Is it December already? Time for one of those pesky music polls. The RA team has put on our thinking caps, rifled through our records and agonised over our choices to present the first ever RA music poll. Writers and contributors to RA have been arguing about bass drum tones, stage presence and mixing styles for weeks, and this week it’s time to announce the results. Roll out the red carpet.

The RA trophies will go to winners across nine categories: top albums, top remixes, top compilations, top labels, top DJs, top producers, top live acts and of course top five RA podcasts. Votes came in from contributors as far afield as Japan, Singapore, Bulgaria, Spain and Israel. The wonders of the Internet will never cease to amaze!

But no surprise, really, because these days the dance music community is a global one. Whether you are out partying each weekend in the club capitals or dancing around the living room at home in the sticks, in 2006 it seems like we've all got access to good music in one way or another, and in that sense we're connected (give or take a trance hotbed or two in India). But while the Internet might be opening up ears to this fantastic music all the time, it brings with it a new responsibility: to choose to give back to the artists. Let's honour them with trophies, but also with cash.

Judging by the quality of the releases this year, 2006 has been great for dance music. The purpose of this poll is to celebrate the best electronic rhythms out there, but we also hope that it might turn you the reader on to something you might not haven’t discovered otherwise. At very least, it might give you a good idea for that difficult last minute Christmas present.

We've already announced the top five albums. Top five compilations of 2006 are after the jump. Snare roll please.

RA Poll: Top 5 compilations of 2006

1. Fabric 27 - Audion
2. Immer 2: Mixed by Michael Mayer
3. Transitions - John Digweed
4. Evil Nine - Fabric29 (great party mix)
5. Time Warp - Tiefschwarz

There are so many mixed cd's out these days you can't really choose a top 5...
Looking forward to John Digweeds next "Transitions".

Immer 2, Tiefschwarz' Timewarp, Mandy's Controls, Lawrence's Groove #100, Magda's Dancing Machine have all seen a lot of playtime over my way.

howells' "choice" is my favourite in series. Papa was a rollin stone inspiring...
"Electronic adventures" as satisfying as min can be..
"At the Controls" was excellent.
digweed's fascination with electro baselines a TRAGEDY i'm sure thats felt by all..

honestly, its been a lean year for compilations.

quote:

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posted by Morgan

"At the Controls" was excellent.
digweed's fascination with electro baselines a TRAGEDY i'm sure thats felt by all..

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actually people get in an uproar if you say the transitions cd sucked. though i agree.

also i think holden's at the controlls is cutting dick on all of them

Holden's ATC is a cracking album!

Deserves its place in top 3 for sure.

At The Controls is an incredible album. Great producer another incredible journey

I also have to say that I absolutely love Paolo Mojo's Balance cd. *insert dancing banana here*

quote:

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posted by bootness
I also have to say that I absolutely love Paolo Mojo's Balance cd. *insert dancing banana here*

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I remember you playing this in your car on the way to a certain someone's hotel in miami.

The rest as they say is history !!

omg lol!!!

I really hope Im not offending anybody here, its just that I have been thinking alot obout this!!
javascript:emoticon('')

James Holdens at the control cd was awsome, though I think he took it a bit to far on cd 1.. Alot of good music, but the flow seemed to vanish after a while. cd 2 is just crazy, by far the best complation released in 2006...

Sad to say this, but I was acctually a bit dissapointed by my favorite DJ's mix this year! Bugnology2 from Steve Bug was technically brilliant and arranged, but Im sure he could have pushed it even further. It was like he tried to put too many tracks into one album... But he is still the king.. I've been to fabric the last 5 times he's played there.. He keeps it so groovy, no too deep and show of minimal-ketamine italo hohohaha..


mandy at the controls was not enought for me! cd 1 is ok, but cd2 (?).. I understand phillipe wants to show everybody that he has a broad taste in music, and he has. A lot of nice tracks, and they are all very syncroniced, but there's no flow at all!

John Digweeds transition was really a joke, or at least the lay out, picture ect.. You cant stay coOl forever! And, Mmmmmm, I think Richie Hawtin released something (100 times better, and artisticly groundbreaking) similar in sept. 2005??

Is there anything more


ooh.. evil nine's fabric mix is really good!! not into that style really, but they are two gifted artists.. Audions fabic cd was also really nice..

1. James Holden ATC cd 2
2. Bugnology 2
3. DJ Andy Smith Trojan Document
4. James Holden ATC cd1
5. Damian Lazarus Crosstown rebels Mix (not the "get lost" one)

yeah i would def have james holden atc up top...that crosstown rebels was nice too

hmm.. what about Luciano´s sci fi hi fi v2,,, it was for me one of those few mixes i can hear from start to finish without boring...

Good stuff buddy..

I totally forgot about the Luciano mix..
He is an awsome producer and a really good dj..

By the way, you can download a free mix from richie hawtin on www.beatport.com

Its only 40 mins, but you wont be bored when listening to that one either..
Track two is fucking groovy!!

quoteosted by Morgan

"At the Controls" was excellent.
digweed's fascination with electro baselines a TRAGEDY i'm sure thats felt by all..



actually people get in an uproar if you say the transitions cd sucked. though i agree.

also i think holden's at the controlls is cutting dick on all of them

some people just dont have an ear for whats really good.
i dont blame ya

best of best compilations 2006

- sharam - global underground - 029.
- jimmy van m - balance - 010 - eq - rec.
- the sound of renaissance - ibiza - renaissance rec.
- faithless - 3 d - renaissance a 3 cd mixed album....
- nic fanciulli - vol 2 - renaissance.

i wish there was a puking smiley for the sharam comp.

Sharam has gone down, down, down..!

Deep Dish used to be the big one, especially Dubfire when he played.. But now..?? Or Dubfire might still do it, but Sharam havent really made any effort at all musically to substain his legacy..

i think the actually took dubfires chance away and gave it to nick warren because of sharams "effort"

hello everyone

imho the top 5 comps of 2006 were

inpo

Buzzin Fly 3
M.A.N.D.Y at the controls
Renaissance Presents Nic Fanciulli Vol. 2
Tiefschwarz - Fabric 29
Paolo Mojo - Balance 009

another one luciano - sci-fi-hi-fi vol 2

Not one fabric cd in this list ???????

AUDION.