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Since basing all his music on the mystical Colundi Sequence, Perala has released new material at a frightening pace yet it seems like he's nowhere near slowing down. Most impressively, the quality of his productions is still at a career-high too. This latest collection for Nina Kraviz's Trip focuses on heavier, more club-friendly material, yet it all still retains that trademark glistening Aleksi Perala sound.

Dynamic duo Karenn (Blawan & Pariah) squeeze out a pummeling banger of a debut album after an intense studio session in Berlin which goes some way to represent the pair's frantic live shows. There's no letting up here across all 8 tracks and it portrays two mega-producers at their mischievous best. One to stick in a time capsule marked 'live techno 2019'.

Function marks a clear step away from the corporeal techno of his recent releases. Formed from a collection of recordings made in a period from late 2016 to mid 2019, Existenz takes the form of a creative outburst in reaction to a number of traumas - recent, childhood and throughout Function’s life. Life partner Stefanie Parnow assisted the production process in its entirety, providing inspiration, spiritual healing and featuring vocal contributions.

The fifth studio album by Shed aka Rene Pawlowitz centers thematically on the Oderbruch region in former East Germany where the producer and DJ grew up and continues to split his time (when not in Berlin.) Both the album and track titles as well as the artwork by Arnim Tölke [Ectoplasma (Oderbruch)] reflect Pawlowitz’s deeply personal associations with the borderland’s marshy landscape, as well as enormous political and historical changes the region underwent as the last Eastern front during World War II – and, later, following the dissolution of the GDR.

For his second album, Konduku continues to experiment with deeper instrumental Techno and Electro, exploring new avenues from low-end dub to bleepy minimal and hypnotic polyrhythms. It ultimately pulls off a difficult trick; being a 'listening' dance album but also a ready-made double-pack of clinically produced club-ready material.

Holly’s third full-length album PROTO isn’t about A.I., but much of it was created in collaboration with her own A.I. ‘baby’, Spawn. For the album, she assembled a contemporary ensemble of vocalists, developers and an inhuman intelligence housed in a DIY souped-up gaming PC to create a record that encompasses live vocal processing and timeless folk singing, and places an emphasis on alien song craft and new forms of communion. You can hear traces of Spawn throughout the album, developed in partnership with long time collaborator Mathew Dryhurst and ensemble developer Jules LaPlace, and even eavesdrop on the live training ceremonies conducted in Berlin, in which hundreds of people were gathered to teach Spawn how to identify and reinterpret unfamiliar sounds in group call-and-response singing sessions; a contemporary update on the religious gathering Holly was raised amongst in her upbringing in East Tennessee.

In 2014 Young Marco travelled to the islands of Indonesia, visiting several islands within the archipelago including Bali.A number of sessions were arranged- recording gamelan, gong and bamboo musicians from nearby temples. Island instruments and organic sounds meeting Marcos drum machines and synthesizers in a number of improvised jam sessions. Field recordings were also gathered from Jungles, ocean, wildlife- capturing both the ambient and chaotic side of life in Indonesia. These sounds and recordings were taken back into Marco’s Amsterdam studio and re interpreted into the Bahasa album!

rRoxymore's long-anticipated debut album, Face To Phase, is a departure from the techno you might expect and more an embrace of the UK bass secene and the sounds of Timedance and the like. There's only one four to the floor track whilst the rest of the LP spans beatless tracks, stuttering breaks and dub-inspired compositions. A great album.

Psychemagik’s eagerly-awaited debut album ‘I Feel How This Night Should Look’ consisted of ten of the duo’s pop-leaning contemporary electronic and Balearic jams.

Black Merlin and Gordon Pohl (of Musiccargo / Kunstkopf etc.) are back as Karamika for a second full-length adventure and this time the results are even more hypnotic and mysterious. The record veers from pitch-black chug to twinkling ambience with side C blowing our minds in particular: Ton 2.5 and Ton 2.6 are two of the most magical musical moments of the year.

Agora is Christian Fennesz's first solo album since 'Mahler Remixed' [Touch, 2014] and 'Bécs' [Editions Mego, 2014]. At the time of recording, he had lost a proper studio workspace and had to move all his gear back to a small bedroom in my flat, recording this album on headphones. 'In the end, he says 'it was inspiring. I used very minimal equipment; I didn't even have the courage to plug in all the gear and instruments which were at my disposal. I just used what was to hand.' The result is this, his finest album in years.

After giving us our best album of 2018 with Skee Mask's 'Compro', the consistent Ilian Tape label give us Stenny's debut album 'Upsurge'. Stenny has become one of the core artists on the label, continuously evolving his own style and exploring new territories.It's hazy and intricate and the perfect soundtrack to a night bus journey through the city.

The wildly-talented keys player returns with a luminous jazz-funk masterstroke. Tipping a hat to Herbie Hancock and Mad Scientist alike! Bass-heavy dub and contemporary club culture are the foundations for Joe Armon-Jones’ phenomenal second album. “Turn to Clear View” builds on the celebrated keys player’s singular vision, exhibiting a sound with flourishes of R&B, hip-hop and p-funk, and featuring regular bandmates Oscar Jerome, Moses Boyd and Nubya Garcia. From character-fuelled raps to Afrobeat-influenced jams, Armon-Jones channels the diversity of the ascendant scene that surrounds him. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Maxwell Owin, the record has a carefully plotted feel that reflects their meticulous approach. The duo carefully perfected every touch, with Armon-Jones ever-present throughout the mixing and mastering processes.

Belfast producer Jack Hamill returns with more of his space-age future funk, Detroit-inspired grooves and deep & atmospheric electronica for his fifth album. Whilst a limited vinyl album 'Redemption of the Cryonauts' surfaced this year, the handful of copies we got barely gave us time to listen to it....so this chart placing stands for both!

Into The Light Records treated us this year with seven lush, rich and warm recordings by currently Warsaw-based producers Sasha Zakrevska (Poly Chain) and Bartosz Kruczyński. The work presents their mutual attraction to minimal synth, repetitive arpeggios and drone music. A perfect blend of poly-rhythmic patterns, ambient textures and beat-less acid moments by one of the most fresh and unique collaborations!

The queen of funk returns! Hello Happiness’ is an album which sets Chaka Khan’s timeless vocal to an empowering collection of songs with cutting-edge production. And it includes one of the tracks of the year with 'Like Sugar!' which unfortunately didnt get a full 12inch issue...(just promos on Record Store Day!).

Fred P assumes his Black Jazz Consortium alias to continue his fascinating musical journey, the first Black Jazz Consortium album in six years. The 12 track record is a further development of the American’s deeply enchanting style and finds him influenced by the music and culture of Brazil. A notorious album specialist who was once putting out one a year, Peterkin is most at home with the longer playing times of a full length.

The debut album from Sleep D, the ultimate Doof Dance Duo from Australia...across ten songs, Sleep D take us from the deep desert chug of “Red Rocks”, through the center of the best rave in town with “Danza Mart”, and “Central”, past a head-trip of styles in the deep core, and ease us back down to some kind of new earth in the final songs, including “Morning Sequence”, a beaut’ of a track featuring Kuniyuki. Its big smiles and fuzzy heads all around- rated “E” for Everyone.

Audio Werner joins the Sushitech family for their eagerly awaited debut album.

Canada's Phoebe Guillemot is back again under her Ramzi guise for another tripped out journey in low-slung, smoked-out electronic collages. Marking the first in a series of 'Multiquests', Ramzi's otherworldly exploits seem beamed from another planet, murky alternate versions of late 20th century dance music. Truly original stuff.

A Bath Full of Ecstasy is a fresh, invigorating and essential new chapter in Hot Chip's career,and for the first time the band have chosen to use outside producers from the offset, working with Philippe Zdar who sadly left us in 2019, and Rodaidh McDonald (The XX, Sampha, David Byrne), and there is a marked dynamism in Zdar’s mixing that brings out the boldness of the songs collected here.

Beyonce's sister back with her fourth album and showing that she has her finger on the pulse just as much as, if not more than, her sister!

Only out for a couple of weeks before we compiled this chart, the new Whities long-player is a stunning electronic album that gets betetr on each listen. We are big fans of the deceonstructed sleeve design too!

Roy Of The Ravers' brand new album ‘Who Are Ya??’ arrived in October via Acid Waxa Records. Ten high-tempo, 303-fuelled acid and hardcore squelchers feature on this bonkers LP!

Prins Thomas’ 6th album picks up from were he left off with Principe Del Norte. Still ambitious, but the tracks are shorter, more melodic and more concise and includes his first vocal track,"Feel A Love."