Based not only on musical tastes but in the quality they were recorded in. I listen to some jazz and blues, and alot of classic rock but I feel this genre of music, both Alternative and Electronic music is often overlooked.
I'll add some stuff that I've been digging or maybe some stuff that slipped through the cracks. 1-The Irresistible Force-Flying High. Maybe the definitve mid-90s ambient album from the rave generation. Mixmaster Morris serves up the psychedelic weirdness on this winner. Sampling everyone from Cage to Stockhausen. Even comes with instructions on the proper way to listen. His other other albums Global Chillage, It's Tomorrow Already & Dreamfish(with Pete Namlook) are also highly recommended. 2-Shpongle-Are You Shpongled? Another psychedelic masterpiece that sounds like The Orb making ambient Goa tracks. BRILLIANTLY PRODUCED and sounds simply HUGE on a great system. 3-Steve Reich-Music For 18 Musicians. Hypnotizing is the best adjective I can come up with this which is by far my favorite Reich piece. Coldcut claims that this is their very favorite piece of music ever. That's a good thing. One of only a handful of albums that I MUST listen to in its entirety. 4-DJ Shadow-Endtroducing. This one should be subtitled "Hip-Hop Album For People Who Hate Hip-Hop Music". Entirely sample-based masterpiece is both timeless and innovative. If you're a fan of old-school funk or r&b(by r&b I don not mean New Edition or Keith Sweat) then you'll dig this one. Obscure as almighty hell breaks and beats are abound. Funky drummer break on this album? Uh.....NO! Even the semi-obscure breaks are nowhere to be found. Still sounds fresh after almost 10 years. I have listened to this album at least 500 times and I still pull it out once every few weeks. Essential. Oh yeah...There's no rapping on this.
I'm surprised with all the input on this thread that no one has mentioned Sigur Ross, "( )" - perhaps more New Age, but certainly in the Electronica category as well. Excellent album from this Icelandic band...very calming.
Great thread!heres a CD i bought a few days ago,and have listened to it at least 4 times a day,,,,very well recorded too,,ZeroOne (Calculated Adventures in Electronica)WOW!!
Here are my favorite electronic albums. Some have been mentioned before. Not all of these were well recorded, but the music is good (IMHO). I put an * next to the albums that I think have particularly good sound quality. Record labels are listed in [ ]. Enjoy!
dj Mark Farina - "Mushroom Jazz" vol 1. [Om records]
Massive Attack - "Mezzanine" [Virgin]
Boards of Canada - "Music Has the Right to Children" [Matador/Warp]
Shpongle - "Are You Shpongled?"* [Twisted]
Future Sound of London - "Dead Cities"* [Astralwerks] (It took me several listens to appreciate this one... "ISDN"* and "Lifeforms"* are also excellent albums.)
Autechre - "Incunabula"* [TVT/Wax Trax]
Freaky Chakra - "Blacklight Fantasy" [Astralwerks] (My favorite "techno" album. I always use tracks 2, 3, 9, & 10 to test a system's bass response and dynamics)
Plaid - "Double Figure"* [Warp]
Haujobb - "ninetynine"* [Metropolis]
Coil - "Love's Secret Domain" [Wax Trax?]
(more down-tempo) Thievery Corporation - DJ Kicks [!K7] ChickenLips - DJ Kicks [!K7] Kruder and Dorfmiester - DJ Kicks [!K7] Orb - "Orblivion"* [Island] Boards of Canada - "In a Beautiful Place out in the Country" [Warp] Biosphere - "Insomnia", "Deathprod" (ambient) Autechre - "Tri Repetea++" [Warp] Aphex Twin - "Selected Ambient Works", "I care because you do" [Sire/Warp] Cris Clark - "Empty the Bones of You" [Warp] Fila Brazillia - "A touch of Cloth" [Tritone]
(more up-tempo) Juno Reactor - "Bible of Dreams"* [TVT/Wax Trax] Orbital - "In Sides" [Internal] dj Simply Jeff - "Funk-da-Fried" [City of Angels] Download - "Effector"
Please keep the recommendations coming! I need to discover some new music.
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