[owenw]

Call me old, jaded and cranky but I am sick to the back teeth with current commercial dance music.

Are there any decent dance/electronic/ambient type groups out there?

By "decent" I mean along the lines of Orbital (pre '99), Underworld (before Darren Emerson left) The Orb (pre '97), Massive Attack, Leftfield, Future Sound of London (early stuff) etc.

The UK dance music scene got really good in the early to mid nineties after the acid/hardcore/rave thing faded away.

Owen

[SOUNDSTYLE]

I'm sick with nearly all music at the moment, who isn't, unless you're a kid who thinks the cheeky girls are at the top of their list, which is why I stick to the late eighties and early nineties dance music mostly, and then there's Kraftwerk from the early seventies.
I like Fishcerspooner's album which was released a few months back though.

[owenw]

Been thinking of getting it too, thanks for reminding me about it

I got Versebridgechorus by Kinobe recently but it's not as good as I'd hoped.
I like Royksopp's album from last year too. Hope they bring out some more good music at some point.

I must get some good Kraftwerk albums (I bought that awful remix cd they did in the early 90's - and gave it away after a few listens)

Owen

PS: We are the cheeky girls.....

Buy this and be happy.

[Spligsey]

Originally posted by Gambit
Buy this and be happy.

Dont forget the razor blades either

Adz

[Spligsey]

Originally posted by owenw
Been thinking of getting it too, thanks for reminding me about it

I got Versebridgechorus by Kinobe recently but it's not as good as I'd hoped.
I like Royksopp's album from last year too. Hope they bring out some more good music at some point.

I must get some good Kraftwerk albums (I bought that awful remix cd they did in the early 90's - and gave it away after a few listens)

Owen

PS: We are the cheeky girls.....

Electric Cafe is a good Kraftwerk album..

"Music.........Nonnnnnnn stoppppppp" (in my best robotic voice)

Adz

[Mr Cat]

what about Bonobo..? - their first album 'animal magic' is great, Dr Alex paterson's 'journey into paradise', thats great too...

I like the stuff you mention too... 8o)

[Rambo John J]

Originally posted by babble
Dr Alex paterson's 'journey into paradise', thats great too...

when did he release that? I'm a bit of an Orb fan and I've never even heard of that one
I wish I could track down a copy of the FFWD album, it's impossible to find these days.

[owenw]

Thanks for the recommendations guys...

Aunty Aubrey's Excursions... Part 1 is a pretty good collection of remixes by the good doctor if you don't already have it.

Anyone heard Kraftwerks' Tour de France Soundtracks?
Can't imagine it will compare to well against their 70's / early 80's stuff

Owen

[Rambo John J]

Originally posted by owenw

Aunty Aubrey's Excursions... Part 1 is a pretty good collection of remixes by the good doctor if you don't already have it.

I should really buy that on CD as my fluro turquoise vinyl took a battering when I used to spin it out DJing. They had some excellent remixes on there... it all went t1ts up on Excursions Pt 2 though, I thought. Maybe you can get too much of a good thing.

UFOrb's got to be one of the best albums ever made, I reckon I must've heard it a million times. Ultraworld's pretty special too.

Worth tracking down Chill Out by The KLF - if you don't already have it - without doubt the cornerstone of the ambient movement... after Eno, Tangerine Dream and the like laid down the original framework anyway. It's just like when Jimmy Cauty and Dr Alex used to do the chillout room upstairs at Heaven... in fact Chill Out is almost an Orb album, it definitely reeks of Alex and it stands the test of time without question.

[rake]

Well I dunno, there's plenty of decent stuff around.

Bent, Fila Brazilia, Tosca, Bonobo, Lemon Jelly, Yonderboi, Telepopmusik to name a few bands whose tuines keep my CD player spinning.

[Mr Cat]

Originally posted by Rambo John J
when did he release that? I'm a bit of an Orb fan and I've never even heard of that one
I wish I could track down a copy of the FFWD album, it's impossible to find these days.

Yeah, I've got the FFWD CD, it's ok, lot's of sample sounds, not much melodys, bit like Pomme fritz..?

as for jounrey into paradise, the first track is great, shows off the bass well, there's even a cover of albatross, ahem!

wish you could get some orb on DVD, that would be ace...

[Mr Cat]

Originally posted by Rambo John J
when did he release that? I'm a bit of an Orb fan and I've never even heard of that one
I wish I could track down a copy of the FFWD album, it's impossible to find these days.

try this link (amazon.com) -

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...music&n=507846

2-4 week order wait tho, but tthats the only place I can see it just now,

or try -
http://www.gemm.com/q.cgi?referred_b...+Alex+Paterson

[Mr Cat]

Rambo John J (or anyone else!) - do you have any other recomendations..? in the same style as the orb..?

cheers

[Mr Cat]

erm, I've just realised th it's - Voyage Into Paradise!
sigh, one of those days...

[owenw]

Yes, Lemon Jelly have a few good tunes, esp. on the .ky album.

Who likes Experiment Number 6 on Lost Horizons?

KLF's Chill Out and Telepopmusic are now on my list too

LOL remember when KLF (posing as the Timelords) did that Doctoring the Tardis tune back tune in '88?

I was considering getting some of Plaids' stuff.
I liked some of the Black Dog's music and others who were part of Warp records Artificial Intelligence series - Autechre, Speedy J, Aphex Twin etc.

I thought the 1st Boards of Canada album Music has the Right to Children was good for dreamy 70's sounding ambient.

Owen

[Mr Cat]

yeah, I've got Lemons Jellys lost horizon...it's ok, not amazing tho, not sure if I'd buy anymore of their stuff like...

what about the flaming lips..? wow, their last album...real cool, but got the soft bulletin, not convinced about that, need a few listens I think...

anyone into Spacemen3, galaxie 500...??? cool bands of their time too...

[Mr Cat]

try this website - www.musicsearcher.com
useful for searching for music...

[Rambo John J]

Mira Calix on Warp's good. The first album's quite harsh, but strangely ambient with it, but Skimskitta (spelling?) the follow up has some quite beautiful melody's on it. It's not immediate, but subsequent listens are very rewarding. If you're familiar with Aphex and Autechre you'll know what to expect.

Boards of Canada's follow up to Music... is excellent.

Neotropic (girlfriend of Brian Dougans of FSOL) has some talent. Breaks, beats, downtempo jazz and at times industrial-sounding twisted ambient. 15 Levels of Magnification is ace, but it's worth tracking down the vinyl version as the tracklisting was completely different to the CD. Mr Brubaker's Strawberry Alarmclock was a decent follow up as was La Prochaine Fois (bad spelling day today ) both lean more towards a jazz stylee, but still very electronic.

DJ Spooky always impresses me, his Optometry album is very swirly jazz but he always leans back on his dub/hiphop roots. Songs of a Dead Dreamer (a few years old now) is very soundscapey with a lot of samples, cut-ups, and dubby sounds.

You can always rely on Biosphere for some decent ambient stuff. The earlier albums were more beat driven (Patashnik, Microgravity), things are more of a soundscape these days.

If you want some beautiful soundscapes try anything by Steve Roach or Robert Rich. Lustmord leans towards darker stuff, but also worth listening to.

A lot of what I listen to these days is dark "industrial ambient" - lots of pounding beats and weirdness. Iron Halo Device, Megaptera, Sleep Research Facility, Stone Glass Steel, Hazard, Techno Animal, Curse of the Golden Vampire, Lab Report, Kerovnian, A Challenge of Honour... I could go on forever but it's not exactly stuff that most people can identify with.

Some very good ambient stuff made with "real" instruments comes from Stars of the Lid (the tired sounds of stars of the lid is ace) and Jessica Bailiff (all 3 of her albums are good, but the newer untitled one leans on more traditional song structures - she's got a beautiful voice). Both do droning ambient music that swirls around and sends you into a trance. Very, very nice

Tip of the iceberg, me old china.

[Rambo John J]

Originally posted by babble


anyone into Spacemen3,

Yup.
How about experimental audio research, the band they (well, Sonic Boom anyway) evolved into?

[owenw]

Anyone listened to Thievery Corporation or Zero 7?

[rake]

Ahhh so many good bands name checked on this thread.

anyone into Spacemen3

Oh yes. Hard to pick a favourite album, but probably plump for Playing With Fire. After the split I've followed more of Jason's stuff than Sonic's, but still quite like Sonic's Spectrum LP (anyone else own it on clear vinyl, bonkers squidgy clear plastic sleeve with blue liquid inside!?)

Flaming Lips - quite glad they've "made it", definitely a band with a solid, high quality back catalogue. Bought every album since seeing them in the tent at Reading 1992 (IIRC).

Zero7, very nice album - one not actually ruined by being played in every high street wine bar or being used continously by the BBC sports dept. as backing tracks. Recommend Bent "The Everlasting Blink" as a bit of a sound-a-like.

Thievery Corporation - now you're talking. Mirror Conspricay probably the best starting point, but give a big thumbs up to their DJ Kicks effort, as well as the lastest "Richest Man in Babylon". Can't really pigeonhole their sound ("Global Lounge" is the best effort), jusy imagine layers of Latin-tinged Kruder & Dorfmeister with more vocals and you may get close! And if you don't own any K&D you should be arrested by the music taste police

[SOUNDSTYLE]

Originally posted by owenw
Thanks for the recommendations guys...

Aunty Aubrey's Excursions... Part 1 is a pretty good collection of remixes by the good doctor if you don't already have it.

Anyone heard Kraftwerks' Tour de France Soundtracks?
Can't imagine it will compare to well against their 70's / early 80's stuff

Owen

I've got the 'Tour de France soundtracks' album and you're right, it's not as good as their earlier recordings, but there are a few tracks that are quite good.

[SOUNDSTYLE]

Just remembered another.
Two lone swordsmen are good. Try their 'Tiny Reminders' album.

[owenw]

Nice one Soundstyle! I completely forgot about them too.
Note to ambient artists: please come up with more memorable band names!

My shopping list is getting quite long now

Owen

[owenw]

Uhhh... don't like that laugh icon much! This is the first time I used it (and last)

[ag005613]

Cannae believe this thread has gone on this long and not mentioned the Chemical Brothers or Groove Armada. Both outstanding electronic UK bands. What about our French cousins eg. Air, Daft Punk, Laurent Garnier. Or the emerging Nordic bands royksopp already mentioned but also Ralph Myerz and Kings of Convenience.

BTW - avoid Fischerspooner. One great song in Emerge but a duff album. If you wanna try that whole electroclash thing stick to Felix Da Housecat and the Excellent Kitten and the Glitz album. Of the new punk-disco stuff - not sure about the Rapture but I do like the Album by Metro Area....There is hunners of stuff.

In summary - recommendations are Chems, GA, Air, Daft Punk, Garnier, Royksopp, Felix, Metro Area....Enjoy.

Further to ag005613's post, check out anything coming out of Trevor Jackson's Output Recordings stable, plus whatever James Murphy of DFA records gets his mucky little hands on (including The Rapture).

Avoid Fischerspooner......unless it's the DFA remix of Emerge.

And I've just remembered about the wonderful world of Peaches.......pure sleaze and a new album coming very soon

[ag005613]

Good shout about Output Records - I love the LCD Soundsystem Tune "losing my edge" (he is one half of DFA) on the second Output Records Complilation. Also the DJ - Kicks by Playgroup (AKA Trevor Jackson) is ace; especially his take on Behind the Wheel by Depeche Mode.

Originally posted by Spligsey
Dont forget the razor blades either

Adz

That's why it's so good