Albums of the Year 2017.

‘Tomorrows World' never came.

“‘Tomorrows World' never came. We are lost and isolated, many of us living our lives through social networks as we try to make sense of it all, becoming voyeurs not active participants. Documenting everything. No Mystery. Everything laid bare for all to see.”
Leyland Kirby, 2009.

Dystopia is beautiful and the crisis not hopeless.

“‘Tomorrows World’ never came.” – as Leyland Kirby explained back in 2009, when releasing Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was for the first time. A decade later, and finally reissued in three parts on vinyl, it could hardly have been more prescient. Some of last year’s best releases were not composed in 2017, but ten or even 25 years ago, like Angelo Badalamenti’s score to Twin Peaks. What’s really noticeable is that weird film scores have a significant share of the year’s best music. Ryuichi Sakamoto decided to arrange a soundtrack for a Andrej Tarkovskij film that does not exist whereas Demdike Stare’s label DDS (Distort Decay Sustain) released Mica Levi‘s original score from dystopian anime short Delete Beach in “Cityspeak”: Japanese/English/instrumental… Zomby’s near-mythical concept album was created around 2008-2009 and it’s been in hybernation ever since. Almost a decade later after many aborted attempts, it’s finally available and still sounding like an ancient future.

Female artists like Klein or Mhysa share a unique perception of R&B and church musics as a gateway to other, dreamlike dimensions. They take cut-ups, collaged themes and techniques to beguiling new degrees crushing ‘90s soul and jungle like you’ve never heard – possibly best described as kitchen sink hypersoul. They offer a particular example of the contemporary, young, Black and queer experience and a proper addition to the canon of boundary pushing and resetting music and politics. The Dystopia is beautiful and the crisis not hopeless.

  1. contains data/album art/review excerpts taken from our favourite record store: https://boomkat.com

Albums of the Year 2017.

Arca
Arca
Cat No: XLDA834 Release date: 07 April 2017 Label: XL Recordings Genre: ELECTRONIC

Actress
AZD
Cat No: ZENLPX241 Release date: 13 April 2017 Label: Ninja Tune Genre: ELECTRONIC

ARVO PART
Tabula Rasa / Fratres / Symphony No. 3
Cat No: 94796968 Release date: 16 February 2017 Label: DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

Burial
Rodent
Cat No: HDB113 Release date: 17 December 2017 Label: Hyperdub Genre: ELECTRONIC

doon kanda
Heart EP
Cat No: HDB105 Release date: 26 March 2017 Label: Hyperdub Genre: ELECTRONIC

Equiknoxx
Colón Man
Cat No: DDS027-BLACK Release date: 18 December 2017 Label: DDS Genre: ELECTRONIC

Fatima Al Qadiri
Shaneera
Cat No: HDB110 Release date: 12 October 2017 Label: Hyperdub Genre: ELECTRONIC

Jay Glass Dubs
Dubs
Cat No: ELP032-COL Release date: 16 November 2017 Label: Ecstatic Genre: ELECTRONIC

Jlin
Black Origami
Cat No: ZIQ376 Release date: 18 May 2017 Label: Planet Mu Records Ltd. Genre: JUNGLE / FOOTWORK

Kamasi Washington
Harmony of Difference
Cat No: YT171 Release date: 29 September 2017 Label: Young Turks Recordings Genre: JAZZ / FUSION

Klein
Tommy EP
Cat No: HDB112 Release date: 12 December 2017 Label: Hyperdub Genre: ELECTRONIC

Lee Gamble
Mnestic Pressure
Cat No: HDBLP037 Release date: 19 October 2017 Label: Hyperdub Genre: ELECTRONIC

LEYLAND KIRBY
When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die
Cat No: HAFTW001COL Release date: 19 April 2017 Label: History Always Favours The Winners Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

LEYLAND KIRBY
Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was
Cat No: HAFTW006COL Release date: 17 May 2017 Label: History Always Favours The Winners Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

LEYLAND KIRBY
Memories Live Longer Than Dreams
Cat No: HAFTW007COL Release date: 13 June 2017 Label: History Always Favours The Winners Genre: ELECTRONIC

Mana
Creature EP
Cat No: HDB111 Release date: 07 September 2017 Label: Hyperdub Genre: ELECTRONIC

MAX RICHTER
Infra
Cat No: 4797007 Release date: 29 June 2017 Label: DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

MAX RICHTER
Three Worlds:Music From Woolf Works
Cat No: 94796953 Release date: 02 April 2017 Label: DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

Various Artists
Behind The Counter With Max Richter
Cat No: RTBTC1LP Release date: 15 June 2017 Label: Rough Trade Shops Genre: ELECTRONIC, MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

MHYSA
fantasii
Cat No: HALC014-COL Release date: 14 December 2017 Label: Halcyon Veil Genre: ELECTRONIC

Mica Levi
Delete Beach
Cat No: DDS024 Release date: 08 November 2017 Label: DDS Genre: ELECTRONIC

Various
Mono No Aware
Cat No: PAN77 Release date: 16 March 2017 Label: PAN Genre: ELECTRONIC

Philippe Hallais
An American Hero
Cat No: LOVE106-COL Release date: 07 June 2017 Label: Modern Love Genre: ELECTRONIC

Ryuichi Sakamoto
async
Cat No: 3299039990322 Release date: 07 January 2018 Label: MILAN Genre: ELECTRONIC

THE CARETAKER
Everywhere At The End Of Time – Stage 2
Cat No: HAFTW026COL Release date: 04 January 2018 Label: History Always Favours The Winners Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

THE CARETAKER
Everywhere At The End Of Time – Stage 3
Cat No: HAFTW027COL Release date: 04 January 2018 Label: History Always Favours The Winners Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

ANGELO BADALAMENTI
Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Soundtrack)
Cat No: 081227933951 Release date: 22 September 2017 Label: Rhino Genre: EARLY ELECTRONIC / SOUNDTRACKS

ANGELO BADALAMENTI
Twin Peaks (Remastered & Coloured Vinyl Edition)
Cat No: DW50 Release date: 19 February 2017 Label: Death Waltz Recording Company Genre: EARLY ELECTRONIC / SOUNDTRACKS

ANGELO BADALAMENTI
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Cat No: DW51 Release date: 25 April 2017 Label: Death Waltz Recording Company Genre: EARLY ELECTRONIC / SOUNDTRACKS

Various Artists
Expo 1
Cat No: 0028948284917 Release date: 28 September 2017 Label: DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON Genre: MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT

Zomby
Mercury’s Rainbow
Cat No: LOVE107-COL Release date: 23 November 2017 Label: Modern Love Genre: GRIME / FWD