![Chemical Brothers: Singles 93-03 [Promotional Poster] (2003)](http://img216.echo.cx/img216/1028/ae1b7bg.jpg)
![Moby [Concert Poster] (2000)](http://img216.echo.cx/img216/6766/mobyposter1wn.jpg)
Electronica is a distant descendant of both disco and funk, two 70's music styles that were club and dance oriented. Both were associated with establishing a groove; an extended beat-driven instrumental section (sometimes accompanied by vocals or sound effects). As the 1980's wore on, band-driven disco and funk had become passe. With the advent of digital effects and sampling, and the refinement of synthesizers, dance and club music became technology driven, with artists exploring new electronic beats.
The formative years were in the post-disco era of the early 1980's. Central to the movement were the club-heavy cities of New York, Chicago, and Detroit; within each locale, a regionally specific form of purely electronic music developed, with beats maximized to insanely rapid paces; in Detroit, this music was called techno; in New York and Chicago, it was called house.
This new technologically driven club/dance movement became a genre unto itself; the broadest genre definition has come to be called electronica, which is an umbrella for techno, house, and literally dozens of even more specific subgenres.
![Tricky: Blowback [Promotional Poster]](http://img216.echo.cx/img216/6306/trickyblowbackposter4ir.jpg)
![Underworld: Born Slippy [Promotional Poster] (2003)](http://img216.echo.cx/img216/6076/underworldposter4ec.jpg)
In the late 1980's, a new form of these musics appeared in the clubs of England; it fused the pure, raw electronic sounds of house and techno with a lush, organic sensuality that often included some actual traditional instrumentation or vocals; this English electronica was the genesis of two primary electronica subgenres, trip-hop and jungle (also known as drum 'n' bass).
As the 1990's began, electronica no longer was strictly about dancing; as trip-hop and drum 'n' bass slowed the grooves, newer subgenres designed for headphones and chill-out areas began to appear, usually fusions of existing subgenres. These include ambient house, tech-house, and many others.
As a music form, it has been in existence for two decades, and has remained robust; sending numerous hits into the charts, occupying the lion's share of club and dance music, and undergoing reinventions every time technology takes a step further. As long as there are dancers, headphones, and new technology, electronica's future, and position at the leading edge of many innovations in music, seems more assured than any other genre or style of music in existence.
Some important/influential electronica artists/songs include:
1. The Chemical Brothers: Block Rockin' Beats
![Chemical brothers: Block Rockin' Beats [Single] (1997)](http://img216.echo.cx/img216/5039/chemicalblockrockin0wq.jpg)
The Chemical Brothers were the first electronica act to really crossover bigtime into the mainstream, helping to popularize the movement. A remarkable synthesis of diverse elements like Cabaret Voltaire, Public Enemy, and My Bloody Valentine, their 1997 "Block Rockin' Beats" was an enormous club hit; their 1999 album, Surrender made the top-40 on the Billboard album chart, a feat matched by the follow-up, Come With Us, in 2002; very high showings for electronica albums. A duo of British deejays, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, they called themselves the Dust Brothers at first, in tribute to the team that produced the Beatie Boys' Paul's Boutique. A cease and desist followed, necessitating a name change. "Block Rockin' beats" uses a Schooly D vocal sample, and pitch-bent synth work.
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Article comments
1 - Scott Butki
That's a great list. The only one I'd dispute would be tricky and that's just because I could never get into him.
2 - Scott Butki
What do you think of DJ Shadow's live album?
3 - Scott Butki
The only one of these I don't own now is Mouse on Mars.
4 - Tina
I have always loved Electronica, but this playlist is awesome!! There are songs that I have never heard of, now Im going to download them and check em out.
5 - uao
Thanks Tina and Scott (Sorry for slow replies; I've been pressed for time at work and haven't been participating here, but will return soon I hope...)
I've not heard all of DJ Shadow's live album, but would like to check it out; live electronica albums are a tricky proposition. Some really are transcendant, and others really flop.
Tricky wasn't so great after Maxinquaye, but I'll still swear by that one.
6 - Steve
Interesting list, uao.
I have -
5 songs by Moby, including the one you mentioned,
4 by Chemical Brothers, including the one you mentioned,
1 by The Orb ("Blue Room"),
3 by The Prodigy, though not the one that you mentioned,
2 by Underworld, including the one you mentioned,
5 by Massive Attack, not including the one that you mentioned.
I've heard of the rest of the artists except for Mouse On Mars.
Massive Attack or Moby would be my faves on that list.
7 - Scott Butki
I'm going to pull out my cds with these songs and get a copy of Mouse on Mars and will return with thoughts.
The DJ shadow live album comes with a dvd of the show live and he's pretty entertaining.
I think Orbital was one of the funniest live shows I saw. They put on goggles with lights in the front - the kind I think miners use - and so as they played and bounced you'd see these tiny lights bouncing around.
8 - Scott Butki
I have to challenge this assertion in the piece, though:
"Underworld is arguably the most essential 1990's electronica unit."
I only recall Underworld having one or two hits.
Chemical Brothers had more quality hits. Moby had even more hits though he got a little too poppy for my tastes.
9 - Scott Butki
I wrote a review of the Fatboy Slim greatest hits album and used the opportunity to
talk about the artist himself:
I linked to your piece from my piece.