15 Best Albums Of The Decade (So Far)

11. Aphex Twin - Syro

I'm perhaps showing my age a little by including Aphex Twin's long-awaited album Syro in this list - it's a release I've been waiting for since 2001's incredible Drukqs, the tattered vinyl box set of which has been a regular staple for me on and off over the last fifteen years.

Personal nostalgia aside, Syro is still hands down a superbly crafted slice of Aphex Twin braindance music, which proves that the master of electronica still has what it takes to make incredible tunes (although as it happens, many of these tracks are already several years old). This is Aphex at his most accessible, with a number of catchily-named tracks including "s950tx16wasr10" (earth portal mix) and "CIRCLONT6A" (syrobonkus mix) guaranteed to get the dance floor into a state of hyperactive excitement.

If you're after the kind of plastic, crisp, and sometimes over-produced sound of modern electronic music manufacturers like Sophie then you should look elsewhere - Syro's rhythms and textures ooze old school hardware and dusted-off synthesizers. He might not reshape the landscape of electronic music as he did back in the '90s, but the sense here is that this isn't his concern. Besides, what's wrong with revisiting old landscapes if they're this interesting to explore?