Caural - Remembering Today (2005)

Caural's 2005 release is during the golden age of glitch-hop, before it mixed in too deeply with "wonky" elements to create an entirely new genre (call it 8-bitstep, wobble bass, aquacrunk, whatever). Sounds much like Prefuse 73 here, with even more hip-hop/jazz flavor. Samples old bossa nova records, R&B tracks, and even games that most here would remember nostalgically. Caural brings this release with an air of carelessness, it's well apparent that he's having a lot of fun here. Great release, overall not as consistent with Prefuse's work, but a superb entry during the winding down of a classic genre.

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| Discogs |

2 Bad Mice - Kaotic Chemistry (1995)

Incredible rave album from the legendary 2 Bad Mice. Flanging synths, dub and reggae samples, and the diva vocals that have become a precedent in this type of music. This album is worth getting solely for the standout track "Hold It Down". Any fan of the Prodigy or other early ravea acts (Bizarre Inc. is an example) will go mad to this cut. Not too cheesy and deeply rooted in classic jungle/breakbeat. Pick it up for a blast to the past.

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| Discogs |

Squarepusher in 1996

An old vid of Mr. Jenkinson, with an exclusive look to at least part of his studio at the time. If it's that small, I will be even more impressed with his work, even back then.

Ceephax Acid Crew - Bainted Smile EP (1998)

First release under the Ceephax Acid Crew moniker, six tracks of mental, mind-numbing, pure acid goodness. Essential.

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| Discogs |

Zomby - Digital Flora (2009)

Under a new genre called brainmath (which I don't approve of), Zomby's new release shows more of his minimal electronic genius. The A-side, "Digital Flora", has a laid-back rhythm reminiscent of post-garage music, and feels almost coming down from a rave almost. The melody in this song is up there with his best, easily. Right after, he comes with the more "avant-garde techno" sound he's known for with "Digital Fauna"; a very playful beat here, the one true track he has produced that reminds me of early AFX...who's he trying to top here?

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| Discogs |

Polygon Window - Surfing on Sine Waves (1992)

Another alias of Richard James, this album set the standard for early electronic/ambient techno. The title track "Polygon Window"'s haunting melody with the legendary acid lead is enough to make you want to pick this up. Many different styles on this album, ranging from breakbeat, techno, ambient, acid, industrial...nearly every genre of electronic music at that point in time. The main difference between this album and Aphex Twin's 1992 album Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is the atmosphere; Surfing on Sine Waves is full of dark and broody tones (the ambient brother of Drukqs (2001), if you will), unlike the chord progressions of SAW 85-92. An incredible display of his talent, and a must-listen for fans of Aphex.

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Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like It's Hot (Acid Version)

Thought this was kind of funny, a nice take on an already classic song!

Monolake - Hongkong (1997)

Impressive abstract techno from German group Monolake, full of warm and nostalgic feelings. It's got an underlying ambient sound which slowly delves into deep minimalism, packed with dubbed-out synths and dark tones. Less busy than most of the posts on here, Hongkong showcases how progression is supposed to be handled. If you think this music is repetitive, I'm sorry to say that you're just not listening closely enough.

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808 State - Let Yourself Go (303 Mix) (1988)

Classic, that's all I gotta say.

EOD - Eep! (2010)

Another Envmod Records favorite, EOD returns in 2010 with a great record, four tracks of funktastic acid. All analogue = all right! With names like "CR Acid No. 5", how can you not grab this?

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| Discogs |

Chaos A.D. - Buzz Caner (1998)

Another one of Squarepusher's aliases, this release holds intricate beat programming and some serious acid undertones. This is the Jenkinson I'd like to hear more of, extremely reminiscent to tracks such as Venus No. 17. "Dreaded Pestilence" is quite possibly the noisiest track I've heard from Tom, sounding almost like a precursor to speedcore/breakcore, Venetian Snares/Speedranch's collab Making Orange Things. Much more of a pioneer in noisecore than most people would give it credit for, this album is a must-listen.

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The Tuss - Confederation Trough EP + Rushup Edge (2007)

Does this even need an introduction? The venerable Richard D. James (yes, this is him) releases another braindance mindmelt under the guise "The Tuss" (once you know the meaning, there really is no doubt that it is him), pushing out two releases. If I had to guess, I would say this could possibly be RDJ and Cylob perhaps, but we may never know.

Confederation Trough is drenched is acid, that's the only way I can put it. Very uneasy, discordant melodies with a soft dance beat, this EP is perfect for warm nostalgia. Aphex sounds more Aphex than himself here, if that makes any sense. "Fredugolon 6" sounds like a great Analord outtake, while "GX1 Solo" is fresh with hard-to-find rhythms; I'd like to see you try to dance to 6/8! Incredible release by the king of braindance music.

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While Confederation Trough is an amazing record, Rushup Edge blows it out of the water without regard for any life. The second you listen to this record, you'll demand more from every other electronic artist out there. "Last Rushup 10" will have you lying in bed for hours wondering what in the world just happened in that song, and let's not forget "Rushup I Bank 12", which is as good as any Aphex track released in the past 7 or 8 years. Every track has been tweaked to perfection; creative synth work, brilliant drum programming, innovative melodies, and that rich Aphex groove that we all know and love. One of the best recordings that Rephlex has ever churned out, Rushup Edge truly defines the sound of a musician at the top of his game.

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wAgAwAgA - Chops + Wobbles (2010)

Don't ask me how to pronounce this fellow's name, because I don't know either. The name isn't important, it's the music that counts, and boy oh boy, is there some music here. Released independently, this album takes on more of a new-age wonky/UK wobble flavor, fusing it with light electronic melodies. This album's claim to fame is the way the songs progress so eloquently, making it look so much easier than it actually is. It sounds like something that would come out of a collaboration with Flying Lotus, Aphex Twin, and Autechre. Pick it up, you just may enjoy it.

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v/a - Acid Best Hits (TB and 303 Sides) (2010)

No clue about this release, given to me from a friend just recently. I have no idea if this is a "greatest hits" of acid music or a recent collaboration, all I know is that this is incredibly innovative music. Released by a strange label called Sabacan Music, this releases pumps you with track after track of acid goodness, to the point where it feels like the sounds are flowing right through you. Mixes an incredible amount of genres (rave, acid, chiptune, electro, house, even small elements of rock) flawlessly. I'd love to hear more from these artists, as I can only spot one that I know of (seriously, what kind of name is Spastic Cucumber?).

Edit: The Sabacan site lists the myspace pages, etc. of the artists, and this was released in 2010. The good music is still out there, people. It's up to you to find it.

| Download TB Side |

| Download 303 Side |

| Sabacan Records |

Fah - The Switch On My SH-101 (2009)

Envmod Records does it again! Another release by one of my personal favorites, The Switch on My SH-101 hearkens back to the glory days of acid music, pure and unfiltered squelch. This puts a really great spin on those olden days of acid, making them much more experimental and electro-based. Done with nothing but an ancient Roland SH-101 (you can hear the notes die out at the end, I love it!), this throws Fah into the small circle of producers that really do acid music justice. Highlights on this album include "The Switch on My SH-101 (I Fucking Flicked It)", "I Can't Dance" (which is ironic, because this song would make anyone hit the floor), and "Lost Rave".

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| Discogs |

Aphex Twin - Drukqs (2 track promo) (2001)

Richard James puts on his remixer hat for this release, producing 2 awesome remixes of tracks from the incredible album Drukqs (2001). Not a release that everyone has, but not particularly hard to find either. At any rate, this is a great take on a couple of classic songs, essential for the diehard Aphex collector.

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| Discogs |

Luke Vibert - Lover's Acid (2005)

Good acid album by Mr. Luke Vibert, much more dancefloor-ready than most albums in this genre, one of the many gems in his catalogue.

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| Discogs |

Impakt - Brb, Writing Some Tunes On My Computer (2010)

Another great release from Envmod Records, producer Impakt gives you 18 tracks of sheer, honest-to-goodness braindance for your listening pleasure. Get the album for the cover alone, priceless.

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| Impakt @ Envmod.com |

Squarepusher - Selection Sixteen (1999)

Incredibly underrated album by Mr. Tom Jenkinson, one of his few forays into acid-based music. "Square Rave", "Dedicated Loop", "Acid Tape Track" and "Snake Pass" are all songs that will rock the dancefloor the second they are played, immense, ridiculously funky music. It may not be the most complex album released by Squarepusher, but it's definitely up there! Also includes a remix by Ceephax.

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| Discogs |

Upcoming Release: Ceephax Acid Crew - United Acid Emirates (2010)

Ceephax's newest release under the Ceephax Acid Crew moniker will be released on Planet My Records, January 25 of this year.

| United Acid Emirates @ Planet Mu |

Global Goon - Dead Weird Keks (2004)

A very odd video for a very good song. One of the Goon's best works to this date, listen and learn!

Global Goon "Dead Weird Keks" from Audio Dregs Recordings on Vimeo.

The Tuss - Untitled (unreleased)

0:34 snippet of an unreleased Tuss track (got from reliable sources), sounds very much like early AFX blended with his new sound today. It's not my place to hoard my findings, so I share this with everyone. Enjoy a half-minute of new Tuss!

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Wisp - The Shimmering Hour (2009)

One of the more important artists of the digital acid/post-Aphex (I still have hope!) era, Wisp brings heartfelt melodies of love, sadness, and sorrow mixed in with a heavenly rainforest theme. Mr. Dunn produces an album that is perfect for early dancefloor days or late-night bedroom listening, proving that electronic music has a place side by side with the creativity of classical music centuries ago. Definite contender for the best electronic album of 2009.

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Monolith - Volume 1

The newest addition to the Rephlex clan, Monolith wears his influences on his sleeves, much to the chagrin of many electronic enthusiasts. Although Monolith's first official release sounds very quite like The Tuss' (Aphex Twin) 2007 release Rushup Edge, he puts his own spin on the newly created sound with more flangy, detuned melodies and a force-to-be-reckoned-with sequencing ability. One of the best releases of 2009, this is a must.

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| Discogs |

Ceephax Acid Crew - Volume Two (2007)

Surrounding beats with a myriad of 303 basslines and mashups of acid and drum'n'bass melodies, Jenkinson Junior explodes on this release. Featuring crazy titles such as "Scary Pollution" and "Cold War Acid", this album is a landmark in the modern braindance era. Pick it up!

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| Discogs |

AFX - Bonus Analords (2009)

New set of Analords by the mighty Aphex Twin, under his alias AFX. 20 additional tracks from his classic Analord EPs (2005). Same style of analogue-based acid and braindance, with the ambient melodies and rhythms we've come to know and love from Mr. James.

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| Rephlex.com |

Caustic Window - Compilation (1998)

A compilation of tracks from a set of EPs, Aphex Twin's Caustic Window alias. Some very hardcore and dark techno here, with a couple of surprises as well. "On The Romance Tip" sounds like something that was left off of Selected Ambient Works 85-92 while "Pigeon Street" is reminiscent of early BBC nursery shows.

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| Discogs |

Cylob - Cylobian Sunset (1995)

Hard to find. A bit less experimental than Cylob's earlier works, this is truly one of the best releases in his career. Some influences from Aphex Twin and other braindance artists, but nothing to the point to where it's beaten like a dead horse. Essential release to any braindance/IDM fan.

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| Discogs |