WMC
and Ultra Week have come and gone.
There were mind-blowingly awesome DJ lineups and there were majorly overrated ones. Sure, March has never disappointed. But there's no denying how bloated and commercial certain chunks of the EDM industry have become.
You'd think the likes of Swedish House Mafia and their ostentatiously
over-the-top Masquerade Motel extravaganzas were the be all and end all
of electronic music. When in reality, they're just ridiculously
overpriced bacchanales for spring breakers.
At any rate, Crossfade's list of ten electronic
music demi-gods we wish had come to Miami in March.
1. Aphex Twin
What's left to be said about
electronic music's wild genius? The guy lives and produces music inside
an old bank vault, drives his own military tank around the countryside, and takes the inspiration for his weird alien soundscapes from LSD and
lucid dreaming. Plus, he's just as prone to heavenly beatific ambient works as he is to demonic twisted hardcore breakbeats.
2. 808 State
Manchester outfit 808 State's 1988 album Newbuild was the
foundation for not just acid house, but also progressive house, trance,
and IDM. Even Aphex Twin has said he still keeps the record in his
bag after all these years and recently re-released it on his Rephlex label.
3. A Guy Called Gerald
A relentless visionary and innovator, Manchester producer Gerald Simpson
pioneered acid house in the late '80s and continues to push the sonic
envelope today with jungle and techno.
4. 4Hero
These UK legends brought drum 'n' bass out of the '90s London
underground, turning it into a world-class musical phenomenon imbued
with substance, songrcraft and soul.
5. Squarepusher
A kindred spirit to Aphex Twin, who signed him to Rephlex. A
virtuosic bass player with a penchant for mind-boggling IDM sonic
sculptures.
6. Matthew Herbert
This UK mad scientist
pioneered the use of ordinary found sounds in electronica. His 1998
album Around the House was composed entirely of sounds generated
by everyday junk from the average kitchen. Conceptual experiments aside, though, Herbert makes some of the most gorgeous and soulful
compositions in microhouse, thanks in no small part to his wife Dani
Siciliano's vocal contributions.
7. Basic Channel
These seminal purveyors of early-'90s German minimal dub techno are passionate
vinyl conservationists. And their spartan purist aesthetic
(not to mention über-efficient operations as a production outfit, label, and
self-operated vinyl plant) is still a major influence among countless current techno labels.
8. Ricardo Villalobos
For Americans, the mystique of legendary
Chilean-born DJ Ricardo Villalobos has a lot to do with the fact he hasn't actually played here in a decade. Apparently,
Villalobos was severely grilled by security officials at an American
airport shortly after 9/11, turning him off playing on US soil. And he hasn't been back. Rumors of a last-minute gig in Detroit during that city's 2010 electronic music festival ended up being bullshit. But with his legion of international fans, an appearance in Miami for WMC or Miami Music week would be like the second coming of Christ.
9. Kraftwerk
The one and only. The originals. We don't know if these guys are even touring these days. But we can always wish, right?
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10. Giorgio Moroder
Kraftwerk may have been the first outfit that worked exclusively with synthesizers. But Giorgio Moroder brought synth technology into the realm of dance music with early electronic productions for Donna Summer and his own seminal Italo-disco releases. It's safe to say we wouldn't have EDM without Giorgio. Plus, he wrote that unforgettable score for Scarface, which makes him an honorary Miamian as far as we're concerned. Get your ass down here next March, Giorgio!
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