Trentemøller Resubmerges Into the Dark with the Massive ‘Memoria’
Trentemøller’s Memoria is intended to be listened to in the dark: total darkness, total immersion. Added visuals would just be sensory overload.
electronic
Siavash Amini and Saffronkeira’s ‘The Faded Orbit’ Is the Music of Sound
The Faded Orbit is the music of sound, a storm of possibilities curated by Siavash Amini and Saffronkeira. Eerie sounds that move in an intoxicatingly musical way.
Ricardo Donoso’s ‘Progress Trap’ Finds Disquiet Through Stealth
Ricardo Donoso’s Progress Trap is cold. It sends chills, causes dark, abstract thoughts, and seems perpetually set in a futuristic noir.
K-Pop’s ONEUS Make Gugak Pop
K-pop group ONEUS talk with PopMatters about taking traditional Korean music, Gugak, and mixing it with hip-hop and electronic music to wow fans on their US tour.
Burial Has Carved Out an Inimitable New Space with ‘Antidawn’
Burial continues an almost unfeasibly long hot streak of evocative and compelling sonic visions with Antidawn. It feels like an entirely new genre of field recording and is his most abstract electronica to date.
Tor Lundvall’s Moody Mastery Continues Unabated on ‘Beautiful Illusions’
The master of moodiness Tor Lundvall returns with Beautiful Illusions, a sad but sometimes gorgeous collection of breathless ambient wallowing.
Getting Lost in GAS’ Sound Isn’t Always Beautiful Escapism
Der Lange Marsch can be a frightening thing, but it can also be absorbed as an album of excellent impressionist achievement, worthy of the GAS name.
µ-Ziq and Mrs Jynx Are the Perfect Duo on ‘Secret Garden’
μ-Ziq may have found his perfect counterpart in Mrs Jynx because Secret Garden succeeds in so many ways that Expert Knob Twiddlers with Aphex Twin did not.
Bonobo Lapses Into Watered-Down Chillout Music on ‘Fragments’
Bonobo’s Fragments represents a rare step back from one of the 21st century’s leading electronic luminaries. It doesn’t bring enough new ideas.
Lotic’s Tales of Undrowning on ‘Water’
Lotic’s Water demonstrates their uncanny ability to transmute the theme of water into dynamic soundscapes alchemically. It’s a tour de force.
Godford’s ‘I You She’ Is One for the Romantic Ravers
Godford’s I You She is one for the romantic ravers, the ones who come to the dancefloor not just for shits and kicks but genuine joy and beauty.
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The 20 Best Electronic Albums of 2021
The best electronic albums of the year feature many diverse approaches from electropop to IDM and ambient to footwork with artists pushing the music forward.