So I get itchy fingers sometimes. To combat this: I play records AT people. Sometimes ones they want to hear. At other times, not.

Dive Slow is a new night where, once per month, I’ll do ^ that ^. One or the other. Which will it be? Come down to see. Hear. Find out. On February 17th. From 9pm.

I probably won’t play anything from the new Die Antwoord album. Which is some next-level shit. If the next level was covered in shit.

I might well play something like this…

Wanna come?

Details here.

The Defectors Weld is at 170 Uxbridge Rd, Shepherd’s Bush, London W12 8AA. Expect party times from me and Him (Him in this instance being Clash‘s DJ superstar Paul Sethi, who is 100% guaranteed to show me up) from about 9pm. Through ’til 3am, if you promise to dance.

The Defectors Weld

Today I have put the following songs in the DJ Bag of Impossible Depth. So if you ask for them, you may receive…

Nicola Roberts: Beat of My Drum
Lana Del Rey: Video Games (Joy Orbison remix)
Adele: Rolling in the Deep (Jamie xx remix)
Azealia Banks: 212
Junior Boys: Banana Ripple
Cults: Go Outside
Joe Goddard: Gabriel
Niki & The Dove: The Drummer

And a few ‘special’ on-theme tracks. You know, ones that reference planes, or the air, or flying in some way. Like Doves’ Jetstream. Or The Notwist’s Pilot. Or Balam Acab’s See Birds. Or REM’s Departure. Or Cut Copy’s Corner of the Sky. Stuff like that.

No, I’d not updated The Sack for a while. Not since DJing at The Hope in B-Town last month, and that was almost strictly hip hop. Which, it must be said, you can expect some of on NYE.

See you there, maybe.

So your band features on the BBC Sound of 2012 longlist (artists pictured, above). Exciting, isn’t it? But with the Sound of… now in its tenth year, even the most casual of observers recognises that a place on the annual snapshot of industry hopes doesn’t guarantee success in the long term – or even during the year in question. Plenty have arrived with the biggest of campaigns ready to ignite; and many have faded into the shadows of obscurity.

However, it’s important to understand that disappointment in terms of a band’s performance over the course of a set period is, typically, a very subjective measurement. What might be seen as a poor return on an elevated profile, or a dizzying level of blogosphere buzz, could actually represent a better result than was otherwise forecast, prior to inclusion in lists like the BBC Sound of… one. I say this from a position of experience.

In late 2010, Esben and the Witch appeared on the BBC Sound of 2011 longlist. I have co-managed Esben since 2009 alongside my very good friend Bradley Kulisic (a true professional when it comes to this management malarkey, unlike myself – I tend to bumble along rather blindly). The band’s appearance on this most high-profile of tip lists was something of a surprise, to say the least. Downbeat, glowering, goth-y electro-indie band, alongside Jessie J and James Blake and the rest? Right… makes loads of sense.

But, then, the band’s timing was right: a debut album was scheduled for early in 2011, and the great (multi-award-nominated) video for Marching Song had been a favourite of blogs on both sides of the Atlantic. The Sound of… happens at a fixed point every year, so savvy label/PR sorts can, to an extent, engineer their acts’ presence via careful coercing of the panel of pundits (these individuals are listed every year). But we’d not canvassed for votes.

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Esben and the Witch – Marching Song

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(I hadn’t, certainly. And no, I didn’t nominate the band myself – that’s against the rules. It was amusing, albeit not very, reading some suggestions that my Album Reviews work for the BBC had made their inclusion inevitable – this could not be further from the truth. I take what I do for the BBC very seriously and would not compromise the integrity of either the Album Reviews service or the Sound of… by muddying the water between very separate interests.)

We hadn’t pinned any hopes to the Sound of…, knowledgeable that the band’s album was about as likely to bother the upper reaches of the chart as a 19-disc box set of Throbbing Gristle rarities. We were (are) on an indie label, Matador, which shares certain resources with other labels in the Beggars Group, so there was never the personnel in place to actively push for a Sound of… berth. Which I think means, and this is lovely, that Esben made their way onto the Sound of 2011 because People Genuinely Liked Them. Thanks, guys.

Of course, they were far too esoteric to be in with a chance of making the final shortlist of five artists, revealed every January. I didn’t mind, and expected this to be the case. I was, though, disappointed at the time by the lack of ‘ownership’ claimed by the BBC, in the wake of the Sound of…, once the album campaign was underway. The band seemed to get lost in the wide cracks between Radio 1 and 6 Music, with neither committing to the cause. But, then, a radio-friendly record Violet Cries is not.

Now, reading over hindsight pieces on the Sound of 2011, penned with one eye on this year’s list, I see that Esben and the Witch are frequently said to have had a bad 2011. Music Week, brilliantly, hadn’t registered that the band had even released an album when they wrote about Jessie J’s debut collection outselling the rest of the Sound of 2011 list put together.

But Esben have not had a bad 2011. Not at all. They enjoyed a second US tour, this time in a headline capacity; the band played in Japan for the first time; they travelled all over Europe, attracting great press from the continent; and Violet Cries sold to a very respectable level indeed on the back of some cracking coverage. The album drew an 8/10 from NME, a 9/10 from DrownedinSound.com – a couple of particularly negative reviews dragged down its Meta-style average, but said write-ups made one valid point likely to be addressed second time around: while hugely atmospheric, the record perhaps lacked enough hooks to keep the less-focused listener interested.

Anyway, the band goes into 2012 and the writing of their next album having enjoyed a rewarding 2011 – a year that saw them achieve more than ever before, frequently on their own terms. To the outsider, looking in, they’ve not ‘done a Florence’, enjoyed the mainstream attention directed the way of Warpaint, nor followed The xx into television sync ubiquity; but, from an insider’s perspective, these crossover successes were never truly on the cards. The Sound of 2011 skewed some expectations outside of the camp; but those within it never got carried away.

The band maintained focus throughout – they never saw the Sound of 2011 as a ticket to whatever corner of the big time never actually awaited, or a solution to those pesky how-to-pay-the-rent? posers. They knuckled down. They took it in their stride. Just another bit of press, thank you very much, and on we go. And now they’re better than they were at the beginning of 2011. The Hexagons EP of last month was evidence, like any was needed, that the band’s sound was never set in stone. What comes next, I don’t know yet. I can’t wait to hear it though.

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Esben and the Witch – Hexagons II

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Which goes to prove: what doesn’t break you can be the making of you. The BBC Sound of 2012 highlights a selection of talented artists that, right now, are heard to be great hopes for the forthcoming year. (Certainly, they are popular picks for late 2011/early 2012.) But the Sound of… alone will not turn ambitions, dreams and talent into pound signs, into an upgraded tour bus or a slightly higher standard of hotel room. The general public still decides – the people who buy records and gig tickets. Because us lot, those of us who vote for these things? We don’t pay for anything.

And if your band ‘does an Esben’ in 2012, and doesn’t go stratospheric in the black-and-white eyes of some observers: so what? Come back brighter in 2013 and teach us seasonal tastemakers that truly singular passions can’t ever be quantified by record sales or radio plays.

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BBC Sound of 2012 homepage
BBC Sound of 2011 homepage
Violet Cries reviewed on BBC Music

It’s this, isn’t it. Sampha and Jessie Ware’s Valentine, released back in February (obviously) on heart-shaped vinyl. Both vocalists may have enjoyed prominent roles on the SBTRKT album – and Ware’s turn on Joker’s The Vision LP is amongst its highlights. But this is surely the sweetest escape of the year. Tune in, fade the background out, smile for 129 seconds.

Honestly, if you don’t feel your heart lift a fraction when this plays, seek medical assistance immediately as it appears there’s a hole where a major organ should be.

Big 2012s for both of these great British artists, please.

A third installment of ten? Sure. Watch the rest by, like, looking elsewhere on this website thing.

Yes, I’m allowing myself Esben here.

Apparat – Song of Los (from the album The Devil’s Walk)

Spankrock – #1 Hit (from the album Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar)

Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math (from the album Simple Math)

Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat – The Copper Top (from the album Everything’s Getting Older)

Polinski – Stitches (from the album Labyrinths)

Childish Gambino – Bonfire (from the album CAMP)

Peggy Sue – Song & Dance (from the album Acrobats)

Esben and the Witch – Warpath (from the album Violet Cries)

Roots Manuva – Get the Get (from the album 4everevolution)

SBTRKT – Wildfire (from the album SBTRKT)

That’ll do, pig.

Are they in order, from 1 to 40? Perhaps 40 to 1? Yes, no… who cares. Anyway, 40 thoroughly good albums from the year that isn’t quite over (but let’s be fair, there’s nothing but X Factor afterbirth between now and the New Year).

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Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place
Katy B – On a Mission
Kuedo – Severant
The Horrors – Skying
Polinski – Labyrinths
Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
Com Truise – Galactic Melt
Björk – Biophilia
9th Wonder – The Wonder Years
True Widow – As High as the Highest Heavens…
Wild Beasts – Smother
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Dark Dark Dark – Wild Go
Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact
A Winged Victory for the Sullen – A Winged Victory for the Sullen
FaltyDL – You Stand Uncertain
Mastodon – The Hunter
The Men – Leave Home
The Weeknd – House of Balloons
Other Lives – Tamer Animals
Three Trapped Tigers – Route One or Die
Modeselektor – Moneytown
Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
SBTRKT – SBTRKT
Braids – Native Speaker
Rustie – Glass Swords
Dels – Gob
Iceage – New Brigade
Childish Gambino – CAMP
Machinedrum – Room(s)
Martyn – Ghost People
Azari & III – Azari & III
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx – We’re New Here
Emika – Emika
Blanck Mass – Blanck Mass
Nils Frahm – Felt
Drake – Take Care
Kode9 & The Spaceape – Black Sun

Note: Esben and the Witch’s Violet Cries is disqualified from this list because they’re terrible, terrible people. Nah. But I do co-manage them. And that sort of nepotism just ain’t cool.

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Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place

Katy B – Broken Record

Kuedo – Scissors

The Horrors – Still Life

Polinski – Stitches

Part One, right, is over here. This is another ten. Are they the best videos of 2011? I dunno. I just say what I see.

Youth Lagoon – Montana (from the album The Year of Hibernation)

Battles – My Machines (from the album Gloss Drop)

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins – Bubble (from the album Diamond Mine)

Lil Wayne – 6 Foot 7 Foot (from the album Tha Carter IV)

Ghostpoet – Survive It (from the album Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam)

Hooray for Earth – True Loves (from the album True Loves)

Beastie Boys – Make Some Noise (from the album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two)

Three Trapped Tigers – Reset (from the album Route One or Die)

New Look – Nap on the Bow (from the album New Look)

Wild Beasts – Albatross (from the album Smother)

Yeah, I’ll probably do one more of these before the year is out. Fun, right?

Tipping season, we’re in it. Any music scribe with a couple of column inches to rub together has, over the past couple of weeks, seen their inbox fill with ‘ones to watch’ messages from major labels, tiny indies, management companies and PR officers alike. For some reason, I get asked to contribute to a few of the more high-profile polls – I’ll let you guess which ones (at least one is completely transparent when it comes to who’s involved, so that won’t take long if you care enough to have a sniff). Apparently some people think I am a voice worth hearing when it comes to This Sort Of Thing. Well, I did nod the way of James Blake last time, so one outta three ain’t bad.

Anyway, here are some names to look for next year. I am not saying they’ll set the charts aflame; neither will they be selling out the o2 this side of Christmas 2013. Well, probably not. They’re just acts I like the sound of right now, acts that just might go some better in the next 12 months and take what can only be described as The Next Step. So long as none of them become The Next Steps, I think they’ll all be okay.

No order. No blurb. (Beyond the above, anyway, promise.) Just clips and links. Listen. Watch. Share? That’s some sort of ident for Radio 1 isn’t it? Bands and stuff…

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The Weeknd – official site / Twitter

Video: The Birds (Part 1) – from the album Thursday (BBC review)

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Frank Ocean – official site / Twitter

Video: Novacane – from the album nostalgia, Ultra

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Pandr Eyez – official site / Twitter

Video: Eyes On You – from the EP Eyes On You

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Stumbleine – official site

Track: Ember – from the EP Rose Tinted

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Breton – official site / Twitter

Video: Edward the Confessor – from the forthcoming album Other People’s Problems

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Jessie Ware – MySpace / Twitter

Track: Strangest Feeling – released as her debut single on November 28

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Cloud Boat – official site

Track: Lions on the Beach – the duo’s debut single on R&S

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Trophy Wife – Twitter

Video: Wolf – from the EP Bruxism (BBC review)

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Niki and the Dove – official site / Twitter

Video: The Drummer – from the EP The Drummer (BBC review)

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Daughter – Facebook

Track: Love – taken from the EP The Wild Youth

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I say ‘best’. These are just some of my favourites. No blurbs, no fuss. Ten I like here, ten I like next time. Watch, listen; watch and listen at the same time. Enjoy. I did. A bit.

(I clearly have a thing for satellites and space. And the seaside. And violent children.)

Dels – Capsize (from the album Gob)

Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx – I’ll Take Care Of U (from the album We’re New Here; RIP GS-H)

Summer Camp – Down (from the forthcoming album Welcome to Condale)

Other Lives – For 12 (from the album Tamer Animals)

Black Lips – Go Out and Get It (from the album Arabia Mountain; because sometimes dicking about at the seaside is enough)

Justice – Civilization (from the album Audio, Video, Disco)

Breton – The Commission (from the forthcoming album Other People’s Problems)

Is Tropical – The Greeks (from the album Native To)

Metronomy – The Bay (from the album The English Riviera)

Tyler, the Creator – She (from the album Goblin)