I’ve been meaning to post up some favourite releases of last year for a while now.

Favourite album:
Mount Kimbie – Crooks and Lovers

BMP favourite and the best post dubstep related release for me last year, although the Four Tet album ‘There is Love in You’ was also a firm favourite. These two kids from London have nailed this album. I really like the way the LP slowly builds up to songs like ‘Before i Move’ and ‘Blind Night Errand’ and dissolves away again into shorter more fragmented pieces.

Favourite compilation:
Mark E – Works 2005-2009

I’d obviously missed the memo that this guy was releasing all this great music between 05 and 09 but i was pretty happy finding it all on this compilation this year. I’m really looking forward to his LP due in May and it’s really interesting to see he’s releasing it with Spectral Sound, but i guess his connection with Matthew Dear and his remix on Matthew Dears Little People (Black City) had something to do with that. Hopefully we see a lot more released on his own MERC imprint. Mark E’s next release Call Me ep is due out sometime in early 2011.

Favourite Mix CD:
Tensnake – In The House
Despite being on what has in the past few years been a seemingly mundane label, Defected managed to secure a release of some of Tensnake’s favourite tracks of the moment and license them all for a 2cd Mix. CD1 is where it’s mostly at for me and is exactly to my pallette, from Zen Don’t Break It (Kenny Glasgow And Jonny White Remix) right through to the incredible Mayer mix of Fox the Fox’s “Precious Little Diamond” titled Amanda from Kompakt Total 2. It’s kind of a surprise that Tensnake has said he hates DJ’ing when this is what he’s capable of, screw the live sets.

Contender for favourite track, although it’s still changing daily:
Night Plane – Str8 2 Ur Heart by Night Plane

This Night Plane remix of Beach House is pretty great. Although i saw Beach House twice in London they’ve actually never sounded as good as in this context. Also check out Night Plane’s edit of Ariel Pink’s Round and Round, which isn’t as good as the original. Both Beach House and Ariel Pink are playing Laneways next week.

Favourite mix off the net:
Rush Hour best of 2010 mix – by Cool Chris by rushhourrecords
Great year for Rush Hour and this mix proves that exactly.