Electronica recommendations?

Posted by: Hook on 06 April 2013

Over the past year or so, I've really started to enjoy this genre.  Began with the Germans - Kraftwerk, Can, Neu! and Klaus Schulze (at Munch's recommendation).  Then tried and liked Massive Attack and Portishead, as well as Thom Yorke's new side project, Atoms for Peace.  Also, as a jazz guy, I love how Hiromi fuses jazz piano with electronic beats!

 

But I have come to realize just how big the world of Electronic music has become, and with such limited experience, I am not at all certain how to branch out. My impression is that there are lots of electronic artists who are extremely talented, but don't sell in large numbers (and so they remain relatively obscure).

 

Thanks very much for your recommendations!

 

Hook

 

PS - I looked back a ways, and did not see this topic being covered recently.  If I missed a thread, then please let me know and I will close this one out.

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by fatcat

I didn't read the recent thread Hook. No need to close this one, not everybody reads every thread.

 

My favourite Electronica album is "The Love That Whirls", Not your run of the mill example due to the outstanding guitar performance.

 

Also like this track but don't know why.

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by mfan

Hi Hook,

Obviously any reccos are down to personal taste - but if you get half as much pleasure as I have from the following then you've got some fantastic discoveries ahead of you.  One proviso - I have little idea what 'Electronica' is, but given your experiences so far I think the following would be interesting start points. 

 

The Orb - Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld.  This was the album that, for me, kick started my love of electronic / ambient / whatever.  UF Orb is also very good - other output had been patchy imho.

 

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92, and Vol 2 (Vol2 is VERY ambient)

Aphex Twin - 26 Mixes for Cash.  Not Twin originals, but a relatively easy intro to his stuff.

 

Brian Eno - Apollo Atmospheres & Soundtracks

 

David Byrne & Brian Eno - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts 

 

Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV

 

Biosphere - Patashnik

 

Trentemoller - The Last Resort

 

Amon Tobin - Bricolage and Permutation.  Also ISAM - will give the hi-fi a good work out.

 

Orbital - The Green Album (It's not titled, but it is green!)

 

Mr Oizo - Analogue Worms Attack

 

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing

 

Tricky - Maxinquaye (similar ilk to Portishead / Massive Attack.  Also Morcheeba and Sneaker Pimps are very easy on the ear)

 

Venetian Snares - approach with cation as this can be a little challenging.

 

There's a whole branch of electronic / jazz / uk hip hop stuff (don't be put off by the tag!) which I discovered via the Ninja Tune label, especially compilations Funkungfusion and Flexistentialism.  Also The Jazz Brakes series by DJ Food.  Sunday morning music!

 

Other areas that I've yet to explore include the BBC Radiophonic Workshop / Delia Derbyshire stuff, and Jonny Trunk's record label.

 

Hope some of this is of interest.  Happy listening!

Mark

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by Gimpster

Some good stuff on Monkeytown Records. Also check out some of Richard H Kirks' (ex Cabaret Voltaire) projects, Electronic Eye - Autoshark is a cracking LP.

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by Deeg1234

If you like Patashnik then i would add Microgravity to your list, Gier's later works then move away from techno base to more found sound compositions of which 'polar Sequences' is a good example. If you enjoyed Massive Attack then Kosheen might float your boat but they are more 'dancier' for want of a better term. Also worth trying would be Ulrich Schnauss andMarconi Union.

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by Lontano
The recent Marconi Union, Different Colours is superb and chilled.
Posted on: 06 April 2013 by naim_nymph

This is very good, and fabulous on vinyl : )

 

 

Vitalic - Flashmob

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by onip

Meat Beat Manifesto/Jack Dangers:  Dangers started Meat Beat Manifesto way back.  Extremely creative and my favorite in electronica.  "At the center" is a quasi jazz electronica album they did a while back, but pretty much anything they have done has been great and they blazed a lot of trails (most of it is not jazz in any way).  Satyricon, Subliminal Sandwich, Actual Sounds and Voices, Autoimmune, and Answers Come in Dreams are all good albums. 

 

Niyaz: First album (Niyaz) was their best.  Electronica with an amazing singer.  Middle Eastern flavor and the lyrics are from Rumi the poet.

 

Daft Punk

 

Sharpshooters (Choked up).  Album is hard to find but it is great, particularly if you like interesting rap, jazz, and electronica mixed together.

 

DJs: Coldcut (Journeys by DJ Special Release: Coldcut), DJ Shadow (Entroducing), DJ Spooky

 

Some of the Global Underground CDs are good.  They featured DJs.  The ones by Sasha (009 San Francisco) and Deep Dish (021 Moscow) are the ones I own.

 

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by rodwsmith

Four from me...

 

If you fancy something rhythmic and dancy, then do try The Chemical Brothers' "Further".

 

Early Chems stuff is quite heavy, and a bit, er, siren-y (although briliant), but this, their last release, is their most melodic and mainstream recording, and has some really excellent tracks, several of which you may have heard on the television. I think, for example, Top Gear used "Dissolve" every time they wanted to convey that they liked a really fast car. And I can see why.

 

The Orb/David Gilmour record has really grown on me. I thought it was a bit bland and even at first, but it's many layered and warrants being listened to.

 

Banco de Gaia's "Farewell Ferenghistan" is really excellent and has some wonderful middle-eastern influences, done really well and fantastically well recorded. He's great live, too.


Propellerheads "Decksanddrumsandrocknroll". Worth it for the Shirley Bassey 'History Repeating' which is a monumentally great song, even if it got Graham Norton over-exposure at the time. The whole record is excellent though.


Oh, and anything by Death in Vegas.

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by jon_jh

I really like these albums:-

 

Destroyer - Kaputt

 

 

Gang gang dance - Eye Contact

 

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by Steve2701

Redshift have produced some astounding 'Tangerine Dream' type music - then taken it several stages further, some is still available direct from them, most is also available for download from music zeit also.

When it comes to getting OOP stuff it does become a wallett emptying experience.

 

You also mentioned Kraftwerk - did you get this a couple of weeks back ;-)  I even manged somehow to get a signed copy! I'm reasonably certain you can guess what it sounds like..

 

 

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by Tony2011

Hook,

This one sounds great  on the 400s and one of my favourite albums.

KR

Tony

 

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by T38.45

Pantha du Prince  (black noise) is one of my fav,

Tape,

Kruder&Dorfmeister,

Tortoise,

The Notwist,

Console,

Four tet

Cheers

Ralf

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by Gimpster

+1 Tony Leftism classic 3xLP

 

Checkout Biochemical Dread - Bush Doctrine.

 

ATB Gimpster.

Posted on: 06 April 2013 by Hook

What terrific responses!  Am listening to Deb's recommendation of Vitalic right now...and am totally digging it!  Complex, multi-layered, a really fun combination of beats and melodies. Need a bigger listening room...really hard to sit still!  ;-)

 

Looking forward to trying more of these artists this evening (at least those I can find in Spotify). Thank you all very much, and thanks in advance to anyone else who would like to contribute!

 

Hook

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by Steve2701

If your enjoying Vitalic then you are really going to like Infected Mushroom :- plenty to have a go at with them, Classical Mushroom is as good a start point as any, but I happen to enjoy this one as well 

 

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by Steve2701

In a completely different, calmer, beautiful place is Harold Budd / Robin Guthrie

Winter Garden :-

 

 

Then there is the faster moving Ozrics 

 

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by Steve2701

If you fancy wringing every ounce of bass and full range out of your system, and check its imaging qualities then this will do just that - Bendy Bass & Single Blip will drive you nutts ;-)

 

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by dav301

Hook,

 

Have a listen to Soup by Bola, it should hit the spot.

 

Dave

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by tonym

Would Yello be classed as "Electronica"? If so, these two are stonkingly good. My thin vinyl original copy of "Baby" is the best recording I've got  :-

 

 

 

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by DenisA

Worth a listen is this by PLANK! - Animalism

http://planknation.bandcamp.com/album/animalism 

 

 

The music tags are:-

experimental - progressive rock - experimental electronic - krautrock - mathrock - synth rock - Manchester, so it might qualify.

 

In any event this is a really enjoyable listen, almost a Terminator 4 soundtrack

 

 

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by Hook

I like Yello a lot, and yes, I think electronica fits them as well as any other genre (dunno, maybe one of those compound genres like post-prog or something?).  

 

Have Baby, but not Touch, so am off to buy a copy online right now.  Thanks Tony, and again, thanks to everyone else as well.  So much cool new stuff to try -- good times! :-)

 

Hook

 

PS - Am totally digging all the cover art!  Such creativity!  

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by J.N.

Hi Hook,

 

if you like Neu! you should investigate Michael Rother's wonderful solo albums. The first three 'Flammende Herzen', 'Sterntaler' and 'Katzenmusik' are on regular rotation here.

 

Groove Armada - 'Vertigo' is another later electronica fave.

 

Good listening.

 

John.

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by naim_nymph

With so many fantastic recommendations this thread is starting to cost me money!

 

But on a good note:

I’ve noticed Zoverstocks [via Amazon.uk] are offering pre-owned Leftfield CD’s for £0.01 + £1.26 p&p

So just ordered:

Open Up / Rhythm & Stealth / Leftism [with bonus CD] all for £4.01 to include delivery : )

 

Debs

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by naim_nymph
Originally Posted by DenisA:

Worth a listen is this by PLANK! - Animalism

http://planknation.bandcamp.com/album/animalism 

 

 

The music tags are:-

experimental - progressive rock - experimental electronic - krautrock - mathrock - synth rock - Manchester, so it might qualify.

 

In any event this is a really enjoyable listen, almost a Terminator 4 soundtrack

 

 

 

Denis,

 

In some places i hear this like a Pink Floyd tribute band,

the guitar riffs similar to those on: The Wall [Run Like Hell?].

 

Perhaps this is why the vinyl is pink..?

 

A very good album in it‘s own right however, and the vinyl is fab too.

Glad i got my copy ; )

 

Debs

Posted on: 07 April 2013 by Prubast

Check out Ninja Tune - Bonobo is one of my faves on their roster. His last album Black Sands is a cracker and his new album has just been released.

 

Also don't forget Bjork - Debut & Post are classics