Allen's Best of 2007

To be a bit different this year I decided to identify the boldest choices that I heard from various DJ’s this year. Be them renowned or unknown the following gave me some of the best moments as far as I, the club-goer, was concerned.

What makes some of these selections interesting is that most appeared on albums or compilations that had a single that was more casually played. While this is certainly not the case for some, ‘The Magic Position’ or ‘D.A.N.C.E.’ for instance, when I initially heard most of these tracks they appeared obscure but most went on to some sort-of notoriety outside of the club scene.

If this list says anything about 2007 its that DJ-culture is no-longer about the filler that Philip Sherburne, or the like, will chart. Parties have become about small, unexpected moments, but most importantly DJ’s have taken back the song from the bloggers.

Black Kids ‘I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You’
Simian Mobile Disco ‘Wooden’
Gui Boratto ‘Mr. Decay’
Chromeo ‘Bonafied Lovin’ (Tough Guys)’
Kalabrese ‘Not the Same Shoes’
Pantha du Prince ‘Saturn Strobe’
Apparat ‘Limelight’
Battles ‘Atlas’
Caribou ‘After Hours’
Dan Deacon ‘The Crystal Cat’
The Field ‘A Paw in My Face’
Jay-Z ‘Pray’
Jens Lekman ‘Sipping on the Sweet Nectar’
Justice ‘D.A.N.C.E’
Kanye West ‘Good Life’
LCD Soundsystem ‘Us v Them’
Liars ‘Houseclouds’
M.I.A. ‘XR2’
Patrick Wolf ‘The Magic Position’
Prodigy ‘7th Heaven’
Radiohead ‘Bodysnatchers’
Mirage ‘Lady Operator’
The Tough Alliance ‘Miami’
Studio ‘Out There’
U.G.K. ‘Intl’ Players Anthem’
!!! ‘Break in Case of Anything’
Kathy Diamond’s ‘Racing thru Time’
Dizzee Rascal ‘Da Feelin’
El-P - Run the ‘Numbers’
Pharoahe Monch - ‘Body Baby’
Lil’ Wayne ‘Sweet Down Load’

P.S. The National’s ‘Boxer’ was the best album of the year. Kanye West’s ‘Graduation’, Jens Lekman’s ‘Night Falls Over Kortedala’, A-Trak’s ‘Dirty South’ Dance’, St. Vincent’s ‘Marry Me’, and Burial’s ‘Untrue’ are all essential. Also, Arcade Fire’s ‘Neon Bible’ was more enjoyable than Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ but both are terrific.