Over the past 40 years, Germany has produced (and continues to produce) an extraordinary group of electronic music pioneers. Most everyone is familiar, of course, with Kraftwerk, formed back in 1970. But Germany has continued to generate musical prodigies each decade. During the 1980s when most folks were bopping along to New Order or Aha’s “Take on Me” (admittedly great music), a real new order of electronic dance music was being established in central Europe, as talented German artists such as Sven Vath, Oliver Lieb, Paul van Dyk, Torsten Fenslau, Peter Namlook, Thomas Heckman and others were creating a sound influenced by, but generally light-years ahead, of the 80’s synth pop/new wave. Oliver Lieb’s 1989 track “System” under the name “Force Legato,” and Torsten Fenslau’s groundbreaking track “Alone It’s Me” under the name “Abfahrt,” (German for “Departure”) - regarded by some as the greatest electronic track yet produced for example – signaled a new era of music and single-handedly fueled the expansion of a new style of electronic music in many parts of the globe, including the southeast U.S.
This writer had an opportunity to expose the Bay Area (northern California, US) to this sound while a DJ at KZSU, 90.1, Stanford’s innovative radio station. During that time, I received numerous calls with questions about the central European music. Not surprisingly, most of the local populace who listened to electronic music (trip hop was popular at the time) had never heard a sound quite like it. For some, it was “too intense.” For others – Monster Loop included, it was an exhilarating musical breakthrough. Examining the phenomenon deeper, one must acknowledge the contribution to the burgeoning European techno scene from the U.S. “Acid House” movement, which originated in Chicago and Detroit. The Germans – and Frankfurt deserves special recognition along with Berlin, Cologne, and other German cities – however, harnessed and processed the powerful American Acid House sound as if it were a raw material. And, in the process, the Germans created something entirely original. There are some who follow the history of electronic music who claim that, without the contribution of the Germans at this time, electronic music would have met the same fate as disco.
In the spirit of celebrating the country’s many musical accomplishments, we have attached this tune-widget with 5 contemporary German electronica tracks. We hope you enjoy.
At this writing, over 450,000 artists/musicians have registered with Reverbnation, a cutting-edge music streaming website based in the United States, and are eligible to be ranked within the artist’s respective musical category, of which there are 18. Currently, 23,904 artists have registered with Reverbnation under the broad category “Electronica” (there is no sub-category for “ambient,” “acid house” “trance,” or “progressive house,” for example) and are therefore eligible to be ranked in the Electronica category.
Reverbnation calculates and updates its rankings using an objective and democratic rating system which, each day, generates a “band equity” score (the higher the better). Band equity is awarded based on several factors, including the number of times an artist’s page is visited, the number of times the artist’s music is streamed, and the number of individuals who click to become a fan of the respective artist. Currently, Paul van Dyk from Berlin is #1, while the artist “DJ C@iDa*” has the dubious distinction of being ranked #23,904, or last. Perhaps his name plays a role; we wish him well.
Within their respective category, musicians generally strive to reach the Global Top 100, if for no other reason than the promotional opportunities the ranking creates. Reaching the Global Top 100 in any category is no easy feat: an electronica artist ranked 100 on Reverbnation’s global charts, for example, would rank in the top 99.6 percentile of global artists registered at Reverbnation – no small feat given the number of outstanding acts currently producing electronic music throughout the world that have already registered.
The country with the most representatives within Reverb’s Electronica Global Top 100 is the US, with 41. This number is somewhat skewed by the fact that Reverbnation is based in the US. American artists are, therefore, more likely to register. Besides the US, other countries strongly represented in the Global Top 100 include the UK (14), Germany (6), Australia (5), Brazil (3), France (3), Israel (3), Netherlands (3), Portugal (3), Turkey (3), and Canada (2). In all, these countries represent 86 of the top 100 slots. Other countries represented at this time are Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Ecuador, Finland, Greece, Japan, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The cities most represented—each with 7 artists in the Global Top 100—are New York City and London. Other strongly represented cities include San Francisco (4) and Chicago, Los Angeles, Istanbul, Lisbon, Montreal, Melbourne, Romford, and Sao Paula, which each have 2 artists in the Global Top 100.
Some very skilled artists who fall under the broad category electronica but that have not registered and therefore are ineligible to be ranked include Aphex Twin, Oliver Lieb (i.e., LSG), Autechre, Plastique de Reve, and Rob Acid – just to name a few. There are, however, numerous well-known artists who have registered with Reverbnation but who find themselves in line behind many lesser known artists in the rankings under Reverbnation’s democratic ranking process. Examples include The Orb (ranked #44); DJ Spooky (#177); Juno Reactor (#340); Massive Attack (#598); Boards of Canada (#704); Armin van Buuren (#722); Lady Gaga (#728); and DJ Tiesto (#822). This is less surprising once one begins to listen to the incredible wealth of talent represented in the rankings.
To view and hear these and other talented artists, visit the “Rankings” tab on this website.
6
Oct
The City of Nottingham, located roughly in the center of England, enjoys fame for its connection to the mythical Robin Hood. And, like Robin Hood who was ultimately no longer able to elude detection or fame; Nottingham electronica artist Chris Bicknell, aka ‘BIK,’ may no longer be able to hide within his musical Nottingham forest.
A true student of the electronic music genre, BIK could be described many ways, though a common thread to his music is a detailed focus on composition. Each track appears to have been constructed patiently and intelligently. Moreover, while many contemporary electronica artists focus exclusively on percussion, BIK focuses on filtering synthesized sounds and building impressive soundscapes. The man knows how to construct a track. More importantly, those constructed tracks make you dance!
BIK’s influences are unclear to this writer; perhaps those European electronic music pioneers from the ‘80s and ‘90s who carried the torch of electronica when so much bad music was being produced as the genre spread rapidly. Whatever the source, BIK’s music reflects several interesting styles. The pure danceability evident in many of his tracks is, at times, reminiscent of early Front242 (e.g., ‘White Dwarf’). ‘Funk N Jive’ recalls early European techno classics, such as the 1990 mind-blower “Evolution” by Nostromo Department which appeared on the cutting-edge and influential compilation “Technopolis.” Other tracks suggest a more mature Oliver Lieb, aka LSG (e.g., ‘Rachael’s Song’). Several feature a mysterious, almost gothic, old-school electronic trance vibe (e.g., ‘Drance’) and an aggressive, psychedelic aspect is evident at times (e.g., ‘LTM vs. BLK’). Some tracks are relatively mellow and recall Vangelis (e.g., ‘Creed,’ ‘LollyB,’ ‘Automata,’ ‘Gabriel Kron,’ and ‘Roykion’). One could almost envision these appearing in a modern day version of Blade Runner. Turn up the danceability knob a notch or two on certain of these (e.g., ‘Roykon’) and you have his track ‘Eva3.’ But to this writer, BIK’s masterpiece is without question ‘Binary,’ which brings it all together.
Chris indicates on Reverbnation that “[m]y first experience of electronic music was spinning around to Popcorn by Hot Butter as an infant. It wasn’t until I heard Kraftwerk’s ‘Man Machine’ on my mum’s old gramophone that I realized that there was so much more out there. Listening wasn’t enough though; I needed to make it. There has followed years of buying and selling of different pieces of electronic music equipment making of songs: some good, some bad. The urge to make music still continues today.” That is evident in his body of work, which is artful, upbeat, hopeful, and intelligent music for the mind, body, and soul. Monster Loop recommends BIK!