For me, apart from discovering a lot of incredible music, I got to play around 60 liveshows in Copenhagen, did my first dj-gigs abroad and managed to release 5 mixtapes. I hope that you catched some of this througout the year, but if you didn't, you can still find the mixtapes through my profile.I have connected to some cool people in the past year, and I am planning some projects, both live- & recording sessions, with them in the immediate future. Also I opened up this myspace site, which have created acquintancies, and given me some opportunities I wouldn't have imagined.
I am not really into doing yearlists, but I will briefly sum up some of the events, that for me was outstanding and positive, during this year:
(-) As the world unfortuntely lost J Dilla in an early age, I am more than satisfied to see that his sound has becomed an established part of this decade, with more followers than ever. And as a large part of both the mainstream and underground hip-hop/rap scene has been going in circles, I'm happy to see that this oblique sound is evolving like never before, even after its primary innovator has passed away.
(-) When talking of oblique sounds, 2006 became another year where G.A.M.M.'s releases ruled the dancefloor. They released a whole lot of quality b-boy floorfillers and strictly mash-ups, so if it comes to innovative scandinavian labels, you can't put them out of the way. Also Freddie Cruger aka Red Astaire released a handful of highly anticipated vinyl-only releases, and his debut album.
(-) Some of the local guys I see turning up those same sounds, is of course Boom Clap Bachelors. They have been working all year purposive on finishing their album. I've heard it, and I must say this is one of the most promising danish albums I hope to see released in 2007. And as if this wasn't enough; one of the members, Robin Hannibal, did another project called 'Owusu & Hannibal', which for me was one of the best releases this year.
(-) We all saw and heard Gnarls Barkley & Timberlake/Timbaland's well produced pop songs hit the charts hard, which I see as a healthy sign in a saturated music industry. Because I characterize the music they released in 2006, as very playful and experimental. I remember the spring time, when the single "Crazy" only was available on promos, and whenever I played it, people will come asking what the name of that track was, and if I would please play it again :)
(-) In my hometown Copenhagen, Firehouse/Maffi Boys held the dancehall scene down strong. They sat their mark on Copenhagen, with a wide load of bomboclaat digital tracks from the 80'es. And apart from their mixtapes, they started to produce and release tracks with danish lyrics. I'm glad that someone keep up the legacy from Bikstok/59P. Big ups.
(-) Another local crew that opened my eyes to a new sound, was the boys from OHOI!. I am glad that I finally discovered the bassheavy dubstep scene, which I find to have some unique ideas on how to sound today. Both their musicproduction and eventmaking has been off the hook! I have heard that they have plenty more deep stuff to contribute with in the following year.
That was some of the events that cought my attention in 2006. I have created a tight strategy for releasing new mixtapes in 2007, and you can of course catch the info here on my page. I have also added a calendar so you now know where to find me behind the boards, spinning my records.
Welcome 2007, hope to see you there.
R*
