The Best Debut 12-Inches of 2021
Henry Ivry wraps up the year with six special picks, presenting the best debut records from this last year
When I sat down to write this column early in December, my mood was festive, nearly joyous. I thought the last Greek letter I would ever learn was "Delta" and that my days of reading press releases featuring phrases like "challenging listening for challenging times" on dance 12-inches was fading into the past. But, alas, as the halls are decked with boughs of positive lateral flow tests, December 2021 feels eerily similar to December 2020. That said, for many of us the past year did mean that we had a chance to wiggle somewhere, feel frustrated with the lack of bar queue etiquette, and relearn the horrors of Uber surge pricing. With that in mind, I sat down to reflect on some of the best debut club-focused records from the past year that will hopefully help us see in a 2022 where we can bid farewell to those dreaded nasal swabs.
DJ Pipe - The "Clubber's Paradise” [GRECS001]
Based on the grainy Instagram footage I've been following all year, DJ Pipe is no newcomer behind the decks. But still, The "Clubber's Paradise" was an understated masterclass in contemporary tech house. There is plenty of bounce and wiggle across the record, but there is also the occasional dash of menace to keep you on your toes. Nowhere did Pipe flex his production chops stronger than in his drum programming. I mean, let's be real: who isn't going to lose their shit for dueling bongo lines? It was an outstanding first taste of a producer to watch and a fitting debut for The Ghost's record label.
Laurine - Abun.dance [SL031]
It feels strange to include the Slow Life Queen Bee on a "debut" anything list, but 2021 saw Laurine take the plunge onto wax. Unsurprisingly, the reference points across Abun.dance are as vintage and tasteful as they come. She offers up a tour-de-force of the best of the 90s, from euphoric breaks, flourishes of prog house, to tasteful pepperings of bleep and hip-hop. Over the past few years, the Slow Life aesthetic has expanded, moving from the murky realms of deep house and contemplative breakbeats into broader, brighter colors. A track like "TOSDL" is nearly neon by these standards, but it is done with the type of effortless cool that only Slow Life can pull off.
Nicolas Duque - Breaks N Pieces Vol 6 [BRKN006]
There was plenty of UK garage records put out this year, but the one that kept getting the rewinds from me was Colombian producer Nicolas Duque's debut on Breaks 'N' Pieces. The rising Bogota Bad Man turned out a 12-inch that explored the full spectrum of garage - from the misty-eyed romance of "Just the Way" to the 2-step naughtiness of "Bristol Love" (a particularly nimble drum 'n' bass DJ might even get away with slotting "Moshpit Rave" into a set). The best UKG is able to do two things simultaneously: get you deep in your feels while also letting loose some viscous and meaty low-ends and Duque does just that with aplomb.
Peach - Galaxy Girl [PEACH011]
The thing that surprised me when I tucked into Peach's Galaxy Girl was how much punch was packed into each song. While I expected a bit of flamboyance from the Canadian expat given the range of her DJing, I was still taken aback by the complexity and density of each of these tracks - from the absolutely ferocious UKG bassline on "Buttercup" to the UK techno murkiness of "Galaxy Girl." It's hard to imagine unleashing any one of these tracks and not seeing a wave of phones light up with Shazam screens. But don't worry - it's not all heads down seriousness. There is still a camp playfulness in "Clover's Groove" where we can see her laughing behind the decks.
Sam Bangura - Hullabaloo [ALBEIT005]
Sam Bangura is no stranger to some of the UK's hippest dance floors. He is a resident at the Half Baked parties and a founder of NorthSouth Records whose showcases seem to be slowly migrating into bigger and bigger spaces (cough cough, fabric). And on his production debut, Bangura turned out three tracks of perfectly spacey and sinewy, but also undeniably funky modern tech house. The synth work in all three tracks moves with a ballerina's finesse, while the drums skitter in and out of time, making them primed for the after afters. The pick of the bunch, "Pandemonium," also has a little 2nd-wave Detroit warmth in its melody, like a much needed smile from a stranger when the rest of your pals left you at the party 5, 10, or 15 hours ago.
Enrica Falqui - Plexus [MR-04]
So I am kind of cheating with this one, but it would feel criminal not to include it on this list. Plexus was Enrica Falqui's first release under her own name, but she is also responsible for some seriously spacey electro and wonked techno as one half of ERIS. And while those ERIS releases go for the jugular, her debut solo for Andrew James Gustav's Marignal Returns saw her explore a wider range of sounds. There was IDMish introspection, sinister broken electro, and a few peak time weapons if you just needed to blow off some steam. But no matter the genre she was playing with, there was a little touch of melancholy to the melodies that felt par for the course in 2021.
Words and selection by: Henry Ivry
We wish to thank you again for your support during this amazing first year of Guerrilla Bizarre - see you in 2022!!!
