This is a list of notable music artists who primarily play intelligent dance music (IDM). Artists/groups are listed alphabetically (excluding "The") and proper names are alphabetized by their first name.
Intelligent dance music (IDM) is a style of electronic music originating in the early 1990s, defined by idiosyncratic experimentation rather than specific genre constraints. The music often described with the term originally emerged in the early 1990s from the culture and sound palette of styles of electronic dance music such as ambient techno, acid house, Detroit techno and breakbeat; it has been regarded as better suited to home listening than dancing. Prominent artists in the style include Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, μ-Ziq, the Black Dog and the later duo Plaid, as well as earlier acts such as the Future Sound of London and Orbital.
Debut is the international debut studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk, released in July 1993 by One Little Indian and Elektra Entertainment. It was produced by Björk and Nellee Hooper. It was Björk's first recording following the dissolution of her previous band, the Sugarcubes. The album departed from the rock style of her previous work and drew from an eclectic variety of styles, including electronic pop, house music, jazz and trip hop.
Michael Robert Paradinas, better known by his stage name μ-Ziq, is an English electronic musician from Wimbledon, London. He was associated with the electronic style intelligent dance music (IDM) during the 1990s, and recorded on Rephlex Records and Reflective Records. His critically acclaimed 1997 album, Lunatic Harness, helped define the drill 'n' bass subgenre and was also his most successful release, selling over 100,000 copies. Paradinas founded the record label Planet Mu, begun in 1995, where he has championed genres such as juke, IDM and footwork.
Leila Arab, professionally known as Leila, is an Iranian-born record producer and DJ based in London, England. She has released music on the labels Rephlex, XL and Warp. She has also worked extensively with Icelandic singer Björk.
Planet Mu is an English electronic music record label created and run by Mike Paradinas. The label started out as a subsidiary of Virgin Records then Paradinas set up the label independent of Virgin. After releasing intelligent dance music, the label moved to jungle and breakcore, and then grime and dubstep and later footwork. The label also releases the music of Paradinas under various aliases such as μ-Ziq, Kid Spatula and Tusken Raiders. It celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020.
Carl Craig is an American electronic music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. He is known as a leading figure and pioneer in the second wave of Detroit techno artists during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He has recorded under his given name in addition to a variety of aliases, including Psyche, BFC, and Innerzone Orchestra.
Benn Lee Jordan is an American musician operating under many pseudonyms. Since 1999, his most widely distributed electronic music has been released under the name of The Flashbulb. Other names Jordan has released as are Acidwolf, Human Action Network, and FlexE.
Down with the Scene is the second studio album by American electronic music artist Kid606. It was released on compact disc on June 20, 2000, as his first full-length album for Ipecac Recordings.
Bogdan W. Raczynski is a Polish-American electronic musician. Associated with the intelligent dance music (IDM) movement, Raczynski's work draws inspiration from the chaotic breakbeats of jungle and hardcore rave as well as traditional Polish music and other sources.
Artem Stolyarov, known professionally as Arty and ALPHA 9, is a Russian DJ and music producer. He has collaborated with Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, BT, Paul van Dyk, Mat Zo, OneRepublic and Matisse & Sadko. His debut album, Glorious (2015), peaked at number 14 on the US Dance/Electronic Albums charts.
Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez, known professionally as Arca, is a Venezuelan musician and record producer based in Barcelona, Spain. She initially began releasing music under the name of Nuuro. After attending the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Ghersi first released the EP Baron Libre (2012) under the name Arca and subsequently released the EPs Stretch 1 and Stretch 2; the latter experimented with hip hop and brought her attention from prominent music publications.
Dark Energy is the debut album by American electronic music producer Jlin, released in 2015 by Planet Mu. It received acclaim from critics and was named the best album of 2015 by The Quietus and The Wire.
Project Mooncircle is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany, focusing on organic and electronic music.
Black Origami is the second album by American producer Jlin, first issued for streaming on May 11, 2017 and on other formats by Planet Mu on May 19, 2017. Produced in a year from 2015 to 2016, it features collaborations with William Basinski, Holly Herndon, Fawkes, and Dope Saint Jude. The title of Black Origami describes the structure of the music: the songs are complex pieces that take advantage of silence as much as sounds, similar to how an origami makes intricate art based on plain paper. Two tracks from previous Jlin extended plays appear on Black Origami: "Nandi" from Free Fall (2015) and "Nyakinya Rise" from Dark Lotus (2017).
Utopia is the ninth studio album by Icelandic singer-musician Björk. It was primarily produced by Björk and Venezuelan electronic record producer Arca, and released on 24 November 2017 through One Little Indian Records in the United Kingdom and The Orchard Enterprises in the United States. The album was acclaimed by music critics for its production, songwriting and Björk's vocals, and later received a nomination for Best Alternative Music Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, becoming Björk's eighth consecutive nomination in the category.
"Arisen My Senses" is the third single from Icelandic singer Björk's ninth studio album, Utopia, released digitally on 21 March 2018. A "slug genitalia-coloured" vinyl remix EP was released months later on 25 May. The song was written and produced with electronic musician Arca, Björk's primary collaborator on Utopia.
Joost Theo Sylvio Yussef Abdelgalil Dowib, known professionally as Josylvio, is a Dutch rapper. Starting his career in 2015, he released his debut studio album, Ma3seb, in 2016, followed by the sophomore album, 2 gezichten, in 2017. Josylvio's third, Hella Cash (2018), fourth, Gimma (2019) and fifth album, Abu Omar (2021), have all topped the Dutch Albums Charts. In 2022, he released his sixth album titled Vallen & Opstaan. Josylvio has received multiple awards during his career, including Edison Award, XITE Award and FunX Music Award.
Sevaio Mook, better known by the stage name Sevn Alias, is a Dutch rapper.
Daisuke Tanabe is a Japanese electronic musician and record producer, known for his work in the styles of intelligent dance music (IDM) and jungle.
Akoma is the third album by American producer Jlin. It was released on March 22, 2024, through Planet Mu, as her first studio album in seven years, following Black Origami (2017).