The Crosslinks editors didn't draw up lists this year. No way ! We put all our musical highlights of 2015 into radio programmes ,entirely in keeping with our independent and unique approach to adventurous music.
Fons Moers has just compiled two Popart programmes with special producions from. And he's provided his own enlightening explanations for his selection.
The last Pakrammel of 2015 in the last hour of 2015 on 31st December will be provided by Tjeerd van Erve. An unorthodox episode with highlights from 2015.
Click here through to programme information about this Pakrammel.
On New Year's Eve Maurice Dumont will be presenting his eleven musical highlights of 2015 in the Free Radicals programme at 22:00 .
Click here through to the programme information for these Free Radicals.
To underscore the reasoning behind this below you can read why Maurice Dumont chose these eleven highlights:
01. Kamasi Washington. Change of the Guard. (Kamasi Washington). 12:15.
“The Epic” by Kamasi Washington was unmissable this year. This saxophonist made a striking debut with this album. It isn't really a debut , as Washington has produced over the last 10 years a number of albums under his own steam. “The Epic” is really his worldwide breakthrough. His energetic live show also made a huge impression, for instance during the Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht, last November.
02. The Orb. Moonquake 6. (Alex Paterson, Thomas Fehlmann). 4:22.
The Kompakt label has produced a lot of musical wallpaper recently: safe electronic pop music. This album by The Orb (on Kompakt, indeed) trundles on by on first hearing, but if you listen to it more often and at higher volume, you can hear that Paterson and Fehlmann go a little deeper and with the hypnotic electronic dubs on “Moonbuilding 2703 AD” they've made their best album in years.
03. Mount Eerie. Planets. (Phil Elverum) 1:24.
Totally independently, in his own studio converted from a church, Phil Elverum continues to produce beautiful, mysterious but also solipsistic albums. “Sauna” comprises long ambient pieces, Steve Reich-like intermezzos, but also miniature popsongs such as “Planets” with the usual frayed edges.
04. Olafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm. 23:52. (Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm) 5:54.
Nils Frahm had in 2015 a very productive year, with not only 2 albums under his own name, but also two EP’s and a CD with Olafur Arnalds. " 23:52", if we're to believe the titles inspired and recorded in one evening, comes from that last project.
05. Rats on Rafts. Zebradelic. (Rats on Rafts) 5:21.
Plenty of good Dutch music this year too, such as the long-awaited second album by Rats on Rafts; an album full of daring, beginning with the unconventional hissy sound – the title “Tape Hiss” covers it perfectly. Not only better than his debut, you can also hear what a storm the band can whip up live . They did that this year also at the Tilburg Incubate Festival. A sparkling show, with “Zebradelic” as the high spot.
06. De Kliko’s. De Biologische Boer. (De Kliko’s) 2:05.
Another excellent Dutch band : De Kliko’s. On first listening, a rather insipid mix of De Kik and ZZ and the Maskers, but if you persevere you can also hear Reigning Sound, The Monsters, Thee Oh Sees and the White Stripes. Pure garage rock without pretentions.
07. Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe. German Tangerine. (Tess Parks, Anton Newcombe) 4:17.
Tess Parks and Anton Newcombe were also unforgettable at Incubate, with a ‘wall of sound’ which will resonate for a long time. The small podium at the Tilburg Café Extase was packed with musicians and equipment. Four guitars, drums, mellotron and the dark raspy voice of Parks led to an hour of deep melancholy.
08. Broeder Dieleman. Drie Vragen. (Will Oldham, trans. Ries de Vuyst, Tonnie Dieleman) 3:45.
Broeder Dieleman gave a series of concerts with Will Oldham, alias Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billie, from which emerged a 7” on which the pair translate and cover each others numbers. Off this single you can hear the raw but intimate “Drie Vragen”.
09. Kiasmos. Burnt (Lubomyr Melnyk Rework). (Janus Rasmussen, Ólafur Arnalds) 12:01.
Lubomyr Melnyk arranged the dance number by Kiasmos into a typical Melnyk composition, hypnotising and moving with its endless arpeggio’s . His performance at Le Guess Who? was also a highlight, with beautiful performances of his favourites “Butterfly” and “Windmills”.
10. Rafael Anton Irisarri. Empire Systems. (Rafael Anton Irisarri) 8:44.
With his “Empire Systems” Irrisari rivals Samuel Barber : a modern Adagio voor Strings.
11. Fort Romeau. Cloche (Reprise). (Michael Greene) 1:44.
Unfortunately we have only 2 minutes left for Michael Greene, whose “Insides” was one of the best dance albums of the year. Patiently recorded on a range of analogue equipment, a lesson in slowing down.
