Top 10 electronic/synthesiser/ambient al***s

Almost everything by Brian Eno, Sigur Ros, Royksopp, and I don't think JMJ Oxygene should be overlooked.

quote:

Originally posted by JWM:
Almost everything by Brian Eno, Sigur Ros, Royksopp, and I don't think JMJ Oxygene should be overlooked.

Good point. I shouild have included Fripp and Eno's no pussyfooting in my list

Anything by Boards of Canada.....superb stuff. Also Four Tet should get a mention too.

Ryan

Tonto's Expanding Head Band



Almost anything or should that be everything by - e.g. White Noise An Electric Storm or this



and



More here

Beaver and Krause


As well as the obvious ones by Kraftwerk.

ATB Rotf

Three of my favourite early 80s synth albums are Human League's Dare, Yazoo's first album, and Tubeway Army's Replicas. All are 'pop' albums I suppose, but great nonetheless.

I's also suggest Bill Laswell's Version 2 Version - a dub transmission, a number of Kraftwerk albums - particularly Computrer World and Robots.

On a more ambient note, Virginia Astley's 'From gardens where we feel secure' is absolutely superb.

Nigel

Well knock me down with a slab of 12" ambient vinyl, an electronic thread.


The Orb - Adventures Beyond The UltraWorld - Awesome
Boards Of Canada - Music has the right to Children/Geogaddi
Global Communication - 76:14
Autechre - Chiastic Slide
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works
Jean-Michel Jarre - Magnetic Fields
Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express
Sabres Of Paradise - SabreSonic
Squarepusher - Ultravisitor
Venetian Snares - Rossz Csillag Alatt Született



I could go on but I won't bore you all, anything by these artist would get my vote at different times.



Dean...

JCS - I've not heard any of the entries on your list. I need to get out more, or rather stay in.

Some more mainstream alternatives...

Kraftwerk - Computer World (or The Man Machine, Tour de France Soundtracks, Trans Europe Express, Autobahn, Radioactivity, or even Electric Cafe)

Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (Or Geogaddi)

Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place

Global Communications - 76.14

Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain

Brian Eno - Ambient 1 - Music for Airports

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 2

Orbital - Any of their first four albums

Sigur Ros - ()

The KLF - Chill Out

I think I would have to add :

Human League, Reproduction (may not be the last word, but very influential electronic record).

There's great suggestions above... But I think Chariots of Fire (Vangelis) is an absolute classic.

Happy new year

Claude

From brain back up

Stereolab's "Oscillons from the Anti-sun" must be included.

Jono

A lot of interesting albums listed already.

Orbital - Middle of Nowhere (Internal) (Snivilisation and Insides come close)
Tangerine Dream - Encore (Virgin)(White Eagle, Rubycon, Logos, Poland (Jive Electro) all worth mentioning)
Kraftwerk - Maximum, Minimum - live (EMI) (just edges Man Machine album with the blast of drum reverb on the track 'Man Machine')
Underworld - Bootleg Babies (bootleg compilation by RTSR) (the first four albums (JBO) and the Riverrun Project (Underworldlive.com) are also excellent)
Brian Eno and J Peter Schwalm - Drawn from Life (Venture)(possibly the best recorded, and most dynamic album I own)
Jean Michel Jarre - Equinox (Disques Dreyfus)
Arc - Arcturus (Din Records)
Redshift - Faultline (Distant Sun)(Redshift and Toll come close)
Free System Projekt - Atmospheric Conditions (Quantum Records)
Front 242 - Off (Play it Again Sam Records) (edging out Warp or Tiger Beat artists for a blast of energy)

There are a number of low key bands playing small festivals like 'E-Werk' and 'The Hampshire Jam' keeping 70s style ambient/sequencer driven music alive', lovely events to go to.

At the same time beat driven dance/techno is so exhilarating to see and dance to, roll on Underworld later this month.

It also seems that 80s electro-pop is having a bit of a revival (but that was not my thing I'm afraid, Japan and later Depeche Mode excepted)

Jamie

Popcorn by Hot Buttered?

Anyone into minimalist electronica must hear "Vroon" and "Insen", the two collaborations between Alava Noto and Ruichi Sakamoto. A couple of nice YouTube vids here:

Trioon I

Berlin

Alva Noto website here:

Alva Noto

I'd also strongly recommend the work of Eliane Radigue - long (several hours!) minimalist drones created by the superposition of many pure sine waves - some very weird psychological effects to be experienced! She's usually classed as a classical composer, but if you like Namlook, I doubt you'll have any complaints. I have "trilogie de la morte" and "Adnos I-III", both of which are excellent. This review of "Adnos I-III" will give you an idea of what to expect:

Adnos I-III

quote:

Originally posted by droodzilla:



I'd also strongly recommend the work of Eliane Radigue - long (several hours!) minimalist drones created by the superposition of many pure sine waves - some very weird psychological effects to be experienced! She's usually classed as a classical composer, but if you like Namlook, I doubt you'll have any complaints. I have "trilogie de la morte" and "Adnos I-III", both of which are excellent. This review of "Adnos I-III" will give you an idea of what to expect:

Adnos I-III

If you like Eliane Radigue then I would recommend Pete Namlook - Namlook XX Music for Urban Meditation 2 or Lamonte Youngs Dream House 78' 17"

Are compilations allowed?

Also, this one's pretty cool imho...

JCS - please stop posting these time consuming threads

But while I'm here ...

1: KLF - Chill Out

2: Cocteau Twins - The Moon & the Melodies

3: New Order - The Peter Saville Show Soundtrack

4: Sigur Ross - Takk

5: Philip Glass - Koyaanissqatsi OST

6: KLF - Space

7: Moby - 18

8: Other Two - Super Highways

9: Soft Cell - Non Stop Erotic Cabaret

10: Human League - Dare

quote:

Originally posted by Jono 13:
Stereolab's "Oscillons from the Anti-sun" must be included.

Jono

seconded

another contender .... the genius singer/songwriter that is Darren Hayman



The French - "Local Information"

Steeve

Air - Moon Safari

Peter

some notable additions:

Kruder and Dorfmeister: K+D sessions
Tosca: Suzuki, Delhi 9
Tangerine Dream: Phaedra, Stratosphere (plus many others of course)
Banco de Gaia: Maya; Last Train to Lhasa
Jean Michel Jarre: Concerts in China, Oxygene, Equinox
Gary Numan: Replicas
Infected Mushroom: Converting vegetarians

Seconded on all Underworld, Kraftwerk, Boards of Canada, Tangerine Dream (pre 1990)

M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts

Must mention
Biospere
Radio Massacre International
Popul Vuh

All have produced excellent electronic albums, Autour De La Lune by Biosphere is as ambient as you can get. Soundtrack fora radio production.

Steve

I'd recommend this as an interesting look at the foundations of electronic music,

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3bfixqlkldje

It also serves as a sampler for further explanation of other key albums such as Terry Riley's Rainbow in Curved Air, Holger Czukay's Canaxis and Movies and Jon Hassell's Fourth World Music. Two other interesting compilation's are David Toop's Ocean of Sounds (both sadly deleted). Toop's book of the same name is a fascinating insight into the development and growth of these type of musiv. Highly recommended.

regards,

Giles