# The Essential Music Library: Electronica **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458 "2005-11-17T05:04:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/1 "2005-11-17T05:04:44Z")
The Essential Music Library project is an attempt to get the many musical minds of the SDMB to sit down and discuss what works are absolutely necessary for a well-stocked musical library. There will be roughly 20 threads detailing a variety of genres so that we can get the depth that would be missing from a single-threaded discussion and the breadth necessary to cover what’s out there. This thread’s topic is electronica. Previous threads: [Project Planning](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=335665) | [Classical](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=336834) | [Rock](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=337956) | [Jazz](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=339051) | [Modern Rock](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=340081) | [Blues](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=341203) | [Punk/Post-Punk/New Wave](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=342310) | [Opera/Choral Music](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=343551) | [Rap/Hip-Hop](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=344056) | [Gospel](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=344690) ---
**Author:** ![who\_me\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/87869e/32.png) [@who\_me\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/who_me_2)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/2 "2005-11-17T05:23:18Z")
Tricky: Maxinquaye Massive Attack: Blue Lines and Mezzanine Prodigy: Music for the Jilted Generation **or** Fat of the Land Moby: Play Kraftwerk: Man Machine Everything But the Girl: Amplified Heart, though it’s not really an electronica album, it does have the remix of “Like the Deserts Miss the Rain” which was a Huge dance hit. ---
**Author:** ![who\_me\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/87869e/32.png) [@who\_me\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/who_me_2)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/3 "2005-11-17T05:25:46Z")
oh, and DJ Shadow: Endtroducing ---
**Author:** ![J.Gelert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/53a042/32.png) [@J.Gelert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J.Gelert)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/4 "2005-11-17T06:26:01Z")
VNV Nation - Futureperfect VNV Nation - Empires ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/5 "2005-11-17T06:44:00Z")
Assemblage 23: Storm Assemblage 23: Defiance OceanLab: Sky Falls Down Tilt: Angry Skies Tilt: Headstrong Andain: Beautiful Things 4 Strings: Let it Rain Neuroticfish: Les Chansons Neurotiques ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/6 "2005-11-17T06:52:57Z")
**Autechre** - _Incunabula_ **Juno Reactor** - _Bible of Dreams_ **Paul Oakenfold** - _Ibiza_ **Love Spirals Downwards** - _Ardor_ **Enigma** - _MCMXC A.D._ **Delerium** - _Poem_ ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/7 "2005-11-17T07:47:51Z")
Computer- World of Tomorrow Anything by Kraftwerk (and don’t forget [The Tic Tok Men](http://www.tictokmen) ;)) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/8 "2005-11-17T09:01:17Z")
[ol] [li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][li] **Nobukazu Takemura:** _Child’s View_[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/9 "2005-11-17T15:48:03Z")
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 1 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/10 "2005-11-17T17:19:08Z")
A **Tangerine Dream** selection should be on the list, I think. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/11 "2005-11-18T02:34:05Z")
The Crystal Method - Vegas Moby - Play Paul Oakenfold - Bunka Fatboy Slim - You’ve Come a Long Way Baby Prodigy - Fat Of The Land The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole Sasha + John Digweed - Northern Exposure - Expeditions ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/12 "2005-11-18T02:52:11Z")
Subtech 😉 Hey, we were signed by Tricky, and some of our stuff is electronica-ish. It’s most certainly essential. How close are we dicing the genres here? Does mellower drum and bass or trip-hop have a place in this thread? Might be a waste to give them they’re own, too small a thread. I’ll mention Baxter Lamb Portishead Massive Attack ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/13 "2005-11-18T03:24:41Z")
Check out the Icelandic group **mum** (promounced _moom_). Wonderful stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/14 "2005-11-18T03:31:16Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > How close are we dicing the genres here? Barely at all. Trying to cover the sum total of musical styles in 20 threads makes for some broad categories. Pretty much anything that’s made with computers should go here, be it downtempo, or gabba, or ambient, or techno, or… ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/15 "2005-11-18T03:41:02Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Barely at all. Trying to cover the sum total of musical styles in 20 threads makes for some broad categories. > > Pretty much anything that’s made with computers should go here, be it downtempo, or gabba, or ambient, or techno, or… Cool. Add… Spacetime continium Amon Tobin (must, must have) ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/16 "2005-11-18T05:13:05Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Cool. > Amon Tobin (must, must have) Ooooh, agree wholeheartedly. Brilliant guy. Combines jazz and big band with electronica. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/17 "2005-11-18T06:47:31Z")
This has been a really bad list, so far. I’m not trying to start a fight or anything, but this is way nineties dance-centric; hopefully, I’ll be able to offer a less myopic and more informed overview of essential recordings. I’m just saying! Kraftwerk - “The Man-Machine” - _the_ album that defines the band, as it’s entirely synthetic, electronic, and has entirely moved away from the band’s Krautrock origins. Joe Meek and the Blue Men - “I hear a new world - an outer space music fantasy” (possibly the first “electronica” record, in that it’s an exoticism-heavy record made with primitive synthesizer and studio equipment, and it’s also actually listenable and good instead of just valuable as a cultural artifact) Jean Michel Jarre - “Oxygène” Silver Apples - self-titled; “Oscillations” may be the first electronic pop song. Tangerine Dream - probably “Rubicon” or “Phaedra” Synergy - “Electronic Realizations for rock orchestra” Walter Carlos - “Switched-on Back” and “The Well-Tempered Synthesizer” Giorgio Moroder - all production work, esp. “I feel love” and “Love to love you baby” for Donna Summer, solo album “From here to eternity” Isao Tomita - “Snowflakes are falling” (the serious “switched-on Bach”) The Human League - “Travelogue” and “Reproduction” - people often forget these records because the band essentially became a jokey New Wave band later on, but these are basically “If Kraftwerk made pop records” - incredibly lo-fi, minimal, and experimental electronic pop music. Morton Subotnick - all Cabaret Voltaire - “Mix-Up” - like the Human League, it’s easy to forget that the band who later made such innocuous and gimmicky music was once an amazingly dense and experimental project - this is true industrial dub music, all echoes and contact microphones and tape effects. Suicide - s/t Cybotron - “Enter”/ “Clear” (re-release) - The _Nevermind the bollocks…_ of Detroit Techno. John Foxx - “Metamatic” Ultravox - “Systems of Romance”, probably Fad Gadget - all Nuno Canavarro - “Plux Quba” Luc Ferrari - any number of important works, like " Presque Rien" Neu! - we can argue over their place in Krautrock, but the use of studio techniques makes them one of the the earliest “electronica” bands. Mantronix - all singles, really. Yellow Magic Orchestra - “Solid State Survivor” (the Japanese Kraftwerk) Steve Roach - “Dreamtime Return” (the album that people should be listening to and mentioning when they instead mention Aphex Twin’s S.A.W. II) Orbital - “orbital II” - the best one. the Orb - “The Orb’s adventures beyond the ultra-world” Hopefully, that will fill in a lot of the gaps before all the rave stuff that came later. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/18 "2005-11-18T19:13:29Z")
I’ll go along with a lot of the suggestions here. Here’s my (very incomplete list): Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation Moby - Play Moby - Moby Kraftwerk (pretty much anything) Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2 The Crystal Method - Vegas Paul Oakenfold - Another World or Tranceport Sasha & John Digweed - Northern Exposure Portishead - Dummy Tiësto - In Search of Sunrise 2 or Nyana Armin van Buuren - Boundaries of Imagination Sasha - Involver Fatboy Slim - Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars Orbital - Orbital 2 Chemical Brothers - Come With Us Deep Dish - Moscow The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld Brian Eno - Music for Airports Hallucinogen - The Lone Deranger Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman The Future Sound of London - Lifeforms ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/19 "2005-11-18T20:12:53Z")
It’s old and hard to find, but stay on the look out for **Human Mesh dance**. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458/20 "2005-11-18T20:20:03Z")
Gary Numan deserves some credit for popularizing electronic music. His hit “Cars” is a classic. I think Yello deserves to be here someplace, too. Who hasn’t heard “Oh Yeah.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-essential-music-library-electronica/331458.md?page=2)