December 2020 Roundup // Halls Decked with Quick Reflections

December has come yet again, and in the spirit of catching up, rounding out, or finishing strong, several artists released new music to the world, a break from the norm in this year of norm breaking. We’ve gathered a few of our favorites around the fire for a quick glance before we leave 2020 behind. 

Bella Boo steps forth from Studio Barnhus to debut on Running Back Records with a tight LP-turned-EP. Sassy breaks, sensual samples, and an undercurrent of beautiful minimalism abound on Let’s Go Out. The push and pull of tracks like ‘Rain On Me’ and ‘Don’t Stop’ leave us hotly anticipating the other fruits that went into the labor of the album. 🏀

After a refreshed direction in 2019’s Persuasion System, Com Truise is back on Ghostly International to bookend the past ten years or so with In Decay, Too. The sequel to 2012’s In Decay follows in much the same footsteps, with a strong collection of previously unreleased recordings spanning online mixtapes and studio experiments from years past. The drippy, computer-noise wizardry of Seth Haley is a welcome sight for weary ears. 🧮

Turbo Founder Tiga slips in one last headturner with Colours so Bright, an ode to the late Philippe Zdar of Cassius. Tiga paired up with Paranoid London’s Quinn Whalley for a set of tracks that melts hearts and faces then takes us on a journey through the inner workings of the Universe and Beyond. ‘October Trance Song’ gives quite a surprising hands-in-the-air transcendental chord moment that really seals the deal on this trio of tracks. 🖤

Compton Californian Channel Tres aka Sheldon Young is launching his own imprint Art For Their Good with an EP of hott takes and hotter beats with i can’t go outside, a sentiment shared by pretty much everyone outside New Zealand these days. Young traverses nostalgic memories good and bad, and more recent additions to the Brain Bank, mostly bad, across a collection of taught percussive rhythms and saucy samples. Tyler, The Creator stepping in on ‘fuego’ for an immaculate pairing and Lexinton’s Own Tinashe on ‘take your time’ cements this project into the Greats of the Year. 🌴

Studio Barnhus are celebrating their 10 year anniversary with an intimate offering from label heads Axel Boman, Kornél Kovács and Petter Nordkvist. The label has been a staple in the global dance scene, releasing nearly 100 records from artists such as Bella Boo, Laurence Guy, Sofia Kourtesis, Baba Stiltz, HNNY, and many more. Boman, Kovács, and Nordkvist roll through with one track each, representing where they find themselves on this side of a decade together, as well as a tender collaborative effort in ‘Sverige.’ 🇸🇪

Four Tet, or the Newly Certified Expert in Live Streaming Kieran Hebden heralds the eve and day of Christmas with the double release of Parallel and 871. Parallel opens with a wonderfully meandering 27-minute jaunt through synth-space, followed by a collection of pieces previously released under the ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ project, along with some new tracks to round out the journey. 871 takes its cue from 2013’s 0181, diving deep into Hebden's backlog of sonic experiments from 95-97; there’s a lot to be thankful for here, as with most things Hebden releases out into the wild. 🌾

Armand Jakobsson aka DJ Seinfeld is back on his Young Ethics imprint with what appears to be a continuation of the EP trilogy of 2019’s Galazy, Lilium, and Parallax. Mezcalita EP finds Jakobsson having fallen asleep in the 80s and awakening in the future, with neon dreams and shifting sonic sensibilities. The dance floor reigns supreme throughout the four tracks, ‘Love Down’ in particular imparting that sweaty feeling we all long for. ☄️

HAUS of ALTR’s own MoMA Ready steps in with a tribute to the fourth of Dickens’ ghosts, the Spirit of House Music. Wyatt D. Stevens stretches production skills and rhythmic vision over 7 large tracks on HAUS Psychology, nimbly navigating the push and pull of sonic tension from the studio. As with Stevens’ previous work, there’s a dark, strong, and moody atmosphere evoked here, with softer sentiments of hope sprinkled throughout; it’s an infectious balance.  🌌

Mirza Ramic and Max Lewis, the powerhouses behind Arms and Sleepers, are here with Corpus Dei, the fifth project of a six-part series that has spanned this long but never forgotten year. The album is expansive, recorded throughout the year during various tours and lockdowns and in multiple locations, feelings that seep into the music. The tracks span genres, time, and place: some are made for the dance floor, some for lonely rain soaked train stations, and others for late nite productivity, but they all share the dark broodiness that comes with a certain level of emotional maturity tinged with a hint of confident exploitativeness. 🌒