Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

you know who I kinda "forgot" about, and are actually better than I remember?

GusGus.

but back to the Orb for a second...

I really liked their "Okie Dokie" album, but I can get why fans of "the Orb sound" didn't like/get it, as it really does sound like "an album from Kompakt". I also saw them on that tour. It was a lot of fun, Thomas dj-ed as the opener while Alex had a drink and hung out. Then he climbed up on stage for the Orb's performance. When they were done, Thomas left and then Alex did a sort of "Back to Mine" (or a "Late Night Tales") sort of dj set.

I thought that their collaboration with Lee Perry was pretty good, but I don't know if it warranted 3+ different releases, know what I mean?

I couldn't get into 'the Dream' at all... COW and Moonbuilding were pretty good though.

I don't think I've listened to their new album enough to have an opinon.

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

Yeah, Risotto kinda kicks off with the big beat sound with tracks like Absurd and Atom Bomb, but soon goes down a much different path. The album feels like a nice journey. I got Fluke's discog in lossless, if ya ever looking for anything. I got many 90s electronica artists' discogs. ;)

Me, I am into the more aggressive side of electronica.

Some other great 90s ones are....

Junkie XL - Saturday Teenage Kick
Meat Beat Manifesto - Actual Sounds + Voices
Deadstock - Deadstock
Orbital - In Sides
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Apollo Four Forty - Electro Glide In Blue

90s electronica is fave being a teen during this period.

But there are tons of great later/newer music...
Anything by Amon Tobin, Clark, Lorn, Dolor, Moskva-Kassiopeya, iamamiwhoami, Moderat, Modeselektor, Justice, Nosaj Thing, Poemme, Alessandro Cortini, Sonoio, Slow Magic, Ehsan Gelsi, Siriusmo... and many more.

I'm always searching for new music. Love discovering stuff.

I make music as well under the name Neorev. You can find me on Bandcamp and the usual streaming sites and digital stores. ;)

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

i can't believe how great the 'impossible star' album from 2017 is.

i haven't checked on them since 2000 or so.

this album has been on heavy rotation for me, for the last
month or so,

along with shockingly, a 2004 solo album from
alan parsons (yes, THAT alan parsons from the project),
called valid path, it is definitely electronica along with
guests like : Uberzone, Shpongle, The Crystal Method, etc.

worth checking out.

later
-1

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

Since we're getting a little newer, I'm gonna toss Four Tet out here too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca6pjR2TLns

On the song length thing: Burial's Rival Dealer ep is 3 songs and 25 minutes, two songs are over 10 minutes and the whole thing plays as a single piece, like a mini album or a riverrun release. It's my favorite electronic release for winter into the holidays. It adds just a slight drop of snowy/cheery optimism into his usual wet city night soundscapes. Maybe even a bit of nostalgia, a wistfulness for raves past?


Oh and Four Tet's Morning/Evening release from 2015 is two tracks and 40 minutes.

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

Paul Hartnoll said relatively recently that the reason recent Orbital albums are shorter is people don't listen to long tracks anymore, as Spotify, iTunes etc. has reduced listeners' attention spans - and yet the one complaint I always see about their recent stuff is the tracks are too short! recent UW stuff has been similar, and FSOL have taken it to the extreme, with most of their recent records being 15-24 tracks, mixing up three-four minute pieces with one minute interludes. The Orb have at least throw in a few longer tracks, particularly on Moonbuilding (everyone seems to love this one but me - I find it exceptionally boring) and a couple of tracks on No Sounds Are Out of Bounds (which sounds like a half finished album to me - lots of beats but where are the tunes?!)

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

Here are a few other classics from the nostalgia files:
Way Out West
Freestylers
Roni Size
Juno Reactor
Propellerheads

Back in the CD era, I'd buy techno compilations (amp, Wipeout, grooveradio, urbal beats... looking at you!) And usually get turned on to something new. Mind you, this happens on streaming services now, but I dunno, maybe I was more excited by new music and more receptive in my youth.

A newer artist I really dig is Jon Hopkins. He collaborated with Karl and Eno on Pure Scenious, and can switch between teeth rattling techno and airy ambient no problem. His last two albums, "immunity" and this year's "singularity" are amazingly well produced and do have some longer tracks. Watch him on YouTube playing "Open Eye Signal" or "Everything Connected"... man's feeling it!

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

the boys in Autechre might have something to say about that


another group worth mentioning here is Mouse on Mars - they get that "IDM" tag a lot which seems to overrule everything but I never really got how they fit into that group, outside of the fact that they made strange electronic music. they released a new record this year which I haven't yet heard but really need to get around to. I feel like they're one of those groups that gets perpetually underrated, they don't really "stand out" per se but if I put on one album I always feel the need to play two or three more.

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

Ah yeah, their debut still gets the occasional spin around here. Fit into that same progressive house / trance sound as Chicane's debut and ESCM by BT, before trance went fully into the commercial 'Ibiza' sound.

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

now there's a name i haven't heard in a long time..
looks like they've been busy since 2000, might
have to catch up with them.

their albums were solid, and so were the singles.

loved pretty much everything they put out.

they did some cool collaborations with fluke, called pistolero
also.

*UPDATE : listening to 'mutant theater' from this year.

first song - return to pistolero - 11 minutes, and every song on there is 5 min, with most
being much longer... great return to style

later
-1

Re: Underworld Electronica contemporaries
 

I know, right? Early Juno Reactor and Moby spoke to me, a kid with cheap keyboards and effects pedals, thinking, "This is the music I'm trying to make, but so much better!". Revisiting Juno Reactor's discography today has been very enjoyable. The Fluke remix of Pistolero has been a long time favorite.

Can I single Propellerheads out for a moment? I know they only had one LP, but it was excellent. A handful of EPs, too, all Excellent. I really enjoyed that they had live drums courtesy of Will White ( later with Orbital spin-off Long Range) that sounded like loops, but with groove. Nice mix of spy, hip-hop and electro.