with his new label Innermoods. Most noteworthy is the first new record by Abacus in a long while. Even though it is only one track, it is not to be missed if you’re a fan of the Prescription sound. James’ own record is a two tracker of his old school style deepness, but it is Roberta’s “Your Woman” that got the most play from me this year. Both of her jams are that kind of soulful lo-fi house you would expect from an early DNH record. All in all, a beyond solid year and I’m looking forward to what comes next.

I already wrote pretty extensively this year about Kyle Hall and what his music and label stewardship are bringing to the table for modern American dance music. I’ll sum it up again by saying that there are few if any who have as much influence as he does and we are all in a better place because of it. Wild Oats only released two records this year but both were excellent. Kyle’s Equanimity EP continues his broken synthetic funk and house lineage, while QD’s debut Pure Amethyst introduced another promising new artist to the world.

Stefan Ringer kicked off his new label FWM in fine style with his most fully realized record so far. Every track is dope, but “I Wanna Be Bad” is destined to be a future classic. Stefan also dropped a nice EP with Kai Alcé under their Floppy Life guise. These tracks ably mix their two styles; both Kai’s smooth deepness and Stefan’s rugged funkiness are evident throughout.

Rick Wilhite’s new releases got their own post earlier in the year, but they stayed in rotation so they have to get another mention here as well. His track on Collective Rhythm Network’s Monday Night Underground comp 12” is a good example of Rick’s more abstract techno side. The entire Godson IV doublepack is great, with “Xanadu 3.0” my pick for best of the bunch. Rick’s mix of Moodymann’s “Technologystolemyvinyl” is also a massive hit. I also have to mention Moodymann’s Pitch Black City Renunion record which is the best thing I’ve heard from him in a while. One live soulful house jam and another more chopped up MPC style groove with Amp Fiddler on board make for great listening and dancefloor devastation.

Malik Alston has been missing from the vinyl release world for a few years, but he came storming back this year with an essential EP on Hardmatter. Two nice vocal jams and one instrumental with a sweet horn solo are all capable on the dancefloor, and can mix with soulful house or more rugged and abstract tracks. This one has definitely flown under the radar.

Another dope record that not a lot of people are hip to is Jeremiah Shaw’s Destination: Space EP. Electro’s “revival” has been one of the media’s storylines for a few years now, but Detroit is a place where it never went away. And few can do that soulful electro sound like a Detroiter can, and J Shaw delivers that in spades on this record. If you like melody and funk in your electro, look no further. Hunt it down however you have to.

I haven’t been buying many disco edits, partially because many of the people I trust to do them well haven’t been very prolific. Sounds Familiar is now home to many of my favorite DJs and producers, and they teamed up with Salsoul to drop a full LP of slick re-edits of mostly non-obvious Salsoul catalog tracks. Kai’s take on Salsoul Orchestra and Specter’s edit of Joe Bataan are obvious starting points, but Volcov and Twice’s edits of The Strangers and Jamie Lynn are highlights as is Mark Grusane’s edit of Civil Attack.

While it isn’t vintage disco, Tom Moulton’s remix of Ron Hall’s “The Way You Love Me” sure does sound like it. The sophisticated instrumentation and arrangement mean that you really have to let all 13 minutes of it play out. This would have smashed at the Paradise Garage just as well as it does on current dancefloors.

I initially checked out Last Trip To Gandahar’s “Higher” because of the excellent Byron the Aquarius remix. Erik Rico’s vocals work nicely with Byron’s Rhodes and slightly broken drum wobble to make serious soulful heat. But I was also delighted to discover that the rest of the record was actually very good as well. LTTG’s style seems to be based on deep funk sampling, and they manage to keep their tracks sounding very loose and organic to match. This whole record is worth checking out.

It has been four years since Pittsburgh’s boogie supergroup East Liberty Quarters released a record, and in 2018 all we got was one B side cut on a 7”. But wow, did they make those precious few minutes count. “Mids” is a perfect atmospheric boogie slow jam, with excellent synth work that tugs at your heartstrings. These guys really need to drop more material!

I recently wrote about the cats behind the Bassment broadcast out of Detroit, Sean Tate and Mollison Folson (who also appear on Rick Wilhite’s Godson IV). They both have new records out this year, and if you’re a fan of Detroit style techno you shouldn’t sleep on them. Sean’s A Matter of Creation and Mollison’s The First EP are finally making their way around the world.

K-15 has been one of the best new practitioners of jazzy broken beat over the past few years. His 10” on Eglo this year was simply outstanding, with all three tracks bringing something fresh to the table. My only complaint is that my favorite track “Sunbeams” could be three times as long and I still wouldn’t have too much of it!

For the second year in a row Rebecca Goldberg dropped an EP of melodic acid for Detroit Underground. This one is called ?-3 Fatty Acids and it combines her talents as a visual artist with her music production into a package that echoes the atmosphere of the tracks perfectly.

DJ Spinna had a few releases that stood out for me this year. Apparently an older track from 2009, “Fwd & Back” with Zed Bias and FYZA on vocals actually makes me think of the early 00s broken beat scene in the best possible way. And his “Open Up (Dub)” appears on a Noble Square comp 12” that dropped just at the end of the year that also includes a dope Latin Soul Brothas jam by label head Ricardo Miranda.

In terms of listening albums there were a few highlights I must at least mention very quickly:

Rhye – Blood
Mr. Fingers – Cerebral Hemispheres
The Internet – Hive Mind
Kamasi Washington – Heaven & Earth
Steve Spacek – Natural Sci-Fi

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I’m sure I missed some stuff but this sums up 2018 as I saw it while it happened. Big ups to all those music head DJs, producers, and promoters out there. I know there aren’t a lot of us at this moment but we have to keep holding it down. We can’t let the bullshit win.