You know most end of year lists happen at the beginning of December, skipping any chance for anything that might get released in that last month of the year. Assuming everything of note has already been sent out into ears worldwide. Yea? Well, we’ve gone in the other direction, and overshot it. Now, we didn’t plan it this way, January is just a weird month for a lot of reasons, and finding the time to sit down and go through last year has taken longer than expected.

But finally, we’ve a list of favourites from last year. I’m not going to use the word best, because what I like, is not necessarily what you like. Still, as you’re reading this in the first place, it’s safe to assume a lot of what I’m highlighting will crossover and interest you. 

As usual for list type things from me, Darkfloor, and Mantis Radio, these aren’t in any specific order, other than alphabetical.

It’s a mix of styles as you’d expect. You've electronic music for the club. And for the home. Metal, because. And outliers, like folk records, and blues. Though one of those (Oumou Sangaré) is West African meet New Orleans in a beautiful and unexpected record.

Some of these records I’ve mentioned being favourites as I’ve played them on Mantis Radio, some of which I’ve hyped on the socials a few times, some were mentioned on RECS, and some I’ve just kind of enjoyed on my own. But, all were released last year.

Nothing speaks better for the music here, than the music itself. So in that spirit, I’m not going to wax on about this or that about that or this release. But just list, roughly, what sort of sound they are, and provide a link to listen. The rest is up to you.

Rest assured. All of these are exceptional.

_

Aasthma – Arrival [Monkeytown Records]
hyperpop, tech 

Aleksi Perälä – Cycles 3 星辰 [AP Musik]
hypnotic ambient 

Alfred Czital – Reality Check [Harmony Rec]
deep, ambient techno shades 

Azu Tiwaline & Al Wootton – Alandazu [Livity Sound]
dub, tech 

Batu – Opal [Timedance]
experimental tech, dub, bass 

Black Magnet – Body Prophecy [20 Buck Spin]
metal, industrial 

Blackbraid – I [Neuropa Records]
black metal 

Blood Incantation – Timewave Zero [Century Media]
ambient, berlin-school 

Boris – W [Sacred Bones Records]
sludge metal, ambient 

Brainwaltzera – TSAME [Film Recordings]
IDM, breaks 

Commodo – Deft 1s [Black Acre]
dubstep, grunge 

Conjurer – Pathos [Nuclear Blast]
sludge metal 

Dopplereffekt – Neurotelepathy [Leisure System]
Detroit electro

Fret – Because of the Weak [L.I.E.S. Records]
industrial, heavyweight techno 

Gareth Wild – Night Breed [Eartoground]
techno

Go Hiyama – Fictions [Diffuse Reality]
ambient techno 

Hath – All That Was Promised [Willowtip]
blackened death metal 

Heriot – Profound Morality [Church Road Records]
post-hardcore, metalcore 

Immolation – Acts of God [Nuclear Blast]
death metal 

Jake Xerxes Fussell – Good and Green Again [Paradise of Bachelors]
folk 

Jonas Kopp – Less Is More Part 4 [Tremsix]
techno  

Kangding Ray – ULTRACHROMA [ara]
IDM, techno 

Katran – Above The Concrete [HANDS]
industrial, rhythmic noise 

KEN Mode – Null [Artoffact Records]
metal, noise, sludge 

KUEDO – Infinite Window [Brainfeeder]
synth, ambient 

Lag – Clique of One [Don't Recordings]
techno 

LAV – A New Landscape [Past Inside The Present]
ambient techno 

Lorna Shore – Pain Remains [Century Media]
deathcore insanity 

Lull – That Space Somewhere [Cold Spring Records]
dark ambient, drone 

Lunar Blood – Twilight Insurgency [Pulverised Records]
black death metal 

Marco Zenker – Channel Balance [Ilian Tape]
dub, breaks, techno 

Marcus King – Young Blood [Easy Eye Sound]
blues rock 

Monoloc – Fake Tears [Anormal]
techno 

Oren Ambarchi – Shebang [Drag City]
experimental, ambient guitar 

Oumou Sangare – Timbuktu [World Circuit]
African, Blues 

Planetary Assault Systems – Devotion [Token]
techno 

Rookley – Playground [AIMEND]
techno, garage, breaks 

Shoal – Konstrukt 16 [Konstrukt]
ambient 

Steffi –The Red Hunter [Candy Mountain]
electro, breaks, IDM 

Sunfear – Octopus [Dark Entries Records]
Turkish dreampop  

Tapefeed – Pan–Galactic Gargle Blaster [Mord]
techno 

Ténèbre – Terraform [YUKU]
bass, sound design, tech 

The Allegorist – Blind Emperor [Awaken Chronicles]
ambient, cinematic, experimental

The Utopia Strong – International Treasure [Rocket Recordings]
krautrock, psychedelic 

Torn – Borderline [Samurai Music]
drum & bass 

Wata Igarashi – WIP07 [WIP]
techno 

White Ward – False Light [Debemur Morti Productions]
progressive black metal, jazz noir 

Worm – Bluenothing [20 Buck Spin]
death/doom metal 

YRRE – Luhlae x The Witch [Hummus Records]
atmospheric black metal