Here's a top 20 i did a while back of some of my favorites from the last few years. thought it might have some relevance in this forum
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1. Saine - Insights ep (tokyo dawn 04)
tokyodawn (
http://www.tokyodawnrecords.org)
comments: This is perhaps the most sweet set of tunes in the universe. Enough said.
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2. Dighom - Vibrating Colours (autoplate 09)
autoplate (
http://www.autoplate.org)
comments: This is intensly gorgeous works that sucks your mind into it instantly. I could listen to (in particular to tracks 1 and 3) on an endless loop forever without getting tired of it. This is top notch ambient.
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3. Emil Klotzch - Sandkorn (one 17)
one (
http://one.dot9.ca)
comments: Crunchy idm beats that punch your brain like they should, nice strange mix of sounds. This is a great listen the whole way through.
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4. Aphilas - Instrumentally Ill (miasmah 49)
miasmah (
http://www.miasmah.com)
comments: An absolutely SUPERB offering of mixed-up vinyl, chill beat mastery. Some of the finest trip-hop I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.
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5. Leutohm - Fluid ep (alpinechic 02)
alpinechic (
http://www.alphinechic.net)
comments: Excellent downtempo for chillin' in your pj's and puffin' down a doob. Quality.
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6. Marko Feurstenberg - Useless Cutz (Stadtgruen 05)
stadtgruen (
http://www.stadtgruenlabel.net/)
comments: Maintains the 4/4 groove while unleashing a barrage of manipulations usually reserved for the more 'idm' territories. I found these cuts anything but useless.
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7. ST - I'll Meet You There ep (monotonik 140)
monotonik (
http://www.monotonik.com)
comments: Well produced emotional electro-pop, easy to listen to.
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8. Inceptdate - Attics & Inventory (lifeform project 002)
lifeform project (
http://www.lifeformproject.com)
comments: Highly addictive cut-up, sliced, and diced hip-hopish action.
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9. Xhale - Slugabed (miasmah 56)
miasmah (
http://www.miasmah.com)
comments: Complex clicky beats merge with equally complex melodies. Mysterious, Beautiful, Paranoid, a myriad of manipulations.
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10. Paniq - Mentalmilestones (self released?)
paniq (
http://www.paniq.de)
comments: Paniq was/is one of my favorite of the old skool trackers. Still pushing it out with style, this release covers a nice broad slice of the electronic pie.
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11. Beak - Amoral Mayor Earwig (montonik 136)
monotonik (
http://www.monotonik.com)
comments: Clever guitar arrangments and skillful beats combine to make a sound that I don't think i've ever quite heard.
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12. Troupe - Crepuscular ep (backtrack 04)
backtrack (
http://bktr.vibrance.org)
comments: It would be shame for any lover of melodic electronic music to miss this release! The release never gets negative but instead inhibits a nice smile on to appear on your face.
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13. Idmonster - The Pleasures of Life (Red Antenna 06)
red antenna (
http://www.redantenna.tv/)
comments: The pleasures of life will come to you, you've only got to find them. Well, here is one of them, good music.
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14. Disrupt - A Fistful of Dub (Phonocake 24)
phonocake (
http://www.phonocake.org)
comments: Nice spaced-out dub, sure to get your head bobbin' from the jahtari master.
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15. Lump - 3 Feet Down & Sinking (textone 15)
textone (
http://www.textone.org)
comments: Further proof that all the best music comes from Finland! An interesting take on a familiar soundscape. p.s.- Just checked out the new one 'vending machine' also on textone, and it is excellent as well.
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16. Hofuku Sochi - Live in NY 1982 (camomille 73)
camomille (
http://camomille.genshimedia.com)
comments: Nice meditative dub works that had me running to my playlist to see who it was. Great thinking music.
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17. FusedMARc - Contraction ep (Sutemos 09)
sutemos (
http://www.sutemos.net)
comments: This would probably be much farther up on my list, but I've only had a few days to process it. Some of the best vocal electronic i've heard in a long time. Has a feeling somewhere in the vein of commericial acts like laika, or bjork.
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18. Michl Bridge - Lotos Before Blossom ep (hippocamp 51)
hippocamp (
http://www.hippocamp.net)
comments: Some chill melodic electronic with all the twists and turns in the right places. Great for getting yourself into a good mood.
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19. Schro - The Relation ep (observatory online 31)
observatory online (
http://www.observatoryonline.org)
comments: Some excellent mellow guitar based jams.
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20. Alan "The Grinder" Dowell - Grinded (schleudertrauma 42)
schleudertrauma (
http://www.rohformat.de/st)
comments: If you just love hurting your ears with excellent noise pain, lets these tracks grind through your brain. Great REALLY REALLY loud.
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Sorry, I didn't take the time to hunt down each individual releases links, but they all shouldn't be too hard to find
