BEST OF MUSIC 2011



It is never an easy task to pick up the best Tunes and CDs of the last 12 months, from my playlists...



I initially wanted to select the 10 best tunes and ended up with a 30 best list... plus I have added 50 more which I consider also exceptional... a lot more remains in my playlists... It was easier to pick up the CDs, mostly because I buy less and less full CDs... the trend is for tracks and remixed tracks, although there were some very good cds to listen from beginning to end nonstop. I consider Nicolas Jaar was the musician of the year, not only because of his CD but also his many remixes. But there were a lot more people - see bellow! The lists are in alphabetical order. Hope you enjoy!

TOP 30 TUNES

ActiveChild - Hanging On 
Arnaud Rebotini - Another Time, Another Place           
Azari & III - Into The Night (CFCF Remix)       
Benoit & Sergio - Everybody         
Citizens ! - True Romance  
Connan Mockasin - Forever Dolphin Love (Erol Alkan Rework)       
Crystal Fighters - Plage (Compuphonic Remix)  
Death Cab for Cutie - Doors Unlocked And Open (Cut Copy Remix)
Discodeine - Synchronize Featuring Jarvis Cocker        
DJ Khaled +  Sinjin Hawke - I'm On One (Sinjin Hawke Remix)        
Floating Points - K&G Beat           
The Irrepressibles - In This Shirt (Röyksopp Remix)     
Joe Goddard  - Gabriel (feat. Valentina) 
Joie Noire - I Need Somebody to Love Tonight   
Julio Bashmore - Ensnare  
Jullian Gomes - Love Song 28 feat. Bobby (Original Mix)        
Jürgen Paape - Pray           
The KDMS - High Wire (Mustang Dub)  
Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Joy Orbison Remix)       
Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix)         
M83 - Midnight City           
Maceo Plex - Stay High Baby        
Maya Jane Coles - The High Life  
Monarchy - I Won't Let Go (Mustang Remix)    
The Rapture - How Deep Is Your Love? 
Sneaky Sound System - Always By Your Side (Nicolas Jaar Version) 
Tensnake - Congolal (Tensnake Rework)
Toro Y Moi - I Can Get Love        
Washed Out - You and I    
Who Made Who - Every Minute Alone (Tale Of Us Remix)     


MORE + 50

Aeroplane Save Me Now    
CSS  Hits Me Like A Rock  
Cut Copy Take Me Over (Thee Loving Hand Remix by Tim Goldsworthy)        
Damu Ridin' 
Dante Nou I Think I Lost Myself (RÜFÜS Remix)           
Darkside A1 
Daso Pars Tensa - Original Mix        
Gigamesh Red Light (feat. Amanda Love)
Greg Paulus Nightime (Crazy P Remix)     
GusGus Over (Life And Death Remix)      
Holy Other Make Me Bad (Sickness In Salvation Mix)     
Holy Other Yr Love 
Human League Never Let Me Go (Aeroplane Remix)      
Jamie xx Far Nearer 
Jeremy Glenn New Life (Perseus 'Summer of 83' Remix)
Julio Bashmore Ask Yourself         
Kamp! Cairo (Philosophy Of Sound Dub Remix)
Korallreven Honey Mine (ft Victoria Bergsman)   
Lazydisco More Tigers (Mirror People Remix)       
Locussolus I Want It
Luca C. & Brigante Different Morals        
Maceo Plex Your Style (Maya Jane Coles Remix) 
The Magician I Don't Know What to Do (Original)          
Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.Somebody to Love Me (feat. Boy George & Andrew Wyatt)       
Metronomy The Bay (Erol Alkan's Extended Rework)     
Mickey Moonlight Close To Everything (The Martin Brothers Dub)        
Moullinex Sunflare - Original Mix   
Munk Mis Labios (Black Van Remix)        
Niki & The Dove Mother Protect (Goldroom Remix)       
Noir & Haze Around (Solomun Vox Mix) 
Omar S. Who's in Key ft. Theo Parrish       
Paradis La Ballade De Jim (Original Mix)  
Pnau The Truth (Jump Jump Dance Dance Remix)
Poolside Do You Believe? (Original Mix)   
Radiohead Lotus Flower (Jacques Greene Rmx)   
Remain Ralph (Monoblok & Pussyselektor remix) 
Rone So So So          
Shindu Happy House (Midnight Savari Remix)     
Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team Bassface (aquarius Heaven remix)      
Strange Talk Climbing Walls (Demo)        
Superpitcher White Lightning        
Switch & Andrea Martin I Still Love You
Tiefschwarz Corporate Butcher (Solomun Remix)
Todd Terje Snooze 4 Love (Original)         
Tracey Thorn Night Time (The xx Cover) 
Tricky Time to Dance (Maya Jane Coles Remix)   
Various Artists Let's Go All The Way (Early Version)      
When Saints Go Machine Fail Forever (Nicolas Jaar Remix)       
Young Empires Rain Of Gold        
The 2 Bears Work (Radio Edit)      

TOP 15 ALBUMS

SBTRKT – Sbtrkt
Metronomy – The English Riviera
Maceo Plex – Life index
Connan Mockasin – Forever Dolphin Love
Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
James Blake – James Blake
Jill-Scott Heron & Jamie xx – We’re new here
The Rapture – In the grace of your love
Kate Bush – 50 words for snow
Cascadeur – The human octopus
Onra – Chinoiseries
Apparat – The devil’s walk
Washed out – Within and without
Kompakt unveils Total 12 – various artists

Musicians of the year:
Nicolas Jaar, Maceo Plex, Julio Bashmore… and the newcomer Maya Jane Coles. And not forgetting belgian based Mustang, with great remixes. 2011 when finally the USa discovered dance/electronic music… and it’s very promising what is coming from there.

Sources of inspiration:
ITunes…

CINEMA - Best films of 2011


Best films of 2011

Bellow is the list (in no particular order) of the ten best films I saw in 2011, even though some films might have been released already previously in some countries.

This is followed by a list of other good films, which are worth mentioning!

Beginners - Mike Mills (USA)
Black Swan - Darren Aronofosky (USA)
Carnage -  Roman Polansky (UK) 
Drive– Nicolas Winding Refn (CAN, DK)
In a better world - Susanne Bier (DK)
Incendies – Denis Villeneuve (CAN)
Mapa de los sonidos de Tokio (Map of the sounds of Tokyo) – Isabel Coixet (ES)
Melancholia - Lars von Trier (DK, FR)
A Separation - Asghar Farhadi (Iran)
Shame - Steve McQueen (UK)

special mention also to :

50/50 - Jonathan Levine (USA)
Le Cochon de Gaza – Sylvain Estibal (FR)
Contagion – Steven Soderbergh (USA)
Contracorriente – Javier Fuentes-Léon (Peru)
Crazy Stupid love – Glenn Ficarra (USA)
Et maintenaint on va où ? - Nadine Labaki (Lebanon)
Hebemus Papam – Nanni Moretti (IT)
Intouchables – Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache (FR)
La piel que habito – Pedro Almodovar (ES)
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen (USA)
Poetry – Lee Chang-dong (KOR)
Santiago 73 – Pablo Larrain (Chile, Mex, DE)
Super 8 – J.J.Abrams (USA)
This must be the place – Paolo Sorrentino (IT)


And a mention to the best actors in 2011... 
Best actor: Ryan Gosling (with four great films)
Best actress: Carey Mulligan 

MUSIC BEST OF 2010

And yet another year goes by... with loads of new music! Music from CDs, from internet, MP3, from many new music blogs which spread like mushrooms in an enchanted forest of new discoveries... 2010 was probably not one of the most creative years but a lot of interesting things came out! It was the year where the mix of styles ruled and the choice bellow is an example of those blury borders between styles, electro, "dance" (whatever that means), trip hop (yes, it still exists), techno, disco, dubstep, rock, pop, house...
It's not easy to select but the following selection is a good example of what I listened to during 2010...

TOP 10 tracks

RAUDIVE Is It Dark In Here - Original Version

YOUNG EMPIRES Glory of the night
MASSIVE ATTACK Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Dub)
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS Dissolve (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
NICOLAS JAAR Time for Us
MARTYN Hear Me (Zomby mix)
RAMADANMAN I Beg You
SBTRKT Hide or Seek
JAMES BLAKE Limit to your love
KADEBOSTAN The Souk (No Horns Mix)


 
TOP 50

A Number Of Names Shari Vari
Acid Washed Snake (Gavin Russom Remix)
Barrytone Skin deep
Basti Grub & Komaton Sick (edit)
Beach House Walk In The Park
Bot'ox Blue Steel
Bryan Ferry You Can Dance
Caribou Sun (Midland Re-Edit)
Clara Moto Silenty (Featuring Mimu)
Crystal Castles Not in Love (ft. Robert Smith)
Cut Copy Far Away (The Golden Filter Remix)
Dead Man's Bones Lose Your Soul (Turbotito Remix)
Deerhunter Helicopter (Diplo & Lunice Remix)
The Good Natured Your Body is a Machine (Zebra+Snake Remix)
Health Eat Flesh (Baron von Luxxury Extended Remix)
Hurts Better than Love (Italoconnection Remix)
In Flagranti Through the Rabbit Hole (Moscow Remix)
Jimmy Edgar Hot, Raw, Sex
Kanye West (feat. Kid Cudi, Pusha T, John Legend, Lloyd Banks & Ryan Leslie) Christian Dior Denim Flow
Kisses Kisses
M.I.A Xxxo
Memoryhouse To the Lighthouse
Men Simultaneously (Lauren Flax Remix)
Munk Violent Love (The Twelves Remix)
oOoOO hearts
Ost & Kjex Bluebird - Orginal Mix
Rubies I Feel Electric feat. Feist (Tiedye Remix)
Sharam Jey The Things (feat. Tommie Sunshine)
Silvervince Mademoiselle B. (Mustang Remix)
Superpitcher Voodoo
The Temper Trap Fader (Pivot Mix)
This Is Head 0011 (Kasper Bjørke Version)
Two Door Cinema Club What you know (Monkey Money Remix)
Violens Fields of Rape
Voltage All Night (Radio Edit)
We Have Band Divisive (DJ Mujava Edit)
WhoMadeWho Keep Me In My Plane - DJ Koze Hudson River Dub Mix
Xenia Beliayeva Ever Since
The xx Crystalised (Dark Sky Remix)
They came from the stars i saw them Moon Song (The Gospel According to Mung 2012 Live At the Hacienda Version)

TOP 10 ALBUMS

Kollektiv Turmstrasse / Rebellion Der Träumer
Various / Thisisnotanexit Manifesto # 1
Gonjasufi / A Sufi And A Killer
Brain Ferry / Olympia
Massive Attack / Heligoland
Superpitcher / Kilimanjaro
Tricky / Mixed race
Jimmy Edgar / XXX
Caribou / Swim
Beach House / Teen dream

+ others

LCD Soundsystem /This is happening
Bo’tox / Babylon By Car
Darkstar / North
Lindstrøm & Christabelle / Real life is no cool
Acid Washed / Acid washed
Delphic / Acolyte
John Roberts / Glass Eights
Todd Terje / Remaster of the Universe

BEST OF CINEMA 2010

Bellow is the list (in no particular order) of the ten best films I saw during 2010, even though some films might have been released already previously.



And then a list of other good films that are worth mentioning!


So here’s the list:


10 Best films 2010 (in no particular order)


CELULA 211, David Monzón, ES
THE GHOST WRITER, Roman Polanski, FR-UK
LOLA, Brillante Mendoza, Philippines
EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS, Juan José Campanella, ARG
Mr NOBODY, Jaco Van Dormael, BE-FR-UK
POTICHE, François Ozon, FR
A SERIOUS MAN, Ethan & Joel Cohen, USA
SHUTTER ISLAND, Martin Scorsese, USA
A SINGLE MAN, Tom Ford, USA
THE SOCIAL NETWORK, David Fincher, USA


+ A SPECIAL MENTION of the following films:


ALICE IN WONDERLAND, Tim Burton, USA
AGORA, Alejandro Amenabar, ES
AIR DOLL, Hirokazu Kore, JP
LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES, Xavier Dolan, CAN
AÑO BISIESTO, Michael Rowe, MEX
L’ARNACOEUR, Pascal Chaumeil, FR
AVATAR, James Cameron, USA
CHLOE, Atom Egoyan, CAN
COLD SOULS, Sophie Barthes, FR
FEMMES DU CAIRE, Yousry Nasrallah, Egypt
INCEPTION, Christopher Nolan, USA
IN THE AIR, Jason Reitman, USA
IO SONO L’AMORE, Luca Guadagnino, IT, UK
KABOOM, Gregg Araki, USA
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, Lisa Cholodenko, USA
MORRER COMO UM HOMEM, João Pedro Rodrigues, PT
MY NAME IS KHAN, Karan Johar, Índia
SPRING FEVER (Nuits d’ivresse printanière), Lou Ye, China

The deception:


AJAMI, Seadar Copti & Yaron Shari, ISR
For contributing to the impunity and “defensive” image of Israel, by which only the Palestinian are guilty of the situation in the Middle East.

Cinema: BEST FILMS OF 2009

Bellow is the list (in no particular order) of the best films I saw during 2009, even though some films were released already in 2008.

The three best also do not follow any particular order. I think 2009 might have been a better cinema year than 2008 despite the cinema crisis. But thanks to some great directors like Tarantino, Almodovar, Gus van Sant, Michael Haneke, etc, we continue to have great films. And let's not forget newcomers and independent cinema. I wish however that the cinemas in Europe would programme more different cinema from around the globe, in particular from Latin America and Asia. But also from less know European directors. Cinema is a lot more than just Hollywood or French films or American independent productions...

So here’s the list:


10 Best films 2009

3-BEST
MILK, Gus Van Sant, US 2008
SLUMDOG MILLIONNAIRE, Danny Boyle, UK 2008
J’AI TUÉ MA MERE, Xavier Dolan, CAN 2009

Others:
ABRAZOS ROTOS, Almodovar, ES 2009
DEPARTURES /OKURIBITO, YojiroTakita, Japan 2008
EINAYM PKUHOT / EYES WIDE OPEN, Haim Tabakman ; Israel 2009
FISH TANK, Andrea Arnold, UK 2009
STILL WALKING/ Aruitemo aruitemo, Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan 2008
UN PROPHETE, Jacques Audiard, France 2009
THE WHITE RIBBON/ DAS WEISSE BAND, Michael Haneke, DE 2009


+ A SPECIAL MENTION to the following films:

500 DAYS OF SUMMER, Marc Webb, US 2009
THE CHASER/ Chugyeogja, Hong-Jin Na, Korea 2008
DISTRICT 9, Neill Blomkamp, SA 2009
FROZEN RIVER, Courtnet Hunt, US 2008
THE HANGOVER (A VERY BAD TRIPP), Todd Pilipps, US 2009
INGLORIOUS BASTARDS, Q. Tarantino, US 2009
LA MUJER SIN CABEZA, Lucrecia Martel, Argentina 2008
PRANZO DI FERRAGOSTO, Gianni Di Gregorio, IT 2008
SIN NOMBRE, Cary Fukunaga, MEX/US 2009