How were you introduced to electronic music?

[Ifeelspace]

The old man used to be into Depeche Mode, so I suppose my interest in electronic music started there. Being an 80s child, I was also exposed to electronic music through some truely awesome TV show theme tunes (Airwolf, Knightrider and Streethawk). Also being a videogamer since the age of 4 or 5 has bound to have had an influence

 

My first purchase was probably The Prodigy - Experience and from there I kind of progressed towards Happy Hardcore (loved it at the time despite its cheesyness and still do like some of the more classic stuff).

 

In my Uni years (96-99) I was mainly into Trance (Paul van Dyk not Tiesto). I can barely stand listening to any of it anymore, although PvDs earlier albums still have some kick ass choons (Words, Forbidden Fruit, For An Angel etc.)

 

FIrst heard Alberto Balsalm through a mix tape that an ex had. Didn't properly get into the IDMz until several years after though

[Roj]

When I grew up as a kid in the early-mid 70s, I heard a lot of my Dad's big band jazz, my Mum's classical music and my elder brother's mix of prog, rock and disco. Probably explains why I turned into a proggie myself (still am too!).

 

However it all changed for me when I heard Oxygene by Jean Michel Jarre for the first time. It was totally different, I'd never heard anything like that. I was totally hooked. I'm proud to say Oxygene was the first album I bought. I swiftly moved onto Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Kraftwerk as well as the more ambient and spacey prog like Floyd and Hawkwind. The list goes on. Being a fan of electronic music, the arrival of house music was not a shock to the system for me and I embraced that and as well as the "intelligent" variety that followed.

 

Now my collection is a mixture of electronica, IDM, prog rock, trance, you name it. Lately, the collaborations of Ian Boddy and Robert Rich have been hitting the spot.

[cruising for burgers]

me: hi what's your name, i like money, do you also like money?!?!?

electronic music: hi, my name is electronic music! i also love money let's be friends!

 

 

THE END

[QBLA]

Prior to 1981 I listened mostly to disco (mom), hip hop (friends in the neighborhood and school), Funk & Prog Rock (Dad).

 

I was in a a breakdancing crew, we were break dancing in the playground, dude had a mixtape playing the usual hip hop then Kraftwerk - Numbers/Computer World came on... Changed the way I listened to music forever. For the next like 6 or 7 years my music enjoyment became difficult because I longed and searched for something similar. Closest things were Depeche Mode, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, etc. I even stopped listening to Hip Hop but revisited around 87, 88 with the emergence of Public Enemy and Eric B. & Rakim. Late 80s house came around and I was like "Yeah!" Followed closely by techno then 93 came along and I discovered On by Aphex.

[Zephyr_Nova]

Yeah A&B Sound!!!

 

I'd also like to give a shout out to A&B Sound. That's where I picked up both Druqs and Confield, the two most pivotal electronic albums for me. Also bought Ultravisitor there. That place had the best deals on new music. I still never see new releases on sale for less than $10 anywhere else. RIP A&B.

[YEK]

Yeah A&B Sound!!!

 

I'd also like to give a shout out to A&B Sound. That's where I picked up both Druqs and Confield, the two most pivotal electronic albums for me. Also bought Ultravisitor there. That place had the best deals on new music. I still never see new releases on sale for less than $10 anywhere else. RIP A&B.

 

i bought tango n vectif there as well as mhtrtc

[beerwolf]

Streetsounds Electro compilations.

 

These compilations were legendary in introducing a lot of kids into early hip-hop/breakdance of my generation. Obviously Planet Rock by Africa Bambatta being amoung the first. Yeah all that stuff and then someone played me Oxygene and Equinoxe by Jean Michael Jarre and then I really realised the meaning of synthesiszer music.

 

I then fucked it all off in favour for thrash/alternative guitar music.

 

Then I got into Aphex Twin with Boy/Girl which John Peel played one night I was listening. At that time electronic music was all about pilled up raves and people dressed like fucking idiots off their tits. I heard Boy/Girl and thought 'aaaaahhhh something different here going on'.

 

Thats how I remember it at least.

[QBLA]

yeah Beerwolf. When i first heard On I stopped listening to those rave compilations and Moby entirely.

[baph]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb2jDNZ5JuQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-ti2_KZr-Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6yP5mYXGGk&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LyQPbAUuY8

 

I'd totally forgotten how much I loved the ecco the dolphin music when I was little.

[beerwolf]

yeah Beerwolf. When i first heard On I stopped listening to those rave compilations and Moby entirely.

 

 

Too right.

[manmower]

Then there was MTV that would play those weird mix videos at night where I didn't have a clue who the artists were (Club Zone? Chillout Zone? X-Mix? I forget. It was back in the days when all MTV ever played was either music or ads for MTV itself).

 

MTV had at least Chill Out Zone. That's where I heard Aphex Twin and Autechre for the first time. Some guy's been hosting a site about the show. It looks absolutely horrible and will burn your eyes but it's pretty informative since it has the playlists. You can see for example that the first video they played was Aphex's On, followed by the likes of 808 State, Dead Can Dance, FSOL and Orbital.

 

Aahh Chill Out Zone, that was awesome! MTV was so good back in the day. If only they still played music.

Yeah, that's the one. I remember just a few tracks by name like The Orb's Little Fluffy Clouds that probably stood out because of the vocals. And they would sometimes play loooooong videos that were something like music visualizers to a DJ set, à la X-Mix. Great great stuff, I just didn't properly explore it until some years later.

 

[youtubehd]j-yvAeW8--w[/youtubehd]

 

Happy Hardcore (loved it at the time despite its cheesyness and still do like some of the more classic stuff).

 

Oh yes, used to be a guilty pleasure of mine, now I don't do guilty pleasures anymore and I just sincerely love it. The ultra-cheesy Dutch variant, too.

[Guest Frankie5fingers]

I'd totally forgotten how much I loved the ecco the dolphin music when I was little.

lol, yeah. i don't think ive ever even played the damn game cause i just end up putting down the controller to just listen to the music.

[OneToThirtySix]

Mine starts with film scores and sound effects from movies in the 80s, The Hobbit (Rankin/Bass version, which has my favorite noise EVER), The Dark Crystal, The NeverEnding Story, The Flight of the Navigator, and anything said by R2-D2.

[coax]

Not entirely sure but some of the earliest albums I bought and loved were The Grid - Evolver, Leftfield - Leftism and The Prodigy - Jilted Generation. Before that there was a lot of trance and dance shit like 2 Unlimited. But starting with the aformentioned albums I came into Autechre, Plaid and Orbital some time in the late 90s.

[LimpyLoo]

Got turned onto Warp stuff in high school but honestly I can't pinpoint when cause the whole thing was a beautiful blur of sex and drugs.

[BobDobalina]

Probably Herbie Hancock's Rockit and Jam on It by Newcleus, the latter being on heavy rotation at the local roller skating rink where every 7 year-old little shit (including myself) would have their birthday party.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdc1EFtt_sI

[3849]

I've been thinking about it again and came to the conclusion that Nintendo made me listen to electronic music. When I was a kid I used to play Super Mario Bros. games at my mom's aunt's place, thank you Nintendo.

[gaarg]

I loved some pop tracks in the 90's plus the Command&Conquer soundtrack that was kinda electronic. But I wasn't aware that was a serious genre until I met kokoon for the first time and drove in his car listening to something really special. I think it might have been autechre.

[Guest uptown devil]

the earliest i remember is listening to my brother's gatecrasher minidisks when he would come home from college. more influential was probably watching some car commercial that had rockefeller skank by fat boy slim playing in the background.

 

if this don't make your booty move, your booty must be dead.

[Guest]

c64 & amiga 500, notably demo's:

 

 

+ learned tracking from above demo ripped protracker mods.

 

+ mtv partyzone / chillout zone.

[beerwolf]

I'd also add that John Carpenter was a fairly big influence on me. I loved his films as a teenager and his basic, stripped down scores resonated with me. I suppose I'd listen to J M Jarre and became uplifted and then Carpenters sound tracks were the darkside!!

[Guest the anonymous forumite]

The Prodigy's "Music for the jilted generation" started it all. I got then interested to some techno compilations, among which there was this great track by Hardfloor (anybody ?) :

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kV4Nw0PtNs

[ambermonk]

Two things got me initiated, from late 1996 to mid-1997:

 

 

[LimpyLoo]

Actually, I think I was introduced to electronic music when I was like 10 when my uncle was cranking Pretty Hate Machine at my grandmother's house.

 

 

No wait, it wasn't PHM, it was the "Sin" maxi-single.

[ambermonk]

Actually, I think I was introduced to electronic music when I was like 10 when my uncle was cranking Pretty Hate Machine at my grandmother's house.

 

 

No wait, it wasn't PHM, it was the "Sin" maxi-single.

 

I actually listened to PHM quite a bit in late 1996. I understand Trent Reznor got some of his influence from Prince. I could certainly hear it in that album.