15 electronic albums worth listening to on vinyl
The formation of the genre of electronic music began in the second half of the XX century: until the 70s, it was considered an experimental art, but the improvement of technology and the establishment of serial production of synthesizers led to the fact that electronics became the most important part of modern culture. In our review - 15 legendary electronic albums, which are definitely worth listening to on vinyl.
Kraftwerk – Computer World
The founders of the Kraftwerk group, Ralph Hütter and Florian Schneider, met at the Düsseldorf Conservatory, and in the early 70s founded a band that largely predetermined the development of electro music: in a studio surrounded by gloomy landscapes of the industrial zone, they created music that exactly corresponded to the spirit of the new time. The peak of Kraftwerk's creativity was in the 70s and 80s, and just at the turn of two decades, the album "Computer World" was released: a kind of standard of technocratic thinking, captured on a vinyl record.
The Chemical Brothers – Push The Button
Recognized innovators of electronic music, British band “The Chemical Brothers”, not only surprised the audience with their powerful tracks, but also brought up a new generation of musicians: the pioneers of the Genre of "Big Beat" and the idols of millions of fans, these guys so successfully combined fresh ideas with high-quality pop material that even skeptics recognized their obvious skill. Creative achievements were reflected in the commercial success of the group, and the release of "Push the Button" - the owner of the "Grammy" for the best electronic / dance album - reveals the secrets of enchanting arrangements on a brand new vinyl record.
Massive Attack – Blue Lines
The heroes of the British electronic scene Massive Attack deftly combine rock, jazz, soul and hip-hop: mixing all the ingredients with a melancholic electronic basis, they predetermined the emergence of an entire musical genre. The band's dark lyrics resonated in the underground environment and then flocked to the masses to become one of the most original cultural phenomena of the '90s and '00s. The iconic album Blue Lines was released in 1991, before the term "trip-hop" became widely known: electronics classics that are available on brand new vinyl.
DJ Shadow – Reconstructed: The Best Of DJ Shadow
Californian musician Josh Davis, better known as DJ Shadow, is a recognized innovator of the electronic scene: he tirelessly experimented with samples, borrowing all the best from hip-hop, jazz and rock, offering the public a hot electronic soundtrack for the rapidly changing 90s and 00s. In addition to recording solo albums, Davis participated in James Lovell's project “UNKLE”, and today the vinyl record with the best works of DJ Shadow can be considered a real classic of the genre.
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Masters of electronic music, traditionally face the public in the form of robots, pamper listeners with tenacious rhythms with a mixture of electronics, funk and pop music. The famous French duo released several extremely successful albums, among which the record "Random Access Memories" was especially distinguished, which raised the degree of success of Daft Punk to the maximum level: critical acclaim, several Grammy awards, the quality of the recording honed almost to the ideal - all this merged together on a record that will upgrade any home collection of vinyl.
Depeche Mode – The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1
One of the most revered electronic musicians. British band Depeche Mode created a unique sound in which there was a place for electronics, rock, industrial, techno, and of course, a kind of lyrics that reflect the life path of musicians in the era of the electronic revolution of sound. Depeche Mode (translated from French as "herald of fashion") really became a kind of voice of change in the 80s and 90s: musical innovators and recognized classics of the genre, they are still experimenting in search of a new sound.
Vangelis – Blade Runner
What can be in common between the recognized master of electronic music Vangelis and pop singer Demis Roussos? The story says that at the very start of their career, they were members of the rock band Aphrodite's Child, after which they chose completely different directions for themselves. Having upgraded his playing skills on synthesizers, Vangelis brought electronics to a new level, and many connoisseurs of experimental music learned about his work from the soundtrack to "Blade Runner": the gloomy atmosphere of the picture was a revelation for cinephiles, and the record turned out to be completely self-sufficient - it can be listened to from the beginning to the end, building in the imagination a suitable visual series in the style of noir.
Gorillaz – Humanz
The frontman of the British band Blur Damon Albarn and the artist Jamie Hewlett offered us a group of virtual musicians back in the days when the Internet was just at the beginning to became a thing. Changing from viscous, melancholic rhythms, to light and invigorating compositions, Gorillaz mastered a variety of genres of electronics, generously seasoning it with rock and hip-hop. As a result, there is worldwide popularity, multi-million copies and Grammy’s awards. The release of "Humanz" is an eccentric, flighty and completely non-trivially creation, which in general is characteristic of Albarn's work.
Air – Talkie Walkie
The French electronic duo with the most laconic name "Air" was founded in 1995 by students of the architect school in Versailles: Jean-Benoît Dunkel and Nicolas Godin were fascinated by the work of Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream, which prompted them to create a music project that develops the traditions of electronics classics. Sofia Coppola's film "Suicide Virgins", where the song "Playground Love" sounded, contributed to the unprecedented growth of the band's popularity, and in the tape "Lost in Translation" Coppola used the track "Alone In Kyoto" from the album "Talkie Walkie", which is certainly worth listening to on a vinyl record.
LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
Ambitious musician and arranger James Murphy managed to launch a successful project that combined electronic music, punk and kraut rock. Having earned confidence in the underground, LCD Soundsystem continued its victorious march, attracting attention with the lack of strict stylistic frameworks and the excitement atmosphere of light musical madness. The album "American Dream" skillfully balances between innovation and accessible art, without shocking the audience with too pretentious passages and giving a good portion of electronic and musical impressions available on a brand new vinyl record.
Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygène
Long before the French daft Punk, Air and David Guetta became world stars, Frenchman as well Jean-Michel Jarre created the foundations of modern smart electronics, surprising the audience with innovative music and fantastic light shows during live concerts. His name is included in the Guinness Book of Records, and the recognized classic of the genre, the release of "Oxygene", continues to educate new generations of musical experimenters and delight listeners - according to the good old tradition, on a 180-gram vinyl record.
Giorgio Moroder – Déjà Vu
Sunny Italy is not only the center of delicious grapes, pizza and pasta, but also the birthplace of one of the first composers and producers in the genre of synth-pop Giorgio Moroder. The era of disco gave listeners not only his solo releases, but also hit songs in collaboration with Sia, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Daft Punk. The album "Deja Vu", released after a long creative silence, is sure to cause a sense of déjà vu in those who are well acquainted with the work of Moroder: 12 energetic tracks in the best traditions of pop electronics, designed to invigorate and cheer up.
David Guetta – Guetta Blaster
The famous representative of the French electronic scene, DJ and producer David Guetta, began his journey to success at the age of 17 - working as a DJ in one of the Parisian clubs - and years later became one of the most discussed artists on the world music stage. Guetta collaborated with such stars as Black Eyed Peas, Sia, Akon, Flo Rida, and in October 2011, the authoritative publication DJ Magazine acknowledged David as the best DJ. The album "Guetta Blaster" marked a period of explosive growth for David Guetta: it is here that you can find the armor-piercing hit "The World is Mine".
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
The work of recognized masters of modern psychedelics, Australians “Tame Impala”, has experienced a noticeable transformation, turning from a rock seasoned with synthesizers into full-fledged electronics: clubs of digital and analog effects, powerful beats, multifaceted lyrics - all this was combined on a record with a memorable cover, not without reason causing associations with the works of Salvador Dali, because on the album "The Slow Rush" the group explores the theme of time in detail.
Underworld – Beaucoup Fish
British electronic “band Underworld” made a real breakthrough in 1996, after the release of the film “Trainspotting” and the mega-popular single "Born Slippy", and the album "Beaucoup Fish", which followed the worldwide success, reached the heights level of the electronic scene. The music, which became the choice of the progressive public, was remembered for the powerful beats of drums, atmospheric synthesizers and the mysterious vocals of Carl Hyde: all these ingredients are collected together on a brand new vinyl record.
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