POSSE! YOU KEEP THE SPIRIT ALIVE! It's the 1990s ELECTRONIC ALBUMS poll results!

Well "relic" is subjective. Not sure how you can say they all are, unless you think all dance music ages badly. Dance music ages great!, it has very pronounced cyclical returns, present in lots of forms of culture but especially pronounced in dance music, see the recent returns to organ led skipping garage house. wether the current vogue well get back around to dubby slightly cheesy tripped out ambient or rock/techno hybrids with liam galleger singing over top first is your guess as good as mine. sorry i actually do like the chems but those first two Orb albums a very nostalgic for me.

I was expecting Geogaddi to poll above Mhtr. In the end it didn't even appear! (fine by me by the way)

Out of all the various genre/decade polls run on ILM, this is the one where I've been familiar with the highest percentage of the albums in the countdown. There are a lot of records here that really opened my ears to various different sounds, not just the ones I voted for either. Something like In Sides... I was obsessed with that when I was 16, I'd heard nothing else like it. BoC wasn't my #1 choice but I'm happy with it winning.

I'm struck by just how little critical revision of the 90s consensus has occured so far - this list could have been picked from any number of contemporaneous review sites, and there really isn't a single surprise (aside from the St. Etienne showing by indie diehards).

Geogaddi came out in 2002.

Ah, good point.

are you happy with the results, tuomas?

I think most of the critical revisionism of 90s dance - to the extent it has been going on - has been focused on areas which are more tracks-focused than albums-focused.

This list seems depressingly boring to me but I suppose that was inevitable.

are you happy with the results, tuomas?

There are some good albums there, no doubt. But like I said a while ago, I'm surprised how very, very Brit-centric the list is: 41 out of the top 50 albums come from the UK. As someone who was listening to a lot of German techno in the 90s, I'm a bit disappointed it's represented by only three albums, all of which may be there because the artists behind them (Voigt, Burger, Basic Channel) became more hip in the 00s than they were in the 90s. (They're all great albums though, don't get me wrong.) My number 1 album (Air Liquide's Nephology) is German, and no one else voted for it... :( An equal disappointment is that all of American dance music is represented by Carl Craig alone.

I'm sure there were some interesting / original choices in people's lists. It's just when you put them all together, more often than not, the old favourites get hashed out.

I still listen to the Orb today, though Orbus Terrarum is my pick for the one that held up the best

i refrained from voting b/c i thought i didn't know my 90's shit, expected the results to school me. this list blows.

yea i am starting to wish i voted regardless of my level of expertise. i understand that it'd be annoying to split hairs over various strains of '90s electronic stuff but this sorta feels pointless

seems like ambient/idm stuff is pretty unavoidable in the general '90s canon, we all have heard or know that we don't want to hear those albums by now, but dance stuff is still p underrepresented outside of obvious stuff like daft punk/prodigy/basement jaxx. tho tim is otm about 90s dance being more about tracks than albums

happy to see landcruising/paperclip people/burger/ink show up. more annoyed than ever at ilx's undying love for autechre

Pansoul by Motorbass is also better than 90% of this list...

LOL

It's the 'old favourites' that didn't get hashed out because the spaces were taken by lesser material that surprises me though.

Like, 'A Silent Introduction' only managed 64 but every single Autechre and Aphex Twin-related album of the 90s makes the top 60.

'A Silent Introduction' is substantially more canonical/revered in general than 'Chiastic Slide' (widely considered to be the least of Ae's 90s albums).

So the implication is that there's a bit of a structural bias in this poll towards IDM and UK album dance that lifts even lesser lights, rather than just populism/the wisdom of crowds at work.

Blech 2 beating The Joint is another example - I'd expect Artificial Intelligence or Northern Exposure or Logical Progression to, but in what world apart from a Warp bubble is Blech 2 even particularly remembered?

Of course it's wrong to read too deeply into these results given that Blech 2, say, only got 3 votes.

x-post

Motorbass is a phenomenal record! How many albums were people allowed to vote for? I want to create a list of my own just for fun.

An equal disappointment is that all of American dance music is represented by Carl Craig alone.

DJ Shadow is from California.

but isn't dance music

how many ballots were received for this?

24 for the album vote.

I'm lolling at the results of polling, not at motorbass

There was one unweighed ballot, so it's 25 in total. As I said, the tracks poll was clearly more popular.

Thank you for doing the poll, Tuomas.

Carl Craig - More songs about food and revolutionary art ?
Drexciya ? Motorbass ? Superdiscount ? Speedy J ? Surgeon ?

I was surprised not to see 94 Diskont by Oval, too...

Yeah nice work Tuomas - thoroughly enjoyed that. Looking forward to the singles poll.

Yes, thanks for doing the poll.

And, of course, thanks to you, Tuomas! I pulled out a lot of records the past few days because of this poll.

Pansoul by Motorbass is also better than 90% of this list...
And yet only me and one other voted for it

Yeah great work Tuomas, can't wait for the tracks rollout.

here's my ballot

b12 - time tourist
blaze - basic blaze
motorbass - pansoul
juan atkins - sonic sunset
green velvet - constant chaos
flare - reference to difference
herbert - 100 lbs
rob hood - internal empire
ken ishii - jelly tones
jeff mills - live at the liquid room
moodymann?!?
mr fingers - introduction
andrea parker - kiss my arp
plastikman?!?
ron trent - primitive arts
glenn underground - atmosfear
two lone swordsmen - the fifth mission

i didnt see jelly tones in the noms list otherwise i would have voted for it.
I did kinda rush my ballot in to meet the deadline as i had been busy with the 80s poll

1) Leftfield Leftism
2) LFO Frequencies
3) Underworld Dubnobasswithmyheadman
4) Orbital Orbital (Brown Album)
5) Squarepusher Feed Me Weird Things
6) Squarepusher Hard Normal Daddy
7) Prodigy, The Music for the Jilted Generation
8) Mouse on Mars Autoditacker
9) Mouse on Mars Niun Niggung
10) Future Sound of London, The Dead Cities
11) Future Sound of London, The Lifeforms
12) Dave Angel Tales of the Unexpected
13) Dave Clarke Archive One
14) Chemical Brothers, The Dig Your Own Hole
15) Chemical Brothers, The Exit Planet Dust
16) Black Dog, The Bytes
17) Autechre Tri Repeatae
18) Aphex Twin I Care Because You Do
19) Aphex Twin Richard D. James Album
20) Boards of Canada Music Has the Right to Children
21) Future Sound of London, The Accelerator
22) KLF, The Chill Out
23) KLF, The The White Room
24) Orbital Snivilisation
25) Oval 94 Diskont

Couldn't resist sticking a few dj mixes in there. Somehow managed to exclude the Paperclip Ppl album.

1. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85 – 92
2. Black Dog, The - Bytes
3. Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
4. Autechre - Incunabula
5. Photek - Modus Operandi
6. Black Dog, The - Spanners
7. LFO - Frequencies
8. Orb, The- Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld
9. Harri - Subculture: A House Music Experience
10. Orbital - Orbital (Green Album)
11. Goldie - Timeless
12. LTJ Bukem - Mixmag Live
13. R Hawtin - Mixmag Live
14. Various - True People: The Detroit Techno Album
15. Kenny Larkin - Metaphor
16. Robert Hood - Nightime World Vol. 1
17. Derrick Carter - Back To Basics: Cut The Crap
18. Coldcut - Journeys By DJ
19. Luke Slater's 7th Plain - The 4 Cornered Room
20. Nu Yorican Soul - Nu Yorican Soul
21. Polygon Window - Surfing on Sine Waves
22. Grooverider - Grooverider's Hardstep Selection Vol. II
23. Orbital - Orbital (Brown Album)
24. Kruder & Dorfmeister - DJ Kicks
25. Ultramarine - United Kingdoms

13. R Hawtin - Mixmag Live

^^ this is a good pick

16. Robert Hood - Nightime World Vol. 1

^^ always had a hard time getting into these, recently dug it back out, it's pretty good but i don't think i "get" everything he's doing on this album

Yup it took me a while to get into the Rob Hood. I think approaching it like a jazz album (as per the cover) helped. Some of the drum programming is sublime.

I just cooked up a hypothetical ballot... Surprised not to see any Fennesz even nominated! Also realized in researching that a LOT of good records came out in 2000.

Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2
Drexciya – The Quest
Burger/Ink – Las Vegas
Porter Ricks – Biokinetics
Gas – Konigsforst
Carl Craig – More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art
Plastikman – Consumed
Boards of Canada – Hi Scores
Aphex Twin – Richard D. James Album
Basic Channel – BCD
Theo Parrish – First Floor
Dettinger – Intershop
Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children
Drexciya – Neptune’s Lair
Fennesz – Plus 47 Degrees 56 Hrs 37 Min Minus 16 Degrees 51 08
Monolake – Hong Kong
Seefeel – Succour
Paperclip People – The Secret Tapes of Dr. Eich
Daft Punk – Homework
Oval – 94 Diskont
Motorbass – Pansoul
Orbital – Orbital 2 (The Brown Album)
Autechre – Amber
Robert Hood – Internal Empire
Ultramarine – Every Man and Woman Is a Star

here is mine, i tried to stick mainly to the music i knew and loved during the 90s rather than subsequent archival rediscoveries.

The Orb U.F.Orb
The Orb Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld
Autechre Amber
Metalheadz present Platinum Breakz compilation
Fila Brazila A Touch of Cloth
9lazy9 Paradise Blown
Future Sound of London, The Lifeforms
LTJ Bukem LTJ Bukem Presents: Logical Progression
Detroit Escalator Co., The Soundtrack (313)
Aphex Twin I Care Because You Do
Global Communication 76:14
The Orb Orbus Terrarum
Plastikman Sheet One
Orbital Orbital (Brown Album)
Moodyman A Silent Introduction
Robert Hood Nightime World
Robert Rich & B. Lustmord Stalker
Deep Dish Penetrate Deeper
Susumu Yokota Sakura
Howie B Music for Babies.
Daft Punk Homework
Burger/Ink Las Vegas
Boards of Canada Music Has the Right to Children
Various Artificial Intelligence
Polygon Window Surfing on Sine Waves

Yes i really still like the Orb you can call me a hippy if you like.

triangular muscleazn dude at the gym this arvo wearing a tit-hugging Drexciya / UR t-shirt - I mentally saluted him on Clarke's behalf

1 Various Flux Trax 02

2 Air Moon Safari

3 Aphex Twin Come to Daddy EP

4 Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works Vol. II

5 DJ Shadow Endtroducing

6 KLF, The The White Room

7 Underworld Beaucoup Fish

8 Global Communication 76:14

9 KLF, The Chill Out

10 Orbital In Sides

11 Underworld Second Toughest in the Infants

12 Boards of Canada Music Has the Right to Children

13 Carl Craig Landcruising

14 LFO Frequencies

15 Orb, The Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld

16 Orbital Middle of Nowhere

17 Basement Jaxx Remedy

18 Pet Shop Boys Relentless

19 The Aloof Sinking

20 Ultramarine United Kingdoms

21 Chemical Brothers, The Brothers Gonna Work It Out

22,Bomb The Bass Clear

23 Utah Saints Utah Saints

24 Various Trance-Europe Express

25 Coldcut Journeys By DJ

Yeah thanks for doing this Tuomas, you are def the chillest poll-runner that I've encountered so far.
In the same boat as a lot of people with this - I like most of the albums on the list so can't complain too much, but am still hoping that the tracks results will be a bit more exciting.

Carl Craig - More songs about food and revolutionary art ?

One of the more positive surprises in this poll is that The Secret Tapes... (and Landcruising) placed and More Songs... didn't, when I feared it would be the other way around. There are a few nice songs on MSAFaRA, but a lot of it is boring, watery noodling.

I own all of the Top 10. Whilst I still occasionally to 10 to 3, I haven't listened to the top 2 in year's. Will have to give In Sides another listen.

And whilst I've not heard every album that made the Top 50, the only one I'd never heard of was that Burger/Ink record and it's amazing. Strange how some things can pass completely underneath your radar as I love the Gas stuff and was listening to lots of Kompact and other techno at the time.

Big thanks to Tuomas for organising this.

*years obviously.

Stupid autocorrect.

It's always cool when Burger/Ink places in polls like these, because it's inevitably followed by enthusiastic comments from people who'd never heard that album before. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say they didn't like it!

Here's my ballot, by the way:

Air Liquide Nephology 1
Burger/Ink Las Vegas 2
Marusha Raveland 3
Paperclip People The Secret Tapes of Dr. Eich 4
4 Hero Parallel Universe 5
Syrinx 2600 Docking -20s 6
Prodigy, The Music for the Jilted Generation 7
Apache 61 Apache 61 8
Gas Königsforst 9
Various Metalheadz present Platinum Breakz 10
Khan & Walker Radiowaves 11
The Irresistible Force It’s Tomorrow Already 12
Omni Trio Haunted Science 13
Leila K Carousel 14
Carlton The Call Is Strong 15
Maddkatt Courtship III I Know Electrikboy 16
Ultramarine Every Man and Woman Is a Star 17
Baked Beans Bean Me Up, Scotty! 18
Gemini In and Out of Fog and Lights 19
Emmanuel Top Asteroid 20
Alter Ego Decoding the Hacker Myth 21
A Guy Called Gerald Black Secret Technology 22
Utah Saints Utah Saints 23
Mouse on Mars Autoditacker 24
PC & Strictly Blech II: Blechsdöttir 25

my last minute cobbled together one:

1. global communication - 76:14
2. carl craig - landcruising
3. mr fingers - introduction
4. red planet - lbh6251876
5. underworld - beaucoup fish
6. deep dish - penetrate deeper
7. v/a - flux trax 2
8. boards of canada - music has the right to children
9. luke slater - freek funk
10. aphex twin - saw 2
11. daft punk - homework
12. paperclip people - the secret tapes of dr eich
13. underworld - second toughest in the infants
14. orbital - brown album

Good to see Mr Fingers' Introduction appearing in these lists...some lush house music there. Think I nommed it and then failed to vote for it.

Baked Beans Bean Me Up, Scotty!

what the

So I'm checking out Tuomas's No.1 on discogs/you tube and it seems that I'm more familiar with some of the tracks on this album than I thought.

Baked Beans Bean Me Up, Scotty!

what the

What the what?

thanks so much for doing this, Tuomas!

putting my ballot together for this i really felt how partial/nostalgic my knowledge of 90s dance was - a lot of records whose sound i can't extricate from specific feelings, like getting freaked out by FSOL videos on late night TV, or feeling at age 12 or so super cool for picking up ex:el at a car boot sale and liking it, or being suspicious and overawed of the dude who could get us weed and wanted to listen to kruder and dorfmeister. Or rolling my eyes at everyone else (my brother, the nme) for liking Boards of Canada when I didn't! So I'm pretty excited about going through the lower reaches of the poll to fill in the blanks.