Intricately crafted electronic albums?

https://waveform.social/post/58204

Intricately crafted electronic albums? - waveform.social

I’m looking for suggestions for electronic albums in any sub-genre that you think exemplify dedication to craft and careful consideration of detail in any aspect: production, sound design, composition, etc. Here are examples of some artists that I think have consistently released music in this vein: * Daft Punk (on this list particularly due to everyone’s go-to for great production, Random Access Memories) * Tipper * Yosi Horikawa * The Flashbulb * Shpongle * Lusine * Eli & Fur * KOAN Sound

Thanks very much for all of the recommendations, everyone! I have lots of musical exploration ahead of me!
Vril - Anima Mundi
Pretty much any hallucinogen album
And the remasters are getting ready to drop on 7/22: https://hallucinogenmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-albums-remastered
The Albums Remastered, by Hallucinogen

16 track album

Hallucinogen
Savant’s Alchemist album is a really good one that comes to mind. He’s got his own unique sound

Really any albums from:

-Boards of Canada -Amon Tobin -Flying Lotus

I mean Aphex Twin probably goes without saying, given the influence on some of the listed artists alone. Can’t go wrong with any album but “…I Care Because You Do” or either of the “Selected Ambient Works” would be good starting points. Could also throw Autechre or Squarepusher in for the same reason too!

If you want something a bit more melodic, I love Stimming’s album “Ludwig.” Lisa Bella Donna’s stuff is also a treat.

And I’ll sneak in another style yet with Helene Vogelsinger! “Contemplation” is a great album.

I’ve listened to Selected Ambient Works and Squarepusher’s Hard Normal Daddy in the past, both great! Have also listened to lots of Lisa Bella Donna. Have somehow never dived deep into Autechre before. Thanks for all the good recommendations!
My pleasure! The other suggestions in the comments are excellent too, you’ll have a ton of music to explore here.
I'm not sure if it technically counts as electronic music, but I really liked Aphex Twin's Computer Controlled Analogue Instruments.
Yes! His “Selected ambient works” are out of this world!

Deadmau5 - While 1 < 2 Absolutely excellent, huge pallet.

Mat Zo - Illusion of Depth (2020) Another great, through composed album.

I’ve heard While 1 < 2 and listened to lots of Deadmau5 back in the day! Will have to check out the Mat Zo album, never heard of him or that album before!

I'll throw in a few:

  • Four Tet (Rounds is generally regarded as amazing, I am a big fan of Sixteen Oceans)
  • Caribou (each subsequent album is more intricate than the previous)
  • Kuedo
  • SBTRKT
  • Sepalcure
  • Autechre
  • Chapelier Fou
  • Kid Koala
Nero, com truise, justice. Love me some Nero, also their reaching out music video sent me on a wild out run fueled music kick.
BT - This Binary Universe
Squarepusher - Hello Everything
I second BT here.. most of his albums are great imo. I like all of them but currently loving “_”
_ (album) - Wikipedia

+1 For Squarepusher here. There are a lot of good recommendations in this thread but this is the one that immediately came to mind for me.

Hello Everything is great, and I'd also recommend Ultravisitor as well. Both those albums as a whole are masterpieces. Thoughtful, meticulously crafted and absolutely wild. If feels like organized chaos.

Ooo you had me at tipper. At the last tipper and friends, this guy named Omnist crushed it.

[https://on.soundcloud.com/2ezK5QTRZWHFgbUE6](Forces of the unseen mix)
^it gets spicy

Shield is an incredible beat maker. His drum samples are amazing, specifically the snare hits and fills always stood out to me. When he gets together with Jon1st, they bring the best out of each other. Jon1st is an incredible turntablist.

[https://on.soundcloud.com/1Kcb1ytabxqNNW8q8](shield-beats from the basement)

[https://on.soundcloud.com/6PaAqsAi59N4RtMg9](Jon1st & Shield - Fat Boys Flip)

I could go on all day, but the last one I’ll leave you with is Mad Zach. Been a big fan of this guy since he dropped a track called “The Visitor”. He’s quite diverse in style, but definitely deep in the underground bass scene. Hearing this guy on a well tuned f1 rig was incredibly euphoric.
[https://on.soundcloud.com/1UTkVGYt2VeoVumF8](Mad Zach - Brootle)

Nicolas Jaar’s Space Is Only Noise and Olafur Arnalds’ For Now I Am Winter (slightly more neo-classical/acoustic) are two I regularly revisit precisely for how cohesively the tracks fit together. Oh, and anything by Floating Points.

Mind, none of these use 100% electronic/synthesized sounds, so I don’t know if they count.

Simian Mobile Disco- Temporary Pleasure, Attack Decay Sustain Release, Unpatterns

A couple that comes to mind that I'd recommend anyone to give a listen.

  • The Knife - Silent Shout
  • RJD2 - Since We Last Spoke
  • General Elektrisk - Good City for Dreamers
  • Yesterdays New Quintet - Angels Without Edges
OVERWERK - Toccata

YouTube

Iglooghost!

If I had to recommend one artist, it would definitely be this. I've never heard anything like it. Chaotic, lighthearted, masterfully crafted beats and percussions, and a lot of heart. There's also a little world built around the music with alien creatures and their own languages.

Neō Wax Bloom

Iglooghost · Album · 2017 · 11 songs.

Spotify
just listened through Neō Wax Bloom which was very enjoyable. I think the more you listen through this album, the more small things you notice...
Yes! Great recommendation. Neō Wax Bloom is an overwhelming 40 minutes, but Iglooghost's colorful sound palette and sense of melody keeps it intensely listenable. I'm amazed by how he fuses recorded instruments and synthesized soundscapes like it's nothing.
Great recommendation, never heard anything quite like this! Neō Wax Bloom was a frenetic but joyous adventure!
Try Pogo's Ultraluxe. Tidal recommend it to me and the first track was enough to hold my attention, but it gets so much better after that (IMO). It's sample heavy but perfectly crafted, clever and fun. It's been a real highlight for me for a while.

Ø - Oleva [2008]

Manuel Gøttsching - E2 E4 [1984]

Todd Dockstader - Aerial 1 [2005]

Alva Noto - HYbr:ID I [2021]

Two lone swordsmen - Stay Down [1998]

Pan Sonic - Aaltopiiri [2001]

Plasticman - Consumed in key [2022]

Off the top of my head… I spy the psy, thought Modus - The future is behind us (visitors version) [2023] was nice

For sound design, it's hard to beat Metroid Prime Triology's soundtracks. Each is just so good.

For atmosphere and technical ability, I think Xetrovoid's darkwave style deserves a shout, but Pertubator is a little more popular.

Otherwise, there's a lot of stellar vaporwave and futurefunk out there that takes advantage of these. I think a couple favorites are Vaperror, St. Pepsi, and Groceries, Yes We're Open!

Savant comes to mind

These are just off the top of my head:

Igorrr - Tout Petit Moineau @ Dour Festival 2014

Subscribe to the Igorrr's YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/36AYdYL Igorrr - Tout Petit Moineau, Live@Dour Festival 2014 Shooting by Kevin Binnemans and Julien Chassaignon.

Igorrr | Invidious

I’d highly recommend these - they’re not all strictly electronic but I feel there’s overlap at least:

  • Sasha - Scene Delete
  • Jon Hopkins - Immunity
  • Daniel Avery - Drone Logic
  • Bonobo - Black Sands
  • BT - This Binary Universe
  • Boards of Canada - Tomorrow’s Harvest
  • Hugo Kant - Far From Home
  • Bicep - Bicep
  • Sub Focus - Sub Focus

Bonobo spans genres but he’s probably my favourite artist right now. His Late Night Tales entry (not electronic) was one of the best albums I’ve ever heard.

Miracle Musical by Tally Hall. It's a bit of a trip

Since I see Tipper and Koan Sound there (hard agree, btw), I think you'd like the neuro/bass scene as well:

  • There's Frequent, Vorso, Copycatt, Keota if you like weirder sounds
  • There's Azaleh, Echo Map, Stasys, Voljum if you like a more melodic focused experienced but still enjoy lots of insane sound design
  • I've been lurking kbin for a few weeks now, and finally a question I can't help myself but register to answer!

    And my answer is -

    Infected Mushroom

    They've been, and still are, making electronic music, specifically PsyTrance, for 25+ years. Their music is phenomenal.

    I've actually just sorted through their discography file on my pc (life is going down the drain and I need the distraction, plus their music provides such an escape, my mental health would seriously be even worse without them) and am now listening through my final playlist, and it's over 360 tracks, and I couldn't pick a single favourite! But I also don't want to infodump on you, so I'll limit myself to 5 tracks and try to give you a good sample of their work:

    Release Me is from their first full album and is still on of my top most played.

    It's Behind Me Now to contrast, is one of my favourites from their most recent album.

    Bust a Move - a masterpiece really. Their own remix of it and Bliss's remix are as good as the original, which isn't something I say lightly.

    Cities of the Future is always good.

    And I'll leave you with a taste of their more mellow side with Animatronica, though I can't help myself and will also sneak Shakawkaw and I Wish in under that category, sorry, I couldn't help myself lol

    Seriously though, the number of tracks that didn't make the playlist is probably in single figures, and many of those are because the music personally brings up bad memories, not that it isn't good to listen to, so it's a deep and fantastic rabbit hole to dive in to - enjoy!

    Infected Mushroom

    INFECTED MUSHROOM'S official YouTube Page. Our first ever NFT Release- Shroomeez EP coming out May 24th on Monstercat & Nifty Gateway. Pre-Save: http://monster.cat/shroomeez

    YouTube
    Oh, almost forgot - for the full experience listen on headphones, so much detail is lost via most speakers.

    I've been working my way through the playlist some more today, and I just can't not share a few more of my favourites that I don't think get mentioned enough (you know, for posterity lmao):

    The Shen

    Cream

    Symphonatic

    Gravity Waves

    Manipulator

    And this unreleased track I found buried in the discography file, first time I heard it the other week I just had the biggest grin on my face -
    Sleeping

    Infected Mushroom - The Shen

    YouTube
    Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK
    Studio album by Múm
    I’ll 2nd this. It’s one of my favorite albums.

    Boards of Canada - the entire discography

    For something fresh I don't see listed: Vegyn - Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds

    Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase

    Nathan Fake - Drowning in a Sea of Love

    The Campfire Headphase, indeed. I find it packed with great stuff that I consider intricately crafted, and full of feeling
    Burial - Untrue

    Some great artists here I will check out myself. Other artist I recommend checking out are;

    Electric Universe
    Astral Projection
    Hallucinogen
    Androcell
    Easily Embarrassed

    Future Sound of London - ISDN

    Check out some mixed tapes, this is one of my faves - https://www.mixcloud.com/Hallucin8/thee-o-sunset-on-venus/

    I was going to recommend ISDN as well. Also Orblivion by The Orb. Both are desert island albums for me.
    Excellent! Though I might go Orbvs Terrarvm.
    • Starcadian, any of his albums but especially Radio Galaxy.

    He says he "makes ear movies," and I'd say that's about the best description. His music is very cinematic but also expansive and diverse. Radio Galaxy in particular reminds me very favorably of Random access Memories in the way that it experiments with different genres a bit more than previous works.

    I found Starcadian 8 years ago and I've listened to some of his music almost every day since. I keep finding new things.

    If you'll allow me to nerd out about drum and bass real quick:

    OCD by Royalston

    An aptly named, obsessively produced drum and bass album. Not a huge fan of the second track, Arps of Fury, but the next track and on I feel it really picks up. Black Cloud is incredible, it's got such an atmosphere to it.

    Zawadi by Kimyan Law

    Kimyan Law was only 22 when he produced this amazing work. No fat sausages here, just an incredibly well mixed and mastered album. Magic is a very beautiful, minimal track with purposeful breaks.

    Split the Atom by Noisia

    Very popular release but I have to mention it. The masters of neurofunk in their prime.

    Zeitgeist by Camo and Krooked (the official youtube playlist has teaser tracks for some reason, spotify should have the full album)

    Another popular release. Nostalgic and futuristic at the same time, reaching back for classic rave and funk influences while evolving the sound of DnB. This album is the first time I ever heard an "anti-drop", where the buildup transitions into a smooth and measured drop, every instrument purposeful and sharp. Ruhepuls is a favorite track of mine.

    Jungle Gone Down

    YouTube
    Are into this mix series? It's really good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD48PwyUD2s
    I've never heard of it until now but this is very nicely mixed together. thanks for the link!

    This thread is solid gold, I have been looking for new electronic artists lately too

    A personal favourite, definitely an example of well crafted electronic music (lots of original tracks) would be anything by Takkyu Ishino.

    that includes the Denki Groove discography, as well as his solo albums (and live sessions, also great). I recommend all of his stuff.

    And as others have suggested, you cant go wrong with Boards of Canada, any album. Even their old tracks, which are very lo-fi, almost like vapourwave

    Solar Fields- Earlier stuff is ambient, later stuff is more dancy.

    Stellardrone- All of it is good. I don't know how he does it.

    Hello Meteor- Very prolific. Incorporates some analog instruments.

    Mitch Murder- He has some of the best production I've ever heard, but this particular song stands out. The fade at the end is so incredibly well done, I usually follow it all the way down to absolute silence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXFQNaODvMA

    Igorrr is great. Boards of Canada. very good. Aphex Twin was my favorite thing for like a year. and very recently i've been enamoured by Patricia Taxxon. its queer as fuck furry art, and it makes me cry every time i listen. the texture of her sound is really intricate, it feels tactile to me. lots of super well crafted sound synthesis. i like it alot.
    Igorrr - Tout Petit Moineau

    Subscribe to the Igorrr's YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/36AYdYLPurchase CD or Vinyl : igorrr.comIgorrr on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/IgorrrBarrroqu...

    YouTube
    Glad I didn’t have to scroll to see Aphex Twin mentioned. 🙂
    μ-Ziq and dntel come to mind.