Goldenchyld, a member of the Bangerz DJ crew, heard his share of fresh tracks in 2012, spending most weekend nights working clubs and crowding dance floors throughout the Bay Area. Here are his top picks for songs that stuck with him through the year.

Kendrick Lamar – Backseat Freestyle
Kendrick Lamar’s album took the hip hop world by storm this year. It’s been regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums in years, which I’m not quite sure if I agree with, but this track reminds me that if the rapper is good enough, he can take a bare bones bones drum loop, and keep it interesting and fresh.

Mercy (RL Grime & Salva Remix) – Kanye West
This is arguably one of the hottest remixes to come out this year. Every time I’m in a club and drop this one, it’s guaranteed you’ll see hands in the air.

The Don – Nas
This was a refreshing record. Instead of throwing on a pair of zebra-pattern skinny jeans and a pair of pink Uggs, Nas reminded all of us that real hip hop can still be powerful, rugged, and still work in a club setting.

Bad Girls (Switch Remix) – M.I.A.
It was nice to hear from M.I.A again this year. It was even better to hear Switch, one of my favorite producers in recent days really push the boundaries of production and artistry.

Santigold – Disperate Youth
This is one of those songs that you hear and know right off the bat that it’s a timeless song. Dare I say, a classic?

My Eyes – Nero
If someone asked me to put this song into a genre, I’d have to say it’s “Massive-stadium-rock-power-step.” When I put this song on, everything around me goes in to an automatic slow motion and I suddenly have the power to knock out Mike Tyson if he wants to bring it.

Kill The Noise – Black Magic (Kill The Noise Pt. 2)
This is one I’ve actually just come across recently. Kill The Noise comes with something so epic it sounds like it was produced by Hades himself. I feel like this should be on the soundtrack to the movie 300. Listen at your own risk.

Branham Lounge kicked off the holiday weekend right with Black Wednesday, featuring Goldenchyld and Gwerx behind the decks. Metro photographer Ian Healy was there to catch the action.

It’s been 15 years since Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truthspeaker recorded together as Latryx. But after performing on each other’s solo releases, they’re back in the studio for a new Latryx album, and they’ve signed on the South Bay’s most successful hip-hop crew the Bangerz to produce some of the tracks. Latryx will also be taking a break from recording to perform at the Pagoda in San Jose on April 28, with the Bangerz’s Paolo “Cutso” Bello opening with his first-ever solo performance.

The collaboration isn’t too surprising when you consider how many connections there were between the East Bay duo and the Bangerz. Some were more abstract, like DJ Mike Wong, aka Mike Relm. He has toured with both Lyrics Born and Lateef, and also directed the video for the Bangerz’s song “Devastating Stereo,” which featured the Jabbawockeez dance crew. It was their collaboration with the Jabbawockeez, of course, that originally got the Bangerz national attention, on the first season of America’s Best Dance Crew.

But the Bangerz also know Lyrics Born and Lateef from the Bay Area scene, and have opened for them. It got to the point, Bello tells me, where “Me and Lyrics Born made a connection after running into each other hundreds of times.”

Bello has been the main liaison for the Bangerz in the studio, recording and working on arrangements with Latryx, and then getting feedback and ideas from Dominic “Goldenchyld” Cueto and the rest of the tight-knit group. Bello says Latryx have been easy to work with and very open-minded (“it was like homies hanging out in the studio”), but everyone knows that a high bar was set by the group’s groundbreaking 1997 debut.

“I try to really get crazy with them, because we have a lot to live up to,” he says.

Metro Newspaper’s Best of 2012 issue hit new stands today, highlighting a variety of local talent selected online by readers. From cutting-edge DJs, to old-school blues and cover bands, this is the best of Silicon Valley.

READER’S PICKS

Best Local Cover Band
The Peelers
Considering how long it’s been automatic for DJs, it’s remarkable how long it took cover bands to catch on to the mash-up concept. The Peelers were, in fact, the first ones we heard doing it, and according to our readers, they’re still the best. Whether it’s layering T.I. raps over Tim McGraw or sliding from ’80s pop to hip-hop, the Peelers are monster mashers.
Runners-up:
Joe Sharino
Sage

Best Local Original Band
JC Smith Band
It’s about time one of the South Bay’s most talented bluesmen got his due. What’s led to his jump in popularity all of a sudden? We’d be willing to bet it’s Smith’s profile-raising stint as leader of the all-star blues band that grew out of the Metro Fountain Blues Festival. Whether it is his fellow blues artists who sign on to play with him or the fans who vaulted him to the top of this category, the South Bay loves the group.
Runners-up:
Whiskey Avengers
Anya & the Get Down

Best Singer/Songwriter
Anya
Anya Kvitka’s rise in the South Bay scene has been a perfect storm. Her vocal gifts went fully operational at the same time she came into her own as a songwriter, brought together a killer band for Anya and the Get Down, and found the support of some of the most influential people in the hip-hop scene. The songs she has been working on for her album show her new level of confidence, projecting her voice across genre boundaries and creating a sound that’s both classic and electro-futuro.
Runners-up:
Ben Henderson
Justin Morales