Chapter

01

Best albums

October 2019

- Telefon Tel Aviv
  Dreams Are Not Enough
  Ghostly International
  
  A haunting comeback that scales emotional heights beyond even the first Telefon Tel Aviv albums.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Boreal Massif
  We All Have An Impact
  Pessimist Productions
  
  Pessimist and Loop Faction channel the dread of trip-hop and drum & bass into music that faces the climate crisis.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Ernest Hood
  Neighborhoods
  Freedom To Spend
  
  A charming proto-ambient album that captures the feel of a sunny afternoon in the Pacific Northwest.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Loraine James
  For You And I
  Hyperdub
  
  The Hyperdub newcomer boils down a generation's worth of London music into an album that's restless, celebratory and mournful.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Chromatics
  Closer To Grey
  Italians Do It Better
  
  Johnny Jewel and Ruth Radelet doing what they do best: twilit, '80s-influenced rock and synth pop.
  
  Listen: Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Tom Of England
  Sex Monk Blues
  L.I.E.S.
  
  A hedonistic mix of disco, post-punk and Krautrock from an artist who's seen it all.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp
- Pelada
  Movimiento Para Cambio
  PAN
  
  Outstanding, party-ready house and techno with a message delivered by fiery vocalist Chris Vargas.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Floating Points
  Crush
  Ninja Tune
  
  Inspired by loose live sets played on tour with The xx, Floating Points' latest album has an unexpected urgency and improvisational energy.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Carla dal Forno
  Look Up Sharp
  Kallista Records
  
  The Australian artist weaves avant-garde ideas into spindly post-punk on her best album to date.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Shinichiro Yokota
  Ultimate Yokota 1991-2019
  Sound of Vast
  
  This much-needed compilation sheds some light on one of Japan's greatest house music artists.
  
  Listen: Soundcloud
- Various
  Gost Zvuk 5 Years
  Gost Zvuk
  
  A killer collection of left-field techno and experimental music from one of Russia's best electronic labels, Gost Zvuk.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud

02

Best singles

October 2019

- Skee Mask
  ISS04
  Ilian Tape
  
  The Ilian Tape wunderkind's latest EP takes in stunning ambient, dubstep and broken techno—his most diverse release yet.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Soundcloud
- Even Tuell
  Workshop 27
  Workshop
  
  Workshop, the label Even Tuell runs with Lowtec, made its name on subtle, entrancing deep house like this.
  
  Listen: Apple Music / Spotify
- Brown Irvin
  Run Me That Soul
  Motion Ward
  
  Sumptuous dub techno and ambient from the producer otherwise known as AshTreJinkins, on the latest record from essential LA label Motion Ward.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Soundcloud
- Joy Orbison
  Slipping
  Hinge Finger
  
  Peter O'Grady turns away from the club and delivers the most personal record of his career.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Galaxian
  Coming Up For Air
  Ilian Tape
  
  The typically bonkers electro artist serves up some club bombs for Ilian Tape.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Nkisi
  Destruction Of Power
  Collapsing Market
  
  Epic, cinematic techno smothered in distortion.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Soundcloud
- Caribou
  Home
  City Slang
  
  The first taste of Caribou's new album will put you in a Friday mood.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy
  Whities 023 (The Act Of Falling From The 8th Floor)
  Whities
  
  Elegant, evocative soundscapes that highlight the beauty of the Arabic language.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Blawan
  Many Many Pings
  TERNESC
  
  Blistering sounds from one of techno's most unique artists.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Blu Terra
  Marymont EP
  Céad
  
  For her label's second release, Or:la presents three jacking, electro-flavored techno tracks from a new Polish artist, Blu Terra.
  
  Listen: Soundcloud

03

Best mixes

October 2019

- livwutang
  Lifecrushed Mix 072
  
  The Seattle DJ blends an astounding range of moods together on this mix of techno, house and lots of stuff in between.
- Overland
  Daisychain 092
  
  Acid house, psychedelic acid, acid trance—basically every imaginable kind of acid on this mix from Canadian artist Overland for the always-inspiring Daisychain series.
  
  Kris Baha
  knk pwr 15
  
  A chance to hear the many '80s and industrial influences the Australian producer put together so well on his debut album, Palais.
  
  Softcoresoft
  LT Podcast 103
  
  Lobster Theremin welcomes Montreal's Softcoresoft to the family with a mix of barreling trance new and old.
  
  Jamie Tiller & Tornado Wallace
  NTS Radio Episode 4
  
  Midtempo trance and psychedelic rhythms from two DJs with excellent taste.
  
  mdo
  Walks Behind The Rose
  
  A lovely, Chain Reaction-informed mix of ambience and dubbed-out rhythms from the C- founder.
  
  Zozo
  Deviant 012
  
  Out-there breakbeats, cosmic funk and woozy house from the Istanbul-based Sameheads resident.
  
  Kiernan Laveaux
  Truancy Volume 251
  
  95 minutes of "rearranging molecules in the air" from one of America's most talented and singular young DJs.
  
  Voicedrone
  Live At FOLD Extended
  
  A blazing journey through hard, agile and ferocious techno, recorded during the FOLD cofounder's closing set at Dax J's FOLD Extended event.
  
  Leesh
  Rave Scout Cookies Series #002
  
  This mix of limber and psychedelic techno from the Chicago DJ (who runs the Daisychain series) is part of the new electronic music platform Rave Scout Cookies, which focuses on "underrepresented and undiscovered POC LGBTQIA+ artists."

04

Reader favourites

October 2019

A selection of picks from our readers.

- AQ XDM
  Infrared
  Houndstooth
  
  Hard, broken and IDM-influenced techno caned by Aphex Twin during his sets this year. (Thanks to DerSchwan in Mexico City.)
  
  Listen: Bandcamp
- Afriqua
  Colored
  R&S
  
  An adventurous electronica album inspired by the works of black musical greats like Quincy Jones and George Clinton. (Thanks to Ohkiv for this one.)
  
  Listen: Bandcamp
- Valesuchi
  Tragicomic EP
  MAMBA rec
  
  A techno record that tells a story about living in Latin America, from one of Brazil's most powerful voices in electronic music. (Thanks to @codethesmithy in Florida.)
  
  Listen: Bandcamp
- Caroline Polachek
  PANG
  Sony
  
  Heartfelt and forward-thinking pop co-produced by PC Music's Danny L Harle. (Thanks to @deejaygeejaygee for this one.)
- Garrett David
  The Queen Tracks Part 2
  Stripped & Chewed
  
  This vital old-school house EP is a tribute to Queen!, the long-running weekly gay party at Chicago's beloved smartbar. (Thanks to Zlatko in Chicago.)
  
  Listen: Bandcamp