Techno music from the 90s captured the zeitgeist of an astounding decade, from frenetic jazz extensions of drum ‘n’ bass to the soothing melodies of trance – its legacy continues today.
Let’s dive in to explore the vibrant palette of this decade’s most influential songs.
Tiesto
Dutch DJ Tiesto has long been one of the leading figures in electronic music, becoming famous for his upbeat trance anthems that combine melodies with driving rhythms. Tiesto draws upon diverse musical influences to forge his distinctive sound – becoming one of the genre’s most influential figures as a result.
Tiesto’s “Adagio for Strings” is an emotionally stirring track featuring mesmerizing strings and an iconic vocal sample, that demonstrated the power of electronic music to elicit emotion in listeners and build connections between audiences and musicians alike. The song proved just how effective electronic music can be at stirring memories for listeners while connecting to listeners through its ability to evoke strong responses in listeners.
Tiesto’s remix of Faithless’s “Insomnia (Monster Mix)” is another legendary track that showcases the versatility of dance music. Featuring driving beats, memorable melodies and an irresistibly seductive music video, this track has become an international phenomenon and cemented Tiesto as an innovator within dance music scene. Tiesto continues pushing boundaries of genre with new releases that feature sleek production combined with pop EDM influences which will appeal to both longstanding fans as well as younger listeners of dance music alike.
Underworld
Primal Scream, Jesus Jones and Orbital were among several open-minded bands in the early 1990s to blur the boundaries between rock and electronica music, but perhaps none was as significant as Underworld. Their debut album Dubnobasswithmyheadman introduced rock fans to dance music’s rhythmic beats – while still sounding otherworldly today.
Hyde was key in shaping this record’s atmosphere with his mysterious and impressionistic vocal presence. A former art student, Hyde used small notebooks to document urban landscapes from London, New York and Tokyo before offering fragmented lyrics like “Ride the Sainted Rhythms on the Midnight Train to Romford” or “Mmm, Skyscraper I Love You.” A combination of dancing dance floor beats and ambient lacunae created a Joycean take-up of modern urban life; layers of distorted typography by art and advertising collective Tomato reinforced this dark vision further.
Underworld are one of the world’s foremost techno legends and thrilled audiences at Vivid LIVE in 2019 with four exhilarating nights in Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.
Fatboy Slim
Norman Cook, better known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, helped popularize big beat in the 1990s. Beginning his musical career as the bassist for Hull-based indie janglers The Housemartins before creating various electronic music projects such as Beats International, Freak Power Pizzaman & Mighty Dub Katz.
UK dance icon Greg James built monumental tunes around beautiful old samples. From Camille Yarbrough’s soulful funk to Just Brothers guitar instrumentals and Greg James’ string melodies, his music encompassed every genre imaginable.
Cook’s approach led him to compose one of the most iconic piano riffs in modern music history: “Praise You.” That and other hit songs like “Rockafeller Skank,” and “Right Here Right Now” helped propel Cook to the top of global charts. Today he holds the world record for having written most Top 40 hits under different aliases while regularly collaborating with artists ranging from Eats Everything to Perry Farrell.
Alice Deejay
Alice Deejay first rose to fame with their 1999 hit single Better Off Alone. A Eurodance tune that resonated with dance music fans across many European nations, it became one of their top-charting singles. Their follow-up track Back in My Life also became a smash success.
This track was inspired by The Vengaboys and displayed Alice Deejay’s versatility as a producer. David Guetta sampled its melody for his single, Play Hard. Additionally, its tune was used for a lollipop commercial.
After Alice Deejay’s success, they parted ways in 2002; however, its lead singer and two background dancers continued their work as independent artists. One dancer, Mila Levesque, established AV Performing Productions which provides training lessons and complete choreographies to musicians, bands and commercial shows; while Angelique Versnel continues her modeling career represented by Touche Models Amsterdam where she has also done several television commercials.
Paul Van Dyk
Paul van Dyk is one of those rare DJs who has the power to electrify an audience like few others can. Born in Germany and living in California now, his musical roots go all the way back to childhood when he listened secretly to banned radio stations while secretly sneaking cassette tapes containing unreleased Cosmic Baby single “Love Stimulation.”
As a teenager, he began producing music, with his first release — For an Angel — cementing his place in music history. Subsequent mainstream success followed, including Depeche Mode remix of Martyr. Soon enough he had several top-10 U.K. dance hits under his belt — such as his timeless “Far Away.”
In 2000, he released the Politics of Dancing mix-album series and by 2006 had established himself as one of the world’s premier DJs. Since then he has performed 120-130 shows annually while cultivating relationships with fans, earning himself the nickname of ‘People’s DJ”.
Van Dyk typically performs solo, though occasionally collaborates with singers. He has developed a reputation for not using ghost producers; in his view, such practices dishonestly use one’s name on tracks they had no part in creating and cheat fans of truthful information.
Orbital
Orbital has taken their show to a whole new generation since their reunion in 2009. By switching up their approach for smaller venues and performing classic songs like ‘Chime’ that propelled them onto British charts back in 1989. Their torch-wearing image and shimmering techno music has made them a must-see act at festivals worldwide.
Their debut albums – the haunting Brown Album and soul-searching Snivilisation – set an impressive standard of electronic sensitivity, while subsequent ones such as Cinematic Grandeur of In Sides and dystopian sci-fi ode Optical Delusion cemented their reputation for thought-provoking concepts.
Orbital’s debut album featured an image depicting electron orbitals surrounding an atomic nucleus on its cover and this emblematic symbol, also found on their record label FFRR logo, became an instant classic and an emblematic motif of their band.
Goldie
Goldie (real name Clifford Price), one of the defining movements of the 1990s, epitomized drum and bass as an art form in his productions combining club-ready club music with strings and emotional content to turn drum & bass into an entire musical genre.
As a teenager, he perfected his craft by watching breakbeat producers Dego McFarlane and Mark Clair (aka 4hero) record their tracks at Reinforced Studio. This experience provided him with a deep knowledge of breakbeat music genre, which allowed him to develop an in-depth understanding of it while creating his own distinct style.
Goldie released his critically-acclaimed debut album Timeless in 1995; this critically acclaimed classic established a benchmark for what could be accomplished within drum and bass music. Fusing classical orchestration with breakbeat rhythms and atmospheric soundscapes to produce an absolutely unique listening experience, Timeless is testament to Goldie’s immense talent as a producer; today it remains an iconic piece of electronic music history.
The Prodigy
The Prodigy were an acclaimed and innovative band to emerge during the 90s. Combining elements from drum ‘n’ bass with jazz extensions, techno, ambient music, industrial’s carnal distortions and big beat’s popular rhythms into something wholly unique, they created something truly exceptional.
Keith Flint led Prodigy is one of the most iconic acts in electronic music history. Their groundbreaking sound inspired generations of dancers and musicians – setting a path for subsequent artists such as Skrillex.
“Firestarter” remains one of the most iconic tracks from the 1990s and stands as a trailblazing anthem that broke musical boundaries. The unique blend of rock and techno elements showcases The Prodigy’s fearlessness.
I can’t think of another artist or work that rivals the impact and legacy of The Prodigy’s work – they were undisputedly one of the biggest electronic music acts in Britain – even bigger than Fatboy Slim himself! Their album ‘Music For the Jilted Generation’ sold over 10 million copies worldwide and continues to have great influence.