5 Albums to Get You Into IDM

Check out my 5 Albums to Get you into IDM - a problematic genre label, but nevertheless an umbrella term that houses some incredible music.

Come discuss in the comments section!

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TOP 5 ALBUMS TO GET YOU INTO IDM:

1) Autechre - Tri Repetae (1995)
2) The Future Sound of London - Dead Cities (1996)
3) Squarepusher - Hard Normal Daddy (1997)
4) Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right to Children (1998)
5) Four Tet - Rounds (2003)

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST LINKS:

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[Randomizermx]

I would have called it ADM - Abstract dance music

[JpnachoSWAG]

Wow you love that autechre album so much that youre even wearing it on your shirt

[thespungolator]

I wish I could listen to IDM but I'm just not intelligent enough!!! 😥

[Hollyhock_Music]

I love listening to others describe their love for Boards of Canada

[wabby]

Solid list! Here's some other great ones:

6) Various Artists - Artificial Intelligence (1992)
7) Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992) (I just have to include it)
8) The Future Sound of London - Lifeforms (1994)
9) Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker (1997)
10) Drexciya - Harnessed the Storm (2002)

[whedonobsessed]

Your knowledge of music is INSANE.
Since I started watching this channel 2 months ago, I've learnt so so much, and gotten back into touch with artists that I used to listen to, but never understood their music so much. Thank you thank you thank you Oliver!

[lukeherring]

Excellent list and pretty much exactly what I would pick if I could only choose 5. Here are some other good albums from the genre:

Amon Tobin's Permutation and Supermodified are also good additions, especially if you like Hard Normal Daddy. Tobin goes for a slightly darker, more atmospheric approach in comparison to 'Pusher.

Clark - Body Riddle. Another Warp artist, although this one's from Germany. Chris Clark has always had a slightly different approach to IDM, going for very rich synthesisers and slightly more poppy tempos and melodies. However, he can also produce some of the most achingly beautiful stuff in the genre, such as the closer of Body Riddle, The Autumnal Crush.

James Holden - The Inheritors. This is a bit less accessible and has some slightly odd, wonky melodies, but is extremely rewarding. Holden perfectly fuses instrumentation with synthesisers for a very rich listening experience.

Jon Hopkins - Immunity. I should probably preface this by saying that this is my #1 album of all time. This is a really good introduction to the genre if you're into progressive house, as Hopkins perfectly fuses pounding beats and morphing melodies with rich soundscapes and real piano.

Lusine ICL - Serial Hodgepodge. Lusine's brand of IDM is fairly accessible and melodic, but still provides a nice variety of complex beats. You'd like this if you like Clark.

Metamatics - Neo Ouija. Metamatics is a pretty obscure artist, but he has some excellent, very minimal IDM, focusing on tight beats and funky melodies. His side project Norken with the album Soul Static Bureau also expands on this sound.

Monolake - Ghosts. Monolake were originally a minimal techno group from Germany, but have moved over to a sound closer to IDM. Their beats are often minimal and their soundscapes range from very accessible to quite difficult.

Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker. Mouse on Mars continue the original essence of IDM, featuring many fast complex beats and melodies. While this isn't one of my favourites, it is still a good listen.

Plaid - Not For Threes. Another Warp duo from the UK, while the likes of Aphex Twin and Autechre went on to completely abandon that original Artificial Intelligence sound, Plaid have stayed strong with aesthetic and expanded it. Not For Threes is probably their best work, but they have stayed relatively consistent.

Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus Seven. This is a slightly controversial pick, as I know many would contest whether OPN was even IDM. In the traditional sense and sound, not so much, but in the idea of IDM, I'd say he was. This album is probably the most challenging of the list, which very bizarre, other-worldly soundscapes and tracks going what seems like all over the place. However, it is very rewarding and one of my all-time favourite albums.

I should probably mention alva noto and Ryoji Ikeda, who are more glitch, but come under the genre to an extent. Dataplex and Univrs are good starts with them.

µ-Ziq's Lunatic Harness just gets everything right from a drill and bass IDM perspective, perfectly mixing the melody with the beat, sometimes creating something very emotionally resonant.

I'll throw Venetian Snares in there as well. He's another 'borderline' artist, but he still has some of the aesthetic, especially on his latest album Traditional Synthesiser Music, which gives a lot of groovy rhythms and a classic afx sound. Rossz Csillag Alatt Született is also outstanding, especially if you like the drill and bass side of IDM.

Finally, if you want my opinion on the 5 best IDM records, regardless of accessibility, I'd say Immunity (as mentioned), drukqs by Aphex Twin, Ultravisitor by Squarepusher, Music Has the Right to Children (as mentioned in the video) and Oversteps by Autechre.

If you read this far, I hope this was helpful in some way.

[GustavoGaming]

hey what do you think about this dude named Aphex twin

[marcni]

I'd ask you to do one for future garage but it'd probably go something like this:
1) Burial - Untrue
2) Burial - Kindred
3) Burial - S/T
4) Burial - Street Halo
5) Burial - Rival Dealer

[ZAPPED]

Boards of Canada is more of a drug than music.

[nremac]

An Autechre guide? Hell fuckin' yeah! It's probably gonna be like an hour long god damn I love them

[randyj]

Glad to see FSOL getting love - they're in their own realm imho - top shelf artist who do what they do - very well. 1 of a kind and they incorporate so many influences - including rock and psych rock and organic sounds (of course). Cheers to FSOL for their amazing albums and classic live broadcasts.

[Bruce]

I needed this channel back in 07-08 when my drug use and circle of musically inclined friends (spelled noise for the sake of noise, no instrument necessary) were at a peak. Between this, the shoegaze vid, and some of the back catalog, it's just nice to know other people were out there listening to the same stuff we were. Even if it didn't seem like it at the time. Keep doing what you're doing, mate.

[bryangrimes]

Glad you got the Aphex Twin question out of the way early.

You should do a real-time review of Elseq 1-5.

Also, a list of any five Autechre albums would have sufficed.

Good video!

[Patricia_Taxxon]

Not enough time to watch the whole video right now, I skimmed it though. list, and I mostly agree with your picks of favorite Autechre albums. Although I'd pick Draft 7.30 over untilted, I always say that it has the mindblowing sound design of confield but with a really catchy and fun twist to it. 10/10 album in my opinion. I hope you don't skimp over it too much in the guide.

And I agree, brits make the best IDM. Although this american over here is gonna try giving us a better name in the experimental electronic scene soon.

[CallampaProducciones]

Please, 5 Albums to Get You into DREAM POP, Cheers and keep going with your great work ;)

[wingoshack]

Plaid is an oft-overlooked IDM group. I used to listen to their Rest Proof Clockwork all the time back in the day, along with these.

[timenspacetraveler]

oH MY GOD HES GOT AN AUTECHRE GUIDE IN THE WORKS

[jimmyjustice]

strange to me that geogaddi never gets a mention! i feel like it pushes the conceptual envelope so much further then 99% of stuff in the genre. it's deffo a personal fave of mine as much as i love the other stuff

[geminin]

If you google the tri repetae album art you'll notice that every image is a slightly different shade, making it quite hard to determine what the actual colour of the album is