Martin Lee Gore, guitarist for Depeche Mode and composer of most of the group’s songs, including such hits as Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus, turns 52 on July 23. Both of these songs are part of the band’s most successful work, the Violator album. In this regard, we decided to compile a small list of absolute masterpieces of electronic music, suitable for introduction.
When a person comes out of puberty, he simultaneously parted with many prejudices and stereotypes. In particular, many fans of all kinds of guitar music – and especially those who call themselves “rockers” – change their attitude toward “electronics. The album list published today is intended to help new “music lovers” to love electronic music in its diversity (not for everyone, of course, no list is enough for that).
Depeche Mode – Violator (1990)
It so happened that Depeche Mode became synth pop icons, eclipsing everything that came before and influencing everything that came after. Violator’s seventh studio album played a key role in this. It is ridiculous to think that the disc is notable only for the two well-known hits: Violator is a great example of a powerfully monolithic album, with each song an integral part of it. The band recorded seven more great records, the last of which was released this year, but Violator remains an impregnable peak not only for its writers, but for all contemporary electronic pop music.
Kraftwerk – Radio-Aktivitaet (1975)
Fifteen years earlier, an album was released without which Depeche Mode and many others would not have made it. The Dusseldorf-based band Kraftwerk, which at first was among the pioneers of German psychedelic electronics, called Krautrock (a phenomenon certainly worthy of a separate consideration), suddenly “mechanized” their image, and with it, their sound. It began with the album Autobahn (the third official record of the group), and finally, the new style of these “The Beatles of electronic music”, new trendsetters in the culture of their contemporaries and kings of retro-futurism, was formed on the disc Radio-Aktivitaet. In general, any representative of progressive humanity should listen to the discography in full. And you’d better start with the German version of 1975 album.
The Prodigy – Music For The Jilted Generation (1994)
We are going back to the nineties, which is impossible to remember without the energy explosion produced by the guys from the English countryside. “The music of the Jilted Generation” broke all the molds, brought The Prodigy to the top of the world music industry and made a new style – electronic big beat – the main dish of discos all over the world. Gradually Europe recognized the names of other heroes of the genre – The Crystal Method, The Chemical Brothers, Propellerheads. The British music veteran Norman Cook, who for the occasion renamed himself Fatboy Slim, also joined them. All this honest company is worthy of the closest attention of fans of good music (not because of bad nostalgia for school discos, like, say, in the case of plebs-ravers Scooter), and we advise to start studying it with the second album of The Prodigy.
Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral (1994)
It’s 1994 again, this time – USA. The second full-length by the brainchild of the real second-wave industrial monster Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails. Strange recording history, interesting fate of the songs – and simply unique and fascinating sound of the new industrial music. Influencing all industrial metal from Neue Deutsche Haerte and Powerman 5000 with Marilyn Manson to, of course, EBM and its derivatives.
Autechre – Incunabula (1993)
And one year earlier another revolution happened. A milestone in the formation of IDM – “smart dance music”, as music critics awkwardly dubbed it. In fact, there was almost nothing danceable about these sounds, which had set off another musical revolution in the nineties of the last century. Together with the crazy Irishman Aphex Twin these Englishmen said really new word in music. And the first two albums of the duo still remain the benchmark of atmospheric electronica. And for fans of sound intellectual exercises there are other works of Autechre, as well as products of Aphex Twin and projects connected with it. And then you can move on to Brian Eno’s rich and varied ebmient legacy.
Laibach – WAT (2003)
Speaking of EBM. The tenth studio album of the great Slovenians Laibach is not only the tip of the iceberg called Neue Slowenische Kunst, but also the best example of EBM – Electro Body Music, one of the most aggressive genres of electronic music (which can be continued through such great bands as KMFDM and Front 242). In general Laibach, one of the founders of industrial and founders of martial industrial, succeeded in almost all of the directions mentioned here. And many people start their immersion into their wonderful multi-layered world of meanings and intricate quotations with this album. Why not?
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft – Alles ist Gut (1978)
The German duo DAF, the comrades-in-arms of Laibach in the first industrial wave, remain known only in a relatively narrow circle. Though they influenced everything possible – you can find direct quotations from their works in many bands, from Laibach to Rob Zombie.
Infected Mushroom – Classical Mushroom (2000)
Trance and what has come to be called psytrance is a very interesting phenomenon that can drag on for a long time and seriously. Without thinking too much, we suggest to start with the most successful album of the most famous representatives of this genre. And then you will start to find its dark pearls.
