This is both my top 12" and label of 2017. Pinkman has smashed it consistently to the point where I feel I could blind order anything they release. It's an aspirational meter for a labels quality. Of all the 12"s which includes Das Ding, Indentified Patient and Palmbomben II, it was Retrograde Youth that took the title. I saw Lena Wilikens drop this in Corsica Studios last week and it was a perfect dance floor moment.

Timeron - Nice Trainers Acid (Acid Waxa)

Timeron has created pure joy with a 303. I love acid and new ways of improving it are few and far between, but this track hit instant repeat and is a giant step from his previous cassette on Where To Now?.

Assel - This Will Not Stand (Where To Now?)

WTN are always on the money with the best challenging electronic music. Assel was a slow burner for me, but after coming back from a long night dancing, this clicked with me at 7am on a sunday morning and stayed in my record pile nearest to my decks since.

Desert Peace - Placeholder for a Palace (upcoming on Total Black)

I've been really lucky to start my label Beat Concern with 2 x 12"s for my favourite artists from Australia Roman Nails and Collector (and there are tons more I love and coming soon on BC I hope). The two of them got together and recorded this cassette of eerie synths, drones, found sounds and industrial leanings and it kills.

Rings Around Saturn - Unthank 11 (Unthank / Firecracker Records)

Another Australian pick, this time on the Firecracker sub label Unthank that has the most beautiful screen printed covers like its parent label. These labels are worth collecting as bits of art, luckily the sounds contained within are 100% gold. This 10" and 7" combo gets more listens than I would normally afford other records across multi format releases.

BLCR Laboratories ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

NEW FEAR - Digital Amalgamation (Bio Future Laboratory)

Jack Duros - Preen (Avian Life)

No Death and Renjā - Amazona (Avian Life)

AUT2M - Fresh Water EP (House of the Leg)

rüomma - dans les entrailles de ma tendresse (self-released)

DJ Voilà - Dumbledogs (Noumenal Loom)

チェスマスター - Infinity Of A Void (TKX)

MS Blaster - laugh.exe (MIXTAPE) (Dream Disk Lab)

YYU - memos v.2 (self-release)

Minogame - Lemongrass (The Worst)

Bokeh Versions ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Kelman Duran - Solos (Hundebiss)

Tomaga - Memory In Vivo Exposure (Hands In The Dark)

Still - I (PAN)

Best Available Technology - Exposure Therapy (Styles Upon Styles)

Nihiloxica - Nihiloxica (Nyege Nyege Tapes)

King Alpha - Yoga Teacher (Thunder Heart Music)

Roger Robinson - Dog Heart City (Jahtari)

Abu Ama - Naserii (Seagrave)

Ho99o9 - United States of Horror (Toys Have Powers)

Various Artists - 5 Years of No Corner (NoCorner)

BRAT Records /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

θfash - A.S.M.P.F.W.S.S.18 (Artwork by FluffLord, Self-Released)

Nick James Scavo & Xander Seren - Vampyrotuethia (Artwork by Kyselina, Self-Released)

Lorenzo Senn - XAllegroX / The Shape of Trance to Come (Artwork by Unknown, Warp Records)

DRONE OPERATOR - 4hour+ OFLUXØ SMOØTH MIX (Artwork by Unknown, @ O FLUXO)

Yung Sherman - Innocence (V2) (Artwork by Unknown, YEAR0001)

Toxe - Morning Story (Artwork by Niclas Hille and Toxe, The Vinyl Factory)

MAX 100PERCENT - Dear Diary, Fly Our Souls Away, Forever (Artwork by MAX Zhukov, Angelika Vartanyan, Bio Future Laboratory)

Killavesi - Run & Hide (Artwork by Unknown, Self-Released)

ADR - THROAT (Artwork by Alex Gvojic, PAN)

Chinabot ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Tuusanuuskat - Toiminnan aattona (Ultraääni/Fonal Records)

Meuko! Meuko! - About Time (Kool Switch Works)

Tavishi ‎- Dwait (Hot Releases)

Patricia Kokett - Artefakts (Santykis label)

Various Artists - Exotic ésotérique Vol.2 (Artetetra)

Scattered Purgatory - Sua-Hiam-Zun (Guruguru Brain)

Various Artists - package trashers (frere tuck)

Piyojo - Auptoi (Stenze Quo)

Low fat - too big slaves (Bunkland)

Various Artists - insitu sessions volume 5 (Insitu Recordings)

Conditional ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Errorsmith - Superlative Fatigue (PAN)

Oxbow - The Thin Black Duke (Hydra Head)

Rognvald - Lord Rover (Love Love)

EVOL - Hardcore Vol 2 (self-released)

Wilted Woman - Home Listener (Alien Jams)

Greg Fox - The Gradual Progression (RVNG Intl.)

Mudwise - Tokyo Summer (Enklav.)

I-LP-O In Dub - Capital Dub, Chapter 1 (Editions Mego)

Monolog X - 33 (Occult Research)

Everything on SM-LL, FLUF, New York Haunted, Genot Centre, Baba Vanga, Co-Dependent, Sympathy Limited, Entr'acte, Alku...

Daddypower ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ooo & MA'AM - /0/ (EXILES)

Zachary Waltman - Techno World (self-released)

James Ferraro - Troll (self-released)

Giant Claw - Soft Channel (Orange Milk Records)

Yeongrak - yime travel (self-released)

V/A - mono no aware (PAN)

Xquisite Nihil - seize the means of production (Quantum Natives)

Decisions ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Coucou Chloe - Erika Jane (Nuxxe)

London label by coucou chloe, Shygirl and Sega Bodega - expect big things

Emily Glass - untitled zip file (self-released)

Emily Glass self-released a zipfile of music this year and it was amazing https://twitter.com/_emilyglass/status/890733899331940352

hyph11e - Vanishing Cinema (SVBKVLT)

Genome 6.66 MBP and Svbkvlt are two Shanghai labels doing great things

blastah - Fica (self-released)

Blastah sent me lots of fun edits this year

LOFT - NGALLO NGALLO (Permahigh)

I played lots of LOFT tracks too, who releases with The Astral Plane

Various Artists - Choque

Various Artists - Praxis Houston

Choque and Praxis Houston were two good compilations benefiting Mexico and Houston respectively after natural disasters

Devorm //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Dominowe ‎– Siyathakatha (Gqom Oh!)

Violence - Human Dust to Fertilize the Impotent Garden (PTP)

Fatima Al Qadiri ‎– Shaneera EP (Hyperdub)

Various - Sounds of Sisso (Nyege Nyege Tapes)

Vanessa Amara - Like All Mornings (Posh Isolation)

Nkisi - Dj Kitoko vol.2 (self-released)

Visible Cloaks - Reassemblage (Rvng Intl.)

STILL - I (Pan)

Various - Gate 16 (Rotterdam Airlines)

Hitmakerchinx* ‎– Shades & Monsters: FDM Classics (Nights Slugs / Fade To Mind)

Dream Disk Lab /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Eco Futurism Corporation ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Тальник - Музыкайф (М И Recordings)

Smerz - Half Life (self-released)

Kelman Duran - 1804 Kids (Hundebiss)

Howie Lee - Homeless (Do Hits)

Егор Крид ‎– Что они знают? (Black Star Inc.)

Elestial Sound //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Euglossine - Sharp Time (Orange Milk)

Sunmoonstar - The Great Barrier Reef (Sounds of the Dawn)

Digital Natives - So Be Yet (Housecraft)

Hank Jackson - ANNO001 (Anno)

DJ Python - Dulce Compañía (Incienso)

DJ Osom - EDR006 (Exotic Dance Records)

Person of Interest - Down for Your Fantasy (Unknown to the Unknown)

Ivy Meadows - Zodiac (Moon Glyph)

Pascale Project - 7 a.m. (Noumenal Loom)

Mini Coastal Village: A Compilation (Plastic Response Records / Squiggle Dot)

Farbwechsel //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

S Olbricht: Gosheven - Leaper (Opal Tapes)

Saint Leidal The 2nd: ESPRIT 空想 - Flounder 202 (100% Electronica)

Imre Kiss: Lanark Artefax - Touch Absence (Whities)

svr: Tzusing - Flow State feat. Illsee (Bedouin Records)

Mike Nylons: Zlatko Baracskai - Phaphiga (Farbwechsel)

FOR.: The Empire Line - Fragrance Arpège (Avian)

Vatican Shadow - Weapons Inspection (Ostgut Ton)

Norwell: James Holden & The Animal Spirits - Thunder Moon Gathering (Border Community)

Alpár: Aiwa - Time-Based Architecture EP (Banlieue Records)

And the last, but i think the most important release for all of us is this one:

Galactic Jackson's ‎– Balla Compleanno (Farbwechsel crew, label: Ballacid Records)

It may seem a bit strange choice beacause most of us are involved on this one. But our good friend Zoli Balla aka Ballacid aka Galactic Jackson turned 40 this year (or at least that's what he says, he looks like 22) and this release was his birthday gift from his nearest friends.

His enthusiasm for music, especially digging new ones, and the joy with which he plays that music is incredible and very inspiring. He helped us a lot from the beginning, always supported the crew with gears, good company and soul boosting DJ sets.

This EP is definitely the greatest and most memorable moment from 2017 for us, the Farbwechsel crew.

#FEELINGS ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

SOPHIE - It’s Okay To Cry (Transgressive)

Rabit - Les Fleurs Du Mal (Halcyon Veil)

1991 - Dun Kno (self-released)

Siriusmo - Comic (Monkeytown)

BOSCO - b. (Fool's Gold)

Phace - Plastic Acid (Blackout)

Icicle - Efficient (Entropy)

Full Spectrum //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Svet - Gloomy Swamp, Breathless Mud (Rat Tail Tapes)

Owen Stewart-Robertson - Ida (Weird Ear)

Saguache - Rider Road (Cabin Floor Esoterica)

Excavations Series (Power Moves Library)

FIRE-TOOLZ - Interbeing (Bedlam Tapes)

Jute Gyte - Oviri (Self-Released)

Helen Newby - Dialogue (Ephemeral Stream)

Maharadja Sweets - Slithering Kingdoms (A Backyard Afternoon) (Oxtail Recordings)

Gauze /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

killd by ⁃ EMT (self-release)

PF - PF$$$$$$$$$$ (Wasabi Tapes)

DJ TOONAMI DEMON - DARK THRASH (SPEEDCORE SELECTS) (H.V.R.F. CENTRAL COMMAND)

Padfut - Ravebox (self-release)

eyeface - RINGTONE (self-release)

guirro - Jiptune (self-release)

wiggle room - pyramid (Terry Planet)

cyr - obe (self-release)

coleman mummery - pit (self-released)

JEALOUS - pack (self-released)

Genot Centre //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

FIRE-TOOLZ - DRIP MENTAL (Hausu Mountain)

FIRE-TOOLZ - INTERBEING (Bedlam Tapes)

Giant Claw - Soft Channel (Orange Milk)

Léo Hoffsaes & Loto Retina - Early Contact (PERMALNK)

Organ Tapes - Words Fall To Ground EP (Creamcake)

Oxhy - respite unoffered (Quantum Natives)

Spurz - Loud Futures (Apothecary Compositions)

Ssaliva - We Never Happened (Ekster)

Střed Světa - Rozmístění opakováním (Baba Vanga)

Střed Světa - Spletitě Protékající Pod Slovy (Red for Colour Blind)

Visible Cloaks - Reassemblage / Translations (RVNGIntl.)

woopheadclrms - Meeting Room + Rare Plants (Ukiuki Atama)

Ghost City Collective ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Moa Pillar - No Expectations (Full Of Nothing)

LXV - Partition (anòmia)

HEEL ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

MRTRY - After Dusk (Infinite Machine)

Ship Sket - Body Pit (Sidechains)

Ankubu - [ AW0116_A ] (Ghost City Collective)

DJ YUNG VAMP - I NEED MORE BLOOD (Radio Juicy)

Heavy Convoy - Cesspool Drool (Gauze)

Big Hands - Redline / Greenline (self-released)

Beta Tyrant - Waterproof Knight (Bio Future Laboratory)

Unusual Magic - Virus Vegano (Footwork Fusion)

L-MARE & JAY TRIVELLA - PALMI PUGNETTE PROJECT (Heel)

Violence - Human Dust to Fertilize the Impotent Garden (PTP)

International Winners ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Toiret Status - Nyoi Plunger (Noumenal Loom)

felicita - sweet pea (self-released)

Wim Dehaen - Footworking in the Mirror (self-published)

Lily and Horn Horse - Next To Me (Ramp Local)

Motion Pulse: sound design tools

Gobby - Champomkrepp (DFA)

Hank Jackson - Gacx (anno)

Conrad Burnham - submersion swells (self-released)

punctum - uncharted (self-released)

Too Smooth Christ - Before (Ville Nouvelle)

Lil Data - Data (PC Music)

Lost Angles ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Vektroid - Seed and Synthetic Earth (self-released)

This record is fantastic in many ways, from the wild SoundBlaster style instrumentation to the wealth of melodies and genuinely catchy songs, Vektroid once again paves new ground for her ever-evolving style of music.

Machine Girl - ...BECAUSE I'M YOUNG AND ARROGANT AND HATE EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR (Orange Milk)

This record is as unwieldy as it is brilliant. Hyper beats with hyper music for hyper people, the untamed ferocity is super admirable and you just can't hate it. Music to throw chairs to!

BARCHboi - Keyboard_SHAREWARE.midi (business casual)

A very beautiful and well composed album with the added twist of these laughably corny midi stock sounds that just make for the best juxtaposition of impressive songwriting and absurd tonal choices. The silliness balances out the work and it just ends up being a great record.

Kagami Smile - Thigh (BLCR Laboratories)

From the creepy surreal Shintaro Kago-esque artwork to the hi-fi granular rhythms and sounds, this album is really a fantastic listen. Much more laidback than Kagami Smile's typical sound, this felt more focused and utilized chaotic ideas in a more structured way. It'll please anybody looking for more organic sounds congealed around the skeleton of a contemporary beat-driven piece.

FIRE-TOOLZ - INTERBEING (Bedlam Tapes)

Combing my two loves, Industrial music and vaporwave, into a lovely mess of vapornoise textures, FIRE-TOOLZ hits back with yet another flamethrower. I greatly admire her curation with Swamp Circle records but her sound is near-unmatched in the (imo) under-appreciated subgenre of vaporwave.

Pharmakon - Contact (Sacred Bones)

One of the most powerful presences in the industrial and harsh noise scenes, Pharmakon never fails to please with her screeching steel and unhindered ferocity. This record is just so vicious, with its sheer hatred burning through just as strong as ever.

ZONΞ ΞATΞR vs. §E▲ ▓F D▓G§ (Chamber38)

This is probably the most insane mixture of sampled industrial and noise metal I've ever heard. Like a thousand saw blades in a vortex of distorted guitars, blast beats, death growls, power electronics. The list goes one, but its safe to say this masterpiece is a fantastic aural cleanser.

Tee Lopes - Sonic Mania OST (Data Discs)

What else can I say that hasn't already been established? The Sonic franchise has the best music and its just as good as ever with the addition of new classics like Studiopolis and Press Garden.

LEUCROCUTA - when all the animals are dead (self-release)

A jarring and beautiful soundtrack to the sci-fi dystopic world beyond nature. The concept is strong enough alone, but the music holds up just as well, pressing some lovely synth-waves sounds harshened by the banshee-esque shrieked vocal performance that adds a fantastic spice to the dissonant danceable sounds.

VRTUA - LOUD FORMATIONS (Beer on the Rug)

That Yamaha chip is just the most unbeatable sound around. FM was damn near perfected by the Sega Genesis' sound engine and this masterpiece is living proof. Using the sounds from said chip, VTRUA harnesses the limitations to breed this fantastic showcase of what you can do marrying todays techniques with yesterday's killer sounds.

Natural Sciences //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Multiple Man - New Metal (DKA Records)

OCCVLTA - Night Without End (Electric Assault)

Hell - Hell (Sentient Ruin)

Varg - Nordic Flora Series Pt. 3 Gore-Tex City (Northern Electronics)

The Empire Line - Rave (Northern Electronics)

Calsutmoran - Telepathic Helix (self-released)

V.A. - Machinery Attack Vol. 1 (Smashing Tape Records)

Gamma Intel - Drama In Decay (brokntoys)

Smersh - Sideways (Dark Entries)

Textasy - They’re Trying To Control My Mind (self-released)

Lil Creepshow - Playa Classics 11:11 (Sic Lunatic Family)