In the 90's, North American record labels wanted their cut of club culture and while the artists were solid, the labels - in their infinite wisdom - wanted to make as much money as possible so they came up with the term "Electronica". An umbrella to sell a rapidly growing but hard-to-categorize movement: techno, house, trip-hop, drum & bass, and big-beat all living under one shiny word.

Where “techno” sounded cold and niche, “electronica” was sleek, futuristic, and accessible, a way to present artists like The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Underworld, and Fatboy Slim as the next wave of pop culture rather than club subculture. It described a sound that fused analog grit with digital polish, where machines could feel human and rebellion could groove. It wasn’t just about beats; it was about a generation discovering that laptops and samplers could be as expressive as guitars and drums — and often a hell of a lot louder on the dance floor.



So, we're going to revisit some of these seminal artists in this episode. Let's pack our bags, jump in our Delorean and head back in time to explore.

Tracklisting:

01. The Crystal Method - Comin’ Back

02. The Crystal Method - Now is the Time

03. Orbital - Monday

03. Underworld - Surfboy

04. The Chemical Brother- It Doesn’t Matter

05. The Chemical Brothers - Chemical Beats

06. Fluke - Squirt

07. Underworld - Rowla

08. Front 242 - Happiness (Underworld ‘Dance’ Mix)

09. Fluke - Reeferendrum

10. Underworld - Pearl’s Girl

11. Leftfield - Phat Planet

12. Faithless - Tarantula

13. Faithless - Insomnia (Monster Mix)

14. Orbital - Lush 3-2

15. Orbital - Halcyon + On + On

16. Fluke / Nine Inch Nails - Setback / The Perfect Drug (Spacetime Continuum)

17. Fluke - Amp

18. Faithless - God Is A DJ

19. Leftfield - Open Up

20. The Crystal Method - Cherry Twist

21. The Crystal Method - Keep Hope Alive

22. Leftfield - Space Shanty

23. Underworld - Cowgirl

24. Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug (Plug)

25. Depeche Mode / Madonna - Barrel of a Gun (Underworld ‘Hard’ Remix) / Ray of Light (Sasha’s ‘Ultra Violet’ Remix)

26. Propellerheads - Bang On!

27. Moby - James Bond Theme (Extended Mix)

28. My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - Bad Life (Kemek the Dope Computer Mix)

29. Geek Ghastly - Rage Against the Terror

NEXT EPISODE: TINRIB RECORDINGS