PSYCHeSONiC SNaPSHoT a la 2022 ~ LPs
Updated: Feb 3
Yo! Welcome to the MDMX Blog's list of favorite LPs from 2022!
Before you dive in, some food for thought: How many acid trips can one undergo before clinical insanity sets in? How many moments of music before the mind's aesthetic memory banks begins to schmear and overflow? How many songs must you play to scramble your brain in a single day?
While compiling this list, one quote kept bickering with my brain: "We seek not to imitate the masters, rather to seek what they sought." Clearly, some sort of awareness of the masters is beneficial. Yet, when does knowledge of historical excellence bleed into a contextual hinderance of unbridled creativity? When do analytical insights clog the outpouring of inspiration that defines the artist? At what point do the ghosts of experience and memory fade into the intellectual obscurity of critique? These are the burning philosophical questions I explored all the whilst listening to 1420+ musical releases over the course of 2022.
For some context, my favorite artists are Tipper, Spoonbill and Beats Antique; my favorite genres are glitch hop and psytrance; and my "global" perspective relies on Denver, Colorado as its focal point. I used to be a hip-hop head, until I was converted by the likes of RJD2, Pretty Lights, and Gramatik. Don't worry, you'll still find a lil bit of fire abstract hip-hop high up on mi lists. Nowadays, however, the lyrics tend to get drowned out by a sea of pure emotion, aesthetic, and texture.....Underneath the sonic surface, you'll find a reverberating riptide of pristine sound design and exhilarating genre experimentation that provides a more ethereal foundation than language can yet handle. But! this hasn't stopped us from planting the seeds of a primordial aesthetic palette riddled with vibrant quirkiness: wonky, squelchy, crunchy, swampy, thick, chunky, crisp, twangy, dubby, wobbly, wavvy, celestial, leftfield, scintillating, crunkalicious, syncopated, sludgy, crinkly, rumbling, deep, lofi, filthy, rancid, putrid, rotten, flunked.....
Personally, I prefer music that inspires a reflective state of mind—ranging from a calm, philosophical mood to an edgy, intellectual, political mindset. This isn't to say that music that shuts my brain down can't be psychedelic. In fact, music that makes me lose my mind and dance all around the house or stare into the void is still trippy in the sense that it serves to balance out other hyper-rational aspects of my personality. Thus, you'll find plenty of purely fun and cathartic releases! Just a fair warning that my focus was primarily on music conducive to a psychedelic, healing, mystical experience. As evidence of this claim, you'll find that albums crafted specifically for psychedelic therapy or meditation consistently rank pretty high (including "Awake Within The Dream (Sound Meditations, Vol. 1)" by IKSRE, "Kuya Sessions: Samadhi" by Poranguí & Liquid Bloom, "Vol. 1" by Held By Sound, and "Murkury mEDITations Volume 1" by Murkury).
In order to rank musical releases, I employed some clever tricks that objectified the process. This objectification was a clear danger from the get go, as I didn't want to overlook the subjective side of enjoying music. However, it proved to be a necessity; otherwise, it would've been impossible to store so much aesthetic information in mi noggin. Ultimately, despite the meticulous contemplation I unleashed upon this project, I doubt my list even accurately depicts my own preferences. That is, I definitely messed up ranking these releases due to a conflux of factors, including mood, bias, attention, and my faulty memory.
The main way I attempt to differentiate myself from your typical music critic is that I largely ignored context. Sure, I utilized my knowledge of the scene in order to select which artists and labels to listen to in the first place. But, while listening, I tried my best to ignore any hype or expectations ~ instead opting to judge the music separately from the artist, based on how it moved me in the moment. This is why I deem the list a sonic snapshot, because it merely provides a glimpse into the scene at a particular instant in time. My list claims no expertise, no authority, no sway. This PSYCHeSoNiC SNaPSHoT only claims to have judged for itself ~ a rather selfy act. The good any such judgment of music can bring to the world is not found in the actual act of judgment, nor in the articulation of said judgment, but only in the hope that highlighting certain art as excellent can bring greater awareness to deserving artists. If you find some unheard-of artist atop your favorite release from this year, I encourage you to check them out! It may be a completely different genre or vibe, but I guarantee it will be an adventure. If you want to go further down the rabbit hole, try listening to ten or so releases in a row ~ you're sure to find a dazzling array of various styles that will undoubtedly expand your comfort zone (after first challenging it! ~ similar to swimming with sharks or jogging with emus).....
quality LPs a la 2022 ~
1. Culprate ~ αριθμός τέσσερα (Number Four)
2. Tipper ~ Marble Hunting
3. smilk ~ nextome
4. Dubnotic ~ Neurogenesis
5. Sintese ~ Aurora
6. Ryanosaurus ~ Vivid Transmigrations
7. SHADES ~ From a Vein
8. Mindex ~ The Art of Distortion
9. Max Cooper ~ Unspoken Words
10. EMOG ~ Lucid Dreams
11. Vallou ~ Mystic Choices
12. Emancipator & LAPA ~ 11th Orbit
13. Spunkshine ~ A Memory of Something Vast and Elemental
14. Ekorce ~ Latibule
15. EurythmY ~ Mental Rotation
16. Enei ~ Humans
17. Gene Keys, Entheo & Phutureprimitive ~ Living Wisdom, Vol. 2
18. IKSRE ~ Awake Within The Dream (Sound Meditations, Vol. 1)
19. Somatoast ~ Creation is Creation
20. Dorian Concept ~ What We Do For Others
21. Samuel Wexler ~ KAN
22. Zonra & Jackson Hale ~ Time Is A Tool
23. Bengal Sound ~ Culture Clash III
24. Nils Frahm ~ Music For Animals
25. Tristan de Liège ~ Refractions
26. EMOG ~ 4th Dimension
27. Rumpistol ~ Isola
28. TRAKA ~ MONSTAS
29. wAgAwAgA ~ Kahuranglin
30. pole ~ Tempus
31. Jean-Michel Jarre ~ OXYMORE
32. Current Value ~ Platinum Scatter
33. Visages ~ From Lead To Gold
34. Chill Qin ~ The Poem For All Beings
35. Ott ~ Heads
36. IMANU ~ Unfold
37. Nomine & Youngsta ~ Ascension
38. Vale-Smith ~ Coruscate
39. Dirtwire ~ Embers
40. Mahadev Cometo ~ Taj Mahal Mafia
41. Basura ~ For Owen pt.1
42. Balancé ~ CUME
43. Kaya Project ~ Defiance
44. ipso ~ Abyss
45. Daniel Bachman ~ Almanac Behind
46. F.S. BLUMM ~ Kiss Dance Kiss
47. Arutani ~ Intertwined
48. Patricia Taxxon ~ Visiting Narcissa
49. Headroom ~ Acid Trip Advisor
50. NOISIA ~ Closer
51. DMVU ~ Little Castles, Swim To Me
52. Kami-O ~ Veiled
53. LSN ~ Misuse of Power
54. LuSiD ~ Recipe for a Bad Time
55. Tanya Tagaq ~ Tongues
56. Anthony Rother ~ AI SPACE
57. Plaid ~ Feorm Falorx
58. ZZY ~ Transmutation
59. Solar Fields ~ Formations
60. Jam Thieves ~ Blue House Album
61. Elberg ~ Play
62. Roza Terenzi & D. Tiffany ~ Edge Of Innocence
63. SunSquabi ~ Arise
64. Soulular ~ MindViews Vol. 1
65. Sunda Arc ~ Night Lands
66. Youthie ~ The Roots Explorers
67. Pete Ardron ~ Butterfly Tree
68. DJ Qbert ~ Next Cosmos
69. AES Dana & Lauge ~ Terrene
70. Dominic Voz ~ Right To The City
71. Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin ~ Ali
72. Burial ~ ANTIDAWN
73. Steve Roach ~ What Remains
74. Kwali Kumara & Pete Ardron ~ Elemental Temple (Part One)
75. Rukirek ~ Elsewhere
76. DubDiggerz ~ 11
77. Vale-Smith ~ Rekindle
78. Giyo ~ Sleepwalker 2.0
79. Terrafractyl ~ Squares Within Squares
80. Noodreem ~ Temple Of Sonic Peace
81. Hang Massive & Bleecker ~ Radius
82. Poranguí & Liquid Bloom ~ Kuya Sessions: Samadhi
83. Ishq ~ Interzone
84. Derek Bailey ~ Domestic Jungle
85. Indigo Egg ~ Hyperion
86. Skwid ~ Modphonic
87. Wu-Lu ~ LOGGERHEAD
88. Celldweller ~ Satellites
89. Daniel Avery ~ Ultra Truth
90. Bleep Bloop ~ Prime
91. The Glitch Mob ~ CTRL ALT REALITY
92. Infected Mushroom ~ IM25
93. Mystic Crock ~ Seeds
94. teig ~ The Slow And Steady Collapse
95. Ivy Lab ~ Infinite Falling Ground
96. Soulular ~ Spaceships On The Westside
97. Arutani ~ Waterbender
98. Pantha du Prince ~ Garden Gaia
99. Fred Again.. ~ Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022)
100. PILL MURRAY ~ I Put the Romance in Necromancy
101. Strange Substance ~ Labyrinth
102. Patricia Taxxon ~ Task
103. Maddy O'Neal ~ Ricochet
104. The Soft Pink Truth ~ Is It Going To Get Any Deeper Than This?
105. Brian Eno ~ FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE
106. SensoRythm ~ Bios Lumen
107. Benji Robot ~ A Bird on Barbed Wire
108. Mickman ~ Reclaimed
109. DROPLITZ ~ Lowlight Magic
110. Keota ~ No Hands
111. Cubex ~ Subculture
112. Lisa Bella Donna ~ Travelogue
113. Chad Dubz ~ Universal Vibrations
114. Kuedo ~ Infinite Window
115. Kelly Lee Owens ~ LP.8
116. Germind ~ My Space
117. MORA ~ Gateway
118. ENiGMA Dubz ~ Awakening
119. East Forest ~ Headwaters
120. Germind ~ Inaccessible Life Forms
121. KUBA ~ Relative To The Sun
122. Craftal ~ This Was All A Test
123. 99LETTERS ~ Kaibou Zukan
124. Lisa Bella Donna ~ Astral Mornings
125. Trentemøller ~ Memoria
126. Psybur ~ Psybur Support
127. YOKO ~ Beneath The High Sea
128. Slip Hypnotic ~ Yazon
129. Marquis Hill ~ New Gospel Revisited
130. J.I.D ~ The Forever Story
131. Alexander Panos ~ Nascent
132. Advanced Suite ~ Hidden In Plain Sight
133. Shwamp ~ Fluide
134. Gramatik ~ Water 4 The Soul II
135. Calibre ~ Double Bend
136. Youth & Gaudi ~ Stratosphere
137. Batu ~ Opal
138. Poranguí & Liquid Bloom ~ Kuya Sessions: Akasha
139. Psydewise ~ Mandelbrot Sequence
140. Eguana & Qeight ~ Forest Song
141. Suduaya ~ SoulQuest
142. Living Light ~ Multidimensional Sandcastles
143. Tourist ~ Inside Out
144. Smigonaut ~ Antithesis
145. relativity lounge ~ lake effect vol. 2
146. John Tejada ~ Sleepwalker
147. Breger ~ Dark and Groovy ~ Vol. 6
148. GRiZ ~ Chasing The Golden Hour, Pt. 4
149. Desert Dwellers ~ Night Visions 4 - Desert Dwellers Remixes
150. MYDÄ ~ Ripple
151. E-Mantra ~ Silence 3
152. potions ~ New Earth Formula
153. Cosmic Dust ~ Sacred Bloom
154. Tribu Oro ~ Tribu Oro
155. Indian Wells ~ No One Really Listens to Oscillators
156. Panda On The Bamboo Tree ~ Xtradimensional Motions
157. Held By Sound ~ Vol. I
158. Sig Nu Gris ~ Threshold
159. Murkury ~ Murkury mEDITations: Volume 1
160. Dezron Douglas ~ ATALAYA
161. Avantdale Bowling Club ~ Trees
162. Nosaj Thing ~ Continua
163. Dead End ~ Kino Vol. 1
164. Griffin Kloud ~ Terrain Theory
165. KiloWatts & Vanek ~ Perennials
166. Gooral ~ Wolno 2
167. ShaMANoiD ~ Am I Dreaming
168. Static Noise Bird ~ Aromatherapeutic Environments
169. Aeonium ~ I The Beholder
170. Mora ~ Sequence
171. Kevin Drumm ~ Future When It Comes
172. Prophet ~ Geisha
173. Lisa Bella Donna ~ Muskingum Mysteries
174. Sense Datum & Gizmo ~ Shrunken Headz
175. Tosca ~ Osam
176. Data Rebel ~ Vapor Map
177. Gus Till ~ Nias
178. SnapGon ~ Door Of Perception
179. Akasha Project ~ F R A K T A L
180. Data Rebel ~ The Space Between
181. East Forest ~ Still Possible
182. Lisa Bella Donna ~ Hypnosis
183. Doltz ~ Asa
184. Kendrick Lamar ~ Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
185. Black Star ~ No Fear Of Time
186. Carl Cox ~ Electronic Generations
187. We Are Eternal ~ Mārga
188. Honey Dijon ~ Black Girl Magic
189. Black Thought & Danger Mouse ~ Cheat Codes
190. STS & RJD2 ~ Escape From Sweet Auburn
191. Sylvan Esso ~ No Rules Sandy
192. Gaudi & Savona ~ Havana Meets Kingston In Dub
193. Maiia ~ Happiness Inside You
194. ill.Gates ~ Bent
195. Liquid Stranger ~ B A L A N C E
196. Adam Goodlet ~ Quantumplation
197. For the Good of All ~ Remembrance
198. CELL ~ Onwards System
199. Templo ~ For Painting Too
200. Eccodek ~ Recalibrate
201. Chewlie ~ Creature
202. Opiuo ~ A Shape Of Sound
203. Stavroz ~ Mindibu
204. Björk ~ Fossora
205. Davide Tonini ~ Departure
206. ProleteR ~ Fairuz
207. Maya Shenfeld ~ In Free Fall
208. Tylepathy ft. Liquid Bloom & PERE ~ Afar (Tylepathy Remixes)
209. Sheng Jie & Shen Jing ~ Parallel Weaving
210. Dirty Saffi ~ Trouble in paradise
211. MettāKin ~ Blue Leaf Steppa
212. Grasz & Schultz ~ Thurayya
213. IsoQuant ~ Flames Display
214. The Comet Is Coming ~ Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
215. Josh Teed ~ Recurring Dreams
216. Steve Roach & Frank Beissel ~ Nautical Twilight
217. Kae Tempest ~ The Line Is A Curve
218. Dysfunctional Family ~ A Day At The Beach
219. Kari ~ Default
220. Martins Garden ~ Above
221. TÉNÈBRE ~ Terraform
222. Ishq ~ Eos
223. Subp Yao ~ Flana
224. A Path Untold ~ Sourcery
225. Xylem ~ & Flow
226. JaguarTree ~ Sound Archetypes
227. Zen Baboon ~ Sofa So Good
228. Polygon Rainbow ~ Poly-Fi
229. Klaada ~ Coniunctio Oppositorum
230. Scott Metoyer ~ Music For Serial Ports [Part One] & [Part Two]
Let me be clear: I am merely winging it. The only thing that gives my opinion any amount of gravity or levity is the fact that I have listened to sooo much music this year. So, take my opinions with a grain of salt. If my list angers you, please tell me why via a private message. (I would love to know! but I don't want to hurt the feelings of any artists, who have already sacrificed their energy in the very vulnerable act of sharing one's art/heart with strangers). If one of your favorite releases is ranked too low or if an artist you enjoy wasn't on my radar, please share that publicly in the comments! I aim to facilitate the discovery of new sounds, new styles, and new flavors!!!
Fuck fame and the fake expectations it nourishes. The danger I accepted in disregarding context this year was the potential overlooking of meaning. By merely listening to an album without any research (including interviews, write-ups, and reviews), I run the risk of disregarding music that takes a bit of extra information to "get"—be it through a narrative metaphor, details about how a work was produced, or an evolution in sound (either from an artist or genre). These contextual tidbits typically form the backbone of music reviews, as it sounds more legit to anchor your opinions using such tools. Meanwhile, the slang employed in this process clues your audience into the notion that they're on the right track, that this indeed is their pocket of the scene. However, in writing reviews, I have found that most of these technical details don't add much to the listening experience. If anything, they spoil certain songs and only serve to persuade me to listen to this or that album. But wait, why are the technical/generic aspects of a piece of music deciding whether or not I listen to it? Why not the emotional and aesthetic aspects? Have we all burrowed too far down into niche genre gopher holes to smell the flowers of quality music free of industry marketing and packaging?
As long as the hot takes are flowing, fuck Ticketmaster and fuck Spotify. Fuck corporate streaming services profiting off of starving artists. Fuck promoters, venues, artists, and fans that contribute to the rampant problem of sexual assault in the music industry, be it through heinous behavior or their silence. If there exist credible accusations against any artist on this list, please send me a private message so I can promptly remove them. Healing starts with accountability, and we all have a lot of healing left within us. That's why we make music, after all...
Thank you for checking out my PSYCHeSONiC SNaPSHoT a la 2022! If you can, please support an artist or two on this list directly by purchasing their music via one of the plethora of bandcamp links above(:
peace & one love