Elektron-Users

curiosity, boredom . . . probably curiosity, makes me ask the following: what is the first "electronic" album that you have a clear recollection of ever buying?

for me it's autechre's tri repetae ++ (the one with the extra disc). I had bought countless drum and bass albums and mix CDs before it, the obligatory prodigy record, etc. but I have this clear image of picking the CD up, looking at that blank, army green cover, and thinking about how I had heard so much about them . . .that I should give them a try. I remember my dad asking me, hey, what are you getting? And I remember having no idea how to answer the question. Now I try to play it for him, and he says, yes, i understand why you like this. it's minimal. mathematical. now turn it off, it's giving me a headache.

-M

Ok, ok. . . fine. It was actually a Menudo remix album.

Chemical Brothers, "Dig Your Own Hole". It's still a great CD.

Outside of many hip-hop albums which I consider electronic... maybe something by pole or plasticman...or autechre... well, actually... probably Kraftwerk. JSRockit

(Edit: fixed one favorite - it's been awhile )

Various Artists - Best Of Techno Volume 3 (Profile Records 1993). My favorites from that first album:

N.R.G. - I Need Your Love
Joey Beltram - Get Into Life
Acen - Trip II The Moon
First Project - Right Before
Acen - Close Your Eyes

The first track, "I Need Your Love", still sounds fresh to my ears, and much more appealing then most of the electronic dance music I've heard since (which is alot...) However, "Trip II The Moon" was the one that hooked me on Techno. I still get chills when I hear it.

i'll have to check some of that stuff out as early techno (is it?) is not a genre that I'm really familiar with.

and of course, because daft punk name drop joey beltram!

-M

geez...aside from transitioning out of stoned out/psychedelic rock we were starting to dig on early 90's acid house mixtapes...God knew who was actually making this new and insane music...a few DJ names of local Saint Louis headz floated around...nothing stuck. then that transitioned into more straight up house by names like Jeno, Hipp-e and Halo, Dj Sneak, etc.

but the first actual electronic type album? i think for me was Chemcial Brothers "Exit Planet Dust".

i had a bum trip at a small rave in a club back in '95...walked around this joint in circles feeling really bad...then my friend took me off into his car, asked me what was really wrong? i couldn't tell him...nothing made sense. then he said "man, what you need is some music"...he started playing that album...he brought it in fresh from San Diego, no one in Saint Louis ever had heard it before...and everything changed...suddenly, my "head trip" was over...i got excited and said "fuck yeah!..let's go back in there and DANCE!" we freaked out fully till 5AM and i had the best night ever...

boy, i sure miss those dayz...

(Edit: added Detroit-ummm yeah, like the birthplace of the whole thing!!!)

It was early for the mainstream US (it was only one of a few techno tapes on the shelf at the store I got it), but the UK, DET, CHI, NYC, SF, had their underground scenes in full tilt years before that. That's the way it was before the internet - if you didn't live in the right place or have enlightened friends/family, you didn't get to hear or experience the good stuff. Now it's all about information sharing - the fact that I can sit here 13 years later and talk about my most influential album ever with people from all 4 corners of the earth that own the same drum machine as I do... is sort of a mind-blowing thing.

(Edit: I confess.. the very next year, 1994, I graduated from high school and entered college and had my first exposure to the internet: VAX, IRC, USENET (rec.music.makers.synth), and of course, EMAIL... all at a blinding 14.4kB/s!)

my first techno cd was given to me by my big brother - Techno Mancer
i think it was a various artist CD. i remember one song sampled the beginning of T2.
dethdeth

my cousin was living with us when i was in 7th grade... he was into raves back in 92ish or so & i would rummage thru his mixtapes. that was my first experience and unfortunately i couldn't tell you who it was i was listening to i guess my first 'electronic' purchase didn't come until after i started going to raves and to be honest, i can't remember what cd it was but to this day i thank my cracked out cousin for not getting pissed at me for stealing his mixtapes.

suicidal tendencies "how will i laugh tomorrow when i can't even smile today?"

oh wait...

uh, i bought aphex twin's "come to daddy" and squarepusher's "feed me strange things" at the same time. basically purchased because I'd read a write-up on drum&bass in a drummer magazine (yes, I play drums) that made them sound interesting. I loved 'em, but it took me a couple years to come around to EM more; then I went out and bought kid606's "gq on the eq" and autechre's "confield" (based purely on the cover art) next. talk about a headfuck! int: