The Top 50 singles of 2021 – 20-11

The penultimate run down of the singles of the year

20

Mad Honey – Upwards Bound (Space Grapes)

“Despite everything from ridicule to public demolition, disco simply refuses to die. It seemed in particularly rude health in 2021 too, with new acts like Mad Honey bringing their spin on the age old sound and keeping it relevant for 21st century dancefloors. Plenty of loft party soul to luxuriate in here.”

19

Jay Glass Dubs – Jungle Shuffle (The Wormhole)

“This is a white hot new white label from Jay Glass Dubs who serves up two textbook re-workings of the ‘Jungle Shuffle’ tune that prepared on Italian saxophonist Laura Agnusdei’s debut album Laurisilva. First comes his JGD rework which is all about the mystic flute leads that drift in and out of ear shot. Rumbling bass and broken drums are way down below to power it along, and then on the flip he offers a beatless version that has you suspended next to the slightest wisps of flute and dark drones.”

18

SP:MC – Love Hz / Glidepath (Declassified)

“Not many MCs make the leap from the mic to the mixing desk and shake free of their prescribed role in the scene. It must been even harder to pull off such a move when MC is literally in your artist name, but here’s Stewart Procter, decades deep and something of a polymath within a variety of fields from MCing and production to visual design. The man known as SP:MC marked out his journey as a producer with a stellar run of 12”s on Tempa from ’08 to ’13, culminating in the Declassified double pack which now gives him the name for his self-steered label of solo productions.. these exude a building quality, a sophistication, which ups the level of any set they grace.”

17

Omar S ‘What’s Good For The Goose’ (FXHE)

“Something magic happens when Detroit’s premiere house and techno producers veer into the territory of neo-soul, future jazz and funk. Captivating examples of four-to-the-floor departures have arrived in recent years from the like of Moodymann – whose achingly sleazy ‘Sinnerman’ bests the output of some of the r&b world’s most illustrious producers – Jay Daniel, John FM, and, of course, Alex ‘Omar S’ Smith. Magnificently illustrating the depth of his talent, the latter is no stranger to traversing stylistic boundaries – routinely striking audio gold in the process.”

16

Quantic – I Won’t Fade Away (Selva)

“Now this is an interesting concept if ever there was one. Celebrated composer, producer, bandleader and beat lord Will ‘Quantic’ Holland samples one of his own oft-borrowed tracks, flipping the script to serve up a jaunty slice of propulsive UK garage. Lifting Alice Russell’s sublime lead performance from Quantic Soul Orchestra’s 2005 masterpiece ‘Pushin’ On’, Holland reframes her iconic vocal from an entirely new perspective.”

15

Gezan vs. Eye – Gzn Rmx (13th)

“Japanese imports are a hot topic at Juno. We tend to clamour after these kinds of releases, bedazzled by the more relentless electronic styles endemic to Japanese music culture. This 12” EP of exclusive remixes by alt-rock veteran Yamantaka Eye sees him remix four flown-under cuts by underground staples Gezan: one of the more transgressive acts active on the Osaka and Tokyo underground music scenes today. Eye is the vocalist and visual artist from the band Boredoms, and here, he repurposes tracks from Gezan’s last album, ‘狂 Klue’. Whereas ‘狂 Klue’ contained dark, impish psych and ritual dub – best emphasised by the tracks ‘赤曜日’ (‘Red Day’), ‘Extacy’ and the ear-crushing climax ‘東京’ (‘Tokyo’) – Eye’s reworkings are complete overhauls, operating in an attention-addling IDM and nerdcore palette. His gut-punching remix of ‘Extacy’ barely touches on any sound from the original, save for its gurgling vocals, of which Eye chooses only the most guttural moments to weave between the beats of this machine stew.”

14

Arp Frique – Nyame Ye (Rush Hour)

“Few labels have their collective fingers so firmly on the pulse than the Rush Hour team – who routinely operate on or around the very pinnacle of the subterranean zeitgeist – and their journeying into loose-limbed international rhythm always results in compelling, floor-focused tracks with ample thrust to invigorate and inspire discerning dancers. There can’t be too many of us that aren’t in need of a good old, happy-making knees-up over the coming weeks, and ‘Nyame Ye’ has all of the ingredients to create an explosion of pent-up release. On top of that, this outstanding single bodes rather well for the forthcoming long player.”

13

Los Hermanos – Another Day (Mother Tongue)

“What better way to open your New Year than with aa heart swelling soulful house tune that cannot fail to swell you with emotion. Gerald Mitchell aka Los Hermanos’s ‘Another Day’ is just that, a sweet coming together of acoustic string work, a perfect soul sample that is dusty and aching, and claps and kicks that roll for days. From the gospel tones of the opener we head to the electric techno-jazz of ‘Binary Funk Infusion’ featuring Bob Rogue its finally on to ‘The Billy Love Experience (Let Love Live)’, a jazzy house workout with Sun-Ra synths and noodling Rhdoes that are utterly life affirming.”

12

Soul II Soul – Missing You (Noodles & Wonder Remix) (Funki Dred)

“This repress is an incredible smashing of worlds, one for the ages. Four titanic names from disparate corners of the hardcore continuum – Soul II Soul, Noodles, Wonder, and Dillinja – have delivered a stonking two-track single, demonstrating their nostalgic but just co-take on jungle. In a wand-wave of curatorial magic, this is actually an example of the recently-invigorated Funki Dreds label (which returned in 2020 after an almost 20-year hiatus) serving up two tracks from the vaults. Both tracks are widely known to the drum n’ bass hive mind, yet have until now remained in white label dub form, initially released in 1995.”

11

Mr Fingers – Vault Sessions vol1 (Alleviated)

“House innovator Larry Heard aka Mr Fingers dives deep into his vast and venerated vaults for a new series of retrospective EPs on his own long running label. The tunes selected are either unheard unreleased on this label and first up is a selection that was once considered for the Another Side album that had Ron Wilson free-styling vocals. It’s a high class selection of soulful electronic sounds with impassioned volts and tiny synths, ticking wooden hits and deep, spiritual vibes. ‘Saspence’ is from another dimension, while ‘Nyte Light’ is a unique acid workout.”