Time to go for what to be reminded as our very last issue of 2K4 and, in the mean time, the very best of the aforementioned from your perspective, or shall I say the one of those who've taken a bit of their time to make their choice. Time to embark on a new year and address to each of us the circumstancial wishes for a better tomorrow. And what a better example as a matter of fact than what co-founder of the legendary Paradise Garage and former West End Records CEO Mel Cheren has achieved along all these years, as shown on our tribute to him. Meanwhile, on a rather festive vein, our Single Of The Week comes courtesy of Hott 22 featuring Octhavia. We wish you a Happy New Year…

ISSUE#78

BEST OF 2004 IDMW.Com READER'S POLL

The second instalment of our Best of 2004, based upon your responses via e-mail or on our forum. Gotta say somehow that you could have done much better that this you lazy folks, not in terms of quality but quantitywise which doesn't reflect the growing amount of you visiting us..

Is this because you've felt like you had to register on our forum ? You've thought it would take you too much time ? We also know, judging by what happens in terms of political elections that voting tends to be felt like useless by a substancial part of the opnion, although it remains our only opportunity to express ourselves and show who we are and what we want on a reputed democratic system.

Anyway, let's not forget that this was a first shot and hope you're gonna do better next time.

Making a choice is never an easy thing as you end up putting other talented people aside, but the ones therafter come as a result to your reactions either on our forum (although one more time, they could have been more numerous by far), either from the mails that we've received or the rates that you've dropped along the past year on our various pages. Some categories we've mentioned are finally not on display thereafter due to the diversity of your answers. So the winners are…

The Single Of the Year

1° RSL The Mast (Love Will Be Strong) (Players)

A symbol on its own showcasing the growing interest of the scene towards the organic sounds. We need more of this, said Louie Vega…

2° Louie Vega featuring Blaze "Love Is On The Way" (Vega Records)

A pure slice of heaven which brings us back to the souvenir of the sunny shores of Florida last March

3° Shapeshifters "Lola's Theme"

The 2004 floorfiller anthem by excellence

The Album Of The Year

1°Jazzy Jeff In The House (Defected)

A hudge feedback has followed the most recent instalment of the series which to us stands as the true example of what the art of DJing was like at the very beginning of nightclubbing. Not necessarily searching for the perfect mix on the beat but the ideal blend of atmospheres, periods and subsequently people

2° Mzansi House (House Afrika)

Although this reference isn't the easiest one to find, we received a regular feedback since having it as our Album Of The Month right back from the Conference in Miami.

3° Keep Hope Alive (King Street)

A top class work as usual from the Blaze camp, the reunion of energies and, most of all, the fight for a good cause…

The Producer Of The Year

1° DJ Gregory 2° Louie Vega 3° Blaze

DJ Gregory is to be probably surprised by such a choice as he hasn't been the most prolific as compared to his "opponents". At least, he has always managed to stay aside the rest, doing his own thing on his corner. As for the 2 "followers", they've graced us with an impressive and awesome amount of work this year.

The Upcoming Producer Of The Year

1° Franck Roger 2° Quentin Harris 3° Alix Alvarez

Is this choice resulting of a more massive support of our French visitors ? Sure Franck has also had quite an impressive year on the release front and judging by what he's currently got under his dufflecoat, 2005 looks like full of hopes. Meanwhile, both Quentin Harris and Alix Alvarez have been the main actors of the emerging link between R&B and house.

The Post Producer Of The Year

1° Quentin Harris 2° DJ Spinna 3° DFA

Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Kem, Jesse Powell, Lizz Fields, Alison Crockett, Tamia have all benefitted of the reworks of the aforementioned for our greatest aural pleasure

The DJ Of The Year

1° Kerri Chandler 2° Joe Claussell 3° DJ Gregory

People who definitely deserve more than what's been displayed so far on the usual Award ceremonies including the recent HMA in London, as notoriously proved by Kerri Chandler for the third time in raw at Toulon's Sunslice Festival.

The Upcoming DJ Of The Year

1° Quentin Harris 2° Franck Roger 3° Alix Alvarez

Same people although on a slightly different order as on the Upcoming Producer section and same comments.

The Label Of The Year

1° Defected 2° MAW 3° Compost

Names that speak for themselves and no doubt examples to be followed by those, quite numerous in the industry, spending their time to complain about the current situation meanwhile keepin'on dropping crap month after month, year after year.

The Upcoming Label Of The Year

1° Jellybean Recordings 2° Diaspora Recordings 3° Space Kat

Same comment as on the previous section about people who've been very cautious about the quality of their releases as opposed to those betting on quantity.

As for the most read topics per category on our site the list goes as follows :

Interviews : Kenny Dope

Single Of The Week : Shapeshifters

Album Of The Month : Mzansi House

Politics Of Dancing : Images Of (Our) House