Early Electronic Music Thread - Electronic Music before Electronic Music became mainstream. (Tangerine Dream, Kluster, Kraftwerk, etc).

[Alex Hogendorp]

This is a thread for electronic music made during it's early days before it becomes mainstream (usually around the 1980s) focusing on the pioneers of electronic music. Here are some examples.

 

[Golly]

Oh neat, an excuse to post Stockhausen.

 

[The Evil Midnight Bomber]

These little asian fellas sure know how to c-cook up a good tune

And some obligatory Kraftwerk:

some italo disco with a really cool 80's music video:

And some soviet synthpop:

 

[Grin Machine]

None of these are deep cuts, but they're all good:

Going to check out what others have posted. Kraftwerk and Vangelis are my favorite in this genre, and Vangelis stayed good all the way into the 2000s imo

 

[Absolutego]

Kind of wild that a bunch of high school kids in Detroit were able to come up with this after listening to a single Kraftwerk record

 

[The Evil Midnight Bomber]

None of these are deep cuts, but they're all good:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SZkR3PyHTs0https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ms6kC-3yq0khttps://youtube.com/watch?v=8plQdob4JP8https://youtube.com/watch?v=SbpFi9axKDsGoing to check out what others have posted. Kraftwerk and Vangelis are my favorite in this genre, and Vangelis stayed good all the way into the 2000s imo

Oh shit I love Plantasia. Mort Garson made some really cool stuff, shame he never released this song back in the day. Apparently he made lounge music before he veered into more experimental stuff.

 

[Spiraling Rainbow]

RIP Arthur Kreiger, who passed away January of this year

 

[FamicomGorby]

I love early electronic music, though finding it in record stores is a bit tough since the electronic section is usually just stuff from the last couple of years so they just sort what I'm looking for with everything else.

Also since Decemberween is upon us

 

[Alex Hogendorp]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=C0hDDC49Ll0:203
I love early electronic music, though finding it in record stores is a bit tough since the electronic section is usually just stuff from the last couple of years so they just sort what I'm looking for with everything else.

Also since Decemberween is upon us

https://youtube.com/watch?v=E-QtIs_OeKs

Speaking of which.

But yeah. I've actually found many vintage records at a farmers market including this gem.

 

[4506-C]

Suzanne is ethereal and timeless albeit a little new age

 

[Pee Cola]

One of Kraftwerk's earliest live performances, from 1970. The cutaways to the audience are a sight: about a third of the audience appears to be stoned, another third appear to be on LSD and the remainder have no idea wtf is going on.

The stuff that came out of Philips Research Laboratories in the late '50s is pretty cool too. I get why the uploader labelled this piece "Acid house from 1958"... there's a definite TB-303 like sound in here.

 

[Unsane]

I'm pleased you appreciated Jean Michel Jarre enough to top your list of YouTube links as I can't think of any artist more deserving of the trailblazing master of electronica accolade, OP.

Personally, Zoolook was JMJ's masterpiece, but obviously down to personal preference.

Surprised not to see any mention of Pink Floyd so far considering their early days, but I'll leave that to the next Floyd poster.

Let me chuck in an electronica artist of recent times: Caribou. Albums worthy of a listen: The Milk of Human Kindness, Swim and Our Love (Swim is certainly my #1 favourite. It just gets me every time). Anyway, here's the title track from Swim.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

One of Kraftwerk's earliest live performances, from 1970.

Speaking of Kraftwerk

That song was used as the title theme for the beta of Mean Bean Machine, but near the final it became an unused track

However, a remade version of it exists as the official stage 9-12 song

 

[Brain Power]

Giorgio Moroder counts, right?

 

[daffodils]

Oskar Sala was the guy who made the sound effects for Hitchcock's The Birds, using an early electronic instrument he helped to develop, the the Trautonium.

In David Behrman's On The Other Ocean (1977) a computer system reacts to instrumentalists by generating electronic sounds.

 

[Pee Cola]

Giorgio Moroder counts, right?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ViN2bRGrBx8

If Giorgio counts, so does Cerrone.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=OSRCemf2JHc

I preferred the Hot Butter version, possibly because of the film clip. Interpretive dance ftw.

 

[Positron]

That's so my jam.

Kitaro - "Kaleidoscope"

Kitaro - "Fata Morgana"'

Brian Eno - "An Ending (Ascent)"

Robert Rich - "The Othe Side of Twilight"

Kevin Brahney - "Perelandra"

 

[Alex Hogendorp]

Giorgio Moroder counts, right?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ViN2bRGrBx8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZavwtJxmqJIhttps://youtube.com/watch?v=OSRCemf2JHc

Yes.

 

[Hüftpriester]

Great thread.

Technically released in 87 but I'm pretty sure its origin is early 80s

From Fad Gadget's debut album 1980.

This is more pop oriented but OMD were an important early electronic band.

I always loved the opening track of Kraftwerk's debut album.

This is from 1986.

 

[Positron]

Kluster and Eno - Pitch Control

I need more Kluster and Can stuff, which doesn't seem to have been re-issued, and the early CD pressings all suffer from rot.

Steve Hillage -- Activation Meditation / The Glorious Om Riff

Hillage's magnum opus is no doubt Rainbow Dome Music.