It’s that time once again where I present you lucky folk with a lovingly crafted mixtape of hand-picked favourites from the past twelve months.
I should clarify that, despite the hubris-laden sentiment of the title, this could hardly be considered a definitive best-of. Heavens, no. Any attempt to get a serious handle on all the astonishing music that was released in 2015 would surely be about twenty hours long and cripplingly expensive to compile. Instead, I have attempted to balance obvious classics with lesser-known personal highlights – and some tracks that I feel were just downright slept-on. There’s much to treasure here, but also a number of glaring omissions in spite of my best efforts. By the time the mix had been online for a mere half hour, I’d already noticed the absence of the beautiful Millenium Mills by Aino Tytti on Touch, and final, posthumous album The Thing by psychedelic rock-types Cove. Both appalling oversights on my part – very sorry, chaps, but I’ve no doubt there are plenty more ‘how could I have forgotten?!’ moments that await me still. Probably in the small hours….
Regrettable oversights aside, the one thing that does unite many of these works is that they were created by people I am privileged to call colleagues and friends. In fact, musically or otherwise, one constant throughout 2015 has been the presence and support of so many awesome and talented people. I’m a lucky chap indeed to have such friends. Happy New Year to each and every one of you!
Let’s hope all our dreams come true in 2016. Apart from that one about being naked in the Maths exam, obviously…
Robin The Fog 