THE 2011 REVIEW
As another year folds out, it is time once again to look back and take stock or the highs and lows, before a fresh year rolls in. 2011 has had its moments and has overall been a rather good year, and trying to extract a list of twenty albums from the hundreds, thousands possibly, that I have listened to, loved, hated, reviewed or not, tried to make sense of or misunderstood seems a pretty restrictive effort at best. Still, it is always good to look back and realise that some records have made more of a mark than others, some almost imperceptibly. So, here is, in twenty records, what 2011 was made of…

THOMAS STRØNEN The Importance Of Being Thomas Strønen
Interview by themilkman
Thomas Strønen is undoubtedly one of the most talented drummers of his generation. A member of Food, Humcrush, Meadow, Monsters & Puppets and many more, his very diverse, yet highly recognisable style puts him is at the heart of these projects. With new albums from Monsters & Puppets, Humcrush and The Living Room, Thomas takes some time off his incredibly busy schedule to talk to themilkfactory about how he started playing drums, his long-standing collaboration with Iain Ballamy as Food, his relationship with Maria Kannegaard and how it led to Monsters & Puppets, and what his next solo project may be.

SWEET EXORCIST This Used To Be The Future
Interview with Richard H. Kirk by themilkman
Richard H. Kirk was already a legendary figure on the electronic scene when he teamed up with DJ  Parrot, then one of the main DJs at Sheffield’s club Jive Turkey, to form Sweet Exorcist, and recorded a series of minimalist techno records which were released on a fledgling label called Warp. The following album, Clonks Coming, was to be the first album released by the label. Twenty years on, to celebrate this momentous event, Warp have collected the album and EPs into a double album. Here, we catch up with Richard H. Kirk and look back at the whole Sweet Exorcist story, from how the pair got acquainted to working with Warp and becoming part of the label’s legend.

NECK & NECK
The Necks, Bishopsgate Institute, London, 18/11/2011
Reviewed by themilkman
There wasn’t going to be any typical Necks hypnotic groove of such on this first of two evenings at the Bishopsgate Institute. Instead, the Australian trio went for much more intricate and fluid formations.

WORLD ON FIRE
Fire! with Oren Ambarchi, The Vortex, Dalston, London, 27/10/2011
Reviewed by themilkman
Swedish power trio Fire! join forces with Australian experimental guiatrist Oren Ambarchi for the second of their two London dates to cut a pretty heavy set.

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER Replica
SFT01021 Software Label 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
With his latest opus, Oneohtrix Point Never expands on his sonic palette but remains faithful to the overly synthetic approach he has been perfecting for five years.

TATSURO KOJIMA 16g

AB039 Audiobulb Records 2012

Reviewed by themilkman

This album by Japanese sound artist Tatsuro Kojima is an artisanal affair in its sonic aspect as it is in the extremely limited run of handmade CDs, each coming with a different cover and a personal message from the artist.

SANTIAGO LATORRE Eclíptica
ALP054 Accretions Records 2012

Reviewed by themilkman
Two years on from his solo debut, Barcelona-based experimental saxophonist Santiago Latorre delivers a second slice of sparse atmospheric avant jazz.

1982 Pintura
HUBROCD2510/HUBROLP3510 Hubro Music 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
Perhaps the most unconventional of supergourp, Norwegian improv outfit 1982 follow their 2008 debut with this second opus on which they bring together Hardanger fiddle, harmonium and drums for a truly original record.

LEGO FEET SKA001CD
SKA001CD Skam 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
Two years before their debut album as Autechre, Rob Brown and Sean Booth released an album as Lego Feet, the first, very limited, release on Manchester’s Skam. Twenty years on, the album is finally getting a full CD release, with a new vinyl pressing also scheduled.

TOM ARTHURS/OLLIE BOWN/ISAMBARD KHROUSTALIOV/LOTHAR OHLMEIER Long Division
NOT019 Not Applicable 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
Long Division is an intriguing experiment in self-generative electronics and how computers can interact with humans. The piece sees Tom Arthurs and Lothar Ohlmeier perform live against software developed especially by Icarus.

BURNT FRIEDMAN Bokoboko
NON33 Nonplace Records 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
With his latest solo record, Burnt Friedman distances himself from overtly electronic music to embrace a resolutely more rhythm centric sound reminiscent of his on-going collaboration with Jaki Liebezeit.

ALOG Unemployed
RCD2116 Rune Grammofon 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
Five years on from their last album, Alog collaborate with a number of Scandinavian artists to assemble their most eclectic and intriguing record to date.

THE LIVING ROOM Still Distant Still
ILK182 Ilk Music 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
This new trio, formed of saxophonist Torben Snekkestad, pianist Søren Kjærgaard and drummer Thomas Strønen chart a pretty vast terrain on their first collection.

CHRIS WATSON El Tren Fantasma
TO42 Touch 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
This record documents a cross country train journey on board the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (FNM), from Los Mochis on the Pacific coast to the west to Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico to the east.

JASON URICK I Love You
THRILL292 Thrill Jockey 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
On his latest album, Baltimore-based musician Jason Urick weaves a complex and hypnotic canvas of electronic textures and bridges the gap between the drone forms of his debut album and the rhythmic patterns of his follow-up EP.

SIMON SCOTT Depart, Repeat
SEVENPIECESPIECEONE Sonic Pieces 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
Simon Scott delivers a couple of beautiful folk songs for the first in a new seven-part seven inch series from Sonic Pieces.

DADAVISTIC ORCHESTRA Dokument.01
DUSTV024 Dust Science Recordings 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
The Black Dogs team up with former members of Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia to form Dadavistc Orchestra and deliver two utterly essential slices of the finest ambient electronica.

SEEFEEL Faults
WAP299 Warp Records 2010
Reviewed by themikman
Faults marks the long awaited return of one of the most influential and respected bands to have emerged in the nineties. With new members on board, Seefeel have created another masterful timeless piece of abstract contemporary music.

KHALIJA Khalija EP
FINT000 Force Intel 2010
Reviewed by themilkman
Kicking off the catalogue entries of newly formed iimprint Force Intel, Los Angeles-based musician Khalija presents a particularly varied self-titled EP.

AUTECHRE Move Of Ten WAP505 Warp Records 2010
Reviewed by themilkman
Barely a few months after the release of their tenth album, Autechre return with this sister EP on which they consciously breaks down the melodic aspect of Oversteps and drag it down into the gutter.