As the world gets more connected, cultural interplay happens on an ever more intimate scale. Three new records demonstrate the new globalism in music, but in radically different ways.
Musicians are looking back with envy on the 1990s – a time when the rules were still as-yet unwritten. They see electronica's complexities as not awkward or embarrassing, but as unfinished business.
The combination of long-duration viewing and the normalisation of hi-fi sound for television is creating a perfect storm for appreciation of often deeply weird electronic music – and more people are now enjoying it separately from the visuals.
Thanks to online culture, the strangest and most category-evading things can become global sensations in an instant. Yet for all the unpredictability, trends still exist – so this is what we suggest you look out for in the coming year.
