6. Björk Vulnicura/Vulnicura Remixes
Much has been written elsewhere about the lyrical themes of Björk's excellent Vulnicura, arguably her best release in many years. Because this article is primarily about electronic music, it is useful to focus primarily on the textures that Björk and her collaborators Arca and The Haxan Cloak have established on this release, as well as the incredible remixes that the singer has put out since the album dropped. Björk has long elected to work with the most forward-thinking producers around, including collagic innovators Matmos, trip-hop legend Tricky, noise-hop aggressors Death Grips, club legends 808 State and R&B innovator Timbaland, but perhaps her boldest statement to date is her election to enlist underground experimental producer Arca (who also worked on Kanye West's Yeezus and is included further down on this list...) and atmospheric drone-inspired producer The Haxan Cloak to co-produce Vulnicura. While Björk is undoubtedly in control throughout the record, which - despite its innovative sound - remains loyal to her overarching aesthetic, the presence of these two innovative figures cannot be understated. Arca, whose sound is an emotionally-charged hyper-digital aesthetic, provides odd clockwork beats and structures to match the orchestral strings on Stonemilker, as well as minimal but affecting synth, static and drum contraptions on Black Lake, Lionsong and the out-of-this-world weirdness of Notget. The production is genuinely so out-there that it is quite difficult to put into words; it is a patchwork of virtual emotions that defy description. Standout track Family was overseen by The Haxan Cloak, and it is like a crossbreed between the dark foreboding drone that is the producers trademark (discordant strings, static bass sounds and reverberating slow percussion) and the confrontational sensuality of Björk's multi-layered vocal assault/caress. These tracks are allowed to breathe, with most of them stretching to considerable lengths, but there is often so much going on emotionally that they still render the listener utterly breathless. Then there's the remixes, released in two bursts so far (with a third set to follow). Björk ingeniously employed remixers that she knew would rework the tracks with similar themes of emotionality vs. virtuality: alongside a typically dark reworking of Mouth Mantra by Vulnicura's co-producer The Haxan Cloak, there is a karaoke version of Lionsong by Mica Levi (composer of the stunning soundtrack for last year's Under The Skin), a vocal-heavy remix of Family by Katie Gately that serves to amplify the album's cyborgian elements, a terrifying decomposition of History Of Touches by grime newcomer Rabit and, most stunningly of all, a total deconstruction of Notget by Janus' Lotic that completely summarises the themes of both his own work and that of the Icelander's album. Björk continues to be at the forefront of contemporary electronic music, and she maintains a unique ability to reshape the stereotypically cold textures of digital instrumentation into something truly gorgeous and personal.