~An article by The Silent Ballet Staff

25) Jean-Jacques Perrey & Luke Vibert | Moog Acid
France/England

Lo Recordings

Considering how many electronic albums are released every year, it’s no surprise to me that some of the best are totally ignored, looked down upon, or frankly just lost in the mix. And if there’s one album that has been unfortunate to experience it this year, it’s Moog Acid. Recorded off and on for what seemed like ages, Luke Vibert teams up with Jean-Jacques Perrey for a one off collaboration that is one of the better Vibert associated releases I’ve heard since Tally Ho!. Although I’m not sure who did what, It doesn’t particular matter. This album is insanely fun, amazingly well crafted and melodically interesting throughout its entire length, capping it off with one of the most feel-good electronic tracks I’ve heard in years.
(Eric Common)


24) Simian Mobile Disco | Attack Decay Sustain Release
England

Wichita

If you want to have a party, all you need are friends, beer, a room, and Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release, the debut offering from Simian Mobile Disco. You want a jacking house mash up? Sure, put on “Tits & Acid.” Electro-pop singalongs more your thing? “I Believe” is for you then. Still not happy? Try the minimal techno of “Sleep Deprivation.” Need that hands-in-the-air-four-to-floor finale? Chuck on “Hustler” and you’re away. You won’t even need any drugs.
(James Ould)


23) Modeselektor | Happy Birthday
Germany

Bpitch Control

Littered with guest spots from diverse backgrounds - TTC to Thom Yorke - and filtered in between slabs of pounding techno, German duo Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary fashioned Happy Birthday around a staunch and eclectic exuberance for dance music. To this extent, the listener is bombarded with all manners of crossovers and inventive sonic devices to maintain the ‘fun’ status quo. In a year saturated with exemplary genre albums, the progressive and adventurous nature of the Modeselektor sound is what set them apart from their peers. An inquiring mind with a penchant for the unpredictable could find a musical playground just waiting for them…
(Alex Bradshaw)


22) Kiln | Dusker
United States

Ghostly

Dusker blows the doors off of the post-rock/electronica bridge, expertly transitioning between the two as if no such disconnect existed in the first place. After a decade of fine tuning its sound, Kiln finally perfects the trio's unorthodox mix of styles, presenting a collection of tracks that are as charming as they are creative, and as enjoyable as they are engaging. Exuding catchiness like a mid 90s IDM project but without the gimmicky production that we've all grown tired of, Kiln sets an example that more should take note of and follow wholeheartedly. Few albums managed to have the monstrous replay value of Dusker.
(Jordan Volz)

21) Daft Punk | Alive 2007
France

Virgin

It seems like no "best of" list is complete without Daft Punk, at least in some form or another. And if a live CD is what it takes, then a live CD is what it shall be. Recorded in Paris, Daft Punk’s Alive is the official release of the live set they’ve been playing that has generated such a ridiculous amount of response and praise (especially after Coachella) that not releasing it would have been seen as a crime. Although many (myself included) felt that their last CD was lackluster at best, this album demonstrates that despite a few hiccups, Daft Punk remain inherently relevant in today’s modern music, despite being aligned with the many Big Beat musicians it had associated itself with in the mid 90’s. For those who have not seen their amazing show live, this is the next best thing.
(Eric Common)


20) Black Dice | Load Blown
United States

Paw Tracks

You cannot deny Black Dice. Similar to like minded noise groups from the infamous Rhode Island School of Design scene, Black Dice began their career as psychotic, bent citcuit obsessed noise maniacs. However, with Broken Ear Record, they chilled out a considerable amount, and while that release lacked intensity, it brought a whole new level of depth to the Black Dice palette. Load Blown maintains an ambient noise feel, but brings back the textured anarchy that defined earlier releases. Black Dice will continue to push the boundaries of improvised electronic noise, and Load Blown shows a brilliant blend of Lightning Bolt style chaos and their more focused recent work.
(Jack Britton)


19) Thomas Fehlmann | Honigpumpe
Germany

Kompakt

Even though Fehlmann's latest was overshadowed by highly acclaimed releases from The Field and Gui Boratto on the Kompakt label, Honigpumpe is still an album you don't want to pass up. It's amazing that after such a prolific and extensive career Fehlmann is still producing top of the line electronic music, but this is exactly why he's become such an iconic figure in techno music. For high quality ambient techno, there's still few who can match the dedication and skill employed by Fehlmann throughout the disc's length, and time and again he delivers the goods.
(Jordan Volz)


18) Pantha du Prince | The Bliss
Germany

Dial Records

Hendrik Weber’s evocative follow up to 2004’s Diamond Daze is, at first glance, a fairly traditional German techno record. However, closer inspection reveals a fervent, almost mechanical, approach to minimal expressionism. Confirming this conviction is Weber’s unfailing ability to surprise the listener; passages of This Bliss shift tempo, signature, and even genre as destinations arrive and dissipate whilst bubbling and swirling ambience recedes to allow gritty and industrial bass to pick up the pace. At times it’s demanding, at others shoegazey, but This Bliss is never less than extraordinary.
(Alex Bradshaw)


17) The Tuss | Rushup Edge
England

Rephlex

Possibly one of the worst kept secrets going, it’s pretty much a given that Richard D. James is the musical brain behind The Tuss. Whether or not this is actually true remains to be seen, but all the right signs are there. Random noises are somehow turned into melody, fractured beats begin to make sense, you begin to smile from ear to ear, and, most importantly, it’s very, very good. (James Ould)


16) Gui Boratto | Chromophobia
Brazil

Kompakt

Flitting between captivating minimal soundscapes, traditional techno imprints, and traits of IDM, Boratto’s Chromophobia owes much of its success to focus. The journey through the rainbow of styles and genres never wavers in immediacy or direction. There are fleeting moments where the record threatens to over extend, yet these passages are caught and cut into segues and transitory alleys. “Terminal” is a joyous and progressive slab of straight up techno whereas “The Blessing” careers along a dubbed bassline. The price of admission, however, is paid in full with the stunning “Beautiful Life” - an eight minute amendment of the intricacies of vocal-house and the hooks that should permeate every twelve inch from now until forever.
(Alex Bradshaw)


15) LCD Soundsystem | Sound of Silver
United States

DFA Records

Sound of Silver added introspection and an altogether more brooding and emotional nuance to LCD Soundsystem’s already swelling locker of musical idioms - moving away from scenester-baiting dance floor anthems and embracing a reflective selection of overly seductive and lavish cuts. In this respect, the most surprising improvement from the band’s debut is James Murphy’s soulful and emotional vocals and lyrics. Where previous LCD ballads and jams have sounded contrived and included for the album’s infrastructure, the delicately composed pieces that comprise Murphy’s sophomore effort are mature, sumptuou,s and certifiably gold.
(Alex Bradshaw)


14) Pole | Steingarten
Germany

~scape

In a year burgeoning with accomplished ambient and down-trodden, DIY electro-kit records, it would be forgivable to overlook Stefen Betke’s career-date best record. Steingarten is an impeccably mellisonant and detailed album, one that straddles both glitch-core and micro-techno tendencies - its strength is that the fusion of these parts never wanes or undermines the curator’s synthetic vision. Although the sounds are abrasive, and maybe even recondite in their execution, the scope and imagination at work must be applauded. “Pferd,” conversely, is both ethereous and beguiling - a vivid and ominous hallmark for future work.
(Alex Bradshaw)


13) Amon Tobin | The Foley Room
Canada

Ninja Tune

As expected, Amon Tobin's latest release has raised the bar for all breakbeat and jungle artists, perhaps even for everyone working in the field of electronica today. If you don't see the irony of the previous statement, take a look at Tobin's thoughts on the production of this album via myspace or wikipedia. Amon Tobin has crafted a genius jungle album, complete with his trademark chop up style, from field recordings. As if the process didn't boggle one's mind enough, this album is actually good. Very good. Better than most jungle releases this year by far, and nary a stereotypical break in sight. Amon is truly innovating a genre that has seemed dead for awhile. His signature style and daring sound design techniques have produced a top notch album.
(Jack Britton)


12) Deepchord Presents: Echospace | The Coldest Season
United States

Modern Love

Out of all the recent crop of Basic Channel inspired musicians that have cropped up this past year at a ridiculous rate, the Chicago duo that is Echospace has clearly identified themselves as the year's best. Although this release is hardly a breakthrough in terms of innovation, it takes aspects of Dub Techno and minimal ambience (in the vein of Yagya’s early work) to wonderful heights that would sure to please even the most stingy Dub Techno fans. Possibly the most consistent and hypnotic release I’ve heard this year, it proves that although this sort of music has worn out its welcome from time to time, it certainly doesn’t mean great things can’t come from it.
(Eric Common)


11) Opitope | Hau
Japan

Spekk

Opitope defy conventions of most modern electronic acts. They are neither a pseudo-minimal “house” act nor a half-talented Daft Punk rip off. As opposed to most paradigms of abstract electronica, Opitope’s music breathes a depth of warmth and maturity that puts them miles ahead of their peers. Hau runs the gambit from calm to retrospective, and the overall mood of this fantastic release is one of thoughtful and surrounding patience. Hau lacks the emotionless urgency of most IDM releases, putting them in a category with peers Boy Is Fiction and Motoro Faam. Opitope are masters of their craft, bringing a tight sense of intricacy and almost Autechre-like attention to detail to the table, but unlike a majority of Autechre’s work, Hau is a truly emotive release that beckons multiple listens, each yielding a truly powerful experience.
(Jack Britton)


10) Digitalism | Idealism
Germany

Kitsune

2007 saw a massive revival for electro music. Suddenly everyone was starting up electro nights, scouring blogs looking for the next big thing to name drop, and pretending they heard D.A.N.C.E. in 2005. During all this, 2 German DJs created one of the best electro albums of recent times that slipped under the radar amidst the Justice hype. From the melodic stomp of “Zdarlight,” the electro pop brilliance of “Pogo,” the furious “Pulse,” and the euphoric “Jupiter Room,” Idealism is the closest thing any band will get hitting Daft Punk’s heights. Now that’s praise.
(James Ould)


9) Morgan Packard | Airships Fill the Sky
United States

Anticipate

Coming out of the unknown in 2007 was Morgan Packard, whose debut release Airships Fill The Sky became a staple at The Silent Ballet, predominately due to it’s brilliant fusion of ambient and minimal compositions. The album effortless sways through nine tracks, from it’s accordion led intro all the way through to it’s glitched ending, offering something different and memorable at every turn, but it’s the underpinning organic feel that brings out the album's true qualities.
(James Ould)


8) World's End Girlfriend | Hurtbreak Wonderland
Japan

Human Highway

No one has yet discovered a more natural blend of cold electronics and pastoral warmth than World's End Girlfriend. Defining such a well organized collection of pieces with human adjectives and modifiers would betray the determined and deliberate nature behind Hurtbreak Wunderland, the apex of Katsuhiko Maeda's sadistic, hook-laden style. Hurtbreak Wonderland does not offer pseudo-depth or unfounded philosophical ponderings, and as such is not too much of a thinker compared to some of Maeda's other endevaors. However, Hurtbreak Wonderland is still an absolute joy to listen to over and over again. Found in this bucolic and savory blend of post-rock and electronica is a gentle and endearing theme of purely gorgeous music.
(Jack Britton)


7) Justice | †
France

Ed Banger

As the whole ‘French House’ thing seems to have died down, or at least taken a small break, I still can’t shake the feeling that for all the backlash this sort of sound has gotten, Justice has produced a wonderfully dense record that does not only cater to those interested in left field electronic music, but to relative newcomers as well. Though I would not call each track on the album a masterpiece, it’s pros certainly outweigh the cons. They’ve produced a genre crossing album that basically slaps the face of the current and rather mundane minimal dance scene, and they do so with unrelenting clarity.
(Eric Common)


6) Icarus | Sylt
England

Rump

One of the more unlikely top releases of this year came from free electronic duo of Sam Britton and Ollie Brown, aka Icarus. Recorded throughout Europe as they toured (while extracting bits of live performances for this release), this album solidifies Icarus’ talents of precision sequencing and jaw-dropping field recorded madness. The album steadily balances on the line between chaos and order, creating a piece of work that is maddening and energetic, while asserting calm, hypnotic repetition. Possibly too coarse for some, but those willing to dive in will be more than pleased at what this album has to offer, and it offers a lot.
(Eric Common)


5) Uusitalo | Karhunainen
Finland

Humme

Sasu Ripatti seems to be the man with the Midas touch, this time building on his minimal foundations and adding techno into the mix, the end result akin to a more concise and ultimately enjoyable version of Ricardo Villalobos. Despite the fact I can’t pronounce the artist, title, or tracks, Karhunainen brings constant delight, from the house feel of “Karhunainen,” the techno of “Korpikansa,” and the ambient closer “Puut Juuriltaan,” this is a must for any electronica fan.
(James Ould)


4) Kashiwa Daisuke | Program Music I
Japan

Noble

Few artists can claim more control over their music than Kashiwa Daisuke. Maintaining a listener’s interest throughout a single 10 minute track is a daunting task in and of itself, but engaging your audience in a whirling chasm of mash-up neoclassical and star scraping electronica for two 25+ minute tracks of ultra-progressive, mind bending, eclectic postmodernism is the mark of a true genius. "Stella" is a thought provoking excursion into the depths of World’s End Girlfriend inspired post-rock/electronic hybridism, while "Write Once, Run Melos" reaffirms Daisuke’s presence as a potentially lethal solo artist. Program Music I establishes Kashiwa Daisuke as a leading figure in today’s scene, and I expect things even more fantastic from him in the future.
(Jack Britton)


3) The Field | From Here We Go Sublime
Sweden

Kompakt

The axioms and components that wire Axel Willner’s most accomplished record as The Field are geared towards the most transparent aspects of traditional dance music; those of emotion. From Here We Go Sublime is a wonderfully realised and sinuous approach to electronica - expansive in its ambition and stylish and poignant in its execution. The purposefully apparent samples and idioms of the record added to its playful and accessible intentions - the closing bars of “A Paw In Face” are perhaps the most breathtaking of the year - and the exquisite production illustrated that not every record requires a multi-million dollar budget in order to sound the part. Standouts “The Little Heart Beats So Fast” and “Everyday” then revealed the sensibilities that underpin the record - never has such beautiful and impeccable music sounded so perfect and suited for the dance floor.
(Alex Bradshaw)


2) Burial | Untrue
England

Hyperdub

Despite the plethora of hyped-to-death electronic albums that had been released this year, nothing quite stirred the scene as much as Burial did with this release. Having tackled Dubstep with amazing accuracy and mood, the anonymous producer moved closer into UK Garage and produced an album that is spectacular in its construction and execution. The soulfulness present throughout Untrue seems to have touched a lot of people not particular taken with this sort of music, and while it may have its set of musical enemies (for valid reasons), there was absolutely no denying this record of its merits.
(Eric Common)


1) Vladislav Delay | Whistleblower
Finland

Humme

2007 has been a great year for minimal producers everywhere, from Italy to Japan, but one man from Finland stole the show with Whistleblower. Found sounds, ambient swirls, random instrumentation, and glitches aplenty make up an album that’s so subtle and intricate it needs patience and repeated listens before revealing its inherent beauty, but it’s well worth the wait. Fantastic.
(James Ould)