Introduce me to 'Electronica'., where to start? Options

[kid_koala]

actually, due to my current sickiliness, i wont be doing my radio show till thursday now.

and the fact that ill need time to downlaod albums by like, half the the people on the list.

that concrete musique stuff is damned impressive to have come out of the 50s, but man oh man is it weird

This post has been edited by kid_koala: May 3 2005, 04:25 PM

[Sir_Robin_the_br...]

If you're looking for in depth music databases might I also recommend:

All Music

+

Discogs

(Great site)

[Sostie]

Woo-hoo!

I found the website. Check this out for anal and pretty damn comprehensive definitions! May I suggest everyone look under 'Downtempo' at the definition of 'electronica'. 

Electronic Music Guide

Features some excellent samples from each sub-genre.

I love that site. Cheers. It taught me a few things:

a) I have a pretty comprehensive record collection that covers most of the sub-genres...and didn't know it

b) Electronica is a dirty word (at least to guy whose site it is)

c) I was nearly right with the Doctor Who shout

One sub-genre that was missed (or maybe I missed it) was Balaeric Beats...a great little period that had clubs playing everything from The Clash to The Cure, The Residents to Italian House.

[philt]

NEW ORDER!!!!

No I think it is pretty much accepted that Kaftwerk led and the rest followed. But then the idea of repetition used and popularised by electronic dance music comes from the Minimalist school of classical music - take for example Ravel's "Bolero" which features a hypnotic repetitive tune building to a climax. Now it is overstating (and over simplifying) things to say that this the 1920's version of trance but nevertheless there are similarities. And certainly the bold Maurice influenced the minimalists who came later (Cage, Glass, Reich, Eno). Others include Claude Debussy's "Snowflakes Are Dancing" and of course Eric Satie's Trois Gymnopedies which is basically ground zero for modern ambient / dance music.

[Sostie]

Well I think I know what electronica is, so here are some of my recommendations (excluding those already mentioned)

Simple Minds - "I Travel" & "Themes From Great Cities" (forget Don't You Forget About Me onwards...they were an amazing and very experimental band)

Pierre Henry & Michel Colombier - Psyche Rock (a lot of which was borrowed for Futurama)

Walter Carlos - A Clockwork Orange Soundtrack

Golden Claw Music - All Blue Revue (very Aphex Twin-esque CD by ex Pop Will Eat Itself member)

Meat Beat Manifesto - Satyricon

[philt]

Just on the Dr Who thing - Although Ron Grainer actually wrote the tune Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop did the arrangement. There is a story that the first time he heard her arrangement of the music he actually couldn't believe he'd written it....

This post has been edited by philt: May 3 2005, 06:34 PM

[Ade]

As for BoC being more essential than any Orbital - that's just bollocks!! 

I couldn't have put it any better than that, sir. Well played!

[philt]

The Altogether.

Particularly the David Gray track and the witless sub 1991 rave version of Dr Who which manages not only to sound worse than any of the later re-imaginings of the Dr Who theme that were perpetrated by the rump of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop but also (and astonishingly) sounds more dated that the Ron Grainer / Delia Derbyshire arranged original.

The prosecution rests.

[iranspaced]

ANYTHING from either the Warp or Leaf labels will rock your electronic world.

Infact theres a Leaf Label sample cd you can get for about £4 which has a track on it that was used in Spaced series one but isnt on the Soundtrack...

This post has been edited by iranspaced: May 4 2005, 09:58 PM

[Ade]

The Altogether.

Particularly the David Gray track and the witless sub 1991 rave version of Dr Who which manages not only to sound worse than any of the later re-imaginings of the Dr Who theme that were perpetrated by the rump of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop but also (and astonishingly) sounds more dated that the Ron Grainer / Delia Derbyshire arranged original.

The prosecution rests.

Sure, it's far from their best album, I'll admit (record company pressure resulted
in a slightly negative effect on the usual Orbital sound), but I rather like its varied
nature. It'll still get played in preference to anything by BoC.

[superfurryandy]

Must admit I haven't played anything from The Altogether for a long while.

Actually, I've just had an idea...

[Jessopjessopjess...]

A very good idea SFA!

[Ingram]

"Using only a compass it is possible to draw a circle"

Is that yours Adam?

[pots]

ah sorry, ingram, that was mine.

i listened to it again the other day and jessop was right - it is all very downtempo. so i was going to do you a new one, then i found a spare copy i burnt for someone else and gave you that one instead. so its all pretty much one tempo, some of the tracks are quite 'samey' but for an introduction its pretty good.

[Ingram]

Thanks pots Im listening to it now, very nice/mellow stuff.

Edit: PM tracklist? Thanks.

This post has been edited by Ingram: May 5 2005, 03:48 PM