Welcome to the list of my favorite music of 2021.
The biggest thing to influence my music listening this year was no longer an invisible virus. Instead, it was a project I launched in 2020 called White Crate. What began with a simple post has evolved into a weekly digest of the best new music coming out of Oakland, San Francisco, and the entire Bay. It’s also now a daily updated Instagram account and an occasional event host.
While I know I can’t capture everything, in the past year I have covered about 400 new releases from about as many artists in the Bay Area, and that’s just what crosses my desk. Like many of you, I’ve been a voracious music listener over the past few years, but this project has tuned my ears — not to any one specific genre — but to the music of this place we call home. (If you’re curious to hear what I learned in a year of writing about Bay Area music, check out this essay I wrote on the one-year anniversary of White Crate.)
As you can imagine, this focus has influenced my favorite music of 2021. Where some people may have lists biased in other ways, like by genre, mine is mostly biased by having a larger proportion of Bay Area artists than I’ve ever had. It’s just what I’m listening to more frequently, and hence it’s what I’m more likely to end up falling in love with. Okay, yes, fine, I still also have a bias towards disco, dub, and other music with delicious basslines.
Scroll on for my favorite music releases of the year.
Peace,
ronny
P.S. If you’d rather hit shuffle on a playlist, enjoy.
↼ ALBUMS ⇁
THE ONE
No Sun - Nite Jewel
A woman is divorced from her partner. She studies the musical practice of woman’s lament dating back to the ancients. Also a student of the funk, she witnesses the skies darkening in the terror of wildfire. She creates this work, a frail beauty. It screams like a bird. A light that cannot be missed.
AMBIENT
Under the Lilac Sky - Arushi Jain
“One of my secret — and not-so-secret — goals is to make people fall in love with Indian classical music.” Arushi Jain was born and raised in New Delhi, moved to San Francisco to study at Stanford, and is now based in New York City. But it was during her studies in the Bay Area that she found her sound. On this warm, sunset-tinged bath of bliss, Jain blends Indian classical music with the rich tradition of modular synthesizer music in the west.
CLASSICAL
Regards de femmes - Marie-Catherine Girod
Sick of classical music by dead white European men? Me neither, but at the same time I’m extremely grateful to hear that “the rediscovery of lost music by [dead white European] women is proceeding apace” (Allmusic), with this compilation of superb solo piano music entirely composed by women from the 18th and 19th centuries providing the latest living example.
DANCE (EP)
ACID DYNAMICS - RITCHRD
This was one of a few local releases from the past year that made me fall back in love with cassette tapes. Though you can bump these impeccable acid house tracks on your streaming platform of choice, what you’ll miss are the hilarious and enlightening 10-second interludes between them, painting a complete picture of the rave scene in everyone’s imagination: druggy and pure, dumb and revolutionary.
DANCE (LP)
Dance Planet - Space Ghost
It’s not just bucket hats that are back in. It’s late 80s early 90s techno too. One of my favorite dance albums of the year and one of my favorite Oakland producers, Space Ghosts channels Detroit techno legends Inner City plus early ambient techno innovations by Aphex Twin into a profoundly uplifting and calmly energizing suite of chill dance music. The perfect pandemic dance album? Possibly.
EXPERIMENTAL
S280F - 28
A sci-fi IMAX experience in multiple dimensions — minus the movie.
FIELD RECORDING
Mirror Holds the Sky - Lawrence English
“The jungle is never silent.” A little over a half-hour-long field recording of the Amazon recorded by Lawrence English, who runs ambient and experimental music label Room40. After all: What ambient or experimental music could top the sound of the Amazon?
GOD MUSIC (EAST)
Kirtan: Turiya Sings - Alice Coltrane
In 1982, experimental jazz master Alice Coltrane shared recordings of herself singing devotional Sanskrit against Wurlitzer organ, overdubbed synths, and overdubbed strings on Turiya Sings in a limited release cassette for her students. With this new version, we get to hear the same recordings except it’s just the organ and Alice. Pure devotion and praise.
GOD MUSIC (WEST)
SINNER GET READY - LINGUA IGNOTA
Apocalyptic spiritual music, blending industrial tones with operatic voice. As deeply overwhelming and indescribable as that sounds. It is gorgeous.
JAZZ
Vulture Prince - Arooj Aftab
“Last night my beloved was like the moon, so beautiful.” Earlier this year, I read new English translations of Persian poetry written by women through the centuries, and I loved it for the reason I often love ancient poetry: It sounds old and new all at once. And that’s how it is with this album by Brooklyn-Pakistani artist Arooj Aftab, who I know sounds like Sade but who I assume also sounds like a girl singing to themselves a thousand years ago.
HIP HOP (CHILL)
Don’t Forget You’re Welcome - The Watershed
One of the first collectives encountered in my Bay Area music explorations, and still one of the best. Declaring that they’ve “evolved from a loose collective to an official group,” the Watershed features Equipto, MC Pauze, Monk HTS, and Professa Gabel on the mic with productions by Baghead and Brycon. Eschewing hyphy, trap, and other hyped up hip hop styles, the group leans more soulful and jazzy, making music better suited to a spliff than a 40.
HIP HOP (NO CHILL)
The Game - DÆMON
On the opposite end of the spectrum, completely bypassing anything resembling “conscious” hip hop or hyphy or club hip hop music comes this (what I’ve been calling) hyperpop hip hop album from Oakland’s DÆMON and Zurich-based producers Modulaw and Xzavier Stone. Experimental electronic meets big bassy hip hop, and it hits with precision.
HIP HOP (IS JAZZ)
LIGHT BEINGS #3 - Various
The third installment in a collaborative mixtape series by SMARTBOMB and Lower Grand Radio, LIGHT BEINGS #3 is described as “a multidisciplinary art capsule project of audio, visual and wearable artifacts carrying futurist messages from the outermost realms of imagination.” Featuring a bunch of the Bay’s best underground artists — including Salami Rose Joe Louis, Cheflee, W.A.L.A., RITCHRD, IDHAZ, and Ashtrejinkins — it’s a diverse but cohesive mix of sounds, seamlessly blending slurred hip hop beats, experimental tape loops, lofi house, and breakbeat.
RAGGA
Fire - The Bug
A furious maelstrom of an incantation against the pretension of human order.
ROCK (ELECTRONIC)
HEY WHAT - Low
A massive meditation in noise and soul, born of discord and delight.
ROCK (PUNK)
Taqbir - Taqbir
“Victory belongs to those who fight for a right cause.” I openly admit this: I’ve never truly had to put my life or well-being on the line to fight for something I believe in. I just haven’t been tested in this way, which is a privilege. That said, I try my best to recognize and give all due respect to those who do, like this Moroccan punk band raging against the flagrant sexism of their religious-dominated culture. As fiery, ferocious, and explosive as punk gets.
COMPILATION (DANCE)
Ritmo Fantasía: Balearic Spanish Synth-Pop, Boogie and House (1982–1992) - DJ Trujillo
“Hey, hey, hey / I love my body!” As advertised, this compilation transports you to late 80s Ibiza to wake up hungover on the beach, catch an invigorating fruity cocktail, get refreshed and dressed up, and then strut back down the street to the best clubs with the best dance soundsystems to dance with the prettiest people to the most seductive disco house hits.
COMPILATION (DUB)
Version Excursion - Don Letts
This is a treasure trove, featuring dub reggae covers of songs as diverse as “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division and “Sixteen Tons” by 1950s country star Tennessee Ernie Ford — all selected by British director and musician Don Letts for one of my favorite mix series, Late Night Tales.
↼ SINGLES & REMIXES ⇁
DRUM & BASS
“One Day at a Time” - Nu:Tone, Lalin St. Juste
Typically, my taste in jungle leans weird, dark, and twisted like Squarepusher, Tim Reaper, and everything put out by Lobster Theremin. But this poppy single by UK producer Nu:Tone featuring Lalin St. Juste, a Haitian-American singer-songwriter in Oakland, just transports me to a beautiful, happy place.
TECHNO
“Club Culture” - Denham Audio
Speaking of Lobster Theremin: Whether you prefer techno, house, or breaks, you’re bound to find a track you love from this London dance label. They simply don’t miss. Here’s one of my favorites: Normally I get annoyed by techno pieces built around a 10-second sample of some chap talking about something or other, but this is so fantastically produced with such fat wavy bass that I can’t help shaking my ass every time it comes on.
REMIX (PUNK)
“A Hero’s Death [Soulwax Remix]” - Fontaines D.C.
As someone who loves everything from classical and jazz to experimental and pop, I don’t often think about what my favorite genre might be. But if I had to pick, I would probably say dance punk. Two seemingly diametrically opposed styles — one clean and pretty and dolled up for the club, the other studded, torn, black, and cynical — come together on this magical remix of Irish post-punk by dance rock experts Soulwax.
REMIX (HI NRG 1)
“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) [Soulwax Remix]” - Sylvester
I don’t know if there’s another wave of renewed interest in classic 1980s San Francisco Hi-NRG — or if I’m just paying better attention — but the fact remains that I can’t help but list three of my favorite remixes this year. The gold medal goes to Soulwax, who took tapes of golden SF vocalist Sylvester and transformed their biggest hit into an even bigger one, if that’s possible, complete with passion, laughter, and 11 minutes of ecstatic dance.
REMIX (HI NRG 2)
“Menergy [Purple Disco Machine Remix]” - Patrick Cowley
And yes, this is how you know I have a San Francisco music problem: I just love Patrick Cowley this much, that all it takes is a half decent remix to have me dancing in my living room. But don’t mistake me: This is much better than half decent. It’s 80s gay house boosted with bass for the new 20s, and a fitting tribute to one great producer we lost too soon.
REMIX (HI NRG 3)
“Get a Little [Alan Dixon Love Attack Mix]” - Patrick Cowley
While the above two were much more famous in their original forms, this track was always one of my secret Patrick Cowley favorites. I have definitely played my vinyl copy in the desert at least once. London producer Alan Dixon turns up the bass but largely leaves the original magic intact on this remix of a track lifted from the legendary SF artist’s 1981 album Megatron Man.
REMIX (CLASSIC DISCO)
“Do It to the Music” [Fred Falke & Zen Freeman Remix] - Raw Silk
One of the most well-loved underground disco classics gets boosted with bass and style by French house producer Fred Falke and collaborator Zen Freeman.
REMIX (NEWISH DISCO)
“Still in Love” [The Reflex Extended Revision] - Shuya Okino ft. Navasha Daya
“Still in Love” is the best original disco song of the past 10 years. Tell me I’m wrong. I’m still amazed that it came out in 2014 but I just learned about it in the past year. Thankfully my favorite modern disco label Glitterbox reissued it at the end of 2020 with stunning new remixes by the Reflex, Dr Packer, and others. They’re all good because you can’t make this song not good.
REMIX (NEW DISCO)
“Incapable” / “Narcissus” [The Reflex Revisions] - Róisín Murphy
If we have only have one modern disco diva, it is Róisín Murphy. And if there’s anyone that knows how to make a remix much more than a remix, it’s the Reflex. Flawless, intoxicating disco house for 1979, 1982, 2021, or 2703.
HIP HOP (INSTRUMENTAL)
“What If You Couldn’t Get It Right” - Baghead
One of the most consistently high-quality beatmakers from the past year, Baghead proudly and blissfully represents SF on their soothing, soulful instrumental hip hop album Dedicated To Those Who. With a couple MC features plus samples of James Baldwin, the album explores “the role artistry plays in community, love, and revolution.” It’s worth many relistens, and the best place to start is this jazz-inspired single.
HIP HOP (CATCHY AF)
“Alpharetta” - Rexx Life Raj
This song is short, repetitive, and full of silly lyrics, and I’m not sure if those are points for or against it. But I do know that I can play it over and over and over again and never get sick of it. Probably gets the award for earworm of the year.
HIP HOP (JUST HYPHY)
“Slight Work” - Dregs One
With an album cover featuring the artist crossing an instantly recognizable intersection in the Tenderloin — and a music video shot at the same liquor store that appears on the cover — it’s clear that Dregs One loves where he’s from. Popping off with a juicy hyphy beat from the first second to the last, “Slight Work” is still the album’s stand-out track, an unapologetically Bay Area love affair.
HIP HOP (CHRONIC HYPHY)
“Big Subwoofer” - MOUNT WESTMORE
Speaking of West Coast hip hop, E-40, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Too $hort laid down the blueprints. And they bring it all to this track: It’s goofy, gangsta, cocky, and raunchy as fuck. By the way, I also revisited Ice Cube’s 1992 album The Predator, and goddamn he’s a fiery poet.
HIP HOP (LATIN HYPHY)
“Mi Nuevo Amor” - La Doña
One of my favorites and one of the most fun up-and-coming artists in the Bay has to be Bernal Heights-raised La Doña. Backed by a family band that plays cumbia like you’re at someone’s tia’s birthday party feasting on tamales in the living room, every song sounds so familiar, down-to-earth, and celebratory while being conscious of the trials of the world. This track may be her best one yet, bridging cumbia with hyphy music into a new kind of love.
HIP HOP (PORTUGUESE DANISH WEST COAST SOUL)
“Polite” - Erika de Casier
Yeah, that. I can’t deny it.
HIP HOP (LOVERS ROCK)
“SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” - Tyler, The Creator, Brent Faiyaz, Fana Hues
A friend told me that Tyler, The Creator either discovered or just really got into lovers rock, a sweet and sultry style of reggae music popularized in London in the 70s. And for that, I’m thankful, because it led to this 10-minute groover from his new hit album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. Someday I’ll be able to put this song down and listen to the rest of the album.
POP (SNAP)
“Best Friend” - Saweetie, Doja Cat
One day I was at a store checking out some audio equipment, and this track was playing over the radio. And I was like, I’ve heard this song before. Because of course I had. And then I was like, I fucking love this song. Because of course I did. Because pop music.
POP (CRACKLE)
“Girl is a Gun” - Halsey
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is the best Nine Inch Nails album since The Fragile. No, actually, it’s produced by Trent Reznor (who has, let’s be honest, always made pop music) and his regular collaborator Atticus Ross. And it’s a stunner. With a subtle nod to Reznor’s previous foray into drum and bass with “The Perfect Drug,” the track “Girl is a Gun” is my new favorite pop take on industrial breaks.
REGGAETON
“Calm Me Down” - Saint Sinner, El Santi
I think I found this artist because I thought they were from San Francisco? And maybe they were at some point. Or still are. Who knows. In any case, somewhere between SF, LA, and Mexico City has materialized this track, a little reggaeton lullaby that does exactly what it advertises: calms.
CLASSIC ROCK (COVER 1)
“Run Run Run” - Kurt Vile
After starting to learn piano last summer through an app, this summer I started seeing a real human instructor. We had some rocky first moments together, particularly after they asked me for songs I’d be interested in playing, and I named a bunch of Velvet Underground. Idiot me probably could have figured it out if I’d actually listened to, but I actually mentioned loving this cover of “Run Run Run,” and then had the distinct pleasure of having her laugh at me. Why? Because it’s one damn chord the entire song.
CLASSIC ROCK (COVER 2)
“Long As I Can See the Light” - Miko Marks & the Resurrectors
One of my favorite discoveries this year was Oakland country singer Miko Marks , who released a full-length album of originals (Our Country) plus this EP of covers called Race Records. The title hearkens to America’s deep racism: “All of the songs on this EP were originally recorded by white artists and were released as ‘country’ or ‘rock n roll,’ but if Miko had recorded them in the early days, they would have all been marketed as ‘race records.’”
SKA
“Call Your Bluff” - Catbite
I have played this song nonstop this year, either to dance around stupidly by myself in the living room or to see what my friends think. Admittedly, most have been ambivalent, but most recently a couple friends from New York were practically moaning in pain: “Why are we listening to this? Ska is the worst kind of music.” Because it’s fun AF??
SONGS ABOUT DOGS (COUNTRY)
“Sam” - Sturgill Simpson
If you’re into country music, you’ve probably heard of this artist. But he’s super prolific, so maybe you haven’t heard this album. It’s great the whole way through, but I can’t stop obsessing over the one-minute (mostly) a cappella track “Sam,” an instant contender for the best ode to a good dog ever written.
SONGS ABOUT DOGS (POST-PUNK)
“Dog” - Gustaf
Just this month, the Great American Music Hall put on one of the best lineups ever for fans of dance and post-punk. The legendary early 80s New York band ESG headlined with support from Gustaf, Naked Roommate, and Bay Area DJ Sue Problema (who continues to host her Downtown 81 party at the Knockout every month). I hadn’t heard of Gustaf, so I pressed play on this album and immediately fell in love. Especially the song about a dog!
↼ THE REST ⇁
ARTIST
Jon Batiste
This came out at the end of 2020, so I have to include it here. Aside from giving us a great film about jazz with another excellent soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Soul introduced me to Jon Batiste, who has since become my favorite contemporary jazz pianist for his cool, soulful style.
MIX SERIES
DJ-Kicks
DJ-Kicks has been around since 1993, and they’re still killing it. If you love dance music at all, you’ll find something to appreciate in each of the four releases from the past year, featuring a trio of UK DJs (Special Request Jayda G, and Disclosure) plus odd-one-out Jessy Lanza (Bay Area via Canada).
LABEL
theBasement Discos
House music, house music, house music. Based in Valencia, Spain, theBasement Discos rapidly became my favorite record label this year. Specializing in the sweet spot of sunny, heartfelt house music, the label consistently puts out singles and EPs of dancefloor gems from around the world. A few of my favorites: “Get Up Larry” by Azuro, “Lovahman” by Peter Palace, “Knee Deep Party Flip” by Duktus, and “About Me” by Houzzie Killa.
1 IN 1001
John Prine - John Prine
I hadn’t heard of him until he died in April 2020, but the obituaries convinced me I needed to listen to the country folk legend. Well, I didn’t get around to it until his eponymous debut album had its moment as part of my 20-year project to dedicate each week to a single entry from the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. And damn, I’m glad I did. Funny, catchy, wise.
More?
Listen to the playlist on Spotify.
See my favorite music from 2020, 2019, and 2018.
Subscribe to White Crate.
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