PEOPLE OF THE NATIONS, DANCING TOGETHER! It's the 1990s TOP 100 ELECTRONIC TRACKS poll results!

It's good to see Hi-Tech Jazz place so highly as well, although I'd never expected it to finish above Jaguar.

Pleasantly surprised by the handful of records I've never heard, or even heard of, given how much of the 90s I spent immersed in dance music. So much more fun than the albums poll, which was basically albums I knew and liked + a ton of Autechre.

36. AIR - Le soleil est près de moi (Source, 1997)
490 points, 8 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/lesoleilestpresdemoi_zpsca1f1b6b.jpg

http://youtu.be/yjb9Mn7_IHs

(Can't find any ILM posts on this one, but obviously people like it.)

Matt otm re: sub sub. I've never heard that Moodymann track before - I like it, but 15 minutes of almost exactly the same thing is a bit much.

35. Dem 2 - Destiny (Sleepless) (Locked On, 1997)
493 points, 8 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/destiny_zpsa5d6fdd6.jpg

http://youtu.be/48zg8o-XzPA

Odd realisation re: Dem 2's "Destiny"

Great Air tune, probably one of my very favourites by them.

Yassssss, to Dem2.

YES YES YES YES

34. Carl Craig - At Les (Planet E, 199?)
503 points, 10 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/atles_zpsc6fc1839.jpg

http://youtu.be/vm6pm5mCLXg

under his own name'at les' is stunning

― michael wells, 31. toukokuuta 2001 3:00

Can't believe no-one has mentioned "At Les" yet!

That record for me summed up a era of beautiful emotional techno music

― blue, 22. helmikuuta 2003 2:05

so many good tracks

at les, microlovr, rushed, dominas, stam, throw the list is almost endless.

― jed_ (jed), 21. maaliskuuta 2004 1:46

Search: all versions of 'At Les'

― Omar, 30. toukokuuta 2001 3:00

"Destiny" hell yeah!!!

very pleased with the amount of 2step in this poll

Does anyone know what's the exact release history of "At Les"? I can't find any info on it been released as a single, so it doesn't seem like CC had on his own record before 1997 (on "More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art"), but it seems to have appeared on this compilation as far back as 1993...

"doesn't seem like CC had it"

The Virtualsex compilation is regarded by some as the best techno LP. Stefan Robbers 'Foreign Dimensions' is such an amazing track, which was also exclusive to it.

and 'tedra' and 'desire'. 'tedra' is the high point i think, voted it top 3 in my ballot. in answer to tuomas' question i don't think 'at les' got an official release between 'virtual sex' and 'more songs...' though it was surely on white label or something.

33. Adamski - Killer (MCA records, 1990)
510 points, 8 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/killer_zps73dcb691.jpg

http://youtu.be/gIcPawP_0KM

I liked Killer. Also, I remember seeing on one of those nostalgia clip shows an old Smash Hits Pollwinners Party performance (I think) where he tried to trash his keyboard like you would with a guitar. Unfortunately keyboards are much sturdier than guitars and he only managed to break one key.

― Chriddof (Chriddof), 29. elokuuta 2004 9:20

That was a damn shame. It's like he blew his entire creative wad with "Killer" and "N.R.G.", both of which are good enough to keep him in the Big Book Of Dance.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), 28. elokuuta 2004 19:44

Seal was only great in combination with Adamski.

― MarkH (MarkH), 25. lokakuuta 2002 16:44

Adamski-Killer, plus name more songs being given new context by the current climate in dance

32. Moby - Go (Outer Rhythm, 1991)
511 points, 11 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/go_zps10f999cb.jpg

http://youtu.be/NLCHARjjrws

"Go" is classic indeed (and BTW look for the recent remixes by the Trance Allstars project = ATB, Taucher, Schiller, Mellow-D, Sunbeam and Talla 2xlc. All of them are very interesting.).

― Siegbran Hetteson, 2. elokuuta 2002 3:00

however the 'go' 12" (with vitalic remix!!) is wicked. (I forgot how good the original was.)

― slackety yax (H2-H4), 11. tammikuuta 2007 1:14

I think Moby has gained a permanent spot in my heart for "Go", to be honest.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), 25. tammikuuta 2005 0:33

The original version of "Go" was released in 1990, but it's the Twin Peaks quoting mix from 1991 that everyone knows, so I included that one here.

Oh man, I used to love Adamski (I think I had his album "Adamski's Musical Pharmacy"? Or something). Anyway, 9 y/o me always found Killer a bit dark and doomy but I loved NRG.

Remember 'Space Jungle'? It was just a cover of 'All Shook Up'. Apparently it was an instrumental track until one day Adamski was playing live when he got possessed by the spirit of Elvis and started singing over the track. And the rest, as they say, is history.

As a side note, Adamski's image gallery in Discogs.com is rather fun to look at.

Didn't vote for it, but Le Soleil Est Près De Moi is probably my favorite track by Air. I haven't heard it for years, might be all you really need from them in the end.

xp pictures of people who haven't figured out how to live

might be all you really need from them in the end.

hell no

It's still Casanova 70 for me. Love those early singles.

hell no

Hm, knew this would be controversial! :)

Maybe I'm overstating things, I remember quite liking Virgin Suicides soundtrack, bits and pieces of their albums post-Moon Safari. The latter though, I can't say I ever need to hear again, and I still strongly associate them with that record.

Discogs tells me that they released a record this year, didn't even notice, also something called Love 2 from 2009 (?)

Adamski was one of the "Stupid Babies" you know...

31. Paperclip People - Throw (Open, 1994)
519 points, 9 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/throw_zps75e41bc7.jpg

http://youtu.be/fuRKe9JVmAU

Back to the review-plate, I listened to AVH in full, chased with the recently-purchased The Secret Tapes of Dr. Eich by Paperclip People (a.k.a. Carl Craig). Tracky and not a great listen, but lots of good tracks sorta made up for it, plus it includes "Throw," one of the best neo-disco records of the '90s.

― M. Matos, 22. elokuuta 2001 3:00

finishing second set of 50 scissor kicks to find that yr pulse is in perfect rhythm with "Throw" by the Paperclip People = CLASSIC

I think my ankles might still be emo though

― Millar (Millar), 30. heinäkuuta 2003 22:10

I feel like a lot of the filtering is drawn from a few chicago &
detroit records. Paperclip People 'Throw' in particular, though
filtering is a trick thats been used since disco djs hit the decks.

― Ulysses, 27. marraskuuta 2007 16:27

throw remake uno by paperclip people is soooooo killer.

― hector (hector), 28. syyskuuta 2004 4:48

Dem 2 placing is kind of a relief, I thought speed garage was going to end up being pretty much the only genre not to place.

is Gabrielle speed garage?

I'd call it deep house, personally.

can I just say the results are fuckin' A so far!

neither Destiny nor Gabriel(le) are speed garage tracks - the latter was a garage/2 step outlier but really unique

cral craig the autechre of tracks

Yeah but with Carl Craig it's more deserved b/c he's touched on so many different styles in his career, it's not like "At Les" and "Throw" could stand in for one another.

wouldn't go with that really (as much as i'd rather listen to 90s CC than Autechre or indeed most things) - depends on yr definitions e.g. CC hasn't strayed out of a pretty narrow bpm range or structural framework in his time compared to AE

There's at least three acts who have more tunes on the list than Carl Craig, it's just that not all of those tracks have showed up yet.

xpost crossed over many more dancefloors though. In dance music social demarcations are way more important than bpms.

probably everyone has already said everything that needs to be said about "Go" but man, what a great, great, great track

In dance music social demarcations are way more important than bpms.

i don't necessarily disagree but...in what sense? career longevity? critical reception? both? other?

As in I think the space between "At Les" and "Throw" in terms of the kind of contexts in which they work is actually more meaningful and impressive and worth representing on a poll than the space between (say) Amber and EP7.

Slowly moving back through these, Roy Davis Jr. - Gabriel - what a track, but I'm probably more of a fan of the Large Joints Remix. At least, am more familiar with that one from Sound of the Pirates mix.

Just realised I accidentally left 'Rendez-Vu' off my ballot so I'm doubly glad it placed.

Large Joints remix of "Gabriel" is all time.

My top Carl Craig vote hasn't placed so far, no idea if it will or not, this is a tricky-to-predict rundown!

This poll makes me notice the label Outer Rhythm for the first time.

never seen that sleeve for 'throw' before. more than deserving of it's place here, i voted '4 my peepz' instead tho.

As in I think the space between "At Les" and "Throw" in terms of the kind of contexts in which they work is actually more meaningful and impressive and worth representing on a poll than the space between (say) Amber and EP7.

it's hard not to see that as just boiling down to the love of dancing and surrounding culture over AE's primary values but that in itself is completely fair enough

30. Round Two - New Day (Mains Street, 1995)
522 points, 7 votes, one 1st place vote.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/newday_zps29e15b9e.jpeg

http://youtu.be/0H6UKryRa4E

Never been a massive fan of vocal house, but New Day is a killer.

― Discordian, 15. helmikuuta 2010 11:56

my favourite time to hear "new day" is midway in a long 4-6 hr set, so the hopefulness of the vocal and those airy chords shine through and elevate the room. it has a completely different effect if played at the end of a set, and appears to be a much sadder song

― anita bonghit (rionat), 15. helmikuuta 2010 13:36

Voted Round Two: New Day

Andy Caine sounds so so sad and forlorn: the frustration at the position he finds himself, unable to understand why a relationship is over, is perfectly captured in the finest break-up song in house.

― De que estas hablando? (Tannenbaum Schmidt), 15. helmikuuta 2010 21:17

round 2: i realized the new day in the last line is about moving on, not going back. such a for real break-up track but like opposite of hysterical, it's letting all those feelings develop and breathe.

― desk calendar white out (Matt P), 23. maaliskuuta 2012 3:23

ATTN Basic Channel and vocal house fans: who is Andy Caine?

Never been much of a house guy myself, but that's really nice.

29. Wink - Higher State Of Consciousness (Tweekin' Acid Funk Mix) (Strictly Rhythm, 1995)
540 points, 10 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/higherstate_zps0847e153.jpeg

http://youtu.be/1zkeEiUpEUQ

And sorry but Higher State is one of the best songs EVER.

― Ronan, 15. huhtikuuta 2002 3:00

i heard a mix of higher state while out one time which had the longest snare-rush breakdown i'd ever heard, just this minute build up to explosion. so for that reason alone, classic.

― jess, 15. huhtikuuta 2002 3:00

I first got into Orbital, and therefore into techno and electronica, through a free CD on the front of the Guardian (featuring Belfast, Impact USA, Sad But New and The Girl With The Sun In Her Head) in about 1996, so I wouldn't necessarily knock it...

Looking back, I was quite an astonishing rock-bigot until around then. That, Born Slippy and Higher State of Consciousness were what did it for me, I think.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), 22. marraskuuta 2002 14:14

"Higher State of Consciousness" natch (most fucked-up devastating climax evah)

― M Matos (M Matos), 28. tammikuuta 2003 12:36

That song makes me think of orgasms.

― Lara (Lara), 28. tammikuuta 2003 12:40

that song IS an orgasm

― M Matos (M Matos), 28. tammikuuta 2003 12:42