From BT, in no particular order, music of 2006 (click artist to hear Real Audio sample):
Getatchew Mekuria/The Ex and Guests - Moa Anbessa (Terp)
Golding Institute - The Final Relaxation (Ipecac)
Pappo's Blues - Vol 1-4 reissues (Leader Music)
Ayat - Al Nabi Moujrem Moughtaseb Dajjal (Sardonic Wrath) (Blog post/review here)
Scott Walker - The Drift (4AD) (Blog post/review here)
Angel Face - A Wild Odyssey (Seidr)
Kelley Stoltz - Heaven Up Here CDR (No Label) (Blog post here)
Manierisme - Manierisme (Nekrokult + Nihilism)
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury (Re-Up)
This Heat - Out of Cold Storage box (ReR) (Blog post/review here)
Salah Ragab and the Cairo Jazz Band - Egyptian Jazz (Art Yard) (Blog post/review here)
Gravity Adjusters Expansion Band - One (Paradigm)
Plasticman - Forward Live at Plastic People Vol. 2 (Tempa)
Prima Materia - The Tail of the Tiger (Die Schachtel)
Mazen Kerbaj - Starry Night (Blog post/MP3)
Humcrush - Hornswoggle (Rune Grammofon)
Menstruation Sisters - Ma (Fata)
Sete Star Sept/Watch Me Burn/Dot(.) - Yaminabe Holocaust (Shifty)
Country Teasers - The Empire Strikes Back (In the Red) (link to unexpurgated web-only live FMU session from this past year)
Citay - Citay (Important) (link to live WFMU session from this past year)
Various - Burr Xyolophones: Lobi Country (Ocora)
Carla Bozulich - Evangelista (Constellation)
Ravi Padmanabha/Ed Chang - Elephant Calls (Utech) (Blog post/review here)
More below, and more staff top 10's for 2006 here.
Live action 2006:
Feast with Steve Mackay/Hans Keller/Charalambides/Shawn David McMillen - Bottom of the Hill, SF
Blues Control/Comets on Fire - Knitting Factory, NYC
Pissed Jeans/Flipper - North Six, Brooklyn
The Ex/DJ Rupture - Maxwells
Rhys Chatham's big band, January at Tonic
Shorty Long and the Jersey Horns, Joe Belock and Cynthia's wedding, Elks Lodge, Hoboken
Magik Markers/Country Teasers/Lambsbread - Syrup Room, Brooklyn
Celtic Frost/1349 - BB King's, Times Square
Hank IV - Elbow Room, SF + Knit, NYC
Grouper - Arthur Nights in LA
An Albatross - Cafe Metro, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Diamanda Galas - performing Defixiones at Pace University NYC
And of course, assorted FMU live sessions for the show this year that, as usual, blew my mind and added extra spice to an already great year of experiencing sounds. Enjoyed visits (all archived on my page too) from: Avarus, Major Stars, Th' Faith Healers, To Live and Shave in L.A., Little Howlin' Wolf, Jonathan Kane's February, Vegas Martyrs, Country Teasers, Citay, Billy Bao, Pink Reason, Clockcleaner, Carla Bozulich's Evangelista, DJ/Rupture and the mighty Ex, who at the 27 year mark are just getting warmed up. Thanks to all the bands, the engineers, and listeners who offered feedback to inspire even more. What else...2006...got away and spent a month roaming out West and hung with wonderful friends, got to rock sick jams on stage with Marlon from Liquorball, Doug Pearson and Steve Mackay in SF. Froze ass off at night at Kamilsky's in the high Mojave desert. Menacingly surrounded by aggro wild turkeys while zoning out in Vichey Springs in Mendocino. Visited dead celebs in Hollywood. Home: finally got high speed internet just to waste time on You Tube. Laughed a lot at Charlie Brookers' Screenwipe , Kath and Kim, Peep Show 3 (we've already decided to name our forthcoming dog "Super Hans") and Saxondale. Survived broken ribs, survived listening to the Golding Institute CD. Taco Bell didn't kill us all. This year. Ready for 2007.
I have to say that the country teasers set was simply amazing. I played that over and over and over again for months. Bummed that I didn't hear them until after they played a set up here. Unfortunately their studio stuff doesn't come close to capturing how wonderful they are live...
So thanks Brian for the great sets, and great dj'ing in general.
Posted by: nh_dave | December 21, 2006 at 03:20 PM
Yer wrong about the teasers - mediocre live band as this session shows (sorry Brian) but brilliant on record (The Rebel's production makes this band).
Brian thanks for turning me onto the Menstruation Sisters, album of the year for me. All hail the Menstruation Sisters!
Posted by: PAWL | December 21, 2006 at 05:52 PM
Sorry Pawl - I agree with nh dave here - the country teasers set was the best set of the year on WFMU and that is saying a lot!
Posted by: jtm | December 22, 2006 at 10:57 AM
The 'final relaxation' is amazing. a friend, chauncey chaumpers, got it for me for my 25th birthday. started to listen to it in my car and started trippin on the possibility that i might not make it to my destination. god bless neil hamburger, keep up the good work BT
Posted by: mr brian | April 12, 2007 at 12:44 PM