My best albums of 2024
Humans In the Machine isn’t just about business, seeking inspiration from pioneers, artists and institutions that have made the world better. In this case through the form of music, using my trusty pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX8 and Flare's latest auditory experiment, the Immerse.
I’ve long been a fan of these British audio innovators, Flare launched the Immerse last December promising a more open, expansive listening experience, revealing previously hidden layers in music recordings. Pop them in your ears and a pair of headphones over the top. Even with a headphone like the PX8, the Immerse make a difference, not superior exactly, just different, like being able to switch the soundstage from wide to ultra-wide.
The perfect excuse to invest time properly listening to my favorite electronica of 2024.
“Ethos”
Frank & Tony, the Brooklyn and Biarritz-based duo craft an exquisite house music album that has that magical quality to adapt to and elevate whatever the environment season or weather. On a hot day, it feels languid and beguiling, like shimmering sun across the water. On a cool day, it takes on a more sophisticated, urbane, neon lit feeling, nestling in some ultra cool club you’ve never heard of.
“Airdrop”
Simply put this is Nineties rave and IDM vibes deconstructed and remade as jittery, distorted low BPM ambient. It reminds me of early Reinforced and Metalheadz output, and the percussive fury of Goldie who remains one of my artistic heroes for his ability to fuse beauty with brutality. The slow tempo allows you to really connect with the sound engineering, with a paranoia-inducing feeling the police just round the corner to shut things down.
“Earth Prism”
Iluvia must have “watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate” before adding complex percussion, drum patterns and glowing bass to create Earth Prism. “The energy of his breakbeat manipulations is tamed by soft billowing clouds of enveloping sound.” - I’d argue that this is Swedish producer Ludvig Cimbrelius’ best album to date.
“Reflections”
James Clement is a prolific producer, such that it is hard to keep up with his output, but that output is never mediocre. In 2024 alone he released four albums and if you want to be transported to another place by a gifted sound engineer. It was hard to choose between “Loss” and “Reflections”, I chose the latter because of it’s soothing, multi-layered delivery of D&B, awash with melodic soundscapes, bringing to mind the best of LTJ Bukem.
“II”
Deceptively simple on first listen, meticulously developed on the second. It gets better with each repetition as layers are revealed with expansiveness, warm bass tones and the occasional classical flourish. It’s upbeat, optimistic, but never shouts “hey you, be happy!”
“In Camera”
This is just a really fascinating soundtrack to listen to and I found the way it has been produced made it one of the best performers with the Flare Immerse, which elevated the cavernous, yet introspective feeling. It feels like the movie, a satire about a struggling British Pakistani actor, possessing moments of beautiful clarity, feelings of disorientation.
“Dreamstate”
One reviewer described this album as “hypnotic euphoria”. I cannot describe it better myself. Unashamedly upbeat, but not emotionally simplistic, more about a listening experience with a real sense of structural clarity and layering that allows Kelly Lee’s wonderful voice to shine through. This is the album to listen to on days when you need to escape gloom.
“Spiritual Driveby”
The self-described “high priestess of hard-techno” released her first album in 2024. What even is hard techno in 2024? Well, it sounds like a kind of 140BPM fever dream involving a hyperkinetic blend of techno, industrial, rave, hardstyle, psytrance and a sprinkling of cheese. “The album follows a journey into a sexy underworld” a succinct description of Sara’s appeal.
“Now I Know Paradise”
When it comes to emotional impact, this is my hands-down my album of 2024. It’s a heady blend of breakbeat nostalgia for me personally, dense basslines and the gritty post-dubstep feel pioneered by Burial - the producer is classically trained, with the symphonic feeling adding a yearning, searching quality.
“The tracks presented weave between a variety of different styles I’ve explored over the years, but are connected via their exploration of ecstatic sorrow and search for catharsis."
Twin Colour, Vol 1: Murcof
Floating in space, extra-dimensional, before being pulled down into the crushing abyss. This has a Neuromancer feeling; tuned to a dead channel, looking out across a great abandoned city fallen into ruin and despair. The 3D sound design is exceptional. Words can’t do it justice.