Top 2023 (Part 3)
Following on from the selections I made back in July (Part 1 / Part 2.1 / Part 2.2), here’s a bunch of tunes I’ve been enjoying over the back half of 2023.
It’s been a source of some guilt that my listening to new music — and new old music — has dropped off significantly in the past few months. It’s not that I haven’t been ‘working’ on my DJing, but the majority of my time and energy has been allocated to an ongoing rediscovery of older parts of my record collection. This has felt like an overdue integration and has been exciting and satisfying, but it does mean I’ve taken my eye off the ball a little regarding new releases.
Therefore, expect this to be a rather patchy and idiosyncratic selection that, rather than representing any kind of concerted appraisal of what’s been going on musically in 2023, simply reflects the tunes that I’ve been playing out a lot. I’ll start with short blurbs for some tracks and EPs here, followed by a separate newsletter with longer descriptions for 10 records that have become firm favourites.
Baalti - Better Together EP [All My Thoughts]
I’ve reviewed this already on this newsletter so I won’t add more here, other than to say ‘Wedding Season’ continues to prompt much raveface whenever I stick it on.
Cher - Paradise Is Here [Warner]
Technically a reissue of a 1996 release, I only became aware of this gorgeous Cher remix this summer. Its pitch perfect arrangement and sultry mood (“tonight I need your love”) is always a highlight. Also it holds the distinction of being basically the only track with an M1 organ I can bring myself to play these days.
Gladstone Deluxe - Spherical Intelligence [Is/Was]
An absolute highlight of this year was finally dropping a tune off this EP towards the end of my label night at Renate back in July. Wonky and immensely danceable minimalist machine funk with intriguing sound details and infectious grooves, these tracks will work anywhere and any time.
Joe Milli - Gaslight [Self-released]
Ever reliable, Joe Milli brought us two new drum-forward stonkers in the past few months. ‘Gaslight’ is all about the drums: a military pulse punctuated by occasional slamming downbeats and conga flourishes. Then there’s the huge bass pressure we remember from his Darling EP, still sounding fresh. (Bonus selection: the other stonker, ‘Back Again’.)
Leonce - Tripwires (Scotti Dee Rework) [Night Slugs]
One of a handful of winners on the Night Slugs Classix Remixed compilation, the production on this Scotti Dee remix is insane. As he talks about in this interview, it’s a totally different experience hearing his tunes out on a proper system, and I tested that out in a few slower warm-up sets this year. (Bonus selection: the Ronnie Loko remix on this comp is also a massive banger. Bonus selection #2: Leonce’s original ‘Seductive Staccato’ on the comp from The Carry Nation.)
Miagma - Open Door Policy / View From The U [Not Safe For Wax]
A one-two punch from Miagma’s diverse Scarlet Pattern album, both these tracks served as regular set openers this year. ‘View From The U’ even has a voice asking the crowd (and perhaps myself): “ready?” But it was probably ‘Open Door Policy’ that I reached for more often, with its wide vistas and palpable sense of anticipation.
Passarani - Numero 4 [Self-released]
Marco Passarani is one of the greats and a constant in my sets. This one, which came out late in the year, matches a Chicago beat to a very unhealthy-sounding lead motif and parallel bassline. It’s not big and it’s not clever, but it is very, very effective. (Bonus selection: ‘Nerve Pinch’ was another winner this year.)
Selway – Millennium Sound (Radioactive Man Remix) [Serotonin]
A highpoint of Razrbark’s stunning Distant Signals mix, in which she slowjammed it to around 100bpm (read my full writeup of the mix here), this fresh Radioactive Man remix of an old Selway original also slaps at its usual pace of 135bpm. John Selway really is an unsung hero of electronic music and I hope the drip-drop digital releases of his old material continue into 2024.
Todd Terry - Heartbeat [Jackies Music]
Never in a million years would I have bet on Todd Terry making an end of year list of mine in 2023, but here we are. The first time I listened to this tune I turned it off within a few seconds of the vocal kicking in. But then I listened to the instrumental, and again, and again, and before I knew it I was playing it at every damn gig.
Viewfinder - Rescan 01 / Rescan 02 [Rescan]
Viewfinder aka Kellon used to run the estimable Spillway label — read the Q&A I did about that here — but for 2023 he rebooted with a new label and alias. Both Rescan 01 and 02 feature his tight Detroit techno permutations, while 02 also has a beautiful guest appearance from Sasha Nevolin.