AllMusic 2017 Year in Review
Favorite Electronic Albums
Electronic musicians responded to the strangeness of 2017 with a mixture of humor, horror, profundity and dissent on these albums selected as the year's best.
The fifth album credited to Darren Cunningham's primary handle is the producer's most direct set of decayed avant-techno.
Partially inspired by the ASMR video phenomenon, Canadian electronic artist Antwood's second album is a darkly humorous mind trip.
The producer's vulnerable third album puts her voice and the beauty of her music at the forefront in moving, exciting ways.
Recorded by Steve Albini and featuring an impressive cast of contributors, Ben Frost's second studio album for Mute is a forceful, commanding work.
Stephen Wilkinson gives his music new life with hushed yet haunting tracks that sound like the still-reverberating echoes of the past.
The Seattle-based producer's 2017 full-length is his most illuminating, wondrous work to date.
Vivid portraits of turmoil and division that prove electronic music can express political dissent as eloquently as any other genre.
Stemming from a 2008 live performance, Carl Craig reworks selections from his catalog along with pianist Francesco Tristano and orchestra Les Siècles.
Clark's vibrant eighth album is also one of his most eclectic, spanning dance and choral influences on tracks that range from playful to political.
Composed as Seth Haley was adjusting to his new life in California, Iteration is the high-definition conclusion to the Com Truise saga.
Featuring tracks made especially for this mix, the producer's Fabric installment is a kaleidoscopic testament to his creativity.
Working primarily with analog synthesizers, techno producer Dauwd broadens his scope, resulting in his most rewarding work yet.
Former Coil member Drew McDowall's second solo album is highly fresh and original, and more cohesive than his debut.
Drifting further from club music conventions, Egyptrixx presents some of his best work yet with this trippy, atmospheric full-length.
Partially returning to the downtempo sound of his earlier releases, Kieren Hebden delivers one of his most accessible, inviting albums.
Seventeen years after Pop, Wolfgang Voigt's revered ambient techno project Gas makes its triumphant return with the lush, hypnotic Narkopop.
Short but highly enjoyable debut album from electronic producer Giraffage, containing his most intricately arranged, emotion-rich work to date.
A stunning mix of style and vulnerability that expresses leader Andy Butler's struggles with substance abuse via kinetic dance and introspective pop.
An extremely giddy, hyperkinetic rush of complex beats and sugary melodies from Irish producer Iglooghost, courtesy of Brainfeeder.
Drawing from the poetry of Robert Herrick, Polish electro-acoustic composer Jacaszek produces some of his most daring yet accessible work to date.
A veteran of Chicago's house scene, Jana Rush makes her full-length debut with this uncompromisingly experimental set of mutated footwork.
Gary, Indiana-based producer expands beyond her roots in footwork with her monumental and rhythmically dense second full-length.
We Never Came to the White Sea
Swedish producer Johan Agebjörn collaborates with a neighbor on this majestic album evoking a road trip through the countryside.
Michigan-based artist Justin Walter returns to Kranky for a second album of dreamlike improvisations utilizing the rare Electronic Valve Instrument.
Blending orchestral arrangements with kaleidoscopic electronics, Smith crafts a highly advanced form of futuristic new age pop.
Innovative turntablist Kid Koala enlists Icelandic vocalist Emilíana Torrini for a wondrous album of dreamy ambient pop.
Much more restrained than their usual output, the industrial collective's musical interpretation of Friedrich Nietzsche's novel is among their best works.
British producer Lapalux boldly reinvents his sound with third full-length Ruinism, a fascinating work which ponders the space between life and death.
With this album, English has created something literally awe-inspiring: strange, elemental, and profound; at once beautiful and terrible.
Lee Gamble makes his Hyperdub debut with this challenging yet stunning album of deconstructed jungle and electro.
It's Alright Between Us as It Is
Norwegian producer Lindstrøm's first solo album in five years adds a darker undercurrent to his trademark space disco sound.
The electronic pop auteur deftly pairs sensory lushness with disorienting manipulations on this strong release.
Moving to Ghostly International, the London-based producer comments on the state of the world (and club culture) with his second full-length.
Highly prolific experimental electronic artist Kohei Matsunaga presents some of his most appealing work on his DFA debut.
![Good Time [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=W39xsA9LULu8jNUWMyrk0RyhM-OFI8zG4l-qVpXXB1I=&f=4)
Good Time [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
An impressionistic triumph, the producer's score to the Safdie brothers' taut crime thriller bridges character, setting, and mood.
Exemplary debut full-length from Kristian Jabs, a Bristol-based producer blurring the lines between experimental drum'n'bass and deep techno.
![Onism [Clear Vinyl]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=csVUr-n6OTjeP94kuF8ZNB_TZlp6n_cq-Emr2zx15tU=&f=4)
A complex and whimsical full-length debut from Evan Shornstein, whose quasi-electronic IDM takes inspiration from both nature and technology.
Techno innovators Porter Ricks retain their familiar sound while continuing to sandblast into new territory on their first album since the '90s.
Birmingham techno DJ/producer Rebekah follows over a decade's worth of singles with her exhilarating full-length debut.
Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album since recovering from throat cancer is sparse and challenging, yet ultimately powerful and rewarding.
Following their self-titled 2016 debut, Second Woman's sophomore full-length is another heady album of glitchy, footwork-influenced audio sculptures.
The fourth album from the techno virtuoso reads like a love letter to early Warp Records artists, but it's not just an exercise in nostalgia.
Two pioneers of U.K. bass music culture team up for their second full-length, a truly remarkable album of tense, heavy, futuristic dub.
Squarepusher does the impossible, replicating (and sometimes improving on) his compositions in concert, with his masked band Shobaleader One.
German electro-techno producer Siriusmo keeps things gleeful and refreshingly varied on his third full-length for Monkeytown.
Paul Woolford's edition of the Fabriclive mix series plays like a creative free-form radio set, spanning electro, jungle, and ambient.
German abstract techno producer T.Raumschmiere (Marco Haas) unexpectedly returns to early home Kompakt with the lush, gorgeous Heimat.
London-based producer Ross Tones' second album as Throwing Snow is a suspenseful, constantly evolving cinematic journey.
South London-based grime producer Visionist follows his debut album with Value, another intense self-examination.
Explosive yet focused experimental club music from Berlin-based Mika Risiko, twisting aggressive noises into danceable rhythms.