02. R&S

The legendary veterans that are R&S have given themselves a bit of a re-boot this year with a remarkable change of direction from previous years. A whole new family of fledgling artists were signed up to the R&S clan, boosting the excitement for the labels output from the very start of the year with the promise of records from high profile newcomers James Blake, Space Dimension Controller and Pariah. James Blake's first R&S outing with 'CMYK' immediately caught the worlds attention, even putting Blake into Radio 1's periphery, securing some day time airplay and setting up future developments for the young prodigy including the more experimental 'Klavierwerke' later in the year, and now a debut LP next year. Elsewhere, Space Dimension Controller has twisted melons with his unique nu-disco 'Temporary Thrillz', Pariah impressed with his blend of euphoric moody garage, and known innovator Untold brought a fresh palette of sounds to the table with 'Stereo Freeze'. R&S's techno roots where also held firmly in place with records from Model 500 and Shlomi Aber and they even pushed things further afield ending the year with a record from experimental indie band Vondelpark, all in all a thoroughly varied and refreshed output from the already highly respected Belgian label. Buy R&S music from Juno or Boomkat.

01. Night Slugs

My assumptions and excitement for Bok Bok & L-Vis 1990's endeavors into record label management were already very high at the end of 2009. The trail of hype-igniting EPs, dubs and remixes along with their renowned abilities hosting the Night Slugs parties certainly raised all expectations well before their first release. Then January saw the release of Mosca's 'Square One' a record which immediately raised the bar for 2010, and brought the Night Slugs brand to the masses. Following records from  the likes of Egyptrixx, Girl Unit, Kingdom, Velour, and Jam City continued to blow minds, firmly placing Night Slugs as the one label to watch all year long, so its no big surprise at all really that they are getting this number 1 spot. With the power of their new label behind them Night Slugs have managed to tear down the geographical walls that separated their sounds from that of their Transatlantic brethren quickly making the label a global standout, and with the hybrid combos of styles and influences heard on all Night Slugs records, they really are tearing apart those picky genre classifications, something that has long been a part of the Night Slugs philosophy. Next year will see the Sluggers continue to up their game with full albums from Egyptrixx, L-Vis 1990 and Jam City on the way as well as an expected debut EP from label boss Bok Bok. Buy Night Slugs music from Juno and Boomkat.