The interesting folks over at Société Perrier picked up twenty four separate band members from various well-known metal groups and asked them the one burning question every metal fan wants to know- what's your favorite electronic dance music (EDM) artist?
This list is really, really interesting. It's not the standard "uhn-tiss uhn-tiss" dance music you're thinking of (some is) that these guys are recommending. Some of it is really dark and brooding, odd stuff that I'm not sure I would have otherwise come across for a good while… if ever. There's some really awesome stuff in there outside just his. It helps they let the artist explain their decision too so you can kind of get a feel for whether of not you're going to check it out, though I'm just clicking through all of them regardless because why not?
Some of the picks fit the person that picked them, but some took me by surprise completely. Namely Jørgen Munkeby of Shining admitting he's a huge Skrillex fan. Interesting! Here are some of the picks with links to the artist:
Justin Broadrick/Godflesh and Jesu (ex-Napalm Death)
Aphex Twin: Because he’s capable of conveying such extreme and dynamic moods via electronic music — warped, melancholy, aggressive, beautiful, pretty, horrible, mad, all the way from pure noise to the prettiest of melodies. No barriers, no limitations, no agendas — pure music.Mike IX Williams/Corrections House and Eyehategod
The Australian group SPK (Surgical Penis Klinik): Beautiful old-school sick and disturbed electronics, like the voices I hear in my head.Jørgen Munkeby/Shining
Skrillex: I love his energy and aggression, and the pushed and distorted sounds combined with great grooves and synth riffs. I also like the hard, digital and sci-fi visual aesthetics. We’d love to tour with him.Jonas Renkse/Katatonia
Krister Linder: His unique fusion of all electronic, very ambient music and extremely soulful and soaring vocals. A master at what he is doing.Fenriz/Darkthrone
D5: I’ve been listening to all kinds of rhythmic, electronic music, like, three hours daily since 1993… I like late-2000s D5 stuff. Why? Because it’s extra deep and floating without being either dub techno or too sleek or too dirty — yeah, it’s possible. And it’s not riding any direct trend at all, I think.Kristoffer Rygg/Ulver
Autechre: They were arguably the most interesting and stylish act of the ’90s — a time of renaissance to me in regards to electronic music. I had been listening to Kraftwerk and British new wave when I was a kid of course. But for a dude with a penchant for dark/weird metal music, it was easier for me to get into the so-called IDM of Warp and the cinematic stuff of Ninja Tune rather than Global Underground.Jesse Leach/Killswitch Engage
The Orb: I have been an obsessed fan since I first heard “Blue Room” on a late-night college radio techno program in ’93. The duo are absolute masters of texture and sound. U.F.Orb changed my whole perspective on music. I own every single record and listen to them at least once a week. To this day, when I listen with headphones, I still hear new things going on. To me, they are absolutely brilliant.James LaBrie/Dream Theater
Aphex Twin (honorable mentions to BT and David Guetta): Richard David James [Aphex Twin] is a pioneer in this field: melodic, experimental, great sonics and brilliant compositions. The other two who also have the same unique qualities are BT and David Guetta. They have incredible senses of melody, hook and infectious grooves, as well as still being sonically profound.James Monteith/TesseracT
DJ Fresh: He is without a doubt one of the most pioneering electronica artists of all time. He pioneered the era of dark drum ‘n’ bass, creating aggressive synth sounds that had never been heard before. This new, aggressive style of electronica has gone on to influence many modern producers. All around electronic genius.
Check out more EDM picks from metal bands at Société Perrier.
Do you listen to EDM? Who are some of your favorite artists?
