| Machine Soul: An Odyssey Into Electronic Dance Music | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Various Artists | |
| Released | March 14, 2000 |
| Genre | Electronic dance music |
| Length | 144:43 [1] |
| Label | Rhino |
Machine Soul: An Odyssey Into Electronic Dance Music is a compilation album released by Rhino Records on March 14, 2000. The album explores electronic dance music through various genres and received positive reviews from critics including AllMusic, Entertainment Weekly , and Uncut .
The album was initially conceived as a four-disc set, but was cut down to two discs. [2]
Machine Soul: An Odyssey Into Electronic Dance Music was released by Rhino Records on compact disc on March 14, 2000. [3] The album contains liner notes from Johan Kugelberg which include an essay on electronic music and covers music not included on the album. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [2] |
The Austin Chronicle declared the album to be "the most comprehensive and accessible attempt at tracing the lineage of electronic music (since the Seventies, anyway) yet delivered." [4] The Advocate commented on how the album could be used as an educational tool for young electronic music fans, and as a strong example of varied electronic dance music is. [5] AllMusic gave the album five stars, suggesting that some electronic music fans may be upset with the number of tracks led by vocals where the vast majority of electronic dance music has none, but concluded that the release was "an excellent definition of the genre." [1]
Entertainment Weekly opined that the album was "A flawed but nonetheless ambitious anthology on a scale never attempted before", noting that it lacked key tracks to represent the genre and its history fully. [2] SF Weekly discussed the song choices for the album, noting that Rhino opted "for obvious choices (Kraftwerk, New Order, Donna Summer), throwaways (Sparks, Gary Numan's 'Cars'), and, worst of all, songs unrepresentative of the culture's underground rep—OMD and Depeche Mode are the Top 40's old news, and the Orb's 'Little Fluffy Clouds' has been invalidated by that damn Volkswagen ad. That leaves little opportunity to cram some cred into the tail end of the second disc (BT, Paul Van Dyk) and an overall sense that Rhino's just cashing in on Fatboy Slim, and poorly at that." [6] The review found the release lacking in comparison to Tommy Boy's The Perfect Beats series, which "succeeds mainly because it focuses on the close ties between techno and hip-hop." [6] British critic Ian MacDonald wrote that the track listing "works efficiently" but slightly overrepresents American artists, pointing to "the inclusion of L.A. Style's 'James Brown Is Dead' rather than a shot of UK hardcore 1991 or some drum and bass". [7]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the album. [8]
Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive, or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initially a blend of avant-garde electronics experiments and punk provocation." The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by members of Throbbing Gristle and Monte Cazazza. While the genre name originated with Throbbing Gristle's emergence in the United Kingdom, artists and labels vital to the genre also emerged in the United States and other countries.
Electronic body music (EBM) is a genre of electronic music that combines elements of industrial music and synth-punk with elements of dance music. It developed in the early 1980s in Western Europe, as an outgrowth of both the punk and the industrial music cultures. It combines sequenced repetitive basslines, programmed disco rhythms, and mostly undistorted vocals and command-like shouts with confrontational or provocative themes.
Planet Rock: The Album is an old school hip hop album by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, released in 1986 as a collection of previous singles. The song "Planet Rock" was one of the earliest hits of the hip hop music genre and remains one of its pioneering recordings. The single's liner notes include members of Kraftwerk with the songwriting credits. In creating the track, portions of Kraftwerk's "Numbers" and "Trans-Europe Express" were interpolated, along with portions of songs by Captain Sky and Ennio Morricone.
Dance is the third solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 4 September 1981 by Beggars Banquet Records. It was the first studio album Numan released after his "Farewell Concerts" staged at Wembley Arena.
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machines, with an immediate origin in early hip hop and funk genres. Records in the genre typically feature heavy electronic sounds, usually without vocals; if vocals are present, they are delivered in a deadpan manner, often through electronic distortion such as vocoding and talkboxing. It palpably deviates from its predecessor boogie by being less vocal-oriented and more focused on electronic beats produced by drum machines.
Hi-NRG is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Kraftwerk is the debut studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk. It was released in Germany in 1970, and produced by Konrad "Conny" Plank.
Computer World is the eighth studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released on 11 May 1981. It was accompanied by four singles, including a double A-side UK no. 1 featuring "Computer Love".
"I Feel Love" is a song by the American singer Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, I Remember Yesterday (1977). The album concept was to have each track evoke a different musical decade; for "I Feel Love", the team aimed to create a futuristic mood, employing a Moog synthesizer.
The Pleasure Principle is the debut solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 7 September 1979 by Beggars Banquet Records. The album came about six months after Replicas (1979), his second and final studio album with the band Tubeway Army. The Pleasure Principle peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.
Nº 1 in Heaven is the eighth studio album by American rock band Sparks. Recorded with Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder, the album marked a change of musical direction for the group and became influential on later synth-pop bands.
Balls is the 18th album by the American rock band Sparks, released in 2000.
The Second Annual Report is the debut album by English industrial music group Throbbing Gristle, released in November 1977 through Industrial Records. It contains live and studio recordings made from October 1976 to September 1977. The Second Annual Report is considered one of the first industrial albums.
"Planet Rock" is a song by the American hip hop artists Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force. The song was produced by Arthur Baker and released by Tommy Boy Records in 1982. The recording came together after DJ and producer Baker met with Bambaataa and the two bonded over the idea of creating a song about their mutual appreciation for the band Kraftwerk. Baker and Bambaataa had worked together previously on the song "Jazzy Sensation" and decided to compose a more electronic based version of the hip hop song, as opposed to the more disco-oriented work popular at the time. Along with musician John Robie, the group recorded the single at Intergalactic Studios in New York. Robie duplicated the sound on the record and had Bambaataa's rappers in the Soul Sonic Force rap over it. To create the raps, the lyricist of the group, Emcee G.L.O.B.E., had to develop a style he called "mc popping", which involved rapping off time, an unusual style at the time.
From Here to Eternity is a 1977 studio album by Italian producer Giorgio Moroder. It peaked at number 130 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album's title track peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.
Lance Taylor, also known as Afrika Bambaataa, is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer from South Bronx, New York City. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the originators of breakbeat DJing.
Brian Wayne Transeau, known by his initials as BT, is an American musician, DJ, singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. An artist in the electronic music genre, he is credited as a pioneer of the trance and intelligent dance music styles that paved the way for EDM, and for "stretching electronic music to its technical breaking point." In 2010, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album for These Hopeful Machines. He creates music within myriad styles, such as classical, film composition, and bass music.
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beatrates per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time and often characterized by a repetitive four on the floor beat. Artists may use electronic instruments such as drum machines, sequencers, and synthesizers, as well as digital audio workstations. Drum machines from the 1980s such as Roland's Roland TR-808 and Roland TR-909 are highly prized, and software emulations of such retro instruments are popular in this style.
Boogie is a rhythm and blues genre of electronic dance music with close ties to the post-disco style, that first emerged in the United States during the late 1970s to mid-1980s. The sound of boogie is defined by bridging acoustic and electronic musical instruments with emphasis on vocals and miscellaneous effects. It later evolved into electro and house music.
"Strings of Life" is a 1987 song by American electronic musician Derrick May, in collaboration with Michael James, and released under the name Rhythim Is Rhythim. It is his most well-known song and considered a classic in both the house music and techno genres. May is credited with developing the futuristic variation that would be dubbed "techno". LA Weekly ranked it number-one in its list of "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History" in 2015.
