Music Links

For many years, I didn't have a specific music preference; I just listened to whatever happened to be playing at the time, and the songs I liked were anything from classical to pop to rock. Then, in 1995, a little movie called Mortal Kombat came out, and I discovered Techno. My favorite song from that CD was track #5, Control by Traci Lords & Juno Reactor, and it was one of my favorites for many years. I discovered most of my favorite groups through other movie soundtracks. Even though my tastes have drifted away over the years, I still pull out the Mortal Kombat soundtrack every now and then for noglastia.

Here are some of my favorite bands, sorted roughly by preference.

Orbital

Orbital is difficult to fit into any one genre; "Electronica" comes closest. It's my sincere opinion that they made some of the greatest music on the planet.

Some of my personal favorites:

Recommendations: while vintage Orbital is nothing to sneer at, I believe that they really hit their stride around the time In Sides came out. Anything from Snivilization to The Middle Of Nowhere will probably not disappoint, and even their weakest release The Altogether is quite catchy (especially if you browse the bonus disc). Also, keep an eye out for the huge number of soundtracks out there with an Orbital cameo or two. But stay away from the soundtrack from The Beach; even Orbital can't improve the sound of Leonardo DiCaprio's voice.

Juno Reactor

Juno Reactor is, erm, interesting; this group jumps around often, shifting between ambient, trance, acid house, and techno (aside from the occasional Traci Lords collaboration, which tosses something vaguely rockish into the mix). This probably reflects the fact that the membership of the band is constantly changing, with Ben Watkins the only real constant, and even he spends a lot of time on side projects.

Unfortunately, their real gems are widely scattered across their released albums:

They have two new albums that I haven't yet listened to: Shango (October 2000) and Labyrinth (October 2004).

Recommendations: generally older is better, but don't count the newer stuff out.

Gravity Kills

Gravity Kills fits most easily into the category of industrial rock, which at first seems a bit off from my tastes. Why do I like this group? Intense without being loud, which few other groups can pull off. I've only heard their debut album Gravity Kills, so I can't comment on the newer releases (Manipulated, Perversion, and Superstarved); however, I like so much of the GK album that it's quicker to list the songs I don't like: Forward, Down, and Inside. When I'm feeling depressed, pissed, frustrated, or just in the mood for something a little darker than usual, I usually turn to Gravity Kills. Listen for the voice of the very talented and emotive Jeff Scheel. Update: I've heard samples from the first two of the newer discs, and I need to get both of them at some point.

Leftfield

Leftfield mixed techno, trance, electronica, reggae, and probably a few other categories I forgot to create a very unique sound. They only have two full-length albums of their own (95's Leftism and 99's Rhythm & Stealth) after a decade and a half of making music, but they've been included in numerous soundtracks and compilations. My favorite songs from Leftism are Release the Pressure, Afro-left, Original, Inspection (Check One), and Open Up; I don't have the newer album, so I can't comment on it.

Honorable mentions: