The 10 Best Electronic Albums of 2011
Our electronic music experts pick the best albums from 2011 when the genre ranged widely and wildly from ADD dance music to the last great pure dubstep record.
electronic
Andy Stott’s Chopped and Screwed Techno Takes on Warmer Hues with ‘Never the Right Time’
Andy Stott’s Never the Right Time may be the most inviting record in his catalogue, an entry point into his funereal sound-world. It’s also one of his best.
The Prize Fighter Inferno’s ‘The City Introvert’ Is a Marginally Rewarding Return
The Prize Fighter Inferno’s The City Introvert has a safe superficiality, combined with a few moments of out-and-out cringe, making it above-average at best.
Nobody Loves You Like Chillwave’s Small Black
Chillwave pioneers Small Black return after an extended hiatus for Cheap Dreams‘ melancholic pop that you can still dance (or run) to and they tell us about it.
It’s 1981. I’m Hip. I’m British. But What Am I Dancing To? ‘Shake the Foundations’ Will Tell You
Cherry Red’s Shake the Foundations: Militant Funk and the Post-Punk Dancefloor 1978-1984 is a beginner’s guide to pre-millennial, UK cool.
Claire Rousay Leans Into a Gentler, More Ambient Sound on ‘A Softer Focus’
Combining field recordings with quiet, droning musical touches, A Softer Focus from experimentalist Claire Rousay may be her strongest work yet.
New Electro Act Sylph Shares the Primal “In the Morning Light” (premiere)
Electro’s Sylph creates an ode to raves’ communalism on the psychedelic, industrial techno of “In the Morning Light”.
CFCF’s ‘memoryland’ Is the Love Letter to ’90s Techno We Didn’t Know We Needed
On memoryland, CFCF builds a time machine to take you back to the sounds of ’90s techno, house, and dance-pop.
Genghis Tron Contemplate the End of Human Life on ‘Dream Weapon’
Genghis Tron turn 180 degrees from their metal past for one of the most breathtaking re-inventions in heavy music history on Dream Weapon.
Could Artificial Intelligence Help Us Become More Human? Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner Says Yes
In this interview with Jan St. Werner, the veteran electronic musician discusses how Mouse on Mars have attempted to blur the distinction between machine intelligence and empathy on their new album AAI.
Colin Fisher Creates Vast Ambient Soundscapes on ‘Reflections of the Invisible World’
Canadian composer Colin Fisher brings his jazz chops to an odd, calming collection of new-age psychedelia, Reflections of the Invisible World.
Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders Create Experimental Electrojazz on ‘Promises’
Sparseness aside, there is an explosive energy lurking just under the surface of Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders’ Promises.