stratus audio: best of ’23
Baby Ford: A look back at minimal’s most forward thinking figure
December 9, 2023
The month in music, January
January 24, 2024
Our top tracks, finds, labels, parties, genres and moments from 2023...
NYE @ Unit 58 w Heels & Souls
Jamie:
I’m fairly firm in my belief that house parties fare best on NYE. Going out on the big night all too often leads to disappointment - nothing to show the day after but expensive uber receipts and a hazy recollection of an oversold event. Our first of 2023 bucked the trend, not-for-profit Heels and Souls brought a house party feel to N17 whilst maintaining the vibe of a serious knees up.
Sometimes the memory of a good night is etched by a single moment or a timely ID. The latter half of 2022 was soundtracked heavily by Welt Discos’ God's Chariot (SH Remix) and this blissed out little weapon found its way into Dj Wiggles' crate at 4am, drawing an overly passionate reaction from myself. Hearing those gorgeous PC vocals on a decent set of speakers after rinsing it with friends through studio monitors and Pirate’s PA system has clearly left a lasting impression.
A lovely way to ease us into the new year and we’re excited for their 23/24 NYE party.
Partying aboard The Goose
Will:
Slapping “secret location” onto a club venue has a striking effect on punters. Is it because we want to play out our VHS inspired fantasies of the 'free party movement' of the 90’s ? Or is it just the seductive nature of mystery itself that pulls us in? For me, both probably played a factor in my attending, alongside bookings including VSVN and Ukrainian minimal heavyweight Silat Beksi.
Moored somewhere in the depths of North London’s waterways, The Goose is an intimate 110-capacity venue that offers a guaranteed period of escapism. Fully rigged with Funktion One’s finest and an inexhaustible supply of stella’s, this is a prime spot for a cosy winter boogie (provided you’re in an adventurous mood).
Bliss
Jack:
Bliss Records have hit the ground with remarkable pace since their inception in May this year. Run by Brazilian DJ/producer Bright Clouds, the Belo Horizonte based label has delivered six EPs and a handful of free downloads for good measure.
With releases being featured on the likes of 432hz Social Club, FH, EARWAXX and Recordeep - Bliss Records has quickly established itself as a reliable supplier of dancefloor groovers.
Expect a variety of sub-genres spanning into the realms of electro-house, acid and progressive techy rollers.
Key-All
Justin:
The mysterious Key All - the home of numerous minimal masterpieces and some of the most creative sampling I’ve ever encountered - maintains supreme quality across every release. This is quite simply some of the most interesting and exciting club music I have ever encountered, and discovering it's discography has been one of the musical highlights of 2023. I could say more, or I could just tell you to listen to this:
Warm-up Berlin
Jamie:
I’m not scared of foreign films with subtitles (you are!), but anything subtitled by Youtube really tests my patience. The content has to be superb and the ‘Warm-up Berlin’ series I stumbled on this year meets the standard necessary to bear the annoyance of laggy captions.
Presumably a lockdown baby, Warm-up Berlin features a slew of in-depth interviews with some of electronic music’s most interesting characters. Filmed at Perlon's headquarters in Kreuzberg, conversations often delve into the evolution of House and Techno in Berlin and the hosts' close relationship to the scene in the capital draws out the best from guests.
The sharp quality, relaxed nature of exchanges and the biographical focus make interviews with the likes of Mike Shannon, Chris Rehberger (Perlon) and Gregor Kraemer (CDV and Hoppetosse boss) a must-binge for anyone with an electronic music obsession.
An ambient awakening
Jack:
In its earliest iterations, ambient was referenced as ‘furniture music’ by French composer Erik Satie. With origins rooted in early 20th century dadaism explorations, the intention of ambient was initially seen as providing atmospheric tones for social occasions. Since then, it has grown in versatility and branched off into seemingly infinite offshoots. The intricate details in some of the ambient works being created today shows that the genre, in many cases, has become the antithesis of furniture music.
As a newcomer, the expanse and variation within ambient music can be overwhelming. For many years I have been too intimidated and perhaps too impatient to establish a real foothold. This year however, I decided that it was time to give the genre the attention that it deserves. The past 12 months have shown me that ambient is not only a means of release or introspection, but also a tool for creativity, motivation and emotional regulation.
There is a strong temptation to explain the bountiful nature of ambient however, I believe that doing so would only provide an injustice. Instead, here are my 6 selections. I hope they provide enjoyment or even the start of another ambient journey.
Domenique Dumont - Merry-Go-Round
Trevino
Justin:
I’ve always been drawn to club music built from grand, emotional sound palettes: tunes that tug on the heartstrings whilst meaning business on the dancefloor. The music of Trevino - mainly found on Craig Richards’ The Nothing Special or his own Birdie - delivers precisely that energy in spades. Much of it is ‘moment music’ (think big piano chords and soaring pads - see here and here), but made with such skill and nuance that it retains the listener’s curiosity across many, many listens. One of Manchester’s own, Trevino sadly passed away in 2017. His music has been a constant in 2023 and will be so for many years to come.
You can find the posthumously released Back, which came out earlier this year, available on Bandcamp here.
Lusine: a certain distance
Will:
Looking back to the year just gone brings the joys of pondering EP’s and albums we have utterly rinsed. High at the top of the 2023 list for me is Seattle-based Lusine’s 2009 electronica album, A Certain Distance. With some tracks infused with dulcet poppy vocals, and others underpinned by crooked IDM melodies the overarching theme is the intricate layering that has gone into each composition. Whilst especially well-suited for an introspective weeknight train ride home there are also a few standalone tracks that could be weaved into a club set with emphatic results (Every Disguise a primary case in point).
Praslesh @ FOLD w XTD
Jamie:
2023 brought with it our first Foray to FOLD. Despite being one of the capital’s younger venues, events by the likes of Art of Dark and in-house queer party “Unfold” have put this space firmly on the city's map in no time at all.
A one dimensional space that focuses solely on sound, atmosphere and community provides a perfect platform for lengthy sets void of distractions, we can only guess it’s one of the many reasons XTD (eXTenDed) frequent the venue for their sporadic parties.
Taking the reins, Pralesh (Raresh and Praslea) traversed House and Techno over the course of 6 hours, Interpersing rare cuts with familiar grooves, most notably Objekt’s Theme from Q. This is a track of such high quality that a music theory undergrad once used their dissertation to argue it was the greatest electronic music record of all time. Although the source of this fable might be of questionable validity (a less than sober individual relayed it to me at Horst Festival), hearing those spooky organ keys and unmistakable breaks on FOLD’s flawless system has me convinced of its existence.
Move D & Benjamin Brunn - Let's Call It A Day
Justin:
This year, ambient and downtempo featured heavily in the rotation. Soundtracking many of my quieter moments was Move D and Benjamin Brunn’s first album-length collaboration, Let’s Call It A Day. Across 76 minutes, it’s a gorgeously intricate, spaced out trip. It’s music to float away to at the end of the afters, but that description alone feels reductive - these layered and detailed productions provide just as fine an accompaniment to a morning coffee as they do to early hours reverie.
