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I'm just getting into techno/IDM...

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And I don't really know where to begin. I love Hard Normal Daddy by Squarepusher, and I like most of what I've heard from Aphex Twin and Autechre, but other than that I know absolutely nothing. From what I've heard, I like the atmospheric type stuff more than the full-on energy rushes of the Crystal Method and artists such as that.

What are some of the basics? (Bands I need to know, "classic albums", etc.)

― Michael Copeland, Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

Dammit! I forgot to mention that I also have Snivilization by Orbital (and like it quite a bit), but that's all I've heard from them.

― Michael Copeland, Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:13 (twenty years ago)

a rough guide to classic Warp singles

― $V£N! (blueski), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:16 (twenty years ago)

you need to get the first 2 black dog albums (imo, the peak of IDM).

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:17 (twenty years ago)

You need to....use the ILX search engine ;)

(or maybe pop in some Boards of Canada, a pretty safe consensus choice)

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:22 (twenty years ago)

Rest Proof Clockwork > Spanners + Bytes

Plastikman tracks to search: "Marbles," "Consumed," "Rekall."

― Leeenge de Bruijn (Leee), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:27 (twenty years ago)

mu-ziq - royal astronomy

black dog - bytes

plaid - double figure

susuma yokota - sakura

boards of canada - music has the right to children and geogaddi

two lone swordsmen - blue bag of sparks ep

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:28 (twenty years ago)

let me second mu-ziq - royal astronomy, i really love that album

― astroblaster (astroblaster), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:33 (twenty years ago)

I would heartily recommend . . .

Phoenecia "BrownOut"
BrothomStates "Qtio" EP
Mannequin Lung "The Art of Travel"
Fuse "Dimension Intrusion"
Sutekh "Periods.Make.Sense"
Signer "Low Light Dreams"
Team Doyobi "Cryptoburners"
808 State "Utd. State 90"
Jan Jelinek "loop finding jazz records"
Push Button Objects "Cash" EP

all very listenable, all funky, all straddling the borders in good ways

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

Atom Heart - Dots
Jega - Geometry
Taylor Dupree and Frank Bretschneider - Balance
Gas - Konigsforst, Pop, Zauberberg
Jeff Mills - Every Dog Has It's Day Vol 1-4

good picks dru...

and yeah, there is a lot of info in the ilm archives

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 23:22 (twenty years ago)

Some more fairly obvious ones, but they have special places in my heart:

Telefon Tel Aviv, Fahrenheit Fair Enough (my favorite)
Photek, Modus Operandi
Photek, Form & Function
Autechre, Chiastic Slide
Squarepusher, Big Loada

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 23:50 (twenty years ago)

My intro to IDM and techno was pretty much through the warp stuff. but it was Boards of Canada, Plaid, Mouse On Mars, Squarepusher, Autechre.

and yeah I say go for them as well as The Black Dog, B12, and personally a lot of stuff off of Morr Music, namely mum, isan, Ulrich Schnauss . . .

― Tokyo Ghost Stories (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 01:10 (twenty years ago)

You might also like Drexciya.

― moley (moley), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 01:20 (twenty years ago)

Mira Calix - Prickle
Gescom - "Keynell 4"
Lexis - "Hypnotise (autechre slow mix)"
Monolake - "Index"
Reload - "Peschi"
Sabres of Paradise - Sabresonic

― Leeenge de Bruijn (Leee), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 01:31 (twenty years ago)

damn some of this shit is over 10 years old already! wow.

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 01:39 (twenty years ago)

check out Freescha's album "Kids fill the floor" or anything by Freescha for that matter. It's like Boards of Canada except with personality.

― erik abderhalden, Wednesday, 13 April 2005 01:39 (twenty years ago)

Farben - "Raute"

― Leeenge de Bruijn (Leee), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 01:41 (twenty years ago)

styrofoam

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 01:42 (twenty years ago)

MAX TUNDRA! BOGDAN RADZYNSKI!

― charleston charge (chaki), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 01:43 (twenty years ago)

I have recently been getting back into
A Guy Called Gerald - "Black Secret Technology"
Orbital - the green album
Ada - Blondie
Daft Punk - Homework
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works


probably obvious stuff but its still good

― hector (hector), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 02:07 (twenty years ago)

mu-ziq - royal astronomy

lunatic harness over royal astronomy any day!

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 02:12 (twenty years ago)

susumu yokota - sakura

this record is so amazing! when i got it, i must've listened to it 20 times in a row. i did an ilm search on it not too long ago, but didn't find anything. the aural equivalent of a wong kar wai film.

― prada robot (disco stu), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 03:06 (twenty years ago)

here's a shortlist of random atmospheric "idm" (not already mentioned):

+ one - bare necessities
plaid - trainer
warp blech compilation/mix (this is probably oop)
alva noto and ryuichi sakamoto - vrioon
dettinger - oasis
arovane - tides
arovane - atol scrap
to rococo rot - music is a hungry ghost
pole - 1
herbert - around the house
dabrye - one/three

― prada robot (disco stu), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 03:20 (twenty years ago)

Ignore all these other poeple for now. if you like Orbital then get InSides - then you can move onto µ-ziq and Jega and then the other stuff.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 03:20 (twenty years ago)

On a more minimal/poppy tip I heartily recommend

Daniel Bell: 'The Button Down Mind Strikes Back'

Fantastic!

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 08:24 (twenty years ago)

"herbert - around the house"

speaking of herbert, just discovered the utterly fantastic we all need love ep. YUM.

i second styrofoam if only because he's from my area. :-)

― nathalie doing a soft foot shuffle (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 08:33 (twenty years ago)

mu-ziq - royal astronomy

lunatic harness over royal astronomy any day!

-- cutty (holle...), April 13th, 2005.

otm!

― latebloomer: strawman knockdowner (latebloomer), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 09:03 (twenty years ago)

Both of Ulrich Schnauss's albums are pretty much essential as is DNTEL's "Life is Full of Possibilities".

Not strictly just IDM, but any of Tom Middleton's mix compilations (especially "Sounds of the Cosmos" and "The Trip") are pretty peerless too.

― Bill A (Bill A), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 13:31 (twenty years ago)

Personal faves : Black Dog / Plaid absolutely. (Spanners, Rest Proof Clockwork), u-ziq : Tango'n'Vectif, the first Plone album, susuma yokota - sakura. From Weatherall I like Two Lone Swordsmen : Stay Down and Sabres of Paradise : Haunted Dancehall

― phil jones (interstar), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 13:44 (twenty years ago)

Both of Ulrich Schnauss's albums are pretty much essential as is DNTEL's "Life is Full of Possibilities".

Not strictly just IDM, but any of Tom Middleton's mix compilations (especially "Sounds of the Cosmos" and "The Trip") are pretty peerless too.

Can't stand Ulrich 'Larry Mullen' Schnauss and his easy-listening dull, predictable melodies.
DNTEL is often bland to the point of intense irritation.
'The Trip' is fucking awful. And very little techno or IDM on that mix at all. Why the recommendation here?

Other than that some good recommendations here, Black Dog are essential Bytes, Spanners, Temple Of Transparent Balls. Plaid are ... not, but they have done some good tunes now and again.

― angry!, Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:01 (twenty years ago)

Lunatic HArness is the best thing Mike P has ever done hands down.

― charleston charge (chaki), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Basic Channel - BCD

Not IDM but techno, and absolutely essential.

― Stephen Crane, Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

mu-ziq - royal astronomy
lunatic harness over royal astronomy any day!

-- cutty (holle...), April 13th, 2005.

otm!

-- latebloomer: strawman knockdowner (posercore24...), April 13th, 2005.

You're right as far as overall quality goes, but..."Hwicci Song"! Circus IDM is the next big revival, man!

― Telephonething, Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:59 (twenty years ago)

I don't follow the scene real closely but here's some of the shat I always dug:

Mouse On Mars - Iaora Tahiti
The Black Dog - Spanners
Future Sound Of London - ISDN
Autechre - LP5

theres a few I think I'd call classics from the genre but I don't consider myself an expert by any..

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 23:00 (twenty years ago)

Oh and..

Wagon Christ - Throbbing Pouch
Aphex Twin - I Care Because You Do
u Ziq - In Pine Effect

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 23:13 (twenty years ago)

x-post

sheesh, "angry!", I'm just trying to make a couple of suggestions in the spirit of ILM. No need for the devastating broadside...

FWIW I agree on Black Dog.

― Bill A (Bill A), Thursday, 14 April 2005 08:27 (twenty years ago)

I actually prefer Royal Astronomy a whole lot more than Lunatic Harness - better melodies, less pointless Drill-n-Bass bollocks.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 April 2005 10:49 (twenty years ago)

eeek! "royal astronomy" is so bland. i think "urmur bile" might be considered pointless drill-n-bass but CERTAINLY not "lunatic harness"!

some of the melodies on that album are soooooo perfect.

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 14 April 2005 11:26 (twenty years ago)

and on that note, i'm encoding lunatic harness for the ipod today.

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 14 April 2005 11:27 (twenty years ago)

This thread is basically Drill fans vs. Pad fans - FITE!

― A / F#m / Bm / D (Lynskey), Thursday, 14 April 2005 12:47 (twenty years ago)

I'm not sure which µ-ziq is my fav but I would never, ever call Royal Astronomy bland!

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 14 April 2005 12:57 (twenty years ago)

Bola - Fyuti

This record should have gotten some of the kudos that went to Geogaddi, as I think it is a whole lot better.

― earlnash, Thursday, 14 April 2005 16:36 (twenty years ago)

earlnash OT fucking M, I only got around to listening to this album for the first time yesterday, as it happens, and I can't believed I missed it at the time. It's beautiful, nicest IDMish thing I've heard in a long long time.

― JimD (JimD), Thursday, 14 April 2005 16:50 (twenty years ago)

Aphex Twin - I Care Because You Do

OTM, thats RDJ at his 'IDM'iest

― latebloomer: strawman knockdowner (latebloomer), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:05 (twenty years ago)

I'm not sure about that. ICBYD was my 1st real IDM purchase and it took me a long time to... uh, understand it, I guess.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

heh, SAWII was mine, and it took me about 2 years to get into it.

― JimD (JimD), Thursday, 14 April 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)


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