[kjpmkjp]

Now that I'm within arms reach (for the next week) of actual CD stores, I come to you all with an annoying question. I'm trying to find artists similar to a few "Electronica" groups I listen to.

What I'm really looking for are songs/albums with a good beat, and preferably minimal vocals. I don't like most of them that are cut up, or don't flow well. Also, some artists make amazing use of samples.

The attack with the guitars on Ratatat (as well as their bass lines) is amazing. I love the flow of Massive Attack (Angel, to be specific). Daft Punk somehow manages to get vocals mixed in without ruining the songs (which most bands can't seem to pull off). Pendulum has amazing drum and bass, but some of the cuts into the track ruin it. DJ Shadow, DJ Q-Bert, and Saltillo make great use of samples, and Q-Bert has amazing scratching and turntableism, while Saltillo and Shadow do a great job overall. Justice and Boys Noize, for the most part, do a great job with laying down heavy trance beats.

I'm well aware no artist/DJ integrates all of what I mentioned above, but there must be others that do some of those very well. I'm focusing mainly on flow, beat, bass, and attack. A perfect song to describe what I'm basically after would be Ratatat - Nostrand.

Can anyone suggest any albums or artists to look into? I'll take anything, don't be shy

And I'm ready to clarify/answer any questions.

 

[mikaronni]

Since you like Daft Punk, I would think The Chemical Brothers will interest you. I also recommend Boys Noize, but give them a listen online first. I'm not sure if it's the flow you are looking for.

Off topic: I just started listening to Ratatat and must agree with you Nostrand is an amazing song.

 

[Asr]

I'm not familiar with Ratatat, but you might like:

- Fluke: some of their tracks do have a prominent male-vocal layer. It's a deep voice though and it usually adds to the attitude.
- The Crystal Method is too inconsistent to blanket recommend for flow/beat/bass/attack but they have some outstanding bass-whompers, like High Roller, Vapor Trail, Murder, Tough Guy, and Acetone. Some TCM tracks have vocals but they prefer to sample.

 

[kjpmkjp]

My Dad listened to the Chemical Bros, so there must be a CD or two lying around. I haven't heard them in forever, and I only really listened to some popular stuff (Block Rockin' Beats and Hey Girl, Hey Boy, for example), which were good in my books. Boys Noize is definitely a great sound to me, even if they are a bit choppy at times.

I'll check out Fluke, I've never heard of them before. I'll also check into those CM songs. I really appreciate the listing of specific songs!

Thanks guys/gals, keep it coming

 

[Agnostic]

You may like these:

DJ Cam - Substances
Blockhead - Music By Cavelight
Red Snapper - Making Bones

 

[Motty]

You could try looking at Simian mobile Disco's - "Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release" and Layo and Bushwacka - "Night works", or The Prodigy - "Music for the jilted generation" or Leftfield - "leftism" or Stylophonic - "Man Music Technology".

 

[Kilane]

Actually there's an entire genre out there for you if you're looking it. The Chemical Brothers and Prodigy made it popular and probably have the most crossover appeal in Big Beat music, but there's some less vocal centric bands in there.

Big beat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So x2 on what everyone else has said, I'll throw out Overseer and The Propellerheads as my specific favorites as well that haven't yet been mentioned.

 

[festman]

Ratatat is more of a post-rock band. I've just listened to Nostrand, and I can't hear much of "electronica" in there. Sounds more like instrumental pop/rock with some electronic instruments. For that, look into Tortoise.

If you want to explore more of an electronic sound, try Mouse on Mars. Earlier albums such as Autoditacker and Instrumentals will give you a softer sound. Check out their latest record Varcharz for an edgier sound.

Another artist you might like is Amon Tobin.

 

[demoNMaCHiN3]

apollo 440, junkie xl, basement jaxx, the prodigy, chemical brothers, fatboy slim and if you like daft punk then listen to moby.

 

[mcmyers]

A great lesser known group that you might like is My My. Their album Songs for the Gentle is one of my favorite electronica albums in recent memory. Great beats that never get monotonous, and their stuff sounds great on headphones. I have no idea why they haven't caught onto a larger audience. If you want to try a single song, look for "Serpentine."

Another group you might try is Out Hud. They fall more into the electronica/post rock hybrid of Ratatat. Their second album Let Us Never Speak of It Again has some vocals on it, but it's still great. They share a bunch of band members with !!!, but whereas !!! are all into the disco punk thing, Out Hud is more about just making people dance and be happy. Their first album doesn't sound good on headphones, because it's horribly mastered, but it sounds wonderful out of a crappy stereo.

You may have seen the recent post about Girl Talk. If not, his two most recent albums (Night Ripper and Feed the Animals) are essential listening. It's like DJ Shadow on speed.

Finally, you might try Matmos. In my opinion, their most enjoyable album is A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure, which is dance music based on the sounds they gathered from a hospital (including plastic surgery). It's hard to imagine anyone could make good dance music from hospital sounds, but I swear it's great. And also, one of the guys in Matmos has a side project called Soft Pink Truth, and I highly recommend his album Do You Party?

 

[boss]

Since you like Ratatat, you may want to check out Minotaur Shock. I recall listening to them a year or two ago and being reminded of Ratatat. You may like The Field based on some of the examples you cited. For something different, check out Fridge (specifically the LP Happiness) or Flashbulb.

 

[pbone]

i'd recommend Ellen Allien.

MySpace.com - Ellen Allien - Berlin, DE - Techno / Electronica - www.myspace.com/ellenallienbpc

she's from germany. it's mostly minimal idm with some sultry vocals she throws in. "sool" is one of my fave electronic albums of '08

 

[gorgak]

I would recommend Underworld. Ranks as one of my top groups along with Massive Attack. Good beats with subtle voice, and frequently no voice.

 

[Lamora]

I can't believe nobody has recommended The Future Sound of London yet. Check out the album ISDN, there are occasional vocals but they don't get in the way.