From the 1970s through the 1990s, these are my top selections for Electronic Dance Music albums. From Tangerine Dream and Donna Summer to DJ Shadow and Daft Punk these selections paved the way to the dance floors of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Released February 20, 1974, Phaedra was the album that set Tangerine Dream on the path to international success. Although it only managed the 196 spot on the US Billboard 200, the album was on the UK charts for fifteen weeks where it hit its top position of #15.
The All Music Guide at Electronica noted that Phaedra was “one of the most important, artistic, and exciting works in the history of electronic misic.”
Phaedra – Album Audio
Donna Summer - Love to Love You Baby
This Donna Summer hit was one of the first extended-form disco releases. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame considers Love to Love You, Baby to be one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. VH1 listed the album as #63 on its 2006 100 Greatest Dance Songs, while Slant Magazine placed it at #10 the same year.
Love to Love You, Baby – Live on the Midnight Special, 1976
Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express
Released in March 1977, Kraftwerk’s 6th studio release, Trans Europe Express celebrated the European railway service via sequenced rhythms, minimalism, and manipulated vocals. The album ranked #119 on American charts.
In 2014, The Los Angeles Times named Trans Europe Express as “the most important pop album of the last 40 years”. Through the years the album continues to win accolades from critics and media.
Trans Europa Express – Official Music Video
Parliament - Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Parliament released this “funk concept” album in 1977, featuring #1 R&B single Flashlight.
The Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome message was for consumers to avoid falling into the consumerism of listening to disco music or the Placebo Syndrome.
The album peaked at #2 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart and #13 on the US Billboard 200 for 1977-1978.
Parliament Funkadelic – Flashlight – Live 1978
Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Brian Eno’s Music for Airports, 1978, was designed to be continuously looped as a sound installation, so as to calm the anxious atmosphere of an airport.
A first album under the ambient music genre, the album was published before its time only becoming favored in the 1990s.
A first album under the ambient music genre, the audio recording of the album.
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
The debut studio album from British electronic music group Massive Attack, Blue Lines was released on April 8, 1991.
Considered the first trip-hop album, Blue Lines made use of hip hop, dub, soul, and reggae with electronic music.
The 1997 Music of the Millenium considered the album to be the 21st greatest album of all time. Blue Lines was included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003, 2012, and 2020.
Official video of Massive Attack performing Unfinished Sympathy from the album Blue Lines.
The Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation
Music for the Jilted Generation was released in July 1994 as a response to the corruption and criminalization of the rave scene.
The Prodigy combined rave, breakbeat techno, and hardcore techno throughout the album.
Accolades include #60 on the Spin 90 Greatest Albums of the 90s, #9 in NME Top 50 Albums of 1994, and it is included in the book 100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation – Audio Album.
Robert Hood - Internal Empire
Internal Empire from American electronic musician Robert Hood arrived in 1994 as a follow-up to Minimal Nation of the same year.
The two albums are considered to be important media of the minimal techno genre.
Full audio album
DJ Shadow - Entroducing....
Released September 16, 1996, Endroducing….is the debut album from American music producer DJ Shadow. Created largely from layered vinyl record samples the album is considered to be a landmark recording of the instrumental hip hop genre.
Numerous lists and critics consider Endroducing…. to be one of the best albums of the 1990s and Rolling Stone Magazine lists it at #329 of its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Looking back at Entroducing…. with DJ Shadow on the album’s 25th anniversary with Zane Lowe.
Daft Punk - Homework
Homework brought attention to the French house music scene and is considered to be a significant influence of the French house genre.
Full album audio.
Electronic Dance Music at Radio.Garden
A selection of electronic dance music radio from across the globe to enjoy at Radio.Garden
Radio.Garden – Stream the planet! Radio Garden works by crawling the web for radio streams from across the globe. Using this data, the stations are arranged by geolocation and grouped by cities, represented by a dot, with larger dots representing numerous stations within the town or city.
- Belgian Dance Radio (Belgium)
- bigFM EDM & Progressive (Germany)
- Club Dance Radio (Netherlands)
- Dance Radio (Czechia)
- EDM Sessions (USA)
- Fun Radio Dance (Slovakia)
- MIXX EDM (USA)
- Naxi Dance Radio (Serbia)
- NRJ-EDM (France)
- ON EDM (Germany)
- Prysm Big Room EDM (France)
- Sunshine Live (Germany)
Celebrate!
National DJ Day – On January 20th, we celebrate the talents of all the disc jockeys, from those playing the ‘Chicken Dance’ for the millionth time at a wedding to the radio personalities who help you get through the morning commute.
World Music Therapy Day – World Music Therapy Day on March 1 every year is a day for people all around the world to celebrate the healing power of music.
International Music Day – In 1974, the International Music Council declared that International Music Day would be celebrated on October 1 every year.
World Techno Music Day – 9 December marks World Techno Day, a celebration of this genre of electronic dance music.
More to Explore
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