Perfect examples of electronic music

John

I'm just listening to the Coil Live Four album and the last track, An Unearthly Red is just amazing. This is how laptops and synths are meant to be played. Really expressive playing and such a full sound. Reminds me of the way Kraftwerk play but noisier.

Anyone else got some prime examples of how electronics can be used to maximum effect?

keyfoomblah

[saw Coil at ATp last year..... very very bloody excellent]

Also, its all a matter of taste but:

- Squarepusher live bass playing with electronics is so out there and perfect AND HEAVY.

- Autechre - create rhythmns/layers/melodies/structures that are always amazing (as do Phoenecia, Richard Devine)

- Aphex Twin live sets are pretty damn spectacular

Fennez, Karl Him (local chap) and Pierre Bastien (not so local but played at MOR last year), weave amazing electro-acoustic dreamy songs.

Also.... Sosumu Yokota is a bit of a whizz the aul lectricity.

They have all reached levels of perfection in eleectronic music as far as i can see.... specially Squarepusher.

Maximilian

Currently addicted to a track by Casino Vs. Japan called "Come along, do"

Its on an ep with 3 tracks from Freescha also.

Worth getting for that track alone.

John

I agree with all that Keyfoomblah listed (apart from the last few because I don't know them). I was listening to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop earlier, some really great stuff there (like Dr. Who!). Pan Sonic seem to be pretty decent as well. Although no one has struck me as much as Coil did, still listening to that live album.

Karl Hungus

Ever tried listening to Ulver - Perdition City? Definetly one of the finest electronic albums I've ever heard, though it's not entirely electronic, there's some fantastic saxophone in the opening track.

And didn't Coil do the original soundtrack to Hellraiser?
Or am I thinking of someone else?

pearsquasher

Being a massive abstract electronica fan doesn't stop me thinking Sashas's studio Album "airdrawndagger" is an absolute gem of a chilled dance record. I think the word "lush" says it all. Perfectly excecuted.

John

Karl Hungus wrote:

Ever tried listening to Ulver - Perdition City? Definetly one of the finest electronic albums I've ever heard, though it's not entirely electronic, there's some fantastic saxophone in the opening track.

And didn't Coil do the original soundtrack to Hellraiser?
Or am I thinking of someone else?

I've seen Ulver stuff about but I've never heard anyone who's listened to them so I've never been tempted to buy a cd, perhaps now I will

And Coil did do the original soundtrack to Hellraiser, they were Clive Barker's first choice but the studio wouldn't go with it. They released the Hellraiser themes and they're pretty cool. On a related note, Coil were the ones who suggested a lot of the fetish imagery in the film (they were friends with Barker for a long time), they showed him a piercing magazine with a guy with acupuncture needles all over his head and well, you can guess the rest. There's an interview with them where they talk about it here

Karl Hungus

John2 wrote:

I've seen Ulver stuff about but I've never heard anyone who's listened to them so I've never been tempted to buy a cd, perhaps now I will

And Coil did do the original soundtrack to Hellraiser, they were Clive Barker's first choice but the studio wouldn't go with it. They released the Hellraiser themes and they're pretty cool. On a related note, Coil were the ones who suggested a lot of the fetish imagery in the film (they were friends with Barker for a long time), they showed him a piercing magazine with a guy with acupuncture needles all over his head and well, you can guess the rest. There's an interview with them where they talk about it here

Ah yes, I thought that was them! I've heard their soundtrack alright, and it is very cool indeed.

You should definetly check out Ulver then, or at least, the later stuff. Perdition City is a very noir-esque soundscape album, or as they call it "Music to an interal film" so I'd say you might enjoy it. Although what I'd also recommend is their double-album "Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven Hell" which is a much, much darker sound altogether and I'd say you'd really enjoy if you don't mind the occaisional bit of guitar work in the whole electronic mix. Mind you, it's a real head-**** of an album altogether, and they really evoke some dark and strange soundscapes on it.

John

Album titles duly noted onto a scrap of paper

John

I picked up a couple of Hafler Trio reissues yesterday, this guy (Trio is a misnomer, I think at most two people have featured on one of Hafler Trio's releases) is amazing. Some stuff is incredibly abstract. Scratch that, it's all abstract and pretentious but he pulls it off. And the packaging is gorgeous. I'm listening to "The Sea Org" album now, very cool, all textures and strange noises. I'm saving "Kill The King" until tonight, it's his masterpiece apparently.

Bibliofemme

Anyone else got some prime examples of how electronics can be used to maximum effect?[/QUOTE]

I posted something about Halfset here who use lots of instruments with beats, programming, synths etc. I think what they do is really interesting, ditto Jimmy Behan who makes lovely music.

I really like electronic music that focuses on melody, the scratchy blips and bleeps stuff (eg lots of Warp releases) just doesn't do it for me.

Also love what Luke Vibert does, particularly under his Wagon Christ moniker.

Boards of Canada too anyone?

Recently got the new Xploding Plastic album which is quite electronic, but very orchestral, almost filmic. It's really good...

m0rt

Some bands I've been loving lately with an orchestral / cinematic vibe...

Explosions in the Sky
Godspeed You Black Emperor
Múm
Cinematic Orchestra
Sigur Ros
Do Make Say Think
Mogwai

empirix

Aphex Twin - Ambient sounds 85 - 92, unbelievable album, its out of print but you can still pick it up on the net. Richard has lost the plot a little over the last few years but this album is mind blowing - my No 1 electronic album of all time. Check it out - a true gem.

Anima

Yeah thats probably my favourite of the ambient albums. Each track is very unique.

pearsquasher

Selected Ambient Works 2 is also a gem from Aphex Twin - more ambient than the 85 album too.

The first time i saw Aphex Twin in concert was that ambient gig in the Olympia around 1999.... talk about trippy!

Third_Echelon

m0rt wrote:

Some bands I've been loving lately with an orchestral / cinematic vibe...

Explosions in the Sky
Godspeed You Black Emperor
Múm
Cinematic Orchestra
Sigur Ros
Do Make Say Think
Mogwai

I picked up a few sigur ros albums in the past couple of weeks after a recommendation by a friend. I'd heard some of their stuff before, but their albums are fantastic. They have done a few movie soundtracks etc. When you are actually listening to them, you can imagine being in a movie...

Apparently they were an inspiration for the latest radiohead stuff since Kid A. May be a bit mainstream but there is some really good electronica influences on Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief radiohead albums...

just my 2c...

radiospan

Some of my favourites:

Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children (their EPs are very good too, try "In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country", and "Twoism")
Autechre - Amber (I'm listening to this almost every night now)
M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (what an album, "Xtal", "Pulsewidth", "Heliosphan" and "Ptolemy" are great tracks)
Autechre - Garbage (EP) (the last track on this, "VLetrmx21" is sounds a lot like "A Warm Place" by Nine Inch Nails. It's so easy to get lost in the last two songs on this EP, nice for going to sleep to.)
Sigur Rós (if you like () and Agaetis Byrjun, try Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do and the Hlemmur soundtrack)

I'm going to try out some of the other albums recommended here now.

EDIT: You can hear very good quality samples of the artists on Warp Records on www.bleep.com

John

Third_Echelon wrote:

Apparently they were an inspiration for the latest radiohead stuff since Kid A. May be a bit mainstream but there is some really good electronica influences on Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief radiohead albums...

I was never big on Radiohead but Kid A and Amnesiac changed my mind. Yorke cited Jonsi from Sigur Rós as a vocal influence at that time. I really hear Autechre in those albums too.