Laurie Anderson | Big Science
The 1982 debut studio album by the American performance artist and musician.
Electronic Pop Albums that Made a Difference
Wondering what the most influential electronic music albums are? This collection has the answer: An electronic music listening guide inspired by the book "Electro Shock! Groundbreakers of Synth Music" by Greg Rule — which is no longer in print, but which we really liked. Over the course of editing this book, the author sent invites to a variety of industry insiders asking them to submit a list of their favorite or most influential electronic pop records of the past decades. The result was a wide-ranging batch of submissions, that can be considered as a good starting point. We present a timeless selection of the most important electronic pop music albums and artists.
Aphex Twin | Selected Ambient Works
The 1992 debut album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James.
The Art of Noise | Who's Afraid of ...
The debut studio album by the British avant-garde synth pop group was released in 1984.
Beaver & Krause | In a Wild Sanctuary
This 1970 new age album by Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause featured many innovations in electronic music.
Björk | Homogenic
The third studio album by the Icelandic recording artist was released in 1997.
David Bowie | Low
The eleventh studio album by the British musician and co-producer Tony Visconti, released in 1977.
Kate Bush | The Dreaming
The fourth studio album by the British singer-songwriter, recorded over two years and released in 1982.
Byrne/Eno | My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
The first collaborative studio album by musicians Brian Eno and David Byrne, released in 1981.
The Chemical Brother | Dig Your Own Hole
The second studio album by the electronic music duo was released in 1997 in the United Kingdom.
Cibo Matto | Viva La Woman
The debut trip hop and alternative hip hop album by the band Cibo Matto was released in 1996.
Cirrus | Drop the Break
The 1997 album contains familiar tones of house, trip hop, and breakbeat culture.
Daft Punk | Homework
The debut studio album by the French house and electronic music duo was released in 1997.
Banco De Gaia | Last Train to Lhasa
An album by Banco de Gaia which was released in 1995. It was available as double CD or triple LP.
Depeche Mode | Speak & Spell
The debut studio album by the British electronic music band was released in 1981 by Mute Records.
Devo | Q: Are We not Men?
The debut studio album by the American new wave/post-punk band was released in 1978.
Thomas Dolby | Golden Age of Wireless
The debut album by the British musician contains new wave & synth-pop and was released in 1982.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer | Brain Salad Surgery
The fourth studio album by the British progressive rock band was released in 1973.
Brian Eno | Music for Airports
This ambient, minimalist, and electronic studio album by the British musician was released in 1979.
Eurythmics | Sweet Dreams (are Made of This)
The second studio album by the British pop duo Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart was released in 1983.
Peter Gabriel | So
Influenced by art rock & world beat, the fifth studio album by the British musician was released in 1986.
"Electro Shock! Groundbreakers of Synth Music" Insides
"We consider ourselves not so much entertainers as scientists. We work in our studio laboratory, and when we discover something that is true, we put it on tape."
Ralf Hütter (Founding member of Kraftwerk)
"One of the major things we've done from the beginning is using rough guitar effects. We've got quite a large collection of Electro-Harmonix pedals and stuff like that. They always put a bit of bite into things."
The Chemical Brothers about mangling synth sounds with effect pedals
"Much of the album was done on a (Roland) Juno-106. You can get so much out of that synth. Also a significant amount of it was done on the (Korg) MS-20 — the more spiky sounds. A few things that people think are guitar are actually the MS-20."
William Orbit about producing Madonna's "Ray of Light"
Jan Hammer | The First Seven Days
A jazz fusion album recorded by the jazz musician in 1975. It features extensive use of synthesizers.
Herbie Hancock | Future Shock
An album by the American jazz pianist, released in 1983, is an early example of instrumental hip hop.
Jon Hassel | Earthquake Island
An album by the American musician, released in 1978, provides a singular jazz-fusion listening experience.
The Human League | Greatest Hits
A compilation by the British synth-pop group packed with catchy hits including "Don't You Want Me".
Jean-Michel Jarre | Oxygène
The successful third studio album by the French electronic musician was first released in France in 1976.
Kraftwerk | Computer World
The eighth studio album by the German electronic band, released in 1981, is themed around technology.
Madonna | Ray of Light
Released in 1998, this album by the American entertainer was co-produced by William Orbit.
Massive Attack | Mezzanine
Trip hop at its finest: The third studio album by the British electronic music group, released in 1998.
Robert Miles | Dreamland
The influential debut studio album by the Italian record producer and DJ was released in 1996.
Morcheeba | Big Calm
World-class trip hop: The second album by the British electronic music group was released in 1998.
Tubeway Army | Tubeway Army
This analog electronica album by British synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan was released in 1978.
Pet Shop Boys | Alternative
The two-disc compilation album by the British synth pop duo Lowe & Tennand was released in 1995.
Photek | Modus Operandi
The debut studio album by the British drum 'n' bass artist was released in 1997.
Pink Floyd | The Pipers at the Gate of Dawn
The debut studio album by the legendary British rock band was released in 1967.
Portishead | Dummy
This dark, melancholic debut studio album from Bristol changed the music world in 1994.
The Prodigy | The Fat of the Land
The infectious third studio album by the British electronic music group was released in 1997.
Roni Size & Reprazent | New Forms
The debut studio album by the British drum 'n' bass group was released in 1997.
Sneaker Pimps | Becoming X
The debut trip hop album by the electronic band was released in 1996 in the United Kingdom.
Tangerine Dream | Poland
Released in 1984, Poland was the twenty-fourth major release by the electronic music group.
Vangelis | China
A concept album by the Greek electronic and film-music composer, released in 1979.
Epilogue
We discovered "Electro Shock! Groundbreakers of Synth Music" many years ago in the bookstore of the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Since then, the articles within it have inspired us — much in the same way that the artists of the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s were inspired by new instruments and studio technology to record innovative music. The sound of these decades stands out for its creativity, pioneering spirit, and masterful production. We hope that this collection will delight music enthusiasts just as these essential albums have delighted us.
Check out the microsite of Urban Phunk Society curating free chillout & lounge music streams, background information, and smart music production tools.