I modified a script I found on the algoriddim forums. This script would run through all tracks that were analyzed in djay and try to write the bpm data to the mp3 tag in iTunes. If your library is large, this could take days.

My modified script will take the currently selected tracks in iTunes and look for bpm data in the djay metadata plist file. Potentially a much smaller and more focused task.

Download "Get bpm from Djay.scpt"

[UPDATED 29 Feb 2012]
I have included support for manually-set bpm values, which are stored by djay in a separate plist file.

[UPDATED 29 Mar 2012]
I have included support for copying key data to iTunes, with translation of djay's integer value to string representation

Download "Get bpm and key from Djay.scpt"

2011 Rewind, NYE mix by Mumbler on Mixcloud

It has also been full of interesting musical activity — intriguing new releases practically every week of the year. So much music that it would be impossible to spend the time to give each a fair shake. So here I have gathered my favorite releases of 2011 which had attracted my continued or repeated attention. There are many omissions, to be sure, but that is why I read others' lists.

Selections in alphabetical order (mostly)

Burial — Street Halo

Burial returned this year with a stellar 12-inch and several choice collaborations. Expanding on his strengths as a producer of atmospheric and emotional sound design, Burial also played with some different tempos on Street Halo.

Burial & Four Tet & Thom Yorke — Ego/Mirror

A collaboration of note combining the inputs of three artists whose electronic output share a skittering rhythmic sensibility and melancholic energy. Greater than the sum of its parts.

Massive Attack vs. Burial — Four Walls/Paradise Circus

Breaking the alphabetical order to group this Burial collaboration with the other Burial releases. Massive Attack is known for dark and heavy production values and bringing the right vocalists into the studio. Here, Burial's influence further atomizes their already atmospheric sensibility. Inspired pairing.

J:Kenzo — The Roteks

Heavy sub bass. Half step drums. The kind of track that makes Youngsta my favorite dubstep dj.

Jamie xx — Far Nearer

Steel drum rave chords and insistent vocal snippets make an interesting backdrop for syncopated drums and a half-time bass line.

Radiohead — King of Limbs

King of Limbs sees Radiohead continuing to write good songs and finding innovative ways of arranging and recording them.

Radiohead — Supercollider/The Butcher

Pulled from the King of Limbs sessions, this was a Record Store Day release on vinyl. Edging closer, sonically, to Thom Yorke's solo album The Eraser.

Radiohead "Supercollider" + "The Butcher" by ianbhoy

Chris Macro — Macro Dubplates Volume III: Brooklyn vs. Kingston

Remix/mashup project that pairs Brooklyn Hip-Hop MCs with Jamaican dub and dancehall riddims. Available for free.

Stephan Mathieu — A Static Place

Mathieu is a master at creating levitation-inducing drones out of a mix of light and density. "A Static Place" is perfectly named as this is music that transports you while apparently doing nothing. Quiet, but emotionally weighty.

MRR-ADM — Archive

Michael Raymond Russell and Adam Douglas Manella make dirty gritty instrumentals. The drums sound suspiciously like Malcom Catto (with whom they have worked in the past).

Lee Noble — No Becoming

This is a lo-fi bedroom masterpiece. It sounds like a varied stew of lonely realizations and exploratory thoughts. Structurally loose, but somehow still coherent in its drones and ambience. Occasional bursts of vocals and "normal" instruments break through the clouds.

SBTRKT — SBTRKT

SBTRKT's full-length album release deploys the dancefloor tactics of his single releases but here in the service of songs. The songs never overstay their welcome and the overall effect is very satisfying.

Andy Stott — Passed Me By

Steamy dub techno sounds hiss and clatter while bass alternates between pillow-y and concrete.

Trust — Candy Walls

A gem of a single. Brooding synth pop with two great breakdowns.

Tunnels — The Blackout

Tunnels is the alter ego of Nicholas Bindeman, who plays with Jackie-O Motherfucker. As Tunnels he crafts 80s-style post-punk and synth pop, sometimes cold and often with an undertone of menace.

Zola Jesus — Conatus

Solid set of fringe-y pop songs from Zola Jesus. Sounds kind of like if Stevie Nicks had Bjork's career.

Honorable Mention:

ASAP Rocky — Peso

I was introduced to this via dj /rupture's Mudd Up blog. Hypnotic.

Bleep Competition by Mumbler on Mixcloud

download: bleepbestof2010 (108MB)

Tracklist:

1. Better Times — Beach House
2. Ffunny Ffrends — Unknown Mortal Orchestra
3. Bars & Twists — J Dilla
4. Don't Stop — Onra
5. North — Darkstar
6. Ancestors — Gonjasufi
7. And the Permanence of Smoke Or Stars — Akira Rabelais
8. Sea Talk — Zola Jesus
9. We Used To Wait — Arcade Fire
10. Here Sometimes — Blonde Redhead
11. Besides Love — Guillermo E. Brown
12. See Birds (moon) — Balam Acab
13. A Town Called Obsolete (Mount Kimbie Remix) — Andreya Triana
14. If U Want Me — Deadboy
15. Night Hunter — FIS-T
16. I Need Air — Magnetic Man
17. Talking Shadows — V.I.V.E.K.
18. Justified — Breakage
19. Catch A Fire — The Bug
20. Limit To Your Love – James Blake

My picks, in alphabetical order:

Akira Rabelais — Caduceus
The latest from Akira Rabelais delves further into his finely textured soundworld. Having built a delicate and detailed sonic vocabulary since the 1990s, this composer continues to impress me with his skilled digital manipulations. Finely tuned grit.

Arcade Fire — The Suburbs
Still living with this one… I immediately liked about half of the album while the rest took time to grow on me.

Beach House — Teen Dream
A memorable set of songs that manages to sound lush and spacious at the same time. Melancholy pop gems.

Blonde Redhead — Penny Sparkle
Not what I expected.

Darkstar — North
I must admit that hearing Aidy's Girl is a Computer on the Hyperdub box did not initially impress me, but the album taken as a whole reveals Darkstar to be way more interesting than my first impression led me to believe.

James Blake — Limit to your Love
My first encounter with James Blake's name was on the Airhead & James Blake release Pembroke / Lock in the Lion, which I found alluringly atmospheric yet solidly built. Nestled nicely somewhere between dubstep and the LA beats scene. THIS song, however, found a side door into my brain and lodged there. I was not prepared for the simple piano chords combined with his voice to be so arresting.

Kryptic Minds — Wasteland/Hybrid
Minimalist and crisp production on this dubstep monster. No wasted motion, just enough clack to keep things moving forward while waves of sub-bass frequencies swell and surge underneath.

The Roots — How I Got Over
The Roots got me interested again.

Sukh Knight — Cheese Loueez
Probably my favorite producer still exploring the half-step wobble bass style of dubstep.

Toro Y Moi — Leave Everywhere
Another song that stealthily laid roots in my brain. Catchy.

Zola Jesus — Stridulum II
Dark and dramatic but restrained. The album opener, Night, makes me imagine that I am in the back room at a party when I am suddenly visited by a quasi-religious vision of Stevie Nicks floating in the back of the bathroom queue.

BONUS:
New Orleans street performers Tuba Skinny have a great vintage jazz sound which is steeped in local tradition. My amazing partner bought the band's CD directly on the street and brought it home for me.

Big thanks to Ivan for putting the effort into soliciting and compiling the material from his readership. And thanks, especially, for picking my stuff for volume one. Congratulation to all the other producers, too.

More info and download:
http://www.hiphopisread.com/2010/06/beat-tape-volume-1.html

Best Albums

The XX — XX
Thanks to my friend, Tony, who first mentioned this band to me. The XX are a young bunch who make lean pop music consisting of boy/girl vocals, hand-played drum machines and perfectly placed guitar lines. This album quickly became a habit.
The XX — Islands: Download audio file (XX_Islands.mp3)
The XX — Night Time: Download audio file (XX_NightTime.mp3)
The XX — VCR: Download audio file (XX_VCR.mp3)

Mos Def — The Ecstatic
Mos Def has never quite delivered a studio album to match his great cameos and collaborations. There are no radio-worthy hits here, but this is his most consistently interesting album in years. The combo of Mos Def with Madlib is very very satisfying.
Mos Def — Auditorium ft. Slick Rick: Download audio file (MosDef_Auditorium.mp3)
Mos Def — Revelations: Download audio file (MosDef_Revelations.mp3)

King Midas Sound — Waiting for You
At the meeting point of dubstep and Lovers Rock this full-length from King Midas Sound expands on the ideas put forth on their handful of singles. Atmospheric yet heavy. The weight of the bass lends physicality to each track, anchoring down the gently floating falsetto.
King Midas Sound — Cool Out: Download audio file (KingMidasSound_CoolOut.mp3)
King Midas Sound — Dahlin': Download audio file (KingMidasSound_Dahlin.mp3)

Tim Hecker — An Imaginary Country
Masterful ambient drone texture explorations. Perfect balance of gentle and abrasive sonic timbres. This work manages to seem empty and emotional simultaneously.
Tim Hecker — The Inner Shore: Download audio file (TimHecker_TheInnerShore.mp3)

Tortoise — Beacons of Ancestorship
"Post-rock" stalwarts Tortoise expanded their sound once again while retaining their core strength of polyrhythmic elasticity. Tortoise came fuzzier in 2009.
Tortoise — High Class Slim Came Floatin' In: Download audio file (Tortoise_HighClassSlim.mp3)
Tortoise — Northern Something: Download audio file (Tortoise_NorthernSomething.mp3)

The Flaming Lips — Embryonic
The Flaming Lips also came fuzzier in 2009. Gritty, overdriven drum sounds gave a low rent haze to the album. Sounding almost like a rehearsal tape sometimes, Embryonic reminded me of Six Finger Satellite circa Severe Exposure and Miles Davis' Bitches Brew with a dash of Can's Tago Mago or early Pink Floyd. But buried in the fuzz is Wayne Coyne's dreamy earnestness which floats up out of the muck to hook your heart and keep you afloat.
The Flaming Lips — The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine: Download audio file (FlamingLips_TheSparrowLooksUp.mp3)

Father Divine — Requiem for Intellect
Here's what I wrote in my amazon review:

Disclosure: I played in a band with Joe Ferrara from 1992–1995.

My friendship with the singer/songwriter/creative force behind Father Divine may indicate potential bias to some, but I think the association is far enough in the past to give me some critical distance.

The music of Requiem for Intellect is a significant step forward from Great American Pastime. While still stylistically recognizable as the same musical mind at work, there is added textural and rhythmic density in the new music. And it gets heavy when it needs to.

This is music informed by everything from Big Black to Dazzlingkillmen to 90s downtown NYC jazz skronk. And yet, melody still stands front-and-center. Intelligent, unpredictable, unconventional, challenging. But these are SONGS.

The album is sonically fantastic, as well. The guitar tones are especially noteworthy. I bought the mp3s so I am missing out on some fidelity but there is a great level of detail to the production and mixing that really lends the songs depth and layers without getting in the way.

Bravo, padre.

Father Divine — Idyll for a Botched Frontier: Download audio file (FatherDivine_IdyllForABotchedFrontier.mp3)
Father Divine — Vox Lupine: Download audio file (FatherDivine_VoxLupine.mp3)
Father Divine — Don't Know Mind (It Means Nothing): Download audio file (FatherDivine_DontKnowMind.mp3)

Shlomo — Shlomoshun
Yes, yet another apple fallen from the Dilla tree… reminds me of Flying Lotus, Samiyam, Ras G, etc. but I went back to this more than I went back to Nosaj Thing's album. Not groundbreaking, I'll admit, but I like the songs.
Shlomo — Ghosts: Download audio file (Shlomo_Ghosts.mp3)
Shlomo — Hot Boxing the Cockpit: Download audio file (Shlomo_HotBoxingTheCockpit.mp3)

Grizzly Bear — Veckatimest
I didn't pay much attention to this band before this year, but my ears have been opened. Lush arrangements, interesting vocal harmonies, unusual chord changes… this is like pop music played by a progressive rock band. Slightly psychedelic at times, but decidedly poppy always. Quite enjoyable.
Grizzly Bear — Two Weeks: Download audio file (GrizzlyBear_TwoWeeks.mp3)

Mika Vainio — Vandal
Itchy pounding electronics from Mika Vainio. More akin to Pan Sonic than to his other solo releases.
Mika Vainio — Teutons: Download audio file (Vainio_Teutons.mp3)

Best Compilation

5: 5 Years of Hyperdub
A five year retrospective release from Kode9's Hyperdub label. This double album contains one album of past releases and one album of new material. A new track from Burial is a highlight, but there is great music across the whole collection.
Burial — Fostercare: Download audio file (Burial_Fostercare.mp3)
L.V. — Turn Away: Download audio file (LV_TurnAway.mp3)

Best Mixtapes

Wiley — Race Against Time
"The most unusual star on the planet…" continues to hold my fascination. I am not very fond of the clubby songs, but a few of these tracks are jawdroppers for their sheer lyrical density.
Wiley — Off the Radar: Download audio file (Wiley_OffTheRadar.mp3)
Wiley — Hummer Activity: Download audio file (Wiley_HummerActivity.mp3)

The Niyat — Raxus Prime
Snap — Snappage Volume 1
Two mixtapes from Houston-based rappers. Snap is a part of The Niyat, so there is some overlap of material. There is some outstanding stuff in here that warrants further exploration.
Download Raxus Prime
Download Snappage Volume 1
The Niyat — Aintcha: Download audio file (Niyat_Aintcha.mp3)
Snap — Fly Away: Download audio file (Snap_FlyAway.mp3)
Snap — Vulgar Spit: Download audio file (Snap_VulgarSpit.mp3)

I have prepared a trimmed down mix, without the backsells, PSAs and station IDs. Instead of a rambling 2 hour program, I have condensed things to about 40 minutes.

Hope you enjoy it. Tracklisting after the jump.

stream: Download audio file (halloween_mix_2009.mp3)
download: halloween_mix_2009.mp3 (54.15MB)

Tracklisting:

1. The Heidnick Maneouvre — Steroid Maximus
2. I Will Never Leave You — Third Sight
3. Black Sabbath — Snares
4. Night Vision — Distance
5. Tortured — Coki
6. Horror Show — Loefah
7. Know — Tech Itch
8. 7th Curse — Headhunter
9. Punisher (Loefah's SE25 Remix) — Pinch
10. Honour Kill — Luke Envoy
11. War in the Making — Broken Note
12. Filth — Skream
13. Implant — Tech Itch
14. Blood On My Hands — Shackleton
15. Ecstasy in Slow Motion — Spacemen 3

I used to search for this song at every record store I visited from around 1996–2000. It was not a new song at the time, but I really wanted it on 7-inch. Amoeba Records in San Francisco had a corner filled with shelves which were filled with long boxes of Jamaican singles and I would flip blindly through those records, not really knowing much about most of them.

I never found the record.

But today I stumbled on the song again in mp3 form! An old old itch has finally been scratched.

Simpleton — Coca Cola Shape
Download audio file (Simpleton_CocaColaShape.mp3)