01. Marcel Fengler, “Rapture”
[Ostgut Ton] (buy)
In a roster crammed with stars, Marcel Fengler is Ostgut Ton’s dark horse whose material kicks just as hard as the rest of the pack’s. Where his peers provide bigger and more brutal beats, Fengler’s music is disciplined and efficient, exerting itself just enough to get crowds sweating without beading up itself. The title track of his Rapture EP is a prime example of his aesthetic that also delves into house territory with truncated organ notes and hypnotically looped and filtered horn riffs. Unlike many contemporary tracks slap that jazzy samples on top of stock house beats, Fengler’s seamless arrangements lend the elements an intimidating fervor not often associated with the palette. The way the horn riff unfurls in sections, dipping in and out of the organ line, disguises the trajectory until dancers are suddenly encircled as if by a Berghain boa constrictor. Don’t let this one sneak up on you — grab it first.

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02. Mauser, “Blackman”
[Synapsis Records] (buy)
Hakim Murphy’s podcast for LWE drew generously from his own work and of those on his labels. His opening gambit, Mauser’s “Blackman,” grabbed me by the ears with its tightly coiled rhythm patterns and wouldn’t let go. It was the first I’d heard of Miles “Mauser” Holt, a Chicago native who splits his time between supplying hip-hop beats for his younger brother, Hollywood Holt, and writing acidic-damaged techno tunes for Murphy’s Synapsis Recordings and Generator Records. The interplay between the deft stick work, bass licks and spry organ/synth vamps of “Blackman” suggests a musicianship more aligned with a jazz trio but perfectly suited for pouncing on dancers, one recalling Terrence Dixon’s knotty techno tracks. I only wish the kick drum’s steadier moments midway didn’t mean squashing everything else in the mix. Nonetheless, it’s an accomplished track that augurs bigger things still from the emerging producer.

“Blackman” by Mauser

03. Ripperton, “At Peace” (I:Cube Tape Mix)
[Green] (buy)
It’s not unreasonable to wonder if an album, even one as enjoyable as Ripperton’s debut, Niwa, needs three remix packages, especially when the first two featured bold faced names Radio Slave and Joris Voorn. Yet Green and Rip have done everyone a favor by drafting I:Cube and Mark August to offer their takes on two more tracks. It’s difficult to choose a favorite but I:Cube’s “Tape Mix” of “At Peace” wins by a nose, mostly because of the luscious sound design that makes the track feel positively cavernous. But it’s also about the deftly manipulated percussion that rips open every other bar, the gorgeous new melodies he conjures and layers to fill the huge space he’s hollowed out, and the sudden click into place as if the “Play” button on a tape player had suddenly been pressed. Dreamy and imbued with a familiar, almost classic sensibility that all but guarantees its longevity (kind of like Kassem Mosse’s tracks, think “578”), this remix was definitely worth its own release.

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04. Julio Bashmore, “Footsteppin'”
[Ten Thousand Yen] (buy)
At times Julio Bashmore feels like so many of 2010’s biggest stories in dance music rolled into one young Bristolian producer. In a year with especially porous genre boundaries his tracks and remixes have smudged the line between swinging and stepping musics and featured the lower tempos found in many of his peers’ work. He’s also written a killer single in “Footsteppin'” that’s been floating around the bass music scene for the better part of year — sound familiar? It’s finally available now as a blue, limited-to-300 10″ as the B-side to the tremulous “Chazm.” Somewhat amazingly its crackling garage-house beat dappled by vocals snippets still gleams, untarnished by a field crowded with tracks using the same tropes. The gregarious bass line is a big part of its enduring appeal, radiating a familiar warmth while bounding through the lugubrious pads, as is its house-friendly tempo and structure. Almost makes you wonder if next year’s big story is an invasion of garage in house with Bashmore as one of its many foot soldiers.

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05. A Made Up Sound, “Rear Window”
[Delsin] (buy)
Dave Huismans work as A Made Up Sound is rife with minor melodies that fit strangely in the ear, and his tracks frequently attract notice because of it. His only 2010 AMUS release not on the eponymous label, “Rear Window,” arrives on Delsin in fine form. Its tumbling, minor melody pours over percussion patterns and timbres that wouldn’t sound out of place in a car factory. Huismans introduces sighing chords that ameliorate the sense of nervous pursuit and give the track more depth, a sense of internal conflict you can only resolve by dancing through it. That’s not a sensation often seeping through most dance tracks but it’s one I keep returning to with “Rear Window.”

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06. Nebraska, “Arrondissement”
[Rush Hour Recordings] (buy)
07. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio] (buy)
08. James Blake, “I Only Know (What I Know Now)” [R&S Recprds] (buy)
09. Seuil, “Nine Clouds” [New Kanada] (buy)
10. Chicago Skyway, “Resolution M” [Uzuri] (buy)

Staff Charts:

Per Bojsen-Moller
01. Sound Stream, “Deeper Love” [Sound Stream]
02. Nicolas Jaar, “WOUH” [Double Standard Records]
03. Lucy, “Kalachakra” (DVS1 Eyes Open Mix) [Prologue]
04. Shifty Science, “Love’s Not Fading” (Earth House Hold Mix)
[Love’s Label]
05. Gene Hunt & Ron Hardy, “16 & Indiana” [Hour House Is Your Rush]
06. Mark Ernestus vs. Konono No. 1, “Masiluku Rhythm” [Congotronics]
07. Even Tuell, “Untitled” [Workshop]
08. Awanto 3, “Get That Bee Dee Bee” [Rush Hour Recordings]
09. Elphino, “You’ll Know” [somethinksounds]
10. Phantasmeano, “Vowels” [Exone]

Chris Burkhalter
01. Vainqueur, “Ranges” [Scion Versions]
02. Shake, “Frayed” [Fit]
03. 2AM/FM, “Final Approach” [Crème Organization]
04. Mark Ernestus vs Konono No 1, “Masikulu Dub” [Congotronics]
05. EOD, “Utrecht” [030303]
06. Pinch, “Croydon House” [Swamp81]
07. Jodey Kendrick, “2 Bedroom” [Rephlex]
08. Mike Huckaby, “Mathematics for the Jazz Republic” [Downbeat]
09. Daniel Stefanik, “Transmediale” [Statik Entertainment]
10. Tom Noble, “Dancing Hard” [Clone Loft Supreme]

Luke Hawkins
01. Even Tuell, “Workshop 11 A1” [Workshop]
02. Madteo, “Workshop 117 A1” [Workshop]
03. John Roberts, “Dedicated” [Dial]
04. DJ Spider, “Debt=Slavery” [Plan B]
05. DJ Qu, “Secret Place” (Joey Anderson Remix) [Strength Music]
06. Robert Hood, “Electric Nigger Pt 1” [Cheap]
07. Mark Ernestus vs Konono No 1, “Masikulu Dub” [Congotronics]
08. Omar-S, “Simple Than Sorry” [FXHE]
09. Jody “Finch” Fingers, “Jack Your Big Booty” [Let’s Pet Puppies]
10. Madteo, “Deliverance” [Meakusma]

Anton Kipfel
01. Seuil, “Blank Love” [New Kanada]
02. Nicolas Jaar, “Don’t Believe The Hype” [Double Standard Records]
03. Darkstar, “Gold” (John Roberts Remix) [Hyperdub]
04. Nebraska, “This Is The Way” [Rush Hour Recordings]
05. Trickski, “Pill Collins” [Suol]
06. Space Dimension Controller, “Mercurial Attraction” [R&S Records]
07. St Plomb, “Precious Soul” (Ripperton Remix) [LWE]
08. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio]
09. Bonar Bradberry, “For All the Time” [Needwant Recordings]
10. Nochexxx, “Ritalin Love” [Ramp Recordings]

Kuri Kondrak
01. Reel By Real, “Surkit” (1990 Original Version) [Artless]
02. Miles Sagnia, “Interplanetary Visitors” [Ornate]
03. Lone, “Once In A While” [Werk]
04. Shake, “Trackin” [Fit]
05. Vakula, “I Forget” (Juju & Jordash Vakula/Drakula Remix) [Best Works]
06. TJ & DJ Raybone, “Gone” [Rush Hour]
07. Chris & Cosey, “This Is Me” [Conspiracy International]
08. A Guy Called Gerald, “Just Soul” [Laboratory Instinct]
09. Mark Ernestus vs. Konono No 1, “Masikulu Dub” [Congotronics]
10. Space Dimension Controller, “Mercurial Attraction” [R&S Records]

Chris Miller
01. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio]
02. Even Tuell, “Untitled A1” [Workshop]
03. Shackleton vs. Kasai Allstars, “Mukuba Special” [Congotronics]
04. DJ Jus-Ed, “I’m Comin'” (Levon Vincent Remix) [Underground Quality]
05. Donato Dozzy, “Untitled D2” [Further Records]
06. Floorplan, “Living It Up” [M-Plant]
07. Drexciya, “Digital Tsunami” [Tresor]
08. Murphy Jax feat. Mike Dunn, “It’s The Music” [Clone Jack For Daze]
09. Space Dimension Controller, “Mercurial Attraction” [R&S Records]
10. Nebraska, “Arrondissement” [Rush Hour]

Jordan Rothlein
01. NDF, “Since We Last Met” [DFA]
02. Nebraska, “Bar Stories” [Rush Hour]
03. Elgato, “Blue” [Hessle Audio]
04. Donato Dozzy, “K C1” [Further Records]
05. Shifty Science, “Love’s Not Fading” (Earth House Hold Mix)
[Love’s Label]
06. Space Dimension Controller, “Transatlantic Landing Bay” [R&S Records]
07. XXXY, “Just For Me” [Fortified Audio]
08. John Roberts, “August” [Dial]
09. Feadz, “The Assistant Manager” [Monkeytown Records]
10. Peverelist & Hyetal, “The Hum” [Punch Drunk]

Andrew Ryce
01. Sandwell District, “Immolare (First)” [Sandwell Disctrict]
02. DJG, “Bare Hands” [Voids]
03. Genotype, “Sun Time” [Exit]
04. Ernesto Ferreyra, “Mil Y Une Noches” [Cadenza]
05. Horsepower Productions, “Rain” [Tempa]
06. Ekoplekz, “Distended Dub” [Punch Drunk]
07. Jacques Greene, “The Look” [LuckyMe]
08. Airhead, “Paper Street” (Nick Höppner Remix) [RAMP]
09. Untold, “Stereo Freeze” [R&S Records]
10. Pinch, “Croydon House” [Swamp81]