You've given me a lot to go and listen to. I've enjoyed electronic music for 30years, so it is always nice to have some great recommendations which haven't been tried before. Please consider more of this type of content. Maybe once a month share any new music you've enjoyed. Thanks J.
Can you recommend yourself some of your favorite electronic albums? I would like to increase my repertoire and what better than a old time electronic music lover to give some advice on great albums and artists
@@adriangarcia8226 artists (and albums) like laurent garnier (unreasonable behaviour) or fabrice lig aka. soul designer (walking on a little cloud) from around the turn of the century are timeless classics imo. check 'em out.
As a "bedroom" electronic music producer, I just want to say "thanks." The amount of time many of us spend doing sound design, tweaking compressor settings, playing with reverb and delay times, and so on, would astound those who don't do the work. I don't know what makes for a good trombone tone in a jazz track (even though I play trombone...) but I can usually tell when someone uses a Korg M1 emulation rather than the real thing for a house piano. Audiophile gear can reveal depths to electronic tracks that the producer intended to be heard, but get lost in mediocre listening conditions. Recently (the modern sub 1000-euro system) you commented on hearing the reverb tails. Yeah, that's important to me with electronic music, how does the reverb timing enhance the groove? How does that change over time? That'll get lost on ear buds. But on a nice system, in a nice room, it can really come alive. I've got my share of jazz, acoustic, rock and pop too, but what I make, the language I speak, is electronic. Thanks for taking it seriously.
i can relate. sometimes i just get lost in tweaking on my reverb rack, just to notice i,ve been listening the same loop for one or two hours just playing with the reverb tails or other psychoacustic effects. though i am far away from producing audiophile or at least professional sounding tracks, i am more into jamming than into post production and a lot of physical knowledge is missing for finishing and mastering tracks. i would not want to miss my elektron boxes or analog bassline synths though!
As a complete techno head, its astonishing how much your taste differs from mine. Just goes to show how lovely and varied techno music really is. You did get me to pick up the Hedd Type 20, so thanks a bunch for that recco.
Love this. Such a fking relief to have eletronica given a voice in the rock/ballad/jazz echo chamber that is audiophilia. Thank you thank you thank you.
I sometimes disagree with the audiophile opinions presented in your channel, but the depth of knowledge you have in electronic music and the way to put it into words is terrific! Keep that content coming!
LSG Rendezvous in outer space - helped to define my college experience. That CD was always on loan to my good friends who treasured it. Amazing list - thanks for the pointers to many good sounds
Thank you for refreshing my memory. I haven't had a listen to the Stewart Walker Live Extracts album for ages, listened to that one a lot back in the days. Great stuff!
Great video as always! Listening to the L.S.G album as we speak. I just wanted to say that I really like your approach towards hifi, music and being a reviewer/RU-vidr! I have binged almost all your videos even though I won’t be able to afford half of the stuff in the near future! I hope you will make another such top 10 video on (any kind of) music. I have some album suggestions and although they are not techno, they are electronic, and continuesly mixed! In my honest opinion these are also really made to enjoy on a proper system! Shpongle- Nothing last…but nothing is lost Solar Fields - Extended Hope you had a nice vacation! Greetings from The Netherlands!
Glad you gave Techno a room to audiophile context. One of my all time favorites is also Kenny Larkin with “Keys, Strings and Tambourine” not a mix though but classy, versatile and dynamic. Speaking of dynamics any suggestions when considering speakers with good dynamics, tight and deep bass to listen to Techno music?!
I’ve been in a musical discovery slump. I was so excited to see this video. I hope these recommendations get me out of the doldrums. It’ll be my weekend mix. Keep up the good work Darko! Love the vids.
I'm so glad you made this video. I love audio, I work in the high end audio industry (I lead the circuits dept. at YG Acoustics), and I can't imagine fully enjoying it all without electronic music. Many of my co-workers and audiophiles I've met won't even delve enough into electronic music to find out if it has merit or not. Personally, techno has always been my favorite genre, but that might have something to do with how I spent the entirety of the 90's 🙂. That said, electronic music in general has so many amazing producers who meticulously sculpt completely alien and impossible soundstages out of fully synthesized, pristine sounds you might only get to hear that one time. Amon Tobin, Daily Bread, Tripp St., Tipper, Lorn, Charles The First, Noisia, Calibre .... anyone who hasn't heard those producers and others of their ilk have no idea that their kit can do double duty as a spaceship. Most of what you listed, other than Hawtin, will be new to me (which is both very surprising and awesome.) I've loaded up a Tidal playlist with what I could, purchased 4 used CD's and purchased and downloaded 2 digital albums in FLAC because of this video! BUT.... I was very surprised you didn't list AES Dana's "Pollen" ReMastered. As far as techno is concerned, I'm not sure I've ever heard a better sounding CD and it is a continuous mix! Anyway, for any who haven't heard it, it's a hypnotizing way to spend an hour with your system. Great video!
Brilliant John. Found your videos, podcasts, and site in the past 6 months or so, when I was considering getting "back" into vinyl, and have really enjoyed catching up with a lot of your work. I remember getting... "Home Theater Review"(?) or some such magazine while in college in '89, and just loved reading stories about gear I had never heard, and could not afford as a 1st year college student. Fast forward to now, and I've owned a Marantz receiver, small BA speakers for my small condo where I'm trying to be a "good neighbor", but enjoy the sounds from music and movies, and I feel like I've found a piece of myself I forgot about years ago... reading your work. It's a pleasure learning about gear I've never heard of, getting a sense about what a DAC is and what they can do for you, etc. Keep up the great work, and cheers from the West Coast here in the US. :)
Was expecting to see the Sandwell District album in there :) truly a milestone of electronic music in the early 2010s era. I also second the guy that cited Voices from the Lake. Also, from the French scene, Polar Intertia's Kinematic Optics (and their EPs Indirect Light and The Last Vehicle) deserve an honorable mention. They sound awesome on great soundsystems. Please make more videos about electronic music ! Your content is awesome
One of my favorite albums that ...might fit this list is Hybrid's Live Angle. The transitions from ambient interludes to thumping techno are just massive (and very musical).
Hi John, I am so impressed by this video. I've been a techno dj for well over 10 years now and I am a passionate audiophile. I never, and I mean never come across anyone in the hifi world who cares about techno. Proper techno. Not the half-soft stuff that can be enjoyable, but isn't techno. I am especially impressed by you mentioning Basic Channel, Surgeon and Daniel Avery. Just stellar picks. I guess I am about 10 or 15 years younger than you, and this difference means I was exposed to different techno than you. I know all the old legends as well of course, but it is not the kind of stuff that people play these days. I'd say that techno has matured over the years as well. I don't mean that in a bad way at all. What I mean is, the older stuff has this old-school sound that basically leans on what techno is all about. It's centered around the core of techno. As time progressed, people started taking things further and further. Things got more sophisticated, developed, better mixed and mastered and to me more interesting. I still love the older stuff as well of course. In case you are interested in more modern albums (meaning, made by people who weren't already raving in the 90's ;), then I can recommend these 2 albums: SHXCXCHCXSH - STRGTHS Dadub - You Are Eternity Then there are 2 things you said I disagree with. First off, I think Gaiser is the worst out of the 10 to start with for unexperienced listeners. I think it will sound just plain boring to most. Secondly, I think that your statement about techno over 135 bpm and your are out should be adjusted. I know what you mean and see your point, but times have changed and more and more music is 135+ bpm now. Here is an example of an album passing 135 bpm a few times, without being overly fast or overdone (at least to me). Paula Temple - Edge of Everything Anyway, stellar video. I enjoyed it a lot! Found your channel through the Raspberry Pi videos that I intend to purchase, so thanks for that as well :)
More than your attitude towards Techno, I like your attitude towards MUSIC!! Like you I have a diverse taste, Techno included, alongside electronic, ambient, Prog Rock (old and new) Metal of all shades, some more than others, and so much else inbetween. I used to drive the country for work with a cassette of System 7's 777 and Orbital's Brown album, and the discovery through you of other System 7 goodness has been brilliant. Carry on good Sir, you carry the flag with so many others of us. It's all good! Share and Enjoy
While Techno isn't my preferred genre, I did really enjoy the suggestions from your last "electronic music" list. My favourite DJ mix of all time is probably Sasha & John Digweed's Northern Exposure. The way it just weaves between sounds still holds up today. And, although probably a bit more trance sounding, Sasha's Global Underground 009 from San Francisco comes pretty close behind (and Northern Exposure 2 pretty close behind that). None of these can really be classed as Techno though. And probably wouldn't fit in any of the lists I've seen you recommend either. But I will, for sure, give these a listen.
I really love Sascha‘s Global Underground Ibiza mix. Also more trance/progressive trance and one hell of a listen. The first 30 mins of disc 1 is incredible.
Yeah Sasha & John Digweed's Northern Exposure is one of the greatest mixes ever! I can still remember listening to it for the first time an amazing journey! It didn't leave my cd player for about 6 weeks after I was blown away! Northern Exposure 2 is also a great mix also!
Great video. Been a techno fan for over 20 years. Nice for you to mention how little Techno crosses over into the audiophile world. And these albums are all 'proper techno'
Thank You John for the up. I like Luke Slater a lot. Currently just have Greek Funk, All Exhale on CD. The track "love" off Freek Funk is a masterpiece.
Nice selection John! In line with this top 10 I would like to recommend the following continuous album from 2012: Voices From The Lake - Voices From The Lake It's most similar to the style of the mix done by Daniel Avery for DJ-Kicks. Keep it up!
Love this video, thanks for sharing mate. Still remember listening to Richie Hawtin: Decks, EFX & 909 on a pair of Adam Active Monitors at your apartment in Sydney all those years ago. Love seeing you go from strength to strength. Cheers - Galactic Soap from SNA
Thank you John for another great video. Discovered LSG through your recommendation and complete fell for another album of them "Rendezvous in Outer Space". Loving it!!!
Thanks for this compilation. Being a Detroit resident and Electronic aficionado since Kraftwork days, this list piqued my interest. The audiophiles are shaking their collective heads in disbelief.
Thank you John for the very thoughtful introspective journey into Techno. It is a genre I am trying to gain a deeper appreciation and this video really helped. Take care. Love, love the content always.
very good recommendations! in my list of top producers there is always Robag Wruhme, who is a master of playful, sophisticated, tweaky and surprising sounds, sometimes beautifully arranged atmospheric ambient sounds, sometimes this harsh banger dark club techno we all need and love from time to time. for me a true modern mozart ;)
Ohhh. Very debatable. But all your choices are solid. Since you have added a few mix CDs id like to mention a few also ;) Note that all the below, like Dex, effects & 909 are the majority same artists. 1) DJ Rolando - Aztech Mystic Mix. 2) Claude Young - DJ Kicks 3) Stacy Pullen - DJ Kicks 4) Claude Young - Central Mix 5) Aux 88 - Electro Boogie 6) DJ Bone - Subject Detroit Vol 2 7) Dj Dijital - DJs in the Mix 8) IF - Mixed up in the Hague Vol 1 9) Jeff Mills - Mix up Vol 2 10) DJ Rolando - Vibrations Other mix CDs that contain tracks from multiple artists that have stood the test of time 1) Laurent Garnier - X Mix 2) Kevin Saunderson - Xmix 3) Dave Clark - XMix 4) Dave Clark - Electro Boogie Vol 2 5) Laurent Garnier - Mixmag 6) Prins Thomas - Live @ Robert Johnson 7) Daniel Bell - Down the mind of ;)
Thanks for sharing on your techno ground zero love and what I call “music for motorcycling”. Some more to explore when riding through the canyons of Northern California and Live Transmissions from System 7 is still a top moto flying fav.
I love discovering "new" music, at least new to me. I loved the moody ambient video you did a few months ago and am loving this one. Gaiser, System 7, Daniel Avery (who you recommended earlier with Song for Alpha), and all the rest. Jamming out....
I dare any audiophile to listen to Yosi Horikawa's 2013 "Vapor" album on a good stereo system and tell me electronic music has no place in high-end audio. The absolute joy this record conveys from the stereo imaging with sounds coming from all directions is something you need good gear to experience in full.
@@Kmo76 spaces is great but vapor is his masterpiece in my opinion. Unfortunately the CD is out of stock everywhere, I had to get it in flac until it's reissued or a used one appears.
@@DrOz-007 I never heard it in vinyl but the music is so good that if you have a good turntable I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I still love to spin my Art of Noise LPs I bought in the 80s, and it's electronic as can be.
Title of your video grabbed me! I was expecting a couple artists on the roster, but didn't see them. However, you really nailed it with the line up you have already. Excellent stuff!!
I dig it. I come from more the ambient techno side myself (all the stuff Soma FM and Groove Salad turned me on to 20 years ago) but it's good to discover similar music. Thanks!
sweet! i love electronic music and used to consume a lot of techno back in the late 90's early 2000's. one of the things i love about this channel is the use of electronic music in the videos. also glad comments are on ;-)
One of my favorite videos! I don't know of any respected audiophile reviewer that has tackled this as you are exposing yourself to DJs along with audiophiles (hate that term). Much respect as a former Deep House, UK Breaks, & UK Drum & Bass Club DJ. Here's a couple of my favorite (not continuous mix) Techno albums: Sandwell District: Feed Forward, 2011 & Function: Incubation, 2013. Enjoy! Ha! You've now got me playing some daytime Techno! Job done!
...and Richie has never stopped innovating. The PlayDifferently mixer, taking hybrid DJing mainstream, the CLOSE combined release and his live act continually evolves!
Finally! A name I recognize "Steve Hillage" a bought his albums in the 70-80's. Thanks for the new music suggestions. I dig this channel. Been bingeing last 24 hours, can't go to bed. Some really great band names!
I’m new to Techno, I’ve always been a lover of trance in all its many forms. Mainly the emotional vocal tracks with a more modern drop (giuseppe ottaviani or john o'callaghan) if you had any time to run through your experience of this genre I’d be hugely interested to hear you take and opinions. I have notes the albums mentioned and will be widening my horizons. Your passion for music is inspiring, keep up the good work 🎵
I love his 1995 "Live!" album, recorded at Pink Pop. But, also seem him a couple of times at Mysteryland and walked away. First thing he does, or at least did at the time, was boost the low to the max so you only heard a buzzing noise and no more mid and high frequencies. Three years in a row, had enough.
finally techno head here, not 100% listen every type of music except for hard core metal started to follow your channel because for the first time I saw a youtube channel that had my taste in music
My oh my! Watched this whilst having breakfast and drinking coffee and ended up down a very deep dark (yet joyful) techno hole. Dinner about to be served and we are still giving the speakers a run for their money! Brilliant vid. Ta very much!
Looking forward to giving these mixes/albums a listen. Can I also reccomend DE9: closer to the edit by Richie Hawtin. Think it ticks plenty of the boxes you mentioned and in my book; definately an audiophile experience.
Seconded.... At the start of the video I knew Richie would feature and hoped it would be closer to the edit (even though I love DE&909). Closer to the edit is my most listened to album, something special for sure.
The System 7 album is absolutely incredible. Thanks for highlighting this as im a massive Trance/Psy Trance/Techno fan but hadn't heard this. I predict many speeding fines listening to this album in the car
Their 90s records are musically superior. Don't discount them. Hillage has played less and less riffs on S7 albums since Seventh Wave , and it's depressing.
A few amazing gems discovered on your list... I love the Stewart Walker Live Extracts mix... that's definitely an album I'll be returning to a lot. Thanks for the great video
Great Work John, though if I may mention some additional.. 1 - Jeff Mills - The Occurrence 2 - Levon Vincent - Fabric 63 3 - Donato Dozzy K / J with Cio D’or 4 - Voices From The Lake 5 - Underground Quality - Tape Club Berlin 6 - Deepchord - Sommer 7 - Infinitati ( Intrusion Dubs ) Phase 90 8 - Ocktawian - Into A Strange Surface & Core 9 - Theo Parrish - Sound Signatures Volume 1 10 - Any Eli Verveine podcast mix. Yeah. I cheated with the last one!
Thanks for the thoughtful list! I've been stuck in a Traumprinz (and his many aliases) rut for about three years now. His mixes are genius, cannot get enough, highest recommendation!
Thank you so much for this. I’ve sampled two of the albums on this list and i really enjoyed both. I like techno but i dont know how, and dont have the time to scout for albums that I like. A guide like this is perfect! 👍 👍
@Zach Stokes I like a lot of the Berlin techno guys but I don’t know if the ones I listen to are some of the best and most respected because I don’t know much about that genre
Thanks, John. In the end being an audiophile is about enjoying music in the best possible way. This was great. Do more like these, especially about electronic music. :)
Got late into the comments section. Took me time to listen to all these recommendations. Great job. Am not really in techno, but loved the selection. Thanks John!
For me, techno is about tactile aesthetic quality. Techno is often an abstract art-form. I didn’t get it at first, and my personal journey reminds me of listening to metal for the first time. I think some people struggle to get into metal because they hear unintelligible vocals and try to listen to it as they would clean vocals. Metal makes more sense when you treat the voice as another instrument in the band. Likewise, people struggle to feel the emotional journey of techno because they are listening through the lens of a song with a beginning, middle and end. My first journey into techno was through the minimal sub genre. Recently I’ve particularly enjoyed Robert Hood’s powerful new track “The Struggle”. I’ll definitely be checking out these recommendations.
Thanks! I personally would have never gotten into audiophile stuff if I hadn't been into techno, house, and psytrance first. Some of us can be listening to hard-kicking techno while sipping tea and looking at the sunset :)
I would argue decent electronica is actually more audiophile than rock; in many respects sonically closer to classical. IME, audiophile systems that suit & perform well with classical also suit & perform well with well-recorded quality electronica & techno.
@@marvinarmstrong3372 Agreed. Electronica can truly utilize entire spectrum, from under 20 Hz to 20k, with so many variations of sounds that can never be made naturally. And you often skip few processes that degrade quality from instruments to the mixer
I really liked this sharing taste video. Are the Q Acoustic an advice on top of it? I listen my techno albums on Klipsch RP and it's great ( the live feeling and defined trebbles are made for that genre, and I keep my rock albums for my headphones since I didn't find any setup for rock to sound good on loudspeakers).
Being older, for me, I’m much more a house guy. I even lived in Chicago (sydneysider, originally) and went to the third or fourth iteration of The Warehouse, home of House music.
Same here. I gravitate towards the (soulful) house part of the electronic music spectrum. I didn't really begin to appreciate techno until I made my first trip to Germany.
Thanks for doing this! I've really been trying to get into electronic music. I like it, but feel lost within it not knowing artists, apart for very very few, and usually not knowing what to listen to next
John, thanks for these recommendations, a great headstart for folks like myself, who've never listened to techno. I'm 53. I'll listen to any music, opera, classical or metal, if I find it enjoyable. This is my first foray into techno, and thus far I'm enjoying it. I often listen to music when I'm in front of the PC. Many times I'm tempted to sing along, but that obviously affects my productivity. I find techno much easier because of the lack of lyrics.
John great video and appreciate your perspective on electronic music. Do you listen mostly from the physical CD/vinyl medium or do you rip and stream your music from a library? I’m curious if you ever just listen through your streamer even if you own the physical medium for playback?
I understand that you're probably set in your ways, to some extent, with your attitude to hardcore/gabber but there's so much that a technohead can appreciate in the harder stuff: Miro Pajic's stuff on DanceEcstasy2001; Marc Acardipane's Mover stuff on PCP; Dr Macabre/Lunatic Asylum are all examples of the stuff from the 90s that tended to be a bit classier than some of the other stuff on Thunderdome compilations. Hellfish; DJ Producer; Dolphin; and The Teknoist are all great ambassadors of the UK sound. For Dutch stuff with a techno/IDM edge, Void Settler, rude awakening, and N-Vitral are interesting (although N-Vitral moved away from that sound and produces stuff that is now quite different), as is the proto-crossbreed stuff that The Outside Agency released on Genosha. I hear loads of great stuff from bedroom producers nowadays, and even though I don't really have much of an aesthetic response to most contemporary iterations of the genre, it's quite clear that the level of production has developed considerably from the commercial heyday of the mid to late 90s. Of course, none of these things imply that the music is worth your attention but I thought I'd post this in case anyone liked your suggestions, but was looking for something a bit harder and darker. I could also make some suggestions for those who want it harder and happier but I figure this is likely all nonsense to most folks that watch your channel, so I'll call it a day...
I would suggest Mixed Live: Carl Cox at Crobar Chicago as an addition to the list. Such a raw and honest capture of techno culture at the time. Not as aesthetic as the albums suggested in the video; many small corrections and rough mixes, as most dj mixes tend to be live, but so powerful. Warning: Tinnitus sufferers beware
Looks like I’ve got some epic albums to check out while I work today! Productivity is always through the roof with some solid techno tunes! Happy Friday!
Suggesting speakers or components for Techno or electronic music would be a nice take as well. Most of the videos in hifi tend to be about how close does a system come to the life recording of an acoustic event.
I’ve always included some live sets from Chris Liebing (circa 2013 because of his track selection during that time just prior to his style change) and also the first (green colored cover) F.A.C.T by Carl Cox. Absolutely mental and on a really good well planned out system sounds amazing. I also love Speedy-J. What I really want are digitally remastered versions of DJ Dan (circa mid to late ‘90’s Funky Techno Tribe) mixtapes. So raw, so visceral and his track selection is wild.
Great Vid. Cant believe I hadnt come across Surgeons Fabric before. Listening to it now - Awesome. I would have to add in Carl Cox FACT into my own personal Techno mix list!
Thanks a lot for the list. I would also suggest "Blomma" by Minilogue. Brilliant continues Studio/Live album by Sebastian Mullaert and Markus Henrikson.