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 Sully

Big up to all, I've got a treat for you today, in the form of an interview with Sully, the badman responsible for album-of-the-year-list-botherer Carrier which was released on Blackdown's Keysound Recordings. Read on and find out a little more about the man behind it and check out some of his tunes if you're not a fan yet... (The interview continues after the page break)

NT: Hey man, can you give us an introduction to those who may not know Sully yet?
S: In short, I make tunes, mainly but definitely not strictly in a 2-step fashion.
I've worked with a lot of labels but most closely tied with Frijsfo beats and Keysound Recordings. The latter released my debut LP Carrier in September and currently I'm getting (back) into DJing...

Click here, here, here, or here to buy Carrier

NT: You’ve been releasing for a few years now, what made you decide to put out an album?
S: In all honesty it was down to Blackdown's persistance. I've had a fair few people put the idea to me, but Keysound kept with it and the time came where it seemed the thing to do. I wanted to try out some new things, have the oppurtunity to write some tunes without a dancefloor and DJ in mind, as result I did a lot of experimenting and came up with some tunes I would have never made outside of an LP. So I'm thankful to everyone who pushed the idea to me over the years!

Sully - It's Your Love

NT: Your album came out on Blackdown’s label Keysound Recordings. How did you manage to convince Blackdown to put out a full album on vinyl? That label has so many albums that need a vinyl release! Does it feel more special that Carrier got that treatment?
S: It's true, Keysound have a serious catalog. They've stepped up even more over the last year or two and I'm stoked to be nestled in there at such an interesting time for the label. I can't think of a thing they've done that doesn't deserve wax, would love some of Damu's Unity in particular, but the sad fact with vinyl is that it's economically difficult, the sales are undoubtedly going down as people switch to Serato and so on, so it isn't always possible to put double or triple disc LPs . I even know some labels have such a passion for vinyl they'll make a loss and make it up with digital sales, which I think is worth it, I love vinyl and always seems to go back to playing it over anything else, but there's a limit to how much you can put into it. I was lucky, Carrier is short enough to fit on 2 sides, which is perfect for the flow of the record too, as you mention...