Beathearts top selections 2013: Best tracks

2013 was an interesting year indeed. Filled with surprises there are not many expected releases that ended up in our top selections this year. Below we've tried to highlight some of the tracks that touched us the most over the year that passed. We've had heroes that came back, quite a few new acquintances and of course plenty of friends that stayed on top of their game.

HEROES WHO CAME BACK
Bahamadia - Dialed up
There were quite a few musical heroes that surprised us with great new material. Lika Bahamadia who out of nowhere dropped the 11-minute dialed-up joint recorded on here phone (!) Another complete surprise was here collaboration with Swedish underground art/dance collective Melo who released a tune entitled "Hollow" ft. Bahamadia. There has been so much talk about her new album "Here" that we keep our fingers crossed that these two tracks are the warm up for that.
Download/buy: Bahamadia - Dialed up

Q-tip & Busta Rhymes - Thank you
We already listed their "Abstract and the dragon" as the mixtape of the year. The "Thank you" track is one of the reasons they convinced us that they're still on top of their game.
Download: Qtip & Busta Rhymes - Thank you

Peshay - Dirty
Back in the day Peshay (Paul Pesce) was one of the drum'n'bass originators. Peshay (alongside Photek perhaps) was one of those producers that whenever he dropped a new dubplate you knew you could could cop it without listening first. I haven't heard any music from him in years until about a month ago when he dropped an jawdropping track entitled "Dirty". 80's infused funk track that sound like a Dâm-Funk rework of Hashim's classic track "Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)". Absolutely awesome!
Download: Peshay - Dirty

NEW ACQUAINTANCES
Kelela & Jam City - Cherry coffee
LA producer and vocalist released this game changing R'n'B mixtape "Cut 4 me" featured producers about to blow up like Jam City, Kingdom and Nguzunguzu. To quote Factmag who appointed it the 5th best release of the year:

"In the way that the Aaliyah-Timbaland-Missy Elliott axis set a high watermark for r’n’b more than a decade earlier, Kelela and her Night Slugs/Fade to Mind collaborators have re-written the rulebook. While her peers hid behind the haze of post-Weeknd wooziness, shamelessly aped ’90s stylings, or continued down well-worn, rap-facing pathways, Kelela bared her soul with a one-in-a-million vitality and a sound unlike anyone else." No doubt!
Download: Kelela & Jam City - Cut 4 me

Hawk House - Tidal tendencies
First mixtape from this South London crew. The group consists of two emcees (and brothers) Sam, Eman, and vocalist, Demae who brought us
Download: Hawk House - A little more elbow room
Official video: Hawk House - Tidal tendencies 

DJ Rashad - Let it go
Probably the footwork release of the year from this Hyperdub artist. His album "Double Cup LP" was not bat but this EP outshone most releases on the scene.
Listen: DJ Rashad - Let it go

FRIENDS THAT STAYED ON TOP
Terry Tester - It's all right
It was no surprise that Danish producer Thomas Månsson featured two of our most listened to releases of the year. The "Mixed ape music"-compilation and his own record "The Short Suite". His Alright track has a unique hypnotic sound that we never grow tired of. A given track for our list of top tunes of the year.
Download: Terry Tester - It's all right

Melo - Save me
First track in years. Hopes of a second album to follow up on his subliminal 2008 release "Off my chest" (Raw Fusion)...
Listen: Melo - Save me

The Good Sin & 10.4 Rog - Tomorrow
One of the most underrated rappers/story tellers, The Good Sin, put out yet another great collab with just as underrated producer 10.4 Rog for the most beautiful rap tune of the year. His "one-release-a-week"-project entitled "Fall Back Season" kicked off the year in style with ten great tunes. We're keeping our fingers crossed they'll kick off 2014 just as strong!
Download: The Good Sin - Fall Back Season
Listen: The good sin & 10.4 Rog - Tomorrow

Panamah
Producer Anders Christensen, guitarist Peter Lützen and lead singer Amalie Stender is the set-up of Danish electronic minimalistic pop trio. Our first encounter was their track "Ikke for sent" as remixed by Boom Clap Bachelors back in 2010. This year their finely tuned "Børn af natten" (Children of the night) kept us humming happily on our way home from a late summer event.
Listen: Panamah - børn af natten

Opolopo & M-Rock
Best edits of the year originated in Stockholm and Toronto...
Download: Kleer - Tonight (Opolopo refix)
Listen/Buy: Daft Punk - Get lucky (M-Rock's bangin' disco mix)

Jose James - It's all over your body
Questlove did his best to keep the hype alive for that third album from D'Angelo. While the world waited for D, Jose James delivered the album and the tunes that D'Angelo couldn't get out. Check his live session for The All Saints Spitalfields Basement Sessions below.

THANK YOU!
That's it. Final post of the year. We can't thank you enough for all the amazing feedback and input we've got from you all this past year. Followers, artists, labels, venues, fellow bloggers, DJs and partners.

If you want to get in touch with new music, ideas, feedback and questions don't hesitate to hit us up right here, on Twitter @beatheartsblog or e-mail: beatheartsblog@gmail.com.

Want more? Don't worry. We'll be back tomorrow with our rundown of our take on the best releases of the year as well as predictions of what to expect from 2014.

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Tall Black Guy - 8 Miles To Moenart

"The cross roads where I was living at was 8 Mile and Moenart in Detroit"

One of our artist of the year 2012, Terrel Wallace a.k.a. Tall Black Guy sure seems committed to stay a top of that list. We've had his album  "8 miles to Moenart" spinning in our headphones for almost a week now and it won't let go. Last year he hosted Bastard Jazz's compilation Tempo Dreams exploring new beatmakers worldwide. Among others Brussel's own Monkey Robot featured in our Beat Generation interview Series #4.

Based on that compilation and of course his earlier reworks expectations were high. Here's our track-by-track review of the album:

1.You Look Like A Tall Black Guy Intro 01:16
This intro was sent out as a first taster to the album and features a clip from the old Cosby (!) show cutting up the quote "Just because a guy is tall and black doesn't mean he's good at playing basketball". Ace instrumental, would wouldn't mind hearing a full track of that.

2.The Dark Streets 06:31
The hi-hats. The groove that sneaks up on you about a minute and a half in. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised by the electronic influences but I am. Regulars know we're suckers for the whole slo-mo-house but we didn't expect TBG to deliver the next banger on that playlist. Up there with classic nightbus slo-mo-tracks like Seiji's "I can't let go" and DJ SIS more recent rework of Luniz "I got 5 on it".

3.Funeral Biz / Welcome To Detroit Interlude 04:21
Three tracks deep and here's the next surprise: Remember LTJ Bukem's Earth series? Man, I used to love what his label Good Looking put out in the mid-nineties. Here's a 2K13 take on that sound from TBG. Organic, chords and a laid-back groove to make ya' head nod.

4.From Home To Work, And Back... 02:53
It's got that Slum Village vibe like a forgotten B-side to The look of love. Dope!

5.Mon Amie De'Troit (ft. Ozay Moore) 04:22
First single off the album and a love/hate narrative about his hometown. Featuring smooth low-key vocals by Ozay Moore (formerly known as Othello of hip hop crew Lightheaded).

6.The Motor Is Running 05:50
Is where we wish Timbaland would take his sound in 2013. Interstellar track to make your mind wander.

7.There's No More Soul (ft Diggs Duke) 04:00
Beautiful soundtrack to those late night driving downtown. I imagine Detroit cabbies keeping their occupied signal on to keep grooving to this.

8.Rain Into The Nite - Outro 08:12
Two part track finishing up the album. The outro part might be one of our favorite instrumental grooves so far this year. It's got the broken beat, the vocoder, the chords - simply put a beautiful end to a sublime album.

9.Floating (Hidden track) 5.03
If this hidden bonus track is supposed to give a taster of what's to come from the TBG-studios over the year, we won't be disappointed. Another slow late night groove that would fit nicely on Dwele's next album. In fact, all of these instrumental songs tell a story. It would be very interesting to see what would happen if Terrel invited say Dwele, Hawk House, Rogiers and Miles Bonny to the studio to take it to the next level...

In summary:
All in all, in a fast-paced-what's-next-kind-of-world, "8 miles to Moenart" is a keeper. It's that hidden green back yard garden you sometimes stumble upon walking through a metropolitan area. Sit down, take a breather, take a sip of your favorite beverage and kick back with Tall Black Guy.


Available now via First Word Records & Spotify

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Hawk House - A little more elbow room

Enjoy kickin' back to that vibe of Bahamadia "Uknowhowedo" or Slakah the Beatchild? Well, look no further 'cause London crew Hawk House (previously called themselves A Yellow Man) recently dropped this little gem of a mixtape. Our fave track is "Tidal Tendencies" but the whole package is a keeper. Get it below.


Tracklist:
1.Quantum Foam
2.Live-ation
3.Round We Go
4.Aureolin (Interlude 1)
5.Pause
6.Tidal Tendencies
7.Plum (Interlude 2)
8.Laid Back
9.Save It For Another Day
10.It's Everyday
11.Turqoise (Interlude 3)
12.Quark


Download: Hawk House - A little more elbow room

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