Night Tracks Of The Year - Numbers 20-11

So, we're down to the penultimate list, this time, it's tracks 20-11. If you missed the first few lists, then check them out here: 50-41, 40-31, 30-21. For now, read on, starting with number...

20. Ollie Macfarlane - Torment (from Shadows EP (Seeking Blue))

Anyone that heard any of my mixes on radio stations throughout the year will know this track. Ollie strayed away from his more traditional UK Garage style for this one, with lush pads, great vocal samples and driving drums that put him at number 20 in this year's prestigious list. Very glad this got signed on a great EP overall. (Buy here)

19. LV & Josh Idehen - Primary Colours (from Routes (Keysound Recordings))

Another track from one of the standout releases of the year. Although the track is lead by those neon synth stabs, it retains a real dark, street atmosphere. Out to LV & Josh Idehen, whilst the album works best as a whole, this was undoubtedly the high point. Shame it wasn't longer, but that's testament to the track. (Buy here)

18. Inofaith - Nocturne (from Dawn Is Late EP (Shipwrec Recordings))

I am a man who loves a good nocturne, and if there was a release this year that deserves that title, it's definitely this track from Inofaith. I know Inofaith likes to produce late at night, and anybody that listens to his Dawn Is Late EP should be able to see that for themselves. The long, sample heavy instrument is the perfect build up for the glorious moment that the shuffling garage drums kick in. (Buy here)

17. Zed Bias & Steve Gurley - Roll (from Roll (Keysound Recordings))

Let's be honest here. Could a collaboration between Zed Bias and returning UKG don Steve Gurley be anything but magic? The dark vocal rolls (no pun intended) over and over above possibly the best percussion of the year. Dark Garage at it's finest. (Buy here)

16. Ghostlight - Known All The Days (from Leaving For The City Of Saints EP (Other Heights))

Again, I can't express how glad I am that Ghostek's stuff finally saw a release this year, and I'm even more glad that Other Height's found space for some of his collaborations with Roof Light. They may have been floating around for some time, but that didn't take away any of the impact of putting this on my decks for the first time and playing it from beginning to end. (Buy here)

15. Sully - It's Your Love (from Carrier (Keysound Recordings))

What a way to open Sully's first album, with this track that harked back to the golden age of Dark UKG. Burial might've tried and failed to replicate El-B's drums by his own admission, but Sully has definitely succeeded in creating something that garage pioneer would be proud of. (Buy here)

14. Ghostek - Cryostasis (from Lost Tapes EP (Square Harmony))

Nobody does that dark, moody garage better than Ghostek, and this was the defining example from his Lost Tapes EP. The bass has tremendous power, and as always, you never quite know where the drums on a Ghostek track are going to take you, and the little vocal snippets are used sparingly, and only appear at their most effective. The sort of track that would leave anybody that listens to it wanting more Ghostek. (Buy here)

13. HGLDT - Knowing You (from 2010/Knowing You (Swing & Skip))

Possibly my most awaited release of the year. Ever since I heard this track played and recommended by Blackdown, I was desperate for a release, and I rinsed the youtube clip hundreds of times. Backed with a remix by Resketch, and a track by Damu, this was a great release that brought the emerging Swing & Skip label(run by HGLDT himself) to a lot of people's attention. (Buy here)

12. DjRum - Mountains Pt. 2 & 3 (from Mountains EP (2nd Drop))

It's now pretty much universally recognised on music sites that DJ Rum (or DjRum in this case) was onto something special with his Mountains EP, and Night Tracks feels so differently. I don't think anybody that heard it for the first time expected that laid back, string-laden intro to give way to the pounding, somewhere-between-techno-jungle-and-garage drums that rule over the latter part of the track. (Buy here)

11. Jamie xx - Beat For (from Far Nearer (Numbers))

Although all the hype was around the steel-pan laden summer anthem, Far Nearer, the flip side, the dark and moody Beat For was not to be ignored. I struggle to think of a dark track that has such dancefloor potential as this one. It first made an appearance on a mix by Jamie xx a couple of years ago, this record was delayed and delayed, but the world is better for it's arrival. The perfect accompaniment to Far Nearer. (Buy here)

Interview with HGLDT & Night Tracks 023: Guest Mix

We’ve got a real treat for you today, as the Montreal-based producer and Swing And Skip head HGLDT checks in for an interview, and a guest mix full of deep house, including a dub by HGLDT himself 'Free To Harmonize' which I can't recommend enough. You can now download the mix too, so check it out after reading what he's got to say...

NT: Hey. Can you tell Night Tracks a bit about yourself?
H: Hello! Where should I start? I've been DJing and making tunes as HGLDT for the past couple of years. It's not a particularly catchy name to say the least so most people just call me Henry. I love deep music, in any sense of the term: I'm a big ambient, post-rock and EDM fan. My time is divided between studying Liberal Arts and Philosophy in university, playing a couple of gigs here and there and running my label Swing & Skip.

NT: Coming from somewhere that was pretty far removed from the original garage scene, how did you get into the garage/garage-influenced beats you produce today, and release through your label?
H: I spent my early teens roaming around the internet seeking new things to discover. I somehow ended up on Dubstep Forum right around the release of DMZ 005, and was completely blown away by it. Hearing Mala's Neverland was a defining moment for me - something about the physicality of the bass, the intricate rhythm, the space in the song - I couldn't believe it. I had never heard anything similar before, and all of a sudden I couldn't listen to anything else. This led to an uncontrollable passion for dubstep at the time - the early Berkane Sol, DMZ, Apple Pips, and Deep Medi releases. Drawing from my love for these records, I started going back to their influences and origins - the garage pioneers, old school grime instrumentals and such. Somewhere along the way I developed a taste for certain elements of these genres - it's still hard to pin point but there's a definite influence that these records has on me.

A Recommendation - HGLDT

Just a quick post to recommend a track that I heard on soundcloud AGESSSS ago (9 months ago if soundcloud is to be believed) and it's finally got a release. Not sure about digital, but it's definitely out on vinyl. It's on a split release with Damu, and the track is 'Knowing You' by HGLDT.

HGLDT - Knowing You (Swing And Skip)

The release also features a remix of 'Knowing You' by Resketch and the equally impressive '2010' by up-and-comer Damu.

 EDIT - This is vinyl only. Buy it, you know it makes sense.