2008 Selection

[First published on nskstate.com/sonocentric, original post date retained]

Ancient Methods – Second Method (Ancient Methods)
Berlin dub techno with heavy, crypto-industrial textures.

Antichild League – The Father (Hagshadow)
Unexpectedly atmospheric, heavily textured misanthropic noise.

Autechre – Quaristice (Warp)
Not uniformly excellent but there will still enough fresh-sounding tracks to make this a welcome return.

Autopsia – Radical Machines, Night Landscapes (Illuminating Technologies)
A really surprising and impressive development of the Autopsia sound, moving further into austere modernist textures while flirting with harsh breakcore textures. The perfect soundtrack to imperfect times.

Gas – Nah und Fern (Kompakt)
All the Gas albums re-mastered and re-presented. Monumental Teutonic classical disco ambience.

Geistform – Pro Analogic (Hands)
Another welcome return, one of several excellent Hands releases this year.

Interrference – Lost Minds 2 (Atlantikwall)
Vinyl-only Den Haag acid techno re-release madness: too much is never enough!

Maschinenkrieger KR52 vs. Disraptor - Audio-Phobie (Hands)
Brutally efficient rhythm and noise release. Well worth seeing live.

Miss Kittin – Batbox (Nobody's Bizzness)
A much stronger and more charming record than I.Com with a few real electropop classics.

Mono No Aware – Ketoujin (Hands)
Dynamic, severe and exhilarating.

MS Gentur – Final Chapter (Hands)
Following the first live shows in a long time MS Gentur delivers a suitably ferocious sign-off.

Portishead – Third (Island)
Perhaps their bleakest but also most dynamic work. At times Swans-like, a real revelation.

Satori – Kanashibari (Cold Spring)
CD issue of the previously Japanese vinyl-only release. Nightmarish, harshly textured dark ambient.

Severed Heads - Adenoids 1977-1985 (Vinyl on Demand)
Some of the earliest and darkest material by the Australian legends, much of it sounding far ahead of its time. If you only know their later electropop this will be a revelation.

X-102 Rediscovers the Rings of Saturn (Tresor)
The 1992 dark Detroit techno classic re-mastered and extended.

V/A – Wilde Jaeger (Percht)
Yes, it’s Neofolk!, the style self-appointed censors believe they can prove their worthiness by attempting to suppress. Extensive survey of the scene released in a lavish package. More consistent than many compilations of the controversial style with interesting responses to the theme of Alpine rituals. Some excellent and surprising music to be found amongst more average tracks. For anyone capable of listening to music and retaining their own political perspective.