Optic Echo Presents

Best Vinyl of 2023

This has been an ongoing tradition for over a decade (by my count, this is the 13th year). This time, I didn’t even reach out with a friendly reminder. Mike Jedlicka of Optic Echo just let me know that he’s already on it, and here we are with a selection of his favourite vinyl releases of the year. Every single year, I complain about the amount of music, and every single year, I keep wanting even more. And even as I drown in all of the releases, it’s always amazing to discover new and fantastic sounds from a trusted source. This trusted source, of course, is Mike Jedlicka. Even if our tastes do not align on all the genres (and that’s a good thing, may I add), I can always appreciate a good selection when I hear one. If you like these choices, be sure to check out the entire archive of Optic Echo Presents mixes (there is even one where he picks his favourites of the decade). Enjoy the journey, and may I remind you once again to please support the featured artists and labels! Won’t you buy a pint or a coffee for them? Then pick up the album on Bandcamp, even if you intend to play it on Spotify in the end!

Tracklisting

  •  Cruel DiagonalsFractured Whole a3
  •  ビクター MKIITokimeki No Beat a5
  •  JJ WhitefieldEthio Meditations / Drama al Dente a2
  •  Romance & Dean HurleyRiver of Dreams b3
  •  Spencer DoranSeason: a letter to the future b2
  •  Sven WunderUltramarine 7” a1
  •  МаякВыше звезд a1
  •  More EazeStrawberry Season a2
  •  Steve Gunn & David MooreReflections Vol. 1: Let the Moon Be a Planet a1
  •  Black to CommAt Zeenath Parallel Heavens a2
  •  Bana HaffarIntimaa’ b2
  •  HeinaliKyiv Eternal a3
  •  Brock BerriganBreaking Bread a2
  •  Apollo BrownThis Must Be the Place b2
  •  One Million EyesIris a1
  •  Secret PyramidA Vanishing Touch a5
  •  Eluvium(Whirring Marvels in) Consensus Reality a3
  •  Voyage FuturWellen b3
  •  Jake MuirBathhouse Blues a1.1
  •  LimousineSkymall a6
  •  FunkmammothLife’s Delights b8
  •  Jana WinderenThe Blue Beyond a1.3
  •  From Overseas & ZakeDemain, Des L’aube a2
  •  Quiet PlacesVolume 2 b1.3