RollingStone just released a list of the 30 Greatest EDM Albums of All Time, that spans from Daft Punk, Moby, Skrillex and even Madonna. Compiled by Jon Dolan an instructor at NYU who’s courses include “Topics in Recorded Music: Nirvana & the Cultural History of Indie Rock” (very relevant) and Michaelangelo Matos a blogger at Village Voice and other publications, the list fails to embrace the roots and foundation of electronic dance music.
In the world of internet marketing, lists (especially controversial ones) are one of the easiest ways to generate traffic to your website. For some reason, we just love reading lists on sites like Buzzfeed or Yahoo, even if they’re just based on someone’s opinion or make no sense at all. Maybe RollingStone wasn’t making the numbers in August and needed a boost.
RollingStone Top 30 EDM Albums of All Time
- Daft Punk, ‘Homework’ (Virgin, 1997)
- The Chemical Brothers, ‘Dig Your Own Hole’ (Astralwerks, 1997)
- Juan Atkins, ’20 Years Metroplex: 1985-2005′ (Tresor, 2005)
- Carl Craig, ‘Sessions’ (K7, 2008)
- Moby, ‘Play’ (V2, 1999)
- 2 Many DJs, ‘As Heard on Radio Soulwax Vol. 2’ (PIAS, 2002)
- Various Artists, ‘Trax Records: The 20th Anniversary Collection’ (Casablanca Trax, 2004)
- Daft Punk, ‘Discovery’ (Virgin, 2001)
- The Prodigy, ‘Music for the Jilted Generation’ (XL, 1994)
- Kraftwerk, ‘Computer World’ (Warner Bros., 1981)
- Burial, ‘Untrue’ (Hyperdub, 2007)
- Various Artis, ‘True Spirit, Vol. 1’ (Tressor, 2010)
- Basement Jaxx, ‘Remedy’ (Astralwerks, 1999)
- Skrillex, ‘Bangarang’ EP (Big Beat/Atlantic, 2011)
- Fatboy Slim, ‘You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby’ (Astralwerks, 1998)
- Various Artists, ‘Journey Into Paradise: The Larry Levan Story’ (2006)
- Aphex Twix, ‘The Richard D. James Album’ (Warp, 1996)
- Michael Mayer, ‘Immer’ (Kompakt, 2002)
- Underworld, ‘Anthology, 1992 – 2002’ (JBO/V2, 2003)
- Avalanches, ‘Since I left You’ (Modular, 2001)
- Madonna, ‘Ray of Light’ (Maverick, 1998)
- LCD Soundsystem, ‘Sound of Silver’ (Capitol/EMI, 2007)
- Paul Oakenfold, ‘Tranceport’ (Kinetic, 1998)
- Justice, ‘+’ (Ed Banger, 2007)
- Sasha & John Digweed, ‘Northern Exposure’ (Ultra, 1997)
- 4 Hero & DJ Marky, ‘Kings of Drum + Bass’ (BBE, 2010)
- Orbital, ’20’ (Rhino, 2009)
- The Orb, ‘The BBC Sessions 1991-2001’ (Island, 2008)
- Deadmau5, ‘4×4=12’ (Ultra Math, 2011)
- Various Artists, ‘Make ‘Em Mokum Crazy’ (Mokum, 1996)
The list leaves me confused. There are so many compilations, which leaves me wondering is the album really that incredible? Did that compilation contribute to the movement of electronic dance music? Was Skrillex’s EP really worth of the spot at #14?
I’m looking forward to your comments and what albums you would add to the list.
Authors note: I wonder how Deadmau5 feels about Madonna being ranked higher than him on RollingStones list. Also, I love LCD Soundsystem, but are they really considered electronic dance music?
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