Genre: experimental electronic, microbiology, nucleotides, horror

2015 saw an upsurge in the visibility of daring electronic music made by people with marginalized identities. In my eyes, "Mutant" by Arca stands as the pinnacle of this wave, confronting the listener with a grotesque, moving story. Give this a spin if you want to play the most evocative and cutting-edge music that the past year had to offer.

Others: Haxan Cloak, Lotic, Rabit, M.E.S.H.

Favorites: 3, 1, 2, 19, 15, 8, 5. All instrumental.

1. (3:57) *** Alive - Jittery synth melody with robot dogs whimpering amidst the turmoil. Reverb-laden synth lines float in and out. Settles down midway through. The whole track feels like a writhing insect. Really stunning.
2. (7:27) *** Mutant - Buckle up, kids. Arca wastes no time in scaring the living sh*t out of you. Rhythmic, shuddering intro with lots of negative space. Mangled voices burst in and out. Becomes more melodic about a third of the way through. Incredibly detailed production.
3. (4:17) **** Vanity - Transitions out of previous. Phenomenal track. Haunting melody with Arca’s trademark synthwork. Hissing textures scurry underneath.
4. (3:35) Sinner - Industrial, metallic. Stark piano melody enters. Harsh and hellish.
5. (2:01) ** Anger - Begins with distant yell. Really cool, shifting textures. Almost builds into a more traditional groove, but maintains an off-kilter cadence. Throws a filter over everything for the outro.
6. (2:13) ** Sever - Metallic strings. Very cinematic. Our alien protagonist finds a lonesome hermit who unveils the prophecy.
7. (0:49) Beacon - Undulating, sandy. Acts as a good lead in to the next track.
8. (4:51) *** Snakes - Tentative flute-y melody. Shuddering beat. Like remembering a loved one.
9. (2:31) Else - Spacey, bare. Crystalline notes hang in the air.
10. (2:09) Umbilical - Exploratory, uncertain. Clear vocal sample in a language I can’t identify. Hyperactive synth blips. A little less well developed than some of the other tracks in my opinion, although it is an interesting mood-setter
11. (1:57) Hymn - Buzzing ambience. Interlude piece.
12. (2:45) ** Front Load - A welcome straightforward beat. Trip-hop from Mars. Lovely layered synths and string plucks.
13. (3:45) Gratitud - Chords echo into space. Great mic break material or breather in an uptempo set.
14. (3:05) *** En - Distant rumbling. Vox samples bounce in a semi-groove. Distorted synths take over. Industrial, beautiful. Our protagonist stands on a platform high above, overlooking the city.
15. (0:44) Siren Interlude - Transitions out of next track. Slowed down siren-y synths.
16. (2:35) ** Extent - Mournful string swells. Like all of the more minimal tracks, it acts as a nice mood piece.
17. (2:23) * Enveloped - Staggering beat. Builds into hints of bizarro techno. Improvisatory synths worm their way through the song.
18. (3:10) ** Faggot - Cooing vox and restrained ambience. Amazing pained synthesizer refrain. Mounts in intensity. Last minute or so is all choppy synth. (Watch FCC on the track name)
19. (4:35) *** Soichiro - Named after the middle name of his visual collaborator Jesse Kanda. Stuttering textures emerge over an uneasy backdrop. Snippets of voice leak through. Seems to end halfway through, but then a typically evocative Arca melody cuts through. Builds back up to the initial intensity.
20. (3:29) Peonies - Bare, beatless. Lost in the night, our alien protagonist searches for guidance in the constellations.