Music & clubs

The top 15 Berlin albums of 2024

As 2024 draws to a close, we round up the best releases Berlin had to offer this year.

Collage: Makar Artemev for The Berliner

As we wrap up another year marked by closures and losses in the music industry – goodbye, Just Music; farewell, Watergate – it’s time to turn our focus to the positives this year has brought: the music itself. From wild electronic beats to soulful gospel, hip hop, sludge metal and beyond, we’ve collated the 15 best albums written, produced and released in Berlin this year. You can raise the rents and close the clubs, but nothing will stop the city’s wildly talented musicians from making some of the finest sounds around.

1. Asulin

J. Lamotta Asulin

HIP HOP Combining her Moroccan and Israeli roots, J. Lamotta’s popping hip hop album bursts with soul, jazz and Mediterranean funk. Sung entirely in Hebrew, Asulin is infused with a zesty production that blends traditional Middle Eastern sounds and instrumentation with modern soul beats, resulting in a rhythm that never lets up. With a style that is distinctively her own and transcends cultural and musical borders, Asulin is a rough-and-ready beast of an album that showcases Lamotta’s artistry and swagger – a prime example of the rich diversity and talent Berlin has to offer and a well-deserved number one.

Self-Released


2. Home

A Song for You

GOSPEL Home brings together a 50-plus-strong vocal ensemble of members from across the world in a soulful, spiritual release that feels especially poignant for our times. The album explores themes of multiculturalism and immigration, with dulcet tones of gospel and R‘n’B that resonate through each track. Rich in harmony, poetry and enchanting melodies, its unique and tender moments wrap around you like a warm blanket, offering both comfort and care.

Released on Rythm Section


3. What We Do With What Others Have Done To Us

Mirrors for Princes

ROCK Berlin has never had a band so complete as Mirrors for Princes. Glam? Check. Punk? Check. Rock? Check. Electro? Check. Add to this the seductive vocals of Sophie Soraya – Berlin’s answer to Karen O – and the production genius of Barny Barnicott, known for his work with Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian and Editors, and you’ve got an album packed with dancefloor anthems. Topping the record off with impeccable songwriting and sing-along choruses, Berlin’s newest rock trio dazzle with their immaculate style.

Released on Duchess Box


4. FJAAK THE SYSTEM

FJAAK

ELECTRONIC Spandau’s notorious production duo offered us a modern rave masterpiece this year. FJAAK THE SYSTEM combines cutting-edge analog production with heavy influences from 90s UK breakbeat and IDM, resulting in a collection packed with club anthems, dynamic collaborations, high-octane energy and heavy-weight bass. With an extensive tracklist crafted using legendary drum machines, synths and keyboards, FJAAK’s latest release is a feat, nodding to the past while sounding unmistakably futuristic.

Self-released


5. Another Heaven

Curses

NEW WAVE Berlin’s best-dressed man returned with another album in 2024, which blends the worlds of dark post-punk and melancholic new-wave romanticism. Co-produced by Johnny Jewel, Another Heaven is sleek and stylish, with lots of 80s spirit and classic synth sounds, all brought together by Curses’ dreamy vocal sonnets.

Released on Italians Do It Better


6. Dark Portrait

Soela

HOUSE With Dark Portrait, DJ and producer Elina Shorokhova crafted a lo-fi world of alluring sonic textures, woven with ambient and melancholic trip-hop aesthetics. This is a beautifully composed, dreamy, subdued house record that leans on Shorokhova’s skills as a pianist to blend warm melodies with moody atmospheres to create something tender and moving.

Released on Scissor And Thread


7. All Paths Diverge

Delving

ROCK Next to performing with Elder and supporting the likes of Tool, Nicholas DiSalvo has managed to find some alone time in the studio this year. All Paths Diverge, DiSalvo’s second solo outing with his musical project Delving, is a wistful, prog-rock ambient record filled with beautiful motifs, soaring melodies and outstanding guitar wizardry.

Released on Stickman Record


8. Dogma

LSDXOXO

ELECTRONIC Dogma has revealed former rave producer LSDXOXO at his most refined and introspective. This genre-fluid, intimate record is filled with thoughtful compositions and delicate production techniques, seamlessly blending elements of trip-hop, pop, electronic and hip hop into an album of sublime beauty.

Released on Fantasy Audio Group


9. Softcore

Cosey Mueller

ELECTRONIC This is the sound of a new-wave, riot girl, electro punk. Produced by the dazzling Cosey Mueller, who honed her skills playing for DAS DAS and local favourites Glaas, this explosive debut is a thrilling mix of analog synthpunk and digital punk. Raw and unadulterated, Softcore hits hard with its modern themes, dark-wave pulses, and nods to cult Berlin artists like Miss Kittin and Nena.

Released on Static Age Musik


10. Studio

Monolake

ELECTRONIC Forever the innovator, producer Monolake, aka Robert Henke, continues to push the envelope of electronic music. This year, he delivered another captivating experience of spatial sound. Both meditative and enchanting, Henke’s latest, even more experimental release delves into the world of sci-fi and serendipity, while remaining intricately layered, nuanced and utterly riveting.

Released on Imbalance computer music


11. Soar

Earth Ship

METAL Berlin power trio Earth Ship returns after a long hiatus with one of the heaviest albums to come out of the city this year. Packed with dark, doomy riffs and fierce, guttural vocals, Soar erupts from the off with crunching, fuzz-laden intensity. Its buzzsaw tones and throbbing riffs make this record truly take off.

Released on The Lasting Dose


12. Jinxed by Being

Shackleton & Six Organs of Admittance

ELECTRONIC Outer-dimensional and haunting mantras intertwine with bass-heavy, trippy tribal percussion. Produced by Berlin’s dubstep genius Shackleton, Jinxed by Being offers a folky and exotic journey into the unknown, collaborating with Ben Chasny to create an eerie, dark and boundaryless soundscape.

Released on Drag City


13. Natural Element

Max Graef

ELECTRONIC Moving on from his trademark jazz-sampling house music, Max Graef presented a more mature, introspective sound this year, blending organic psychedelia, ambient soundscapes and composed breakbeats. Natural Element is a grounded record that gives the producer ample space to breathe and explore his creativity, allowing for deeper expression and emotional resonance throughout each track.

Released on Tartelet Records


15. Botanical Garden

Anna Erhard

INDIE Berlin’s indie darling Anna Erhard returned with another tongue-in-cheek surf pop record this year. Packed with plucked acoustic guitars and playful synths, Erhard navigates niche themes with a spirited and humorous delivery, showcasing her excellent songwriting and comic flair.

Released on Radicalis Records


15. See More Glass

Andreya Casablanca

INDIE As one half of Gurr, Andreya Casablanca seemingly went missing after the band went on hiatus. This year, she finally re-entered the music scene with her debut solo album, trading her old grunge sound for a synth-pop and electronic vibe. Still showcasing her knack for crafting tight riffs and embracing good old-fashioned rock‘n’roll, See More Glass is a giant step in an exciting new direction.

Released on Mansions & Millions