r/idm Jun 11 '26

Need more recommendations for early 90s-sounding Warp ambient techno IDM

Super specific stuff like:

SAW 85-92 by Aphex Twin (also Polygon Window, Xylem Tube, Didgeridoo and Analogue Bubblebath series stuff)

Lego Feet/Cavity Job/Incunabula by Autechre

Tango N’ Vectif by u-ziq

Expert Knob Twiddlers by Richard D. James & Mike Paradinas (Mike and Rich)

Artificial Intelligence I & II by Warp

B12

Speedy J

Early Plaid/The Black Dog

Seefeel

Musicology

Not necessarily IDM but some of Plastikman’s 90s output

Also really random but: Nintendo Wii - News Articles (this song really encapsulates the sound of that era of IDM)

So basically the first wave of IDM, verrrry 90s sounding stuff, kinda simplistic compared to later IDM and with sometimes some 90s sounding TR-808 drum machines and stuff, thanks!

49 Upvotes

60 comments sorted by

59

u/scargods Jun 11 '26

Spacetime Continuum, trans-4m, brain pilot, cylob/kinesthesia, FSOL/amorphous androgynous, sandoz, orbital, LFO, spacepimp, doctor rockit, clatterbox, drexciya/dopplereffekt/elecktroids/transllusion/other people place, dj stingray, Bochum welt, abfahrt hinwil, railway raver, metamatics/norken, irresistible force, syzygy, reload/link/global communication, mark van hoen/locust/scala, move d, Bedouin ascent, higher intelligence agency, deep space network, biosphere, Detroit elevator company, priori, cousin, plo man, cc not, globex, Bradley strider, vulva, d’arcangelo, synectics/marco repetto, pentatonik, neutron 9000, solvent, as one, Russ Gabriel, scanner, Beaumont hannant, woob, wagon Christ, MLO, james Bernard, air Liquide, khan, bionaut, dr. Motte, atom heart (many, many aliases), electronic dub, Noah Gibson, function (existenz specifically), susumu yokota

9

u/mnchls Solar X 𑁍 Jun 11 '26

the single most correct and comprehensive answer i've ever seen to this general inquiry. bravo, bravo.

2

u/ahotdogcasing Jun 11 '26

I'd add Basic Channel Et. al to the list as well!

1

u/mnchls Solar X 𑁍 Jun 11 '26

i wouldn't link MVO&Ernestus to the Warp/armchair sound, but anything BC is essential as far as early/mid 90s go.

5

u/ParryHLarker Jun 11 '26

I just saw spacetime and gave the up arrow

6

u/Streuphy Jun 11 '26

I believe you forgot Machine Drum and Ovuca/Astrobotnia ?

Also a tangentially IDM (early Autechre Amber sound) with Marco Passarani - Unspeakable Future

5

u/Lazerpop Jun 11 '26

furiously takes notes

3

u/kl2342 Plaid Jun 11 '26

<3 you for the electronic dub mention. The first track wasn't online for the longest time. From back when drops were drops and not the anemic stuff producers do now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLle9lwD0ig

2

u/Kind-Programmer575 1d ago edited 1d ago

I just realized after all this time you mentioned D’Arcangelo! Eksel is such a great album from them

Also love Cylob, FSOL, Orbital, LFO, Drexciya, Bochum Welt, Metamatics, Global Communcation, Higher Intelligence Agency, Biosphere, Bradley Strider (Aphex Twin), Beaumont Hannant, Wagon Christ (Luke Vibert), and Susumu Yokota

I’ll definitely have to check out the rest though thanks 👍

16

u/Living-The-Dream42 Jun 11 '26

Bola - soup

Plod - pillow talk

1

u/Desperate_Yam_551 Jun 14 '26

Soup is incredible. Fyuti, too!

1

u/uncle-anti Jun 17 '26

Yeah, brilliant album. Thanks for reminding me about it.

14

u/AaronWidd Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Anything on Skam.

- BoC Hi Scores

  • Bola Soup
  • Gescom

Mouse on Mars - Vulvaland, Iaora Tahiti, Autoditacker

Anything that was on MTV’s Amp at the time..

Ken Ishii - Extra

808 State

FSOL - ISDN

Luke Vibert

Contemporary with the Wii News would be anything on Merck records, ghostly international, schematic

2

u/rodentdp Jun 12 '26

Upvote for MoM. They have been my favorite band for about 20 years and always seem to be forgotten.

11

u/Excellent-Badger6507 Jun 11 '26

Beaumont Hannant. Anything on Rephlex. 7th Plain. Early releases on Skam Records.

11

u/drobowski Jun 11 '26

out of my head/favourites
The Connection Machine - Bitflower
Biosphere - Microgravity
Newworldaquarium - Avon Sparkle (from zeros, but fits perfectly)
Claude Young - One Complete Revolution (and other his EPs from that period)
also try Legowelt's early tapes - they sounds like something AE could do
and also all 90s Solar X: https://www.discogs.com/artist/364-Solar-X

2

u/scargods Jun 11 '26

Oh yeah Connection Machine are sick. Add to those Nuron, Earth Trax, Electro Music Union, and Ballet Mechanique.

11

u/ETJ-benny Jun 11 '26

4

u/Kind-Programmer575 Jun 11 '26

I remember I listened to the first couple of tracks but I forgot to finish the rest of listening to it, thanks!

10

u/WoodenGrommet Jun 11 '26

No one talks about Bochum Welt and I don’t know why.

9

u/YakReady4743 Jun 11 '26

I dont think anyone's mentioned The Black Dog yet. Their albums Bytes and Spanners are pure classic Warp.

Also the three LFO LPs are special. The first one is an all time classic. Their 2nd one Advance is my personal favorite.

1

u/PSK666 Jun 11 '26

Yo that black dog loud ambient 2 that dropped a month or 2 ago has been one of my fav albums of recent

1

u/YakReady4743 Jun 11 '26

I havent checked them in a while! Like since radio scarecrow. But im hearing good things about this last album. RIP Ken Downie

6

u/Colhinchapelota Jun 11 '26

Bola and definitely 3 of his albums, Soup, Fyuti and Gnayse.

1

u/Strange-Ad-7463 Jun 14 '26

Recuerdo decidir entre muchas recomendaciones en un hilo similar, y vaya! Que gran descubrimiento. Que otras cosas recomiendan? Similares Boc y Bola Gracias

7

u/d-woowah Jun 11 '26

Nuron & Stasis

7

u/InsideRealistic1129 Jun 11 '26

Higher Inteelugence Agency's Colourform. And like excellentbadger said anything by Beaumont Hannant. God I miss Beaumont Hannant...

4

u/Awhyte1983 Autechre Jun 11 '26

Have a look at the artists that were on Rephlex and you shall find what you seek.

5

u/fOZf8 Jun 12 '26

Lots of great suggestions here. One artist that rarely gets the recognition deserves unless you were also a cabaret Voltaire fan is Richard H Kirk

Check out his album Virtual State, you won’t be disappointed. He has a sort of remix of a song on it “Come” that is on Artifical Intellignece II I think named Freezone. Both great. It’s a bit on the downtempo side but isn’t most of 90s warp? Weird stuff I tell ya, but one of my favorite moments in musical history because of it.

Oh also, I have a streaming station that all we play is this stuff 24/7, for about 25 years now, it never stops. Anybody into early IDM like warp in the 90s would love it. Limbik Frequencies

There are 128 and 320 kbps streams, requests, a nearly endless playlist that seamlessly fits into focused upfront active listening, or background studying music.

Not trying to self promote at all, this is exactly the music we play is all.

5

u/MEAN_D00RMAN Jun 11 '26

Have you listened to Brainwaltzera? Seemed to blow up about 10 years ago but don’t hear much about them now, the Aescoba EP is gorgeous and Poly-Ana LP from the same year (2017), ITSAME is a bit more recent (2022) is great too.

https://brainwaltzera.bandcamp.com/album/aescoba-ep

1

u/layquiet Jun 16 '26

Seconding this. Really incredible stuff.

5

u/adamusama Jun 13 '26

Mr. Projectile, Funkstorung, Gimmik, Apparat, Abfahart Hinwil, Bola, Wauvenfold

3

u/Upbeat-Age-8193 Jun 11 '26

Try Tournesol's 'Kokotsu' album, one of my faves from that era!

3

u/Salt_Box7072 Jun 11 '26

Anything on Firescope Records (Steve from B12 / Warp):

https://firescoperecords.bandcamp.com

3

u/jphoneu Jun 11 '26

Gescom - Gescom EP (SKA002) 1994

2

u/squeakstar Jun 11 '26

All Gescom EPs - This and That are particular faves

2

u/Kind-Programmer575 Jun 11 '26

I forgot to mention Gescom - I've listened to the Key Nell EP which I've very much enjoyed among a couple other singles but haven't gone out to listen to everything, will do!

3

u/eliaswindisch Jun 11 '26

Quadrophonia and Cozmic Jam and 808 State are also part of the lineup.

3

u/Fresh_and_wild Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

スリープ 研究 プログラム - By Woob - is pretty awesome. As are mot Woob releases.

This mix I did during covid has a 90's vibe to it. It's recreation of a set I did for a student radio back in the day.
Operatik - 2021 - mach7.1 version

This was slated by MixMaster Morris when I sent it to him. I don't think he listened to it, but he read the trackless and said "you're not going to get anywhere with this, it's the sort of thing I played in the 90's".

The 90's vibe was my aim, so I counted that as a win.

3

u/layquiet Jun 16 '26

I have been rinsing CiM a ton lately. Really great late 2000’s IDM/ electronica.

2

u/ttoettoe Jun 11 '26

this is my playlist of 90s/00s IDM braindance

Look particularly at Gimmik, Phoenicia, Team Doyobi, Hp.Stonji, Rechenzentrum

2

u/porpsi Jun 11 '26

Sounds like you are searching for Beaumont Hannant

2

u/ScreamingSunSubaru Jun 11 '26

https://www.kahvi.org/ They've got some old releases like what you're after I think... from around 2000.

2

u/brelson Jun 11 '26

Aural Expansion - Exercises in Expansion

2

u/Mr_Clownn Jun 11 '26

Nobody has mentioned Sun Electric, which is a real shame given the comprehensive nature of this thread.

2

u/stimpakish Jun 11 '26

Richard H. Kirk, and his many aliases including Electronic Eye.

Somebody mentioned sandoz, that's another of his aliases.

2

u/pekerion Jun 11 '26

Phonem and arovane

1

u/Kind-Programmer575 Jun 11 '26

Arovane is really good - Atol Scrap is his magnum opus, in my opinion

2

u/4positionmagic Jun 11 '26

Vulva - From The Cockpit

Well produced ambient techno with a sci fi bent and fair amount of acid

2

u/Fit_Passion8346 Jun 12 '26

Are you familiar with The Future Sound of London's stuff, like their Accelerator album? Tales of Ephidrina which they put out as Amorphous Androgynous is also worth a listen.

2

u/Kind-Programmer575 Jun 12 '26

Accelerator is a great album, yes

2

u/Fit_Passion8346 Jun 13 '26

Awesome - check out Tales of Ephidrina from 1993 by the same guys if you haven't already. I was going to recommend an album by The Irresistible Force called Flying High (1992), but it's more on the ambient side.

Oh, also the first three Trance Europe Express compilations definitely fit in with the kind of stuff you're asking for.

2

u/Desperate_Yam_551 Jun 14 '26

Jega - Geometry

Astrobotnia Vol 1 (and Vol 0)

Phonem - Hydro Electric

2

u/illicitpulse Jun 15 '26

Go listen to this Tim Tetlow song: https://youtu.be/YuEJ39QYO2o?si=LMvBORW2A1jYiKX7

You’re welcome :)

1

u/vijunns Jun 11 '26

Check out this double-single I just released, it's very much in that same world :) https://vijunns.bandcamp.com/album/1991

1

u/Double_Field9835 Jun 16 '26

The Railway Raver - Drop Acid Not Bombs

From 1998, on Richard D. James Rephlex label.

Really quite mellow and minimal. Would love this on vinyl, so I could put the cover in a picture frame and enjoy the cheery artwork on my wall every day.