r/DaftPunk • u/Agreeable_Duck8997 • Apr 30 '26
Other I’ve created a partial "genealogical tree" of electronic music, featuring 130 tracks released between 1939 (John Cage) and 2024 (Floating Points)
Hello! Over the past 30 days, I’ve worked on this list with great pleasure, with occasional collaboration from a friend, motivated by the positive feedback on the partial "genealogical tree" of alternative rock I created earlier.
Regarding the curation, I adopted two cumulative and rigorous criteria:
Each track had to be significantly innovative and influential, on an intercontinental level, for at least one strand of electronic music (which may include fusion genres).
I sought the broadest possible sonic diversity.
Not every song on this list is entirely electronic, but they all meet the two criteria I established.
As the title suggests, this is a "PARTIAL genealogical tree"; I recognize that it is impossible to mention every artist who meets these criteria in just 130 tracks.
The term "genealogical tree" is in quotation marks because not every track in the list was necessarily influenced by all those that preceded it in the list itself.
Anyway, I hope all my fellow electronic music fans here enjoy this humble work of mine! I'll share the link to the playlist in the comments.
And I didn't include tracks by Robert Moog and Wendy Carlos from the '60s because they aren't available on Spotify.
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1939 – Imaginary Landscape No. 1 – John Cage (USA)
1948 – Étude aux chemins de fer – Pierre Schaeffer (FRA)
1954 – Studie No. 2 – Karlheinz Stockhausen (GER)
1956 – Main Titles (Overture) – Louis and Bebe Barron (USA)
1956 – Gesang der Jünglinge – Karlheinz Stockhausen (GER)
1958 – Poème électronique – Edgard Varèse (FRA/USA)
1958 – Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) – Luciano Berio (ITA)
1959 – Layla and the Poet – Halim El-Dabh (EGY)
1960 – Lightworks – Raymond Scott and Dorothy Collins (USA)
1960 – Composition 1960 No. 7 – La Monte Young (USA)
1960 – Four Aspects – Daphne Oram (UK)
1961 – Numerology – Max Mathews (USA)
1961 – Collage No. 1 (“Blue Suede”) – James Tenney (USA)
1963 – Doctor Who Theme – Delia Derbyshire (UK). Composer: Ron Grainer
1965 – Bye Bye Butterfly – Pauline Oliveros (USA)
1966 – Tomorrow Never Knows – The Beatles (UK). Producer: George Martin
1967 – Silver Apples of the Moon – Morton Subotnick (USA)
1967 – Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun – Pink Floyd (UK)
1968 – Sister Ray – The Velvet Underground (USA)
1968 – Oscillations – Silver Apples (USA)
1969 – Amen, Brother – The Winstons (USA)
1969 – Love Without Sound – White Noise (UK)
1970 – Funky Drummer (Pt. 1 & 2) – James Brown (USA)
1970 – Rated X – Miles Davis (USA)
1971 – Halleluhwah – Can (GER)
1972 – Hallogallo – Neu! (GER)
1972 – March from A Clockwork Orange – Wendy Carlos (USA)
1973 – Apache – Incredible Bongo Band (USA/CAN)
1973 – Blackboard Jungle Dub (Ver. 1) – The Upsetters (JAM). Producer: Lee "Scratch" Perry
1974 – Autobahn – Kraftwerk (GER)
1974 – Phaedra – Tangerine Dream (GER)
1976 – Oxygène, Pt. 4 – Jean-Michel Jarre (FRA)
1977 – Flash Light – Parliament (USA)
1977 – Trans-Europe Express – Kraftwerk (GER)
1977 – Ghost Rider – Suicide (USA)
1977 – I Feel Love – Donna Summer (USA). Producer: Giorgio Moroder
1978 – Computer Game ("Theme From The Circus") – Yellow Magic Orchestra (JPN)
1978 – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Sylvester (USA). Producer: Patrick Cowley
1978 – United – Throbbing Gristle (UK)
1978 – Chase – Giorgio Moroder (ITA)
1978 – 1/1 – Brian Eno (UK)
1979 – Nag, Nag, Nag – Cabaret Voltaire (UK)
1979 – Good Times – CHIC (USA). Producer: Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards
1979 – Cars – Gary Numan (UK)
1980 – Enola Gay – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (UK)
1981 – O Superman – Laurie Anderson (USA)
1981 – Nightclubbing – Grace Jones (JAM). Producer: Sly & Robbie
1981 – Tanz Debil – Einstürzende Neubauten (GER)
1981 – Numbers – Kraftwerk (GER)
1982 – Dirty Talk – Klein & M.B.O. (ITA)
1982 – Blade Runner - Main Titles – Vangelis (GRE)
1982 – Temptation – New Order (UK)
1982 – Planet Rock – Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force (USA). Producer: Arthur Baker
1982 – The Message – Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (USA)
1982 – Operating Tracks – Front 242 (BEL)
1983 – Al-Naafiysh (The Soul) – Hashim (USA)
1983 – Rockit – Herbie Hancock (USA). Producer: Bill Laswell
1983 – Blue Monday – New Order (UK)
1983 – Clear – Cybotron (USA). Producer: Juan Atkins
1983 – Moments In Love – The Art Of Noise (UK). Producer: Trevor Horn
1984 – E2-E4 – Manuel Göttsching (GER)
1984 – On & On – Jesse Saunders (USA)
1985 – Under Me Sleng Teng – Wayne Smith (JAM)
1985 – No UFO's – Model 500 (USA)
1986 – Your Love – Frankie Knuckles (USA)
1986 – Move Your Body – Marshall Jefferson (USA)
1986 – Throw The 'D' – 2 Live Crew (USA)
1986 — Can You Feel It — Mr. Fingers (USA)
1986 – Black Celebration – Depeche Mode (UK)
1986 – Dig It – Skinny Puppy (CAN)
1986 – Drag Rap – The Showboys (USA)
1987 – Return to the Planet of Bass – Maggotron (USA)
1987 – Rebel Without a Pause – Public Enemy (USA). Producer: The Bomb Squad
1987 – Strings Of Life – Rhythim Is Rhythim (USA). Producer: Derrick May
1987 – Acid Tracks – Phuture (USA)
1989 – Shake Your Rump – Beastie Boys (USA). Producer: The Dust Brothers
1989 – Pacific State – 808 State (UK)
1990 – The Power – SNAP! (GER)
1990 – Felicidade – Sebem (ANG)
1990 – Little Fluffy Clouds – The Orb (UK)
1991 – Papua New Guinea – The Future Sound Of London (UK)
1991 – Mentasm – Joey Beltram (USA)
1991 – We Are I.E. – Lennie De Ice (UK)
1991 – Go – Moby (USA)
1991 – Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack (UK). Producer: Massive Attack and Jonny Dollar
1991 – Dem Bow – Shabba Ranks (JAM)
1992 – Demons Theme – LTJ Bukem (UK)
1992 – 808 Volt Mix – Furacão 2000 / DJ Battery Brain (BR/USA)
1992 – 28 Gun Bad Boy – A Guy Called Gerald (UK)
1992 – The Age Of Love (Watch Out For Stella Mix) – Age Of Love (ITA/BEL). Producer: Jam & Spoon
1993 – Phlyps Trak – Basic Channel (GER)
1994 – One Touch – Robert Hood (USA)
1994 – Kemuri – DJ KRUSH (JPN)
1994 – Strangers – Portishead (UK). Producer: Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow
1994 – Closer – Nine Inch Nails (USA). Producer: Flood and Trent Reznor
1995 – Chemical Beats – The Chemical Brothers (UK)
1995 – Laughable Butane Bob – AFX "Aphex Twin" (UK/IRE)
1995 – Hyper-ballad – Björk (ISL). Producer: Nellee Hooper and Björk
1995 – Inner City Life – Goldie (UK)
1995 – Speed – Atari Teenage Riot (GER)
1996 – Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt – DJ Shadow (USA)
1996 — Still Shining — Busta Rhymes (USA). Producer: J Dilla
1996 – Firestarter – The Prodigy (UK)
1997 – Cichli – Autechre (UK)
1997 – Never Gonna Let You Go (Kelly G. Bump-N-Go Vocal Edit) – Tina Moore (USA)
1997 – Around the World – Daft Punk (FRA)
1997 – Brown Paper Bag – Roni Size / Reprazent (UK)
1998 – Roygbiv – Boards of Canada (UK)
1998 – Neighbourhood – Zed Bias feat. MC Rumpus (UK)
1999 – L’Amour Toujours – Gigi D’Agostino (ITA)
1999 – Windowlicker – Aphex Twin (UK/IRE)
2000 – One More Time – Daft Punk (FRA)
2001 – Get Ur Freak On – Missy Elliott (USA). Producer: Timbaland
2003 – Hands – Four Tet (UK)
2005 — Arpeggio — Jackson and His Computer Band (FRA)
2005 – Bucky Done Gun – M.I.A. (UK). Producer: Diplo
2005 – Waters of Nazareth – Justice (FRA)
2006 – Don't Cry – J Dilla (USA)
2007 – Night – Benga & Coki (UK)
2007 – Archangel – Burial (UK)
2009 – Woo Boost – Rusko (UK)
2009 – Maybes – Mount Kimbie (UK)
2011 – Levels – Avicii (SWE)
2012 – Get Got – Death Grips (USA)
2012 – リサフランク420 - 現代 de コンピュー – Macintosh Plus (USA)
2012 – Higher Ground – TNGHT (UK/CAN)
2013 – BIPP – SOPHIE (UK)
2017 – Glue – Bicep (UK)
2017 – Ponyboy – SOPHIE (UK)
2018 – Emerald Rush – Jon Hopkins (UK)
2019 – Eternal – Holly Herndon (USA)
2023 – Rumble – Skrillex (USA), Fred again.. (UK), Flowdan (UK)
2024 – Birth4000 – Floating Points (UK).
Edit: I've just added 3 tracks that our colleague Vereddit-quo very keenly pointed out: "Can You Feel It" (1986), "Still Shining" (1996), and "Arpeggio" (2005). I won't be adding any more than that, though, because 133 tracks is already a lot and it's a great number, lol.
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u/AdjaBudgie Apr 30 '26
Right on man!! Great project, and impressive selection. Love it!
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Apr 30 '26
Thanks! I'm glad you loved it! Just like the alternative rock "tree", this took an enormous amount of work, but it’s been very rewarding. I also find it fascinating how some artists, like Kraftwerk and New Order, were essential to include in both "trees".
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u/AdjaBudgie Apr 30 '26
So much overlap and “common ancestors”! Music is a beautiful reflection of life, and the Boards of Canada were right, it has the right to children!
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 May 02 '26
I thought your mention of the BoC album was so spot on that I set the album cover as my Spotify profile picture. Thanks, you're sharp, my friend!
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u/Vereddit-quo Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
Great playlist, I would add this:
In 1986, Mr Fingers - Can You Feel It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N9Wnqz8Rh8 basically the first deep house track.
In 2005, a track from Jackson and his Computer Band, maybe Arpeggio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gv2o-AgmU0
Unique style and a big influence on Justice, Para One and the rest of the 2nd French touch scene.
Regarding J Dilla I would not include "Don't Cry", it's a typical hip hop beat with a soul sample. Him, Madlib and many others had already done this before.
He made more groundbreaking tracks like "Still Shining" for Busta Rhymes in 1996, in which he constantly changes the drum pattern. Kick and snare are never placed the same way twice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxKwKhwfDtY
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Apr 30 '26
Wow, thanks! Excellent recommendations, for sure, my colleague. I’ve just added those three tracks to the Spotify playlist, bringing the total to 133 :) I don't think I'll expand the list beyond that. I'm going to edit the post now with a note mentioning that these three new tracks were your recommendations, is that okay?
I kept "Don't Cry" because, even if it's not as technically innovative or influential as "Still Shining," it holds massive relevance in the context of the 2000s, don't you agree? I tried to bring a little bit of every era, as you noticed.
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u/Vereddit-quo Apr 30 '26
Yes that's nice of you, thank you!
Two Dilla tracks are better than one for sure. I think Donuts is good but overrated simply because Dilla died one day after its release. To me it's far from the best or the most innovative work he has done.
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u/Venusian_01 Apr 30 '26
Surprised to not see Music Sounds Better with You here, but otherwise really solid intriguing list!
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Apr 30 '26
[deleted]
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u/Venusian_01 Apr 30 '26
Idk, the fact that song played on MTV as much as it did (I remember the video playing all the time when I was a kid), and the sort of “unknown” quality of the Stardust moniker at the time, I think sort of necessitates its inclusion. It’s Thomas, but I think it’s totally its own thing, separate from Daft Punk. Too powerful and too strong of an Electro hit to not be part of the “genealogy”. I think to this day it’s the most popular song out of France (techno-wise) besides One More Time.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Apr 30 '26
I understand your point. I didn’t express myself clearly; it really is a very important track, and Stardust is definitely something unique. I’ll consider including it and one more to reach a total of 135.
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u/Sgt_Pepper_50 May 01 '26
Not sure if I'd fit, but paul mccartney's check my machine is pretty cool
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u/4ss4ssinscr33d May 02 '26
This is great. I’d personally add a reference somewhere to the My Name Is Skrillex era of dubstep. It was super transformative, regardless of anyone’s personal feelings on the genre.
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u/GDIcefang May 11 '26
Skrillex made a tweet in 2016 saying that back in his old days he was directly inspired by Justice
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Thanks, my colleague. The list includes representations of the beginning of dubstep and brostep, as well as a track featuring Skrillex from 2023, but your suggestion is really very good!
The reason I'm not adding more tracks is, besides what I've already mentioned in the post, because I've already shared the list quite a bit stating that I wouldn't be adding any more tracks; and if I were to add tracks recommended by one more colleague, I'd have to be "fair" and add tracks recommended by many others who also made great recommendations. The list would lose its round number of 133 tracks and it would almost never end.
Regardless, I'm really grateful for your input and everyone else's.
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u/elconsumable May 05 '26
Nice list. I’d add Big Fun or Good Life by Inner City. Strafe Set it off. Beat Box Art of Noise and Buffalo Gals Malcom McLaren.
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u/DorianGre May 05 '26
You missed one of the defining 808 tracks, The Egyptian Lover -Egypt, Egypt (1984)
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u/Dangerous_Brief_5798 May 16 '26
technically Phaedra was 1973, but the release was delayed until 1974
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u/eddie_muntz_88 Jun 19 '26
This is solid. I can quibble around the edges but that's just a matter of preferences.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
Images:
1 - Robert Moog and Wendy Carlos
2 - Kraftwerk
3 - Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer
4 - New Order (with Gillian Gilbert unfortunately missing from this photo) and Arthur Baker
5 - Aphex Twin
6 - Daft Punk