[Column] The 100 most influential records in music history: A new history of music reconstructed solely based on the degree of influence on contemporary music (Part 10, 91-100: Social establishment of electronic music and the post-club era)

Column en Ambient Dub Techno

04 Jul 2026

[Column] The 100 most influential records in music history: A new history of music reconstructed solely based on the degree of influence on contemporary music (Part 10, 91-100: Social establishment of electronic music and the post-club era)

10th (91st place)

Rhythm & Stealth

“The moment breakbeat evolved into a sophisticated urban groove”

Released in 1999, Rhythm & Stealth is a historical work in which Leftfield advancedly fused breakbeat, dub, house, and techno, and matured electronic music into a sophisticated sound that coexists with ““physicality” and ““intellect.”

1995’s Leftism (#70) was a monument to the rise of club music to album art.

Four years later, Rhythm & Stealth further refined this idea.

There’s none of the roughness of his debut work here.

Instead, there is

Precisely constructed rhythm.

huge bass.

A sound field organized to the utmost.

Electronic music has now reached a stage where it can simultaneously achieve ““power” and ““beauty.”

Breakbeat maturity

In the late 1990s, breakbeat was gaining explosive popularity in the UK.

However, most of them were moving toward competition for flashiness and momentum.

Leftfield was different.

Rather than increasing the number of notes, they

Refine each sound one by one.

kick.

base.

percussion.

reverberation.

Everything is precisely arranged to form one three-dimensional space.

Here, breakbeat not only became a club sensation, but also achieved perfection as a listening piece.

Deepening the idea of dub

Leftfield has consistently learned a lot from dub music.

Rhythm & Stealth further refines that influence.

A heavily sinking base.

Reverberation with depth.

A quiet space.

Impressiveness is not created by increasing the volume of sound.

Creating an overwhelming presence by designing the space.

This idea had a major influence on later minimal house, techno, and UK bass music.

flowchart TD A[Dub] B[House] C[Breakbeat] D[Rhythm & Stealth] E[Progressive Breaks] F[UK Bass] G[Modern Club Production] H[Electronic Live Performance] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E D --> F F --> G G --> H

Bridge to 2000s club sound

Rhythm & Stealth is also a direct link to British club music of the 2000s.

Sophisticated bass design.

Clear mix.

A complex yet danceable rhythm.

This sense of balance is

James Holden

Around Sasha & Digweed,

Progressive Breaks,

Furthermore, it was inherited by the UK bass scene.

Perfection, not flashiness.

That was the film’s greatest achievement.

Completed form called Leftfield

If “Leftism” is a work that presents possibilities,

"”Rhythm & Stealth’’ is the completed version.

Electronic music doesn’t necessarily have to be avant-garde.

club and home.

dancing and appreciating.

body and intellect.

Even now, there are not many albums that integrate all of these elements at a high level.

"”Rhythm & Stealth’’ is one of the few successful examples.

Why is it ranked 91st?

"”Rhythm & Stealth’’ is an important work that symbolizes the maturation of British club music in the 1990s, sublimating breakbeat and dub into extremely sophisticated production.

Its influence extended to progressive breaks, UK bass, and modern club production, and established the value of ““club music as acoustics.’’

In this ranking, ““Leftism’’ (70th place) is ranked 91st because it ranks high in terms of historical innovation. However, this work should be highly praised as a work that further refines that idea and shows the level of perfection that electronic music production can reach.

“‘Rhythm & Stealth’ matured breakbeat into a sophisticated sonic art and presented the complete form of 1990s British club music. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 91st in this ranking.”

10th (92nd place)

The Campfire Headphase

“The moment when electronica became music that coexisted with “nature”“

The Campfire Headphase, released in 2005, is a historical work in which Boards of Canada fused electronic music and acoustic sound, presenting a new aesthetic that ““nature and machine are not at odds.’’

1998’s Music Has the Right to Children (#21) was a historical masterpiece that brought memory and nostalgia to electronic music.

However, in ““The Campfire Headphase,’’ that worldview expands even further.

forest.

wind.

trees.

acoustic guitar.

Soft synthesizer.

Electronic music moves away from cities and begins to depict natural landscapes.

Here, the machine came to resonate as a part of nature, rather than an artificial object.

Maturity of electronica

By the early 2000s, electronic music was no longer just a club culture.

home.

movie.

Art museum.

Cafe.

internet.

The places where music is played are becoming more diverse.

Boards of Canada symbolized that change.

The beat is modest.

The melody is calm.

The atmosphere becomes more important than anything else.

Here, electronic music acquired a new role as ““music for living spaces.’’

Fusion with acoustic

The guitar plays a very important role in this work.

But it’s not a return to rock.

guitars and synthesizers,

treated as the same acoustic material.

Live instruments and electronic sounds.

analog and digital.

The boundaries become completely blurred.

This had a great influence on later folktronica and ambient folk.

flowchart TD A[Ambient] B[Folk] C[Music Has the Right to Children] D[The Campfire Headphase] E[Folktronica] F[Modern Ambient] G[Indie Electronica] H[Contemporary Soundtrack] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E D --> F E --> G F --> H

“Nostalgia” update

Boards of Canada has always been about nostalgia.

But in The Campfire Headphase, it’s not just a longing for the past.

distance from nature.

A landscape that is disappearing.

The feeling of being forgotten in a digital society.

The mental landscape of modern people is depicted as a quiet sound.

This “quiet nostalgia” had a major influence on 21st century ambient and indie electronica.

Organic sound in the digital age

Since the 2000s, many electronic musicians have been seeking “warmth”.

Tycho.

Bibio.

Helios.

Ulrich Schnauss.

Bonobo.

Their work strongly inherits the idea of ”“a fusion of nature and electronic sound” that was expressed in ““The Campfire Headphase.”

Electronic music isn’t just about the future.

It can also depict nature, memory, and humanity.

This work quietly proved that.

Why is it ranked 92nd?

"”The Campfire Headphase’’ is an important work that naturally fuses electronic music and acoustic sounds, showing the direction of folktronica and contemporary ambient.

Its influence extended to indie electronica, film music, and environmental music, spreading the new value of “organic electronic music” widely.

In this ranking, ““Music Has the Right to Children” (21st place) is ranked higher as Boards of Canada’s definitive innovation, so we placed it at 92nd place. However, ““The Campfire Headphase” further matures that world view, and is a work that should be highly praised as a complete form of ““electronic music that depicts nature’’ in the digital age.

“‘The Campfire Headphase” harmonizes electronic music and nature and matures a new aesthetic called “organic electronica’. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 92nd in this ranking.”

10th (93rd place)

Geogaddi

“The moment when electronic music turned the feeling of anxiety into sound”

Geogaddi, released in 2002, is a historic work by Boards of Canada, which brought psychological themes such as the subconscious, memory distortion, and anxiety into electronic music, opening up the possibility of ““ambient music that is not only beautiful.’’

If ““Music Has the Right to Children” (No. 21) was about childhood memories and nostalgia, ““Geogaddi” delves into the ambiguity and fear behind it.

It’s not just beautiful scenery here.

Fragments of memory.

Old educational video.

distorted tape.

meaningful numbers.

Reverse playback.

Music not only soothes the mind, but also serves as a mirror that reflects the unconscious itself.

Behind the Nostalgia

Boards of Canada has always actively used old analog equipment and tape.

But with Geogaddi, the approach becomes even more extreme.

The pitch fluctuates slightly,

The tape deteriorates

The synthesizer is cloudy,

Ambient sounds quietly creep in.

They are not just vintage-oriented.

It was an acoustic expression of the idea that ““memory is always vague and cannot be completely reproduced.’’

Production that builds “anxiety”

There are no dramatic scares in Geogaddi.

There is also less flashy noise.

Still, there’s an inexplicable tension throughout the album.

Slightly unstable code.

A regular but restless rhythm.

A voice that seemed audible but not.

As these things pile up, the listener feels a sense of discomfort for no apparent reason.

Here, electronic music has evolved into an expression that does not ““produce fear,” but ““designs the psychological state itself.”

flowchart TD A[Ambient] B[Psychedelia] C[Tape Manipulation] D[Geogaddi] E[Hauntology] F[Dark Ambient] G[Experimental Electronica] H[Psychological Sound Design] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E D --> F E --> G F --> H

Aesthetics called Huntology

Since the mid-2000s, the concept of ““Hauntology’’ has gained attention in music criticism.

A lost future.

vague memory.

The reverberations of a vanished culture.

"”Geogaddi’’ has become one of the representative works of this aesthetic.

The Caretaker.

Burial.

Broadcast.

The Focus Group.

The ““music haunted by memory’’ they depict is positioned in the lineage of this work.

Psychoacoustics in the 21st century

movie.

Horror game.

documentary.

modern art.

After ““Geogaddi”, the idea of ”“shaking the psychology through sound” spread to many media.

It’s not a flashy sound effect.

Slight discomfort.

small noise.

Silent repetition.

That alone can make a huge difference in human emotions.

This idea is deeply rooted in today’s sound design.

Why is it ranked 93rd?

"”Geogaddi” is an important work that has developed electronic music into an art that depicts not only nostalgia and healing, but also ““distorted memory” and ““psychological anxiety.’’

His influence extends widely to huntology, dark ambient, film and game sound design, and contemporary electronica.

In this ranking, ““Music Has the Right to Children” (21st place) is positioned as a historical turning point for Boards of Canada, and ““The Campfire Headphase” (92nd place) is positioned as a work that shows the fusion of nature and electronic sound, so this work is ranked 93rd. However, the perspective that ““Geogaddi” pioneered, ““electronic music that designs psychology itself,” has left an extremely large influence on experimental music in the 21st century.

“‘Geogaddi” evolved electronic music into a “psychological space of memory and anxiety’ and had a decisive influence on sonic expression after Huntology. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 93rd in this ranking.”

10th (94th place)

##Untrue

“The moment when electronic music became literature that records “urban loneliness”“

Untrue, released in 2007, is a historical work in which Burial sublimated electronic music into art that depicts the loneliness and memories of city dwellers, using the idioms of UK garage, 2-step, and dubstep.

In the 1990s, UK bass music developed within club culture.

The purpose was to dance.

But “Untrue” is different.

There is no enthusiasm here.

The station after the last train.

A rain-soaked sidewalk.

A residential area lit only by streetlights.

London at night with no one around.

Burial transformed the city’s “quiet time” into music.

Here, electronic music became a medium that depicted not the city itself, but the emotions of the people living in the city.

Redefining dubstep

At the time, dubstep was rapidly developing as club music.

Heavy bass.

aggressive rhythm.

sound system.

But Burial didn’t go in that direction.

The beat is broken;

The rhythm sways,

The base sinks quietly.

The music was meant to be listened to through headphones, not on the dance floor.

This work expanded dubstep into listening music.

Sound design that leaves a “scar”

The biggest feature of “Untrue” is its acoustic design.

record noise.

The sound of rain.

distant voices.

Echoes of the subway.

Vocals with fluctuating pitch.

None of them have high quality sound.

Rather, it sounds like a broken recording.

However, it is precisely because of these ““flaws’’ that music approaches real memories.

Burial chose ““daringly imperfect sounds’’ in the digital age.

flowchart TD A[UK Garage] B[2-Step] C[Dub] D[Untrue] E[Future Garage] F[Post-Dubstep] G[Lo-fi Electronica] H[Modern Sound Design] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E D --> F E --> G F --> H

Night city theme

"”Untrue’’ is also an album about night.

It’s not a daytime city.

Late night.

A deserted road.

A fading neon sign.

An ambulance running in the distance.

Although cities are huge, the individuals who live there are overwhelmingly lonely.

This theme has had a major influence on electronic music, film music, and game music since the 21st century.

The city is not the background.

It becomes the emotion itself.

Literaryization of bass music

After “Untrue”, UK bass music expanded greatly.

Future Garage.

Post-Dubstep.

Lo-fi electronica.

James Blake.

Mount Kimbie.

Jamie xx.

They developed club music in a more introspective direction.

The existence of “Untrue” is indispensable as the source of this.

Electronic music has now reached the stage where it can be called ““literature that records urban life.’’

Why is it ranked 94th?

"”Untrue’’ is a historical work that evolved UK bass music from music for clubs to an art that depicts the loneliness and memories of city dwellers.

His influence extends to Future Garage, Post-Dubstep, Lo-fi Electronica, and even sound design for movies and games.

In this ranking, ““Blue Lines” (19th place), ““Mezzanine” (81st place), and ““Maxinquaye” (82nd place) are ranked 94th because they have a greater influence as historical turning points for Bristol sound and trip-hop. However, ““Untrue” has enormous cultural significance as a work that gave 21st century electronic music a new theme of ““urban loneliness.’’

“‘Untrue” evolved electronic music into “literature that records urban solitude’ and determined the direction of UK bass music in the 21st century. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 94th in this ranking.”

10th (95th place)

The Downward Spiral

“The moment when industrial rock captured the spirit of the digital age”

Released in 1994, The Downward Spiral is a historical work by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails that depicts ““human psychology in the digital age’’ by fusing rock, industrial, electronics, and noise.

Industrial music in the 1980s was characterized by criticism of machine civilization and provocative expressions.

But The Downward Spiral takes it a step further in that direction.

I’m not drawing a machine.

It depicts the human spirit living in a mechanized society.

anger.

Self-loathing.

dependence.

Loneliness.

Collapse.

They are expressed not only by roaring guitars, but also by noise, samples, electronic sounds, and silence.

Here, electronic music perfectly merged with rock, which depicts the inner world of humans.

Rock as sound design

In The Downward Spiral, instruments transcend their traditional roles.

The guitar creates texture rather than melody.

The drums are programmed shocks rather than performances.

Noise becomes an emotion itself, not a decoration.

Trent Reznor treats his studio as a giant acoustic laboratory, sculpting each sound individually.

This production had a great influence not only on later rock music, but also on film music and game music.

Expressive power of “broken sounds”

This work features a lot of intentional distortion, clipping, and noise.

This is a sound that would be considered a “failure” in a typical recording.

But Reznor embraced it.

A broken sound reflects a broken spirit.

Recording technology has become not just a means of reproduction, but an expression technique for psychological depiction.

This idea was passed on to later alternative rock, electronica, and even digital production as a whole.

flowchart TD A[Industrial Music] B[Electronic Music] C[Alternative Rock] D[The Downward Spiral] E[Industrial Rock] F[Modern Sound Design] G[Film & Game Scores] H[Dark Electronic Music] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E D --> F F --> G E --> H

Erase the boundaries between rock and electronic music

Before The Downward Spiral, rock and electronic music were often talked about as separate cultures.

However, in this work, those boundaries completely blend together.

programmed beat.

sampling.

synthesizer.

noise.

guitar.

They are integrated as one representation system.

This idea had a strong influence not only on industrial rock acts such as Marilyn Manson, Filter, and Stabbing Westward, but also on later electro rock and film music.

A legacy to modern sound design

Trent Reznor later became highly regarded as a film composer.

Its origin is already in ““The Downward Spiral.’’

Create space.

Creates a sense of tension.

Express emotions through sound.

This is also a philosophy that has been passed down to modern sound design as a whole.

Why is it ranked 95th?

"”The Downward Spiral” is a historical work that fuses industrial rock and electronic music and depicts the ““psychology of the digital age” in acoustic form.

His influence extends to industrial rock, electro rock, film music, game music, and contemporary sound design.

In this ranking, works that directly changed the history of electronic music itself are ranked higher, so we placed it at 95th place. However, this is an important work that broke down the boundaries between rock and electronic music and defined the modern production idea that ““the sound itself speaks the emotion’’.

“‘The Downward Spiral’ fuses rock and electronic music and depicts the spirit of the digital age in acoustics. As a work that has had a great influence on modern sound design, it is ranked 95th in this ranking.”

10th (96th place)

The Pavilion of Dreams

“The moment when New Age was established as “art music”“

The Pavilion of Dreams, released in 1978, is a historical work in which Harold Budd fused ambient, contemporary music, and minimalism to present a new aesthetic of ““music that listens to silence itself.’’

In the late 1970s, electronic music was moving in two directions.

One is the mechanical future represented by Kraftwerk.

The other is ambient music pioneered by Brian Eno.

Harold Budd took a third path, different from both.

What he was aiming for was neither the future nor technology.

It was about turning silence itself into melody.

"”The Pavilion of Dreams’’ is one of the origins of the trends known as New Age and Ambient Classical.

“Sound” instead of “play”

Harold Budd’s piano playing is extremely unique.

Don’t show off your skills.

There are no dramatic developments.

A sound rang out,

The aftertaste melts into space.

After listening to that sound, the next sound appears.

Here, the resonance is more important than the melody.

Music is not just a series of sounds, but a series of sounds.

Resonance with Brian Eno

This work was created in collaboration with Brian Eno.

However, its musicality is different from Eno’s works.

While Eno designed the space,

Budd gently changes the flow of time itself.

piano.

harp.

voice.

saxophone.

Electronic sound.

These do not compete with each other and exist as one breath.

Many of the later ambient classical works inherited this aesthetic.

flowchart TD A[Minimalism] B[Brian Eno] C[Modern Classical] D[The Pavilion of Dreams] E[Ambient Classical] F[Stars of the Lid] G[Max Richter] H[Nils Frahm] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E E --> F E --> G E --> H

The origin of ambient classical

Since the 1990s, many works have been created that fuse classical and ambient music.

Stars of the Lid.

Jóhann Jóhannsson.

Max Richter.

Nils Frahm.

Ólafur Arnalds.

What they all have in common is an attitude that emphasizes ““atmosphere over technique” and ““lingering sound over melody.”

That idea was already perfected in ““The Pavilion of Dreams’’.

“Quiet music” is not weak

Harold Budd expressed emotion through density rather than volume.

A quiet sound is not a weak sound.

Rather, it requires the listener’s concentration.

That is why this work is still regarded as new music even after nearly half a century.

It was the moment when electronic music and contemporary music met, and ““silence’’ became art.

Why is it ranked 96th?

"”The Pavilion of Dreams’’ is a historical work that fuses ambient and contemporary music, anticipating later ambient classical and post-classical aesthetics.

Its influence spread widely to 21st century composers, including Stars of the Lid, Max Richter, Nils Frahm, and Ólafur Arnalds, and established the value of ““music that listens to the afterglow.’’

In this ranking, ““Ambient 1: Music for Airports” (26th place) and ““Another Green World” (27th place) are ranked higher as works that were responsible for the establishment of ambient music itself, so we placed it at 96th place. However, this is an important work that connects ambient music with contemporary music and opens up a new artistic realm of ““listening to silence as melody.’’

“‘The Pavilion of Dreams’ has completed music that focuses on silence and lingering sound, and has become the source of a new aesthetic called ambient classical. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 96th in this ranking.”

10th Part7 (97th place)

Dead Cities

“The moment when electronica became visual music depicting a “collapsed city”“

"”Dead Cities”, released in 1996, is a historical work in which ““The Future Sound of London (FSOL)” fused ambient, breakbeat, industrial, and sound collage to complete a new electronic music expression that ““depicts the city itself with sound.’’

If 1994’s Lifeforms (#78) was organic electronic music with themes of life and nature, ““Dead Cities’’ is the opposite.

What we have here is

ruins.

highway.

industrial area.

smoke.

concrete.

The silence that remains after civilization reaches maturity.

FSOL is not a futuristic city, but the reverberations of civilization converted into music.

A movie called Album

Dead Cities doesn’t have any “hit songs” in the general sense of the word.

The entire album flows like a movie.

The scenes change one after another.

noise.

environmental sounds.

Heavy bass.

Silence.

Fragmented melody.

Each depicts a different landscape of the city.

Here, electronic music became a medium for creating “worlds” rather than “songs.”

Deepening sound collage

FSOL does not use sampling simply as a citation.

environmental sounds.

radio.

noise.

Folk music.

Movie fragment.

By overlapping them, we will construct one huge urban space.

This was a method that should be called ““acoustic architecture’’ rather than music.

This idea has had a great influence on subsequent film music, game sounds, and installation works.

flowchart TD A[Ambient] B[Breakbeat] C[Industrial] D[Sound Collage] E[Dead Cities] F[Cinematic Electronica] G[Game Sound Design] H[Modern Ambient] A --> E B --> E C --> E D --> E E --> F F --> G F --> H

Record the city with “sound”

In Dead Cities, the city is not the backdrop.

The city itself is the protagonist.

A road where people can’t see.

A collapsed building.

Factory ruins.

Underground space.

Electronic music can depict society without depicting humans.

This idea had a great influence on later dark ambient and cinematic electronica.

Impact on visual culture

Since the 2000s, an increasing number of movies, TV dramas, games, and documentaries have used sounds to express the ““city atmosphere.’’

Sound that blurs the line between reality and fantasy.

Music that creates a world view before the story itself.

One of the origins of this design philosophy is ““Dead Cities.’’

At this point, electronic music evolved from ““music that supports images” to ““music that makes images imagine.”

Why is it ranked 97th?

"”Dead Cities’’ is a historical work that developed electronic music into a cinematic art depicting urban civilization itself.

His influence extends widely to film music, game sound, dark ambient, sound collage, and contemporary electronica.

In this ranking, ““Lifeforms” (78th place) is ranked higher as the work that most symbolizes FSOL’s innovation, so it was ranked 97th. However, ““Dead Cities” is an important work that further deepens that worldview and perfects a unique musical language that ““records cities with sound.’’

“‘Dead Cities’ transforms the city itself into an acoustic space, elevating electronic music to the art of cinematic world-building. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 97th in this ranking.”

10th Part8 (98th place)

Voices from the Lake

“The moment when techno became a “natural phenomenon” itself”

Voices from the Lake, released in 2012, is a historical work in which Voices from the Lake (Donato Dozzy & Neel) reached a new level by fusing minimal techno, ambient, and dub techno to the extreme, allowing electronic music to be experienced as a ““natural phenomenon itself.’’

The minimal techno of the 1990s created space by cutting down on the rhythm.

Dub techno in the 2000s drew depth through reverberation.

But ““Voices from the Lake’’ is different from either of those.

There is no “performance” here.

There is no “development” either.

There are only slight changes, like ripples on the surface of water.

Here, music begins to exist as a natural phenomenon, rather than a human-made structure.

Beyond minimal techno

Donato Dozzy has been a key figure in minimal techno since the 1990s.

However, the aim of this work is not the club.

Nor is it about making the beat the main character.

The sound itself breathes,

It was a space where time itself passed slowly.

Even the kick drum becomes part of the scenery,

The synthesizer becomes a stream of air, not a melody.

Electronic music was liberated from ““rhythm” and transformed into ““environment.”

Music to listen to minute changes

There are almost no major developments in Voices from the Lake.

At first glance, it sounds like nothing is happening.

But if you listen carefully,

The bass moves slightly,

The reverberation changes slowly,

The high range sways as if breathing.

The changes occur in minutes, not seconds.

This extreme sense of time has had a great influence on contemporary ambient music and sound installations.

flowchart TD A[Minimal Techno] B[Dub Techno] C[Ambient] D[Voices from the Lake] E[Deep Techno] F[Sound Installation] G[Immersive Audio] H[Contemporary Ambient] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E D --> F F --> G G --> H

The new value of “immersion”

This album is not a work that makes a statement.

The purpose is not to make people dance.

The listener is slowly immersed in the sound.

Even before the word ““immersive’’ became popular, this work achieved that feeling with just sound.

Music becomes the space itself, not the foreground.

This idea also led to 3D sound, installation works, and immersive exhibitions.

The “environment” of techno

"”Voices from the Lake’’ is not a work that turns techno into ambient music.

It was a work that redefined techno itself as an “ecosystem.”

Sounds do not compete with each other.

It doesn’t control either.

Everything exists as a cycle.

This idea has deeply permeated deep techno and experimental ambient music since the 21st century.

Why is it ranked 98th?

"”Voices from the Lake’’ is a historical work that purifies minimal techno and dub techno to the utmost, developing electronic music into an immersive experience that resembles a natural phenomenon.

Its influence spread widely to deep techno, contemporary ambient, sound installation, and immersive audio, presenting a new sense of value: ““music that listens to change.’’

In this ranking, ““Consumed” (83rd) has greater historical significance as an ideological turning point in minimal techno, so we placed it at 98th. However, ““Voices from the Lake” is a work that deepens that aesthetic into a 21st century perspective and opens up a new horizon in which electronic music can be experienced as ““space itself.’’

“‘Voices from the Lake’ evolved techno into an immersive sound that sounds like a natural phenomenon, presenting a new aesthetic of ““music that listens to change itself.” Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 98th in this ranking.”

10th Part9 (99th place)

ISDN

“The moment when “real-time music” was realized for the first time in the Internet era”

ISDN, released in 1996, is a historical work in which The Future Sound of London (FSOL) combined network technology and live electronics, overturning the common sense that ““music is something that is completed in a studio.’’

The album name “ISDN” comes from the high-speed digital communication standard that was becoming popular at the time.

Online streaming and remote live performances are commonplace these days, but in the mid-1990s they were still a pipe dream.

FSOL was the first to incorporate that future into music.

Deconstructing the concept of studio

Until then, the album

record,

Edit,

It was to be released as a finished product.

However, much of ISDN is based on live sessions transmitted in real time to radio programs around the world.

In other words, the work is

It’s also live,

It is also a broadcast,

It’s also an album.

Three boundaries have completely disappeared.

Here, music changed from a ““fixed work” to an ““event that flows over a network.”

Improvisation and electronic music

FSOL has long emphasized improvisation.

However, with ““ISDN,’’ that way of thinking evolves even further.

sequencer.

sampler.

synthesizer.

effect.

Send sound all over the world while operating them in real time.

Electronic music is no longer ““music that is edited later,” but ““music that is generated in the moment.”

This is also the basic idea of today’s live electronics.

flowchart TD A[Ambient Techno] B[Live Electronics] C[Digital Communication] D[ISDN] E[Network Performance] F[Live Streaming] G[Remote Collaboration] H[Internet Music Culture] A --> D B --> D C --> D D --> E E --> F F --> G G --> H

A work 20 years ahead of the distribution era

At present,

Live streaming.

Online festival.

remote session.

Cloud co-production.

These have become commonplace.

However, back in 1996, ISDN was already putting them into practice.

It’s not about showing off the technology itself.

This showed that communication technology changes musical expression itself.

In that sense, this work can be said to be the earliest achievement of “Internet music.”

Influence on contemporary live culture

Since the 2020s, remote performances and live streaming have spread all over the world.

Looking back on that culture, we can see that the ISDN experiment was surprisingly advanced.

Music is not bound by location.

Performers and audience do not need to be in the same space.

His ideas anticipated the music culture of today’s network era.

Why is it ranked 99th?

"”ISDN” is a historical work that fused communication technology and electronic music and presented the world with the concept of ““music generated on a network.”

Its influence has led to 21st century music culture, including live streaming, remote collaboration, and network performance.

In this ranking, ““Lifeforms” (78th place) and ““Dead Cities” (97th place) are ranked higher as works that are more representative of FSOL’s musical innovation, so they are ranked 99th. However, ““ISDN” has extremely important meaning as an experiment that was ahead of its time by ““incorporating communication itself into musical expression.”

“ISDN ushered in live electronics in the network era and turned music into a ““communicated event.” Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 99th in this ranking.”

10th Part10 (100th place)

Immunity

“The moment when techno became an art depicting ‘everyday time’“

Released in 2013, Immunity is a historic work in which Jon Hopkins fuses minimal techno, ambient, contemporary classical music, and field recordings to bring new lyricism to 21st century electronic music.

Techno in the 1990s depicted the future.

Electronica in the 2000s depicted space.

However, ““Immunity’’ depicts the daily lives of people.

morning.

Time to walk around town.

train.

night.

sleep.

It was here that electronic music matured into an art that depicts ““the feeling of living in the present day” rather than ““the sounds of the future.”

Perfect fusion of classic and techno

Jon Hopkins studied classical piano and later worked with the likes of Brian Eno and Coldplay.

That experience culminated in “Immunity.”

acoustic piano.

delicate ambient.

Repetition of minimal techno.

Heavy base.

Everything is integrated as one flow without conflict.

There is no distinction here between classical and electronic music.

All are materials for depicting “time.”

Coexistence of dance and meditation

Immunity also works in clubs.

But that’s not all.

It works even if you listen to it quietly by yourself.

It’s okay to concentrate.

You can do it while walking.

Electronic music is no longer just for dancing.

Physicality and spirituality coexist naturally in the same work.

This feeling has become a defining characteristic of electronic music since the 2010s.

flowchart TD A[Minimal Techno] B[Ambient] C[Modern Classical] D[Field Recording] E[Immunity] F[Contemporary Electronica] G[Neo-Classical Electronics] H[Modern Ambient Techno] A --> E B --> E C --> E D --> E E --> F E --> G F --> H

The idea of ”experiencing music”

“Immunity” doesn’t explain the story.

Don’t force a message.

However, when you listen to the entire album, you are left with the feeling of experiencing the flow of time in a single day.

This immersion is not a movie or a novel.

It is a time art that could only be realized through electronic music.

Since the 21st century, the idea of ”“designing the entire album as a single experience’’ has been inherited by many artists.

The culmination of modern electronic music

"”Immunity’’ brings together many of the genealogies covered in this ranking.

Ambient music created by Brian Eno.

An iteration designed by Kraftwerk.

Aphex Twin’s sonic aesthetics.

Underworld album-oriented.

The lyricism of Boards of Canada.

Minimal techno’s sense of time.

They are not quotes.

It has been reconstructed into a new work in line with the 21st century.

"”Immunity” can be described as ““a work that builds a bridge to a new generation while inheriting the history of electronic music.”

Why is it ranked 100th?

"”Immunity” is a historical work that sophisticatedly fuses minimal techno, ambient, and contemporary classical music, and matures 21st century electronic music into ““an art that depicts everyday time.”

Its influence extends to modern electronica, neo-classical, ambient techno, and film music, and it has become one of the representative works of electronic music since the 2010s.

In this ranking, works that changed the history of music itself are ranked high, so it was ranked 100th. However, ““Immunity” integrates the legacy of electronic music built in the 20th century and connects it to a new era, making it a worthy work to conclude this ranking as one of the ““reaching points of contemporary electronic music.”

“‘Immunity” integrates the history of electronic music and completed electronica in the 21st century as an “art of experiencing everyday time’. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 100th in this ranking.”

Conclusion

There are some things I can understand when looking back at 100 photos.

Music history is not simply a history of outstanding works.

A single album creates a new recording technique, creates a genre, spreads new values to society, and the next generation influenced by this creates new music.

That chain was music history itself.

In this ranking, we have ranked the 100 works based on one thing only: ““How much did they change contemporary music?” rather than ““best-selling” or ““favorite works.’’

As a result, it becomes clear that rock, jazz, soul, hip-hop, and electronic music are not independent cultures, but have built a huge lineage by influencing each other.

And these 100 pieces are by no means a legacy of the past.

All traces of that are still alive in the music we listen to today.

Also on Spotify playlist.

It’s also a 15-second song that plays on TikTok.

Also for movie and game soundtracks.

Also on the club floor.

If we trace its origins, we will arrive at these 100 pieces.

The history of music is not over yet.

If a new album appears, this ranking will probably be rewritten someday.

That’s why music history is so interesting.

The piece that will change the next 100 years is still waiting to be born somewhere.