Hey guys, sorry it's been a while, between getting married and starting a new job it's been a busy couple of weeks...
Most of you may know The Flashbulb, if not, this is a quintessential electronic album - it covers just about every genre possible; and is perfect for almost any mood.
Probably the most overlooked album of the year, Rainforest Reverberation is an incredible electronic album. Although downtempo, it is comprised of funky beats and catchy synths. The music also sounds organic like a rainforest come alive, and is very compelling. Check it out!
First let me state that this has nothing to do with IBM, even though the album title is an old slogan of theirs. Secondly this is an extremely cyber-punk/computer influenced album unlike any of it's contemporaries today; this was before cyberpunk died and became a selling point. The vocals are distorted to show the loss of humanity, not because it sounds good and everyone is doing it (which in 1996 was far from the case). Haujobb's attention to detail gives each track an almost minimalist feel, yet avid listeners of the genre will be smiling at the depth and layering found herein. It's danceable yet refined, catchy yet lyrically sound - go give it a listen!
Sadly I can't find a link for this, but here's a sample of each track courtesy of Last.fm
This aptly titled LP released in 2003 was one of the first electronic albums recorded in 5.1 Surround Sound. As one of the leaders of the breakbeat movement, it came as a surprise that Tipper opted to fully utilize this new technology to create an engrossing atmospheric downtempo album. But a good choice it was. Check out album highlight "Over the Coals" here.
Picture a golden panda. Cute isn’t it? Now picture that same panda stabbing someone with an oatmeal cookie. Weird, huh? But still cute in a strange sort of way. Good, now you know what Lucky Shiner is like.
Lack imagination? That’s cool; you can get an idea from this:
You are now confused yet you want more. Let me ask you; have you visited India Lately?
It's barely dance music at all, really, but Hannah Davidson manages to weave subtle beats and melodies into what becomes a surprisingly catchy album. Despite leaning strongly towards ambient music with its lush, friendly synths, it never bores, in fact, it captivates. The Standoffish Cat is a dazzling, gorgeous album that would make excellent sleeping music from its soothing soundscape.
Digging into the crates for this one, a true gem released back in January. Desolate (real name Sven Weisemann) is an artist who, while wearing his heart plainly on his sleeve, is someone destined for bigger things. And by saying that he shows off his influences a little too prominently I mean he sounds exactly like Burial. Which isn't a bad thing per se, it's just at times you get the feeling that he's simply stolen rather than adopted Will Bevan's scratchy and distant trademark qualities. But here's the catch, this isn't actually dubstep. The Invisible Insurrection is the mark of an artist definitely on the up. Check out 'Divinus' here.
The movement within Rephlex Records and later Planet Mu in the early 90s was historic for the electronic scene . µ-Ziq (pronounced mu-sic) is a somewhat underrated in the electronic scene, as most of his work isn't as known to some of his contemporaries. Bilious Paths at the time was still an experimental and some say at points arbitrary. It's what made it so great, IDM was still in an infancy and experimental forms of musicianship were still widespread. µ-Ziq's record tinkers with ambient, ethereal soundscapes as seen in "Siege of Antioch", what seem like odd dance mash-ups and the dark eeriness that ultimately manifests itself within Bilious Paths.
An agent of darkness and variety, Tonikom bestows upon the masses an incredible sophomore release. Run entirely by one of the most attractive women to ever participate in the underground, Tonikom is under the label Hymen Records (which I find incredibly humorous). Her music is a diverse composition which combines drum and bass with IDM, aggrotech, and some dubstep, and is solidified with an immense and glorious sound-scape of dark/avant-garde ambience.
In honor of my favorite (sarcasm) holiday I thought I'd share one of the bands that I love even though they are relatively new to my collection. Xpq-21 is from Germany and mixes together many genres (industrial, techno, some trance, and gothic) to create some insanely catchy tracks. From their cover of the classic Bauhaus track "Bela Lugosi's Dead" featured on Belle Epoqueto the the 8 minute "In Your Eyes" from their limited edition Alive LP, Xpq-21 really have a diverse offering at their disposal. With a plethora of remixes, edits, and guest vocalists on many of the bands tracks there are multiple versions of about everything they have ever done, making it easier for people to find something that they enjoy. TheVampire FreaksFxxk The Mainstream Compilation version of "Jesus Was Gay" is an example of this, as the track has been remixed specifically for the collection. Overall this is band that fans of many genre's can enjoy, go check them out!
A divine and benevolent beauty, Approach will shock and awe even the most sophisticated listener with Subheim's trademark mix of IDM and ambience. Themes of compassion and sorrow underline every melody hidden beneath the textures and patterns that make up the album's complex nature. Each track is more lugubrious than the one before and yet, they each hold an angelic undertone that will have your cathartic experience contrast both, relief and appreciation, as the album ascends your curious mind. Approach carries classical, cinematic and experimental influences which all combine to make one fantastic record. Please enjoy what is, perhaps, one of the greatest atmospheric IDM albums ever to have been composed.
