As 2024 comes to a close, the annual journalistic ritual of calculative listing emerges once more. Whilst these end of year groupings may be a cheap chance to rehash some former ideas, they also provide an opportunity to reflect on some of the sounds that defined the year, and in a somewhat premature fit of nostalgia, celebrate them a little. And so without further ado, in no particular order, here are 10 tracks released in 2024 that left a lasting impression on us.

‘over a placid river’ by KMRU

No one in the field of ambient music sounds quite like KMRU. A prolific year for the Kenyan producer saw the arrival of forge, the follow-up to the widely acclaimed Jar, released four years prior, also on Seil Records. A beautifully arranged project, it has proved difficult to isolate a single track, but the pick of the bunch is perhaps ‘over a placid river’. As its namesake suggests, it’s a gentler cut from KMRU. Wistful bleeps and chimes are layered over bits of resonance and feedback, as the soft opening melodies gradually become more incoherent. It’s hazy and ruminative but never without complexity or a sense of emotional purpose. A record that may sooth or sadden.

‘Scherz’ by Rojin Sharafi

Rojin’s Sharafi’s ‘Scherz’ is a disorientating dive into see-sawing keyboard riffs, glitchy computer textures and discordant drum crashes. Its nonchalant and effortlessly engaging, dynamic and expressive, with aspects frequently in conflict, clashing off each other in an improvisational fashion. It showcases Sharafi’s unique ability to fuse experimental elements, both electronic and acoustic, with heaps of soul and charm. On an album that frequently dives into darkness, Scherz stands out as a jollier, weird and wonderful composition. A delight to listen to.

‘River Of Pain’ by Sote

Sote had a very strong year. 2024 saw his brilliantly improvisational project Sound System Persepolis tour Europe, alongside his first release on SVBKVLT, Ministry of Tall Tales. The album’s opener, ‘River of Pain’ lays the foundation perfectly. Iranian santur melodies skip and pan over a bed of grand, dystopian synths and roaming drones. It’s futuristic yet nostalgic, delicate yet ominous, contemplative yet urgent. As the track progresses, the melodies fade away, only to return with greater intensity – more hurried and more violent, swelling into a final boom that sets the tone for a remarkable project.

‘REM FODDER’ by Lord Spikeheart, James Ginzburg & Koenraad Ecker

Kenyan artist Lord Spikeheart has long been a figurehead of his country’s metal scene, but 2024 has seen him breakout as a star internationally. A moshpit-laden performance at Krakow’s Unsound festival underscored his status as one of the most exciting talents emerging in contemporary music. His recent album The Adept featured electronic heavyweights including Safety Trance, Brodinski and DJ Scotch Rolex, but the standout track has to be ‘REM FODDER’. It’s pure catharsis – an unrelenting cacophony – dark, thrashy and distorted. Spikeheart’s guttural screams cut through the muddy chaos. It’s near devoid of recognisable structure but has a real purity and rawness to it. Completely unsubtle and definitely not for the faint-hearted, it’s an exorcism for those that can get into it.

‘Tenterlé’ by ABADIR & Nahash

ABADIR’s club sound has become unmistakable since his ground-breaking 2022 SVBKVLT album Mutate, in which he integrated Egyptian darbuka drums with Amen Breaks in thrillingly expressive call-and-response patterns. The evolution of this style has resulted in 2024’s Marchadair, a collaboration with French producer and label colleague Nahash. The project’s lead single, ‘Tenterlé’ features the euphoric vocal refrains and frenetic, sped-up hand percussion that has come to define his sonic character. Nahash lends his razor-sharp attention to detail. A near-ubiquitous force in mixing and mastering the finest new electronic music, it’s become difficult to find something Nahash hasn’t got his musical mitts on. The result is a richly enjoyable club hit that demands (and receives) movement from its listeners.

‘武者 Musha’ by T5UMUT5UMU

Anyone familiar with Japanese producer T5UMUT5UMU will be well aware of his non-linear approach to genre. Rap, Gqom, Techno and Jungle all feature within his diverse discography of cutting-edge club-edits and punchy productions. His work has come to be defined more by sound and vibe than by generic categorisation. His 2024 EP 玄 Gen is his most grime-influenced to date. It’s lead single ‘武者Musha’ sees wobbly, ‘dred-bass’ style grooves punctuated by street-fighter-esque vocal snippets. Paying homage to the golden age of UK grime whilst imprinting his own cultural and sonic identity, it’s both nostalgic and forward-thinking. ‘武者Musha’ is a fun, addictive banger that cements T5UMUT5UMU as a producer to watch.

‘Deep In The Jungle (Ayesha’s Drums Are Sex Dub)’ by Dj Babatr, Dj Deep RH & Ayesha

Ayesha has had a remarkable 2024, but not primarily for what she has conjured in the studio. In a candid interview with Shawn Reynaldo, the NYC-based artist opened up about suffering a traumatic brain injury in a hit-and-run car accident earlier this year. The aftermath has rendered a return to performance and production far from simplistic, testing patience and resilience as she reacclimatises to her craft.

Under such circumstances, her standout remix on raptor-house legend Dj Babatr’s The Journey highlights her immense value and enduring impact on contemporary electronic music. With her signature tribal percussion, pacey rhythms and distinctive diasporic influences, this four-minute slice of bass-heavy hypnotism reminds us how lucky we are to have her talent in electronic music.

n.b. the song is published as ‘In The Groove (Ayesha’s Drums Are Sex Dub)‘ on all platforms except Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

‘Bodies’ by Snakeskin

Any song from Snakeskin’s superb sophomore album is worthy of praise. Whilst ‘Waiting’ landed #4 on Resident Advisor’s end-of-year rankings, my highlight is ‘Bodies’. Its machine-gun backing beat drives the track with force, creating a foundation for Julia Sabra to deliver some of the album’s most powerful imagery. Background vocals and carefully crafted synth melodies elevate the song into a rare space. Both dark and dreamy, it’s beautifully composed, encapsulating the album’s themes, sounds and emotions with precision and depth – a pivotal moment in a stunning body of work.

 ‘Release+ϕ’ by ZULI

Egyptian artist ZULI has gained a reputation for his adventurous club music, and whilst these sensibilities are apparent on his 2024 album Lambda, his approach demonstrates wider influences from ambient and non-club-friendly sounds. ‘Release+ϕ’ has his signature clipping sub-bass, glitchy vocal chops and expressive breakbeats, but it is all deconstructed. A swelling wave of synths rises and falls, bringing with it this accompaniment of club-sounds. It feels like a zoomed-in, slowed-down examination of all the elements that goes into a dancefloor hit – it’s a spectacularly atmospheric opener to his album.

Ok, Fatma – Siu Mata Remix by Muskila & Siu Mata

Muskila’s ‘Ok, Fatma’ captivated with its catchy percussion and could easily have found a spot on this list itself. Siu Mata’s remix takes it up a notch, adding a dembow-inflected buoyancy. Shrieking whistles, stuttering hand percussion and a trembling bassline makes for a potent combination in a song that’s built for the dancefloor, and likely to have enduring success on it.

Honourable Mentions:

• ‘Arish’ by Oldyungmayn & Estoc
• ‘Hex On Fire – Psychic Version’ by AKA HEX (Slikback & Aïsha Devi)
• ‘NOBODY’ by Lord Spikeheart, DJ Scotch Rolex & Hybrid Intuition
• ‘Bihali’ by sandy chamoun, Anthony Sahyoun & Jad Atoui
• ‘Kraken Sight’ by Assyouti
• ‘Basha’ by Hassan Abou Alam, ZIAD ZAZA, Ismail Nosrat & Aly B
• ‘Deadlights’ by Zaliva-D
• ‘Good morning machete’ by Saint Abdullah, Eomac & Cinna Peyghamy
• ‘ADTVESSPXLUT’ by Sote
• ‘Breath Work’ by TVSI & DJ Plead

Thank you to everyone that has supported Disorientalise this year. See you in 2025!