Electronica

[BarnatosGhost]

Hi music experts!

I'm not really heavily into music but I'm sitting here at my desk (at home), trying to work, with the La Roux album whacked right up. (ok, I'm not trying to work very hard).

It's giving me goose-bumps. It might just be the coffee, but it occurs to me that I absolutely adore synthesizers and electronica-type-stuff. I also love OMD (enola gay is one of my favourite tunes of all time) and the original/early electronic music.

Can anyone recommend any similar stuff, modern or old, that I should be acquiring?

TIA!

[NLB]

I have a real weakness for all this stuff, dating from the, at the time wholly new, experience of hearing Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” back in 1977. I’d already listened to Kraftwerk and bits of Tangerine Dream (too hippy-noodly for me), but the sound of unabashed pop music made entirely on synths, and with that huge, stomping rhythm that so much synthpop manages to achieve was truly remarkable for the time. My band back then spent every penny we could scrape together on a monophonic Korg synth – an MS20, I think... It cost a lot more than my 1967 Fender Telecaster...

La Roux and other modern synthpop exponents such as Little Boots (excellent – I actually prefer “Hands” to La Roux, personally) obviously draw heavily on a lot of earlier synthpop stuff – not a criticism, just an observation...

Inspirations for La Roux et al must include Human League, both pre-girls – the “Reproduction” album with Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh – and the later “with girls” line up – the famous “Dare” album of course being the high point. These are great albums, but sound very thin compared to the production and sound quality of a modern album such as the La Roux. Also the pop end of Kraftwerk of course – “Autobahn”, “The Model” etc. Krawftwerk really invented this genre, as a mass pop phenomenon.

Whilst it might be considered inappropriate on here, the Pet Shop Boys have done some fantastic stuff in this line – almost any of their albums have some huge ear crushing disco racket on them. And, they do write some great tunes and some splendidly sardonic lyrics.

Other things worth looking for are:

Bands such as Propaganda – slightly pretentious, but tuneful German synthpop exponents. Their first album “A Secret Wish” is brilliant, and I am finally getting around to buying it on CD as I can only play the (original) cassette in the car. This album is one of the first I was aware of with the very “deep”, rich sounding modern production sound (by Trevor Horn). “Dr Mabuse” off that album is one of the all time greats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-IxPjdHhck

More “dance” oriented – but still tuneful and great - stuff such as Billie Ray Martin’s “Deadline for My Memories” album, especially the hit “Your Loving Arms”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqLOyLjINSU&fea...

And– Sparks, circa “No. 1 Song in Heaven”, Marc Almond/Soft Cell, obscurities like Daniel Miller’s (Mute records founder) band “The Normal”, the Silicone Teens, Tuxedomoon..... lots of stuff. I’ll stop now.

[BarnatosGhost]

And this is why Pistonheads is the centre of the world.

Thanks.

[NLB]

...and Depeche Mode of course... from cute clean popsters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a84L1hVVEls&ob=...

To survived death multiple times goth monsters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8l4-SzOoto (at the Ring, no less).

And... I really should do some work. Addictive, this stuff.

[NLB]

BarnatosGhost said:

And this is why Pistonheads is the centre of the world.

Thanks.

Actually, I am more than grateful to you - while typing this lot, and looking at Youtube clips, I ordered several of these albums on CD from Amazon (A Secret Wish, Deadline for My Memories, Claudia Brucken's solo album, etc.) to replace my ancient cassette copies. I have been meaning to do this for years - literally - and you prompted me to finally get the stuff ordered. So, ta very much!

Edited by NLB on Wednesday 26th January 12:28

[The real Apache]

If you want to get less Pop for your synth try some early Brian Eno for example 'Here come the warm jets'

Edited by The real Apache on Wednesday 26th January 12:38

[RemainAllHoof]

What about uplifting or psychedelic trance? All manner of synth "voices" and effects are used eg reverb, changing tonal qualities of samples. And throw in a few arpeggios...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCagqFabXq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP0yGKG57Qo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VB_uz6G6C4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwFg-KrcrHs

[NLB]

RemainAllHoof said:

What about uplifting or psychedelic trance? All manner of synth "voices" and effects are used eg reverb, changing tonal qualities of samples. And throw in a few arpeggios...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCagqFabXq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP0yGKG57Qo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VB_uz6G6C4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwFg-KrcrHs

Thanks for those - some great stuff: I do like synth arpeggios, and... Also, I am much diverted by the angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin type arguments in the comments as to whether it is Uplifting, Progressive, Psychedelic, or Goa Trance. Anoraks eh..? The same whatever the topic.

[itsnotarace]

Try some Eat Static

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMzsz6skvRk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR744FVNY68

Black Dog Productions (also known as Plaid)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DURreTruAP4

Sasha & Digweed Northern Exposure series

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vV-dmAKjaE

Lo Fidelity Allstars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuwWvPGul3o

Crystal Method

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKTJoHbKZO0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLx-QHYH0Kk

Way Out West

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjB9uf799fk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrYV7qe2GZU

Propellerheads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd8WjeK8riE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN8GcRGNWe4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wIbhES2UkA

Leftfield
Hybrid
Future Sound of London
The Orb
Orbital
Rokysopp
Boards of Canada
Autechre
Aphex Twin
B12
Delirium
BT
Chicane
Prodigy
Clanger
Art of Trance
Underworld
Tsuyoshi Suzuki
Cygnus X

Just about anything else from Warp Records or Platipus Records.

[RemainAllHoof]

NLB said:

RemainAllHoof said:

What about uplifting or psychedelic trance? All manner of synth "voices" and effects are used eg reverb, changing tonal qualities of samples. And throw in a few arpeggios...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCagqFabXq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP0yGKG57Qo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VB_uz6G6C4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwFg-KrcrHs

Thanks for those - some great stuff: I do like synth arpeggios, and... Also, I am much diverted by the angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin type arguments in the comments as to whether it is Uplifting, Progressive, Psychedelic, or Goa Trance. Anoraks eh..? The same whatever the topic.

I like synth arpeggios, too, especially when they change the tonal quality (I forget the term) to build the sound up. It's quite easy to tell the difference between uplifting, prog and psy, tbh.

[DrTre]

Groove Armada - Warsaw (White Light)

[baz1985]

Daft Punk maybe?
Rank 1?

Edited by baz1985 on Saturday 29th January 12:18

[anonymous-user]

Try the Wipeout 2097 soundtrack, plenty of late nineties electronica on that one. Fluke Atom Bomb?

LCDSoundsystem has the odd electronica gem.

+1 for Propaganda, Leftfield, Underworld, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Orbital.

I do like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2hzlEdXsg0

And a bit of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w0Xy_6WIY0

And this old one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACPXOufElKU&fea...

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P41g-8WWudg

And for some more recent electronica: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3g-PKogC5c (great video too)

[Guvna]

You should check out Lucine - Two Dots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iIvRXCV9lk

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

If you like Propaganda then check out 'Wishful Thinking', the remix album twin of 'A Secret Wish' - you'll recognise the old BBC Rally theme.

I'm assuming that Claudia Brücken fans are also familiar with Act - 'Snobbery and Decay' is a great album.

[anonymous-user]

I'd also looks at the following. Some is a little more dark or punky but still great to my ears:

Devo
Early Ultravox with John Foxx
Magazine
Depeche Mode (obviously)

[Durruti]

Suprised no one has mentioned Stereolab yet.

A rich vein of bleeps and bings and stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k6DR67Oc68

[Ozone]

Try Gary Numan's Pleasure Principal and Telekon or John Foxx' Metamatic.

Yellow Magic Orchestra are good too.

[shakotan]

You'll probably love The Postal Service...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ASEfYFADs

[Marf]

Few albums to check out:-


The Hacker - The Next Step of New Wave - Label:Human

This is Not the 80's - a Nu-wave Electro Compilation - Various Artists - Label:INCredible

Neo-Pop Vol 1 - Various Artists - Label:neuton