Chart courtesy of The Economist.

01. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
What more can we say? EP of the year so far?

02. Ben Watt ft. Julia Biel, “Guinea Pig” (DJ Koze’s Vocal Variation remix) [Buzzin Fly Records] (buy)
We’re starting to believe DJ Koze is giving Ricardo Villalobos a run for his money as techno/house’s most beloved auteur. He’s an irrepressible force always undermining the boundaries of dance music and electronic music more generally, often busting out in inexplicably appealing ways. His remix of Ben Watt’s “Guinea Pig” is similarly alluring, a tangled narrative of unstable vocals, shuddering snare hits, lucid marimba notes, disconnected phone numbers and a pumping arpeggio, all held together by the sheer quality of its disparate parts. DJ Koze’s music is so unabashedly original yet ultimately accessible, and each new release only furthers that reputation.

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03. John Daly, “This Is A Lonely Beat”
[Drumpoet Community] (buy)
Had we not known it was John Daly’s work when “This Is A Lonely Beat” poured from the PA, we wouldn’t have believed it. His productions are almost always melodically bountiful but rarely outright poppy, which is what he achieves for Drumpoet Community. In fact the only thing that gives him away is the subtle dub iterations ringing the hypnotic churning riff. Otherwise we migh’ve suspected a long forgotten French house master was behind the jittery vocal snippets, snug and chugging percussion and gregarious bass line. And try as we might, masks and all, John Daly’s newest is too infectious to resist.

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04. Boris Hotton, “Bon Voyage”
[Troubled Kids Records] (buy)
Boris Hotton has been lurking around techno and house since 2005, but it wasn’t until his remix of Sven Weisemann’s “Slices” for liebe*detail spezial that he gained any visibility. He makes his solo debut on the similarly nascent Troubled Kids Records, and his two originals manage to best remixes from Motorcitysoul and Jesus Gonsev. The sultry “Bon Voyage” is tops in our book, even though it traffics in many “deep house” tropes that have grown vastly overused. Yet his arrangements are more complex and heartwarming, like the way he drapes a vocal over the hardened drums, the way his synth lines and string progressions sweep over the dance floor like a sudden flush of emotion. “Bon Voyage” is unlikely to end up Hotton’s calling card, but it bodes well for future releases and will nicely round out deeper DJ sets.

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05. Gruber & Nurnberg, “Traffic” (Agnès remix)
[Bloop Recordings] (buy)
What’s incredible about Agnès’ remixes isn’t just their reliable quality, but how much musical DNA they share regardless of the source material. It’s as if he’s turned his Swiss studio into a factory where the top sellers are elastic synth stabs, billowing pads and segmented diva vocal samples. But for all the homogeny, I’ve yet to find an Agnès remix unremarkable; his version of Gruber & Nurnberg’s “Traffic” is latest to follow the trend. The pinching ancillary percussion spinning cobwebs between solid house rhythms recalls Around the House-era Herbert — a great set of touchstones — and helps an otherwise by-the-numbers remix stand out. Here’s hoping this is one factory the global economy won’t cause to shutter.

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06. Dplay, “Huub Sand” [Running Back] (buy)
Until now, Dplay only hit our radar when his star was hitched with Manuel Tur’s, but his ambitious new EP for Running Back suggests he’s a force to be reckoned with even solo. Rounding out a rather diverse and at times unusual release, the title track distills all Dplay’s personality into a simpler structure. Smooth and sober without plodding, its eight minutes are covered with the sheen of humming pads, rolling along at the behest of pneumatic percussion and a pulpy two-fingered progression. We can’t help but think of Global Communication when hearing “Huub Sand,” but it’s a good sound for Dplay, one likely to be heard as the sun warms the dawn sky into a blushing shade of purple.

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07. Martyn, Great Lengths [3024] (buy)
08. Point G, “Headache” [Innervisions] (buy)
09. Ben Klock, One [Ostgut Tonträger] (buy)
10. Kode9, “Black Sun” [Hyperdub] (buy)

Check out LWE staff charts after the jump.
Staff Charts

Bill Bearden:

01. Benga, “Buzzin” [Tempa]
02. Caspa ft. Dynamite MC, “The Takeover” [Sub Soldiers]
03. Distance, “Night Vision” (Skream remix) [Planet Mu]
04. MRK1, “Kill Zone” [Contagious]
05. Benga, “Technocal” [Tectonic]
06. Joker, “Do It” [Kapsize]
07. Jakes, “War Face” [Hench]
08. Breakage ft. David Rodigan, “Together” [Digital Soundboy]
09. Rusko, “Moaners” [Sub Soldiers]
10. Starkey, “Gutter Music” [Keysound]

Per Bojsen-Moller:

01. Martyn, Great Lengths [3024]
02. L-OW, “Moment of Truth” [On The Edge]
03. Pier Bucci & Jacek Sienkiewicz, “Skazka” [Recognition]
04. N/A, “Varience III/IV” [Sandwell District]
05. Freund Der Familie, “Sark” (Marko’s La Coupee Mix) [Freund Der Familie]
06. Joe, “Grimelight” [Hessle Audio]
07. Jamie Vex’d, “In System Travel” [Planet Mu]
08. Anonym, “Hart Plaza” [Pariter]
09. Fever Ray, “When I Grow Up” (Scuba’s Straight Down Mix) [Universal]
10. Michel Cleis, “La Mezcla” [Cadenza]

Chris Burkhalter:

01. Isolée, “A Nightingale” [Diynamic Music]
02. Black Jazz Consortium, “Living the Dream” [Soul People Music]
03. Joker, “Digidesign” [Hyperdub]
04. Alex Cortex, “déon” [Pomelo]
05. Anton Zap, “Spain” [Uzuri]
06. Raza, “Gonna Make You Work” [Millions of Moments]
07. October, “My Left Tool” [Perspectiv]
08. DJ Koze, “Mrs. Bojangles” [Circus Company]
09. Shake, “Space Probes” [Morphine Records]
10. October, “My Left Tool” (tobais. remix) [Perspectiv]

Peder Clark:

01. Jus-Ed, “Some New Shit 2 Dub” [Kinda Soul Recordings]
02. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
03. John Daly, “This Is A Lonely Beat” [Drumpoet Community]
04. Tony Lionni, “Found A Place” [Ostgut Tonträger]
05. Anthony “Shake” Shakir, “Indagoo” [Morphine Records]
06. Dplay, “Tschaka” [Running Back]
07. Culoe De Song, “The Bright Forest” [Innervisions]
08. Leonid, “Shortwave” [Sistrum Recordings]
09. Paul Du Lac, “Kira” [Clone]
10. Newworldaquarium, “Trespassers” (Redshape remix) [Delsin]

Nate DeYoung:

01. Joker, “Do It” [Kapsize]
02. DJ Koze, “Mrs. Bojangles” [Circus Company]
03. Mark Pritchard, “?” [Ho Hum Records]
04. Floating Points, “Love Me Like This” (Nonsense Dub) [R2 Records]
05. El-B, The Roots of El-B [Tempa]
06. Tensnake, “In the End (I Want You to Cry)” [Running Back]
07. Starkey, “Gutter Music” (Instrumental) [Keysound]
08. Tony Lionni, “Found A Place” [Ostgut Tonträger]
09. Matias Aguayo, “Bo Jack” [Còmeme]
10. Precious System, “The Voice From Planet Love” [Running Back]

Todd Hutlock:

01. Âme, “Setsa” [Innervisions]
02. Thabo, “Downstream” [Ornaments]
03. Baby Ford, “Gravy Train” [Perlon]
04. LoSoul, “Up The Beach” [Playhouse]
05. Len Faki, “BX 3” [Ostgut Tonträger]
06. Minilogue, “Animals” (Luciano remix)” [Cocoon Recordings]
07. Ernesto Ferreyra, “Caleza” [Cadenza]
08. Donnacha Costello, “Gatsby” [Look Long]
09. Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas, “Tirsdagsjam” (Lang Versjon)
[Eskimo Recordings]
10. Wareika, “Ascending” [Tartelet Records]

Will Lynch:

01. LoSoul, Care [Playhouse]
02. Black Jazz Consortium, “Structure” [Soul People Music]
03. Dplay, “Browse” [Drumpoet Community]
04. Delano Smith, “Synergy” [Third Ear Recordings]
05. David Labeij, “Lenny” [Sushitech Purple]
06. Wolf + Lamb, “If U Had” (Shaun Reeves edit) [Wolf + Lamb]
07. Anton Zap, “Mon 16:46” [Uzuri]
08. Jamie Vex’d, “In System Travel” [Planet Mu]
09. John Daly, “This Is A Lonely Beat” [Drumpoet Community]
10. Nick Holder, “Feelin’ Sad” [Sushitech Purple]