(4.00 out of 5)
I started off by trying to compile a playlist of significant electronic music artists of the last 35 years or so, but I soon found that it was turning into a list of works that seriously influenced my own music making. So, here is a bunch of tunes that are, in the main, electronic and my exposure to them tainted the way I write and make music to this very day. It’s far from exhaustive, but I think you’ll find it an interesting listen, nonetheless.
I thoroughly recommend you hit that Shuffle button before playing :o)
Enjoy, and don’t forget to rate the list and leave feedback :o)
Playlist:
Gary Numan – Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
Gary Numan – Down in the Park
Gary Numan – Replicas
Ultravox – Vienna
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Messages (10” Single Version)
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Joan Of Arc
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)
The Human League – Being Boiled
The Human League – Circus of Death
The Human League – Love Action (I Believe in Love)
The Human League – The Things That Dreams Are Made Of
Soft Cell – Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go (extended)
Soft Cell – Say Hello Wave Goodbye - 12″ Version
Depeche Mode – Wrong
Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough - Schizo Mix
Depeche Mode – A Pain That I’m Used To
Depeche Mode – See You (Extended Version)
Depeche Mode – Home
Depeche Mode – Freelove
Depeche Mode – Walking in My Shoes
Depeche Mode – Halo
Depeche Mode – Behind the Wheel
Depeche Mode – Fly on the Windscreen (final)
Depeche Mode – Blasphemous Rumours
Depeche Mode – (Set Me Free) Remotivate Me
Depeche Mode – Two Minute Warning
The Assembly – Never Never
Art of Noise – Paranoimia
New Order – Blue Monday
Björk – Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Magimix - 125BPM)
Björk – Jóga
Björk – Venus as a Boy
Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
Massive Attack – Protection
Saint Etienne – He’s On The Phone
Prodigy – Firestarter
Prodigy – No Good (Start The Dance) (Remastered)
Orbital – Belfast
Orbital – Halcyon
Moby – Porcelain
Moby – In My Heart
The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun
The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin’ Beats
Daft Punk – Da Funk
Daft Punk – One More Time
Leftfield – Release the Pressure
The Future Sound of London – Papua New Guinea
The Future Sound of London – Lifeforms (radio edit)
Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls (Dance Mix)
Pet Shop Boys – We All Feel Better in the Dark
Dusty Springfield – What Have I Done To Deserve This? (Extended Mix)
Pet Shop Boys – Left to My Own Devices
Pet Shop Boys – Jealousy
Pet Shop Boys – Somewhere (Extended Mix)
Pet Shop Boys – After All (The Odessa Staircase)
Erasure – The Circus
Erasure – My Heart… So Blue
Air – La Femme d’argent
The Associates – Party Fears Two
The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist
A Flock Of Seagulls – Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) (extended version)
Duran Duran – The Chauffeur
Duran Duran – (I’m Looking For) Cracks in the Pavement
Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me With Science (extended version)
Thomas Dolby – Hyperactive! (heavy breather sub-version)
Eurythmics – Love Is A Stranger
Howard Jones – Hunt the Self
Howard Jones – Equality
Howard Jones – What Is Love? (extended mix)
Howard Jones – New Song
Howard Jones – Hide and Seek
Tears for Fears – Change (extended version)
Tears for Fears – Pale Shelter (long version)
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygène, Part 1
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygène, Part 2
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygène, Part 3
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygène, Part 4
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygène, Part 5
Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygène, Part 6
Vangelis – Blade Runner (End Titles)
Vangelis – Chung Kuo
Vangelis – Main Titles
Vangelis – Chariots of Fire
Isao Tomita – Suite Bergamasque, Claire De Lune, No. 3
Isao Tomita – The Planets/Venus, The Bringer of Peace
Tangerine Dream – The Dream Is Always the Same
Tangerine Dream – Phaedra
Tangerine Dream – Rubycon (Part One)
Klaus Schulze – Welcome To The Moog Brothers
Klaus Schulze – Floating
Brian Eno – 1/1
Morton Subotnick – Touch - Part 1
Louis And Bebe Barron – Main Titles - Overture
Louis And Bebe Barron – Krell Shuttle Ride and Power Station
Kraftwerk – Autobahn
Kraftwerk – Computer Love
Kraftwerk – The Model
Devo – Whip It
Peter Gabriel – San Jacinto
Kate Bush – Army Dreamers
White Town – Your Woman
Yazoo – Situation (US 12″ mix)
Yazoo – Nobody’s Diary (extended version)
Heaven 17 – (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
Heaven 17 – Penthouse and Pavement
Stevie Wonder – Living For The City
Thompson Twins – The Gap
Thompson Twins – Judy Do
French Horn Rebellion – Up All Night
French Horn Rebellion – Bad Arse
MGMT – Kids
MGMT – Electric Feel
Soulwax – NY Excuse
Goldfrapp – Lovely Head
Goldfrapp – Number 1
Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star
Buggles – Living in the Plastic Age
Afrika Bambaataa – Planet Rock
CJ Bolland – Obsidion
CJ Bolland – Sugar Is Sweeter
Scritti Politti – Hypnotize (version)
Scritti Politti – Perfect Way
Japan – Ghosts
Japan – Quiet Life (12″ version)
Japan – Life in Tokyo (12″ version)
Japan – European Son (12″ version)
H2O – Dream To Sleep
Landscape – Einstein A Go-Go
Cabaret Voltaire – Sensoria (12” Mix)
Blancmange – Living On The Ceiling
Blancmange – Blind Vision
Blancmange – Don’t Tell Me
Hot Chip – Ready for the Floor
Hot Chip – The Warning
Little Boots – Stuck On Repeat
Little Boots – Meddle - tenorion piano version
Les Rythmes Digitales – Jacques Your Body (Make Me Sweat) (Club Mix)
Röyksopp – Happy Up Here
Röyksopp – Eple
Röyksopp – Poor Leno
Paul Hardcastle – Rain Forest
Paul Hardcastle – King Tut
Recoil – Prey
Recoil – Incubus
The Knife – Heartbeats
The Knife – Girls’ Night Out
The Knife – Pass This On
Jan Hammer – Light/Sun
Jan Hammer – Darkness/Earth In Search of a Sun
Jan Hammer – Miami Vice Theme
Jan Hammer – Crockett’s Theme
Arcadia – Election Day
Dead Or Alive – It’s Been a Long Time
Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday (Extended Mix)
Steve Connor said:
excellent list and highly eclectic….thanks!
April 24th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Vicchi said:
That’s one fairly amazing playlist; tracks I knew, tracks I’d forgotten I’d known and some new discoveries all rolled into one.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Failed Muso said:
Excellent Vicchi, glad you like it :o)
May 1st, 2009 at 10:25 am
Simon said:
Howard Jones??!! Erasure??!! In the same mix as the likes of The Future Sound of London?!
Did you actually think about this mix or did you just stick a load of artists together who use synthesizers?
May 6th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Failed Muso said:
Yes Simon, these are all artists who have influenced me as an individual, so therefore the likes of Howard Jones & Erasure are just as “worthy” as FSOL. Music is highly subjective and these playlists are not “mixes”. They are collections of songs which, in my case, follow a theme and this particular theme is one of songs and artists who predominantly use electronic instrumentation and have influenced me in my own music making.
Given the near 30 year (and counting) careers of the likes of Vince Clarke and Howard Jones, I don’t think anyone can discount them lightly, whatever your personal music tastes.
I’m sorry these don’t fit in with your tastes, but as you can appreciate, it wasn’t meant to.
Thanks for you comments nonetheless.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Simon said:
Fair enough, point taken and apologies if I caused any offence.
By the way, I think your New York playlist is excellent!
But still…Howard Jones?? Only joking!
May 7th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Simon said:
Forgot to mention - fans of electronic music should check out the work of Ulrich Schnauss, including his remixes.
Unfortunately, Spotify only has a few tracks by him but I can highly recommend his latest LP, Goodbye.
May 7th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Failed Muso said:
No offence taken Simon :o) Like I say, music is highly subjective and it would be boring if we all liked the same things. The beauty of Spotify means that you can edit the playlists once you have them to suit your personal preferences :o)
Glad you like the New York. that took some work but was great fun to do. I’m hoping it serves me well in the Playstation contest ;o)
Thanks for all your input :o)
May 7th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
safety said:
Excellent list. Only quibble: Only one Art of Noise and one Brian Eno.
Couple of things that might be of interest…
spotify:user:safety:playlist:2AcOGuPy6xAk1kzbVtUSch
January 24th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
safety said:
sorry, should have read coments - you already know about ulrich Schnuass
January 24th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Failed Muso said:
Hi safety,
Thanks for the comments. Glad you liked the list.
Art of Noise are not that well represented on Spotify at the moment, especially the early ZTT stuff. In fact, there is a LOT of ZTT stuff missing from Spotify sadly. So therefore, I wasn’t able to put too much of their stuff in. For me, the early stuff (Horn, Dudley, Morley, Jeczalik, Langan) was a massive influence. I hope that ZTT get their stuff on here soon.
Eno was, to me, a lesser influence for a long while, but I do admit that as I have grown older, it is more influential than ever before. Last week’s special programs on BBC4 about Eno certainly proved to me that he was more of an influence than I had first thought.
Funnily, Brian & myself only live a few miles apart
One of the best things about ShareMyPlaylists.com is the responses section, where people tip you off about other music you may never have heard of.
Be sure to check out my other lists and please feel free to comment as much as you like
January 26th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
safety said:
I saw the program on Eno. Inspired to think about a really good eclectic electronic playlist that is only instrumentals. Might be tougher than it sounds
January 30th, 2010 at 11:29 am