abasio Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I have recently become curious of IDM but I know next to nothing about it. I heard a beautiful chillout track recently which I was told was IDM & I'd like to know more. What kind of music is it? How does it sound? What albums should I buy? Why are their album covers so cool? What does IDM stand for? Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Intelligent Dance Music. Synonyms: Aphex Twin, early Warp Records releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapinho Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I always call it 'IDMbient' ... at least that's the folder's name. There's lost of names: maybe try Telefon Tel Aviv, Ulrich Schnauss, some of Squarepusher's, Autechre's and Aphex's songs count as well, maybe some Bola, Plaid, Wisp and whatnot... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Matta Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I have recently become curious of IDM but I know next to nothing about it. I heard a beautiful chillout track recently which I was told was IDM & I'd like to know more. What kind of music is it? How does it sound? What albums should I buy? Why are their album covers so cool? What does IDM stand for? Any help would be appreciated. 583463[/snapback] There are a couple of people here including myself who could be of great service to you regarding the IDM genre. It's my personal favorite. I know that Astro Cortex is also a fan, with his own set of likes and dislikes. IDM stands for "Intelligent Dance Music", which is sort of silly, but the good stuff backs up the awkward title. I prefer the term "Braindance". It started back in the early nineties and was pioneered by the Rephlex and Warp labels, both of which are still releasing music. As a style it is infamous and somewhat narrowly defined for having a deconstructed sound, similar in form and concept to Deconstructivist architecture, if you're familiar. If not, here's a quick link. The attempt is generally to deconstruct sound, to dismantle it in a way that only computers can, and put it back together in a different logical form. Many of the album covers represent this aesthetic, and are therefore very cool-looking. But not all IDM is abstract. There are different kinds, from heavily abstracted to not very abstracted at all. I prefer the moderately abstracted stuff, with nostalgic, sci-fi melodies and innovative beats. My recommendation to you would be to start with some of the now classic and timeless stuff Warp was releasing in the mid to late 90s, which is still widely available. Here's a small, unbiased list: Autechre - Tri Repetae Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children Plaid - Not for Threes And my small, biased list would look like this: Arovane - Atol Scrap Isan - Meet Next Life n.Ln - Astronomy for Children Shuttle358 - Frame If you want to talk more about it with me personally feel free to PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Psychiatrist Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Apparat - Deluxe, if you're into melodic, psychedelic and intense IDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Astro Cortex Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 To me it seems IDM has always been connected to ambient and ambient techno in some way. As I got it, the term (at lesat partially) derives from the "Artifcial Inteligence" phase of Warp records in the early 90s. The music was labelled "intelligent techno" at the time, though some artists (most notably Autechre) avoided the familiar techno (4/4 kick) beat in favour of more intricate rhythm patterns from the very beginning. But as I said, there were still signicficant elements of ambient and techno involved (IDMbient indeed!), and that's why things like HIA or even Plastikman could roughly be classified as IDM too, if you ask me. I could even say that Pete Namlook created his own brand of IDM as well (for abasio: Environmental Atoms!! ) The deconstructive aspect developed more and more throughout the years, and that's IDM in narrower sense, I suppose. Just follow the discography of Autechre and you'll see.... And Otto, how dare you not mention RRINE - EACIV?? Possibly the best IDM album ever!!! OK, it's impossible to track down, that's why. Damn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Matta Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 To me it seems IDM has always been connected to ambient and ambient techno in some way. As I got it, the term (at lesat partially) derives from the "Artifcial Inteligence" phase of Warp records in the early 90s. The music was labelled "intelligent techno" at the time, though some artists (most notably Autechre) avoided the familiar techno (4/4 kick) beat in favour of more intricate rhythm patterns from the very beginning. But as I said, there were still signicficant elements of ambient and techno involved (IDMbient indeed!), and that's why things like HIA or even Plastikman could roughly be classified as IDM too, if you ask me. I could even say that Pete Namlook created his own brand of IDM as well (for abasio: Environmental Atoms!! ) The deconstructive aspect developed more and more throughout the years, and that's IDM in narrower sense, I suppose. Just follow the discography of Autechre and you'll see.... And Otto, how dare you not mention RRINE - EACIV?? Possibly the best IDM album ever!!! OK, it's impossible to track down, that's why. Damn! 583512[/snapback] Yes, there were and still are some techno elements in the genre - but most electronic genres came from techno, right? I personally think that it took a little while for IDM to solidify into a style, and at that point it didn't want much to do with techno or 4x4 beats. It wanted to be its own thing, and acts like Autechre, Plaid (and its various early entities), Boards of Canada and HIA were among the solidifiers. Namlook's music (and Plastikman's, for that matter), although great, to me never really strayed from that point shortly before IDM solidified. Which is fine, but I don't consider it definitive IDM, which in my ears is constantly striving to redefine the structure of electronic music. So to me the deconstructive element is not as narrow as it is definitive. And yeah, EACIV is a great album, but hopelessly unavailable. My Atol Scrap recommendation is the closest thing from what I've heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elysium Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Intelligent Dance Music. Synonyms: Aphex Twin, early Warp Records releases. 583490[/snapback] Warp just joined Beatport.com so I look forward to see a lot of their old catalogue getting re-relased there soon To me Warp is one of the true experimenting labels who's never afraid of being different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time_Trap Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Warp just joined Beatport.com so I look forward to see a lot of their old catalogue getting re-relased there soon To me Warp is one of the true experimenting labels who's never afraid of being different. 583529[/snapback] true I prefer the most atmospherical/chilly IDM usually, such as Displacer or Dither.. From my listening experience, most IDM has a lot of downtempo/ambient/drone elements as well as breakcore/noisecore part sometimes. I do enjoy the most experimental stuff sometimes, such as Richard Devine, released in Warp . check: All 3 Dither albums Displacer - Moon Phase Displacer - Arroyo Ch.District - Slides Detritus - Origin Richard Devine - Cautella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawfly Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 For melodic IDM check out: Christian Kleine - Beyond Repair Funckarma - Solid State Kettel - My Dogan Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By Yasume - Where We're From The Birds Sing A Pretty Song Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el brujo Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 well the best way to get into and hear what it is get Warp records releases and there is also a great book about the label check out their website which is a cool one too and I have some IDM head friends and I cant believe how many millions of releases they got and there is a very big variety in releases sometimes gets too experimental for me especially like Autechre who is the master of this genre some tunes I can listen or even love and some cant listen to 2 minutes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Astro Cortex Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Yes, there were and still are some techno elements in the genre - but most electronic genres came from techno, right? I personally think that it took a little while for IDM to solidify into a style, and at that point it didn't want much to do with techno or 4x4 beats. It wanted to be its own thing, and acts like Autechre, Plaid (and its various early entities), Boards of Canada and HIA were among the solidifiers. Namlook's music (and Plastikman's, for that matter), although great, to me never really strayed from that point shortly before IDM solidified. Which is fine, but I don't consider it definitive IDM, which in my ears is constantly striving to redefine the structure of electronic music. So to me the deconstructive element is not as narrow as it is definitive. 583522[/snapback] Yep. Most of today's IDM is definitive indeed, it solidified, as you called it. Still, there's a lot of stuff in between, i.e. it's somewhere in between IDM and ambient and/or techno. What about Reagenz for insatance? I wouldn't call that a pure ambient album, it has lots of IDM-ish elements and yet it's quite different from "modern" IDM. Along with that, I could mention Incunabula or HIA's Freefloater. Maybe that's all "oldschool IDM" or something And then, what about David Reeves? That mysterious artist made some really unconventional music in the mid 90s, but I have no clue whether to call it IDM or just experimantal ambient. It's definitely something unique. So, my point is just that the line becomes quite blurry if you go back in time (from now to early 90s), regardless of the artists' intention to solidify the style. Again, the development of Autechre's music is a good example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotwang Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I'm a huge fan of Autechre, but that's really the only IDM I listen to... everything else I hear just sounds lame in comparison (I would love to be proved wrong about this... is there anything I should check out?). If you want to get into Autechre's IDM stuff I would suggest getting Chiastic slide and Cichlisuite first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Thanks for all the tips guys!! I'll go & check some of these out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Matta Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Yep. Most of today's IDM is definitive indeed, it solidified, as you called it. Still, there's a lot of stuff in between, i.e. it's somewhere in between IDM and ambient and/or techno. What about Reagenz for insatance? I wouldn't call that a pure ambient album, it has lots of IDM-ish elements and yet it's quite different from "modern" IDM. Along with that, I could mention Incunabula or HIA's Freefloater. Maybe that's all "oldschool IDM" or something And then, what about David Reeves? That mysterious artist made some really unconventional music in the mid 90s, but I have no clue whether to call it IDM or just experimantal ambient. It's definitely something unique. So, my point is just that the line becomes quite blurry if you go back in time (from now to early 90s), regardless of the artists' intention to solidify the style. Again, the development of Autechre's music is a good example. 583543[/snapback] Good points. Yeah, I would definitely put those albums into the "old school" of IDM, which to me is a VERY interesting time in electronic music. I've been avidly listening to music for a loooooong time and I've never heard similar chord, melody or rhythm structures. B12 stands out for me as an act that really put the hardcore sci-fi spin on melodic structure. I'm sure there were others. abasio - If you're interested in this old school sound, two very popular disks that played a big role in solidifying this sound are the Artificial Intelligence I and II disks from Warp that Astro mentioned. Again, they're widely available. I'm a huge fan of Autechre, but that's really the only IDM I listen to... everything else I hear just sounds lame in comparison (I would love to be proved wrong about this... is there anything I should check out?). If you want to get into Autechre's IDM stuff I would suggest getting Chiastic slide and Cichlisuite first. 583620[/snapback] I totally agree. Chiastic Slide was my first Autechre album and it totally blew me away at the time - changed my way of listening to music altogether. That and HIA's Freefloater. I might also recommend the Envane EP for a similar sound. I don't understand people's interest in their earlier albums like Incunabula and Amber, which to me sound pretty nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Astro Cortex Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Good points. Yeah, I would definitely put those albums into the "old school" of IDM, which to me is a VERY interesting time in electronic music. I've been avidly listening to music for a loooooong time and I've never heard similar chord, melody or rhythm structures. B12 stands out for me as an act that really put the hardcore sci-fi spin on melodic structure. I'm sure there were others. abasio - If you're interested in this old school sound, two very popular disks that played a big role in solidifying this sound are the Artificial Intelligence I and II disks from Warp that Astro mentioned. Again, they're widely available. I totally agree. Chiastic Slide was my first Autechre album and it totally blew me away at the time - changed my way of listening to music altogether. That and HIA's Freefloater. I might also recommend the Envane EP for a similar sound. I don't understand people's interest in their earlier albums like Incunabula and Amber, which to me sound pretty nasty. 583846[/snapback] Yay, B12 are great! I don't get why they're so underrated. Their two albums are splendid examples of early IDMbient techno, Time Tourist in particular. But what's nasty about the early Autechre sound?? Per, you're puzzling man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawfly Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Amber is great, but I don't really like Incunabula that much although it has a couple of really great tracks; Eggshell & 444 edit: My fav. AE's are Tri Repetae and Draft 7.30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Matta Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 But what's nasty about the early Autechre sound?? Per, you're puzzling man! 583885[/snapback] It's just nasty. Autechre's gifts are with rhythms and sculpture of sound. They lack proficiency with melody, and the early stuff is pretty bad in my opinion. Jackson Pollack couldn't draw, but he figured out a way to make groundbreaking art anyway. Same with Autechre and melody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Astro Cortex Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 It's just nasty. Autechre's gifts are with rhythms and sculpture of sound. They lack proficiency with melody, and the early stuff is pretty bad in my opinion. Jackson Pollack couldn't draw, but he figured out a way to make groundbreaking art anyway. Same with Autechre and melody. 583915[/snapback] Same problem as with Aphex then, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Matta Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Same problem as with Aphex then, right? 583920[/snapback] Actually, I've been slowly but surely warming up to James' music. I still find his early ambient collections completely and horrifyingly unlistenable, but I've heard some tracks he did later that are truly elegant and beautiful. In other words, he knows how to draw, but sometimes, for some reason, he forgets. Or maybe he's like Picasso, who in my opinion was a crap sculptor but a great painter, and James can't sculpt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time_Trap Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I can't see why you don't like Amber. The melodies there are very nice,nostalgic,melancholic in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Matta Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I can't see why you don't like Amber. The melodies there are very nice,nostalgic,melancholic in my opinion. 583940[/snapback] To me they weren't quite competent yet, but were getting there. Later releases attest to that. FMP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seraph Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 IDM INPUT : KEY ALBUMS : APHEX TWIN - SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS APHEX TWIN - I CARE BECAUSE YOU DO APHEX TWIN - RICHARD D. JAMES ALBUM APHEX TWIN - DRUKQS AUTECHRE - TRI REPETAE AUTECHRE - INCUNABULA AUTECHRE - DRAFT 7.30 AUTECHRE - AMBER MONOLAKE - MOMENTUM MONOLAKE - HONG KONG MONOLAKE - INTERSTATE MONOLAKE - CINEMASCOPE TWO LONE SWORDSMEN - SWIMMING NOT SKINNING TWO LONE SWORDSMEN - STAY DOWN TWO LONE SWORDSMEN - TINY REMINDERS BOARDS OF CANADA - GEOGADDI BOARDS OF CANADA - MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN SQUAREPUSHER - HARD NORMAL DADDY SQUAREPUSHER - FEED ME WEIRD THINGS MURCOF - MARTES MURCOF - REMEMBRANZA THE BLACK DOG - SPANNERS PURE - NOONBUGS COH - MASK OF BIRTH HECKER - SUN PANDEMONIUM KID 606 - DOWN WITH THE SCENE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Thanks for the recommendations guys. Today I bought Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By (2CD) Just listened to the 1st CD which was very nice Kettel - My Dogan Which I am listening to now & has started off very cool indeed. & Autechre - Tri Repetae++ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Psychiatrist Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Thanks for the recommendations guys. Today I bought Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By (2CD) Just listened to the 1st CD which was very nice Amazing artist though i can't really label him as an IDM artist, for me he only continues where BT stopped and moved to cheese. Very simple structures and sound yet very sweet melodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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