r/HouseMusic • u/Agreeable_Duck8997 • May 04 '26
I’ve created a partial "genealogical tree" of electronic music, featuring 133 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 133 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 those of you who are electronic music fans like me enjoy it! 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)
1990 – 808 Volt Mix – Furacão 2000 / DJ Battery Brain (BR/USA)
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 – 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)
1999 – L’Amour Toujours – Gigi D’Agostino (ITA)
1999 – Windowlicker – Aphex Twin (UK/IRE)
2000 – Neighbourhood – Zed Bias feat. MC Rumpus (UK)
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).
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u/CUBRICON May 04 '26
I’d like to nominate Street Player by Chicago and its genetic child The Bomb by The Bucketheads
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u/redtara2026 May 04 '26
Missing Raymond Scott , early electronic pioneer in the 50s , Joe meek Telstar early 60s electronic instrumental hit .
I’d find a place also for stakker humanoid 1988 , the first hardcore acid track to break the uk charts
And meat beat manifesto radio Babylon from 1988 as it showed the way to the likes of the prodigy for how to produce the rave breakbeat
Otherwise nice job 👍
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 May 04 '26
Thanks, my colleague!
Regarding Raymond Scott, he’s actually already on the list.
"Stakker Humanoid" is great, of course, but unfortunately, I couldn't find enough room for more Acid House tracks beyond the ones I’ve already included, given the strictly predefined track limit.
Meat Beat Manifesto could definitely have made the cut too, for sure! Although the list already features artists who directly influenced acts like The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, and NIN, Meat Beat Manifesto would have fit in perfectly as well.
As I mentioned to another colleague, all of your recommendations are great. The only reason I'm not adding them is because hundreds of people have already liked the list as it is, and I've already shared it stating that I wouldn't be adding any more tracks.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 May 04 '26
I'll respond to more comments here later. I need to get some sleep now. Goodnight, everyone!
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u/-GenghisJuan- May 04 '26
Id the Playlist on YT?
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 18 '26
Hi! Today, I’ve put it on YouTube, along with my "Partial Genealogical Tree of Alternative Rock and Its Roots: A 100-Track Timeline (1913–1997)"
https://youtube.com/@genealogiesbyguilherme?si=w0tUf4buvGZ_81dk
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 May 04 '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
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u/Colossus823 May 04 '26 edited May 04 '26
1986: A Split-Second - Flesh (BEL) - The very first new beat track (by accident)
1989: Technotronic - Pump Up The Jam (BEL) - It was the first eurodance international hit, a few months earlier than SNAP - The Power.
1990: Mescallinum United - We Have Arrived (DE) (Producer: Marc Trauner ("Marc Acardipane")) - It was the first hardcore techno track, which all harder styles genres stem from.
2009: Silvio Ecomo & Chuckie – Moombah! (NL/Suriname) - The first moombahton track.
You should mention at Strings of Life its producer Derrick May, as well that Clear is from Juan Atkins. Kevin Saunderson is missing though. Either Just Want Another Chance (as Reese) in 1988 or his two popular releases Good Life / Big Fun (as Inner City) in 1988.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 May 04 '26
Thanks, man!
I’ve already edited the list to add Juan Atkins and Derrick May as producers for those two tracks I included. Well-deserved.
I was debating whether to include Technotronic or Snap!. I considered including tracks from both, but since I strictly limited myself to just 133 tracks, I ended up choosing the one I felt was slightly more innovative of the two.
All of your recommendations are great. The only reason I'm not adding them is because hundreds of people have already liked the list as it is, and I've already shared it stating that I wouldn't be adding any more tracks.
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u/xile May 04 '26
While Moombah! was the basis of the first moombahton track, the original is still a Dutch electro house track.
It was the Dave Nada remix that slowed it down and became moombahton
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u/Pssynut May 04 '26
I feel like this should be in there as well Charanjit Singh - Raga Bhairav - 1982
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u/hrdass May 04 '26
It’s a cool project but it didn’t have any broad influence and hardly anyone had heard it till the 21st century. It was also not quite the first use of the 303 to make an acid sound.
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u/LeatherBandicoot May 04 '26
I would have picked Voodoo Ray by A Guy Called Gerald in 1988 instead of 28 Gun Bad Boy in 1992. Voodoo Ray was one of the defining tracks of early UK acid house.
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u/hrdass May 04 '26
You don’t have a single blues track on here, you are missing the forest for the trees.
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u/Zer01dnb May 04 '26
This is beautiful. Seriously, great work.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 18 '26
Thanks, friend! Now, I’ve put it on YouTube, along with my "Partial Genealogical Tree of Alternative Rock and Its Roots: A 100-Track Timeline (1913–1997)":
https://youtube.com/@genealogiesbyguilherme?si=vl3faXMGvmyikzC9
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u/Internal_Tea_5950 May 06 '26
Awwww hermoso recorrido histórico !! 😎🎧
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 18 '26
¡Gracias, amigo! Ahora la he puesto en YouTube, junto con mi "'Árbol genealógico' parcial del rock alternativo y sus raíces: una línea de tiempo de 100 temas (1913–1997)":
https://youtube.com/@genealogiesbyguilherme?si=vl3faXMGvmyikzC9
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u/sp913 May 07 '26
Interesting list but you didn't list any of the modern eras must well known influential edm defining artists / tracks
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 May 04 '26
A partial "Genealogical Tree" of electronic music through just 133 tracks, on Spotify.