These artists offer the ideal soundtrack for study and relaxation, featuring catchy melodies and thoughtful lyrics that help stimulate and calm the brain.
Daft Punk are unquestionably deserving of being at the top of this list; however, Deadmau5 deserves his place too – as an all-round musician with multiple talents he truly stands out amongst peers.If you wish to listen to electronic performers’ music, go to mp3juice.
1. Ellie Goulding
Ellie Goulding’s pop sound blends folk, synth-pop and EDM. She has collaborated with Kygo to Juice Wrld while selling millions of records worldwide. Additionally, Ellie has long been active as an activist and philanthropist focusing on raising awareness around climate change and other global issues.
Early in 2009, she started building an online audience through posting early tracks like Starry Eyed and her cover of Sam Sparro’s Black & Gold on taste-making websites. That March she capitalized on her rising popularity by releasing Lights; which quickly topped the UK chart and produced Top Five hit Starry Eyed; later reissued as Bright Lights in November 2010 with remixes of several of its songs as well as Elton John’s Your Song cover song as part of its set list.
She’s quickly become one of the world’s premier touring pop singers, performing at arenas and festivals worldwide. Her ethereal vocals remain as captivating live as on her albums.
2. Fedde Le Grand
This acclaimed electronic musician is known for creating stunning beats that pack an intense punch during his concerts, so witnessing him live is the ideal way to experience all his hits in their glory – and tickets for his upcoming tours are selling fast!
Fedde Le Grand was born in Utrecht, Netherlands. Though best-known for his 2006 chart-topping single ‘Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit’, his career spans over 10 years – as an annual headliner at large music festivals like Tomorrow Land and Electric Zoo while millions tune in weekly for his Dark Light Sessions radio show.
Flamingo Recordings, his label co-founded with DJ Funkeman, is also where he produces his own music and discovers new talent. His remixes for artists like Coldplay, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey are nothing short of breathtaking.
3. Tangerine Dream
After their 1973 album Atem was well received by DJ John Peel, Tangerine Dream signed with Virgin Records and issued the landmark Phaedra album (widely considered one of the first commercial albums to incorporate sequencers), helping establish Berlin School electronic music while inspiring new wave musicians.
Though they had to work with difficult equipment that required learning manuals and making connections, members of the group proved extremely resourceful. Edgar Froese even invented the Theremin, an interesting hands-free instrument which produces beautiful music by moving one’s arms between two poles.
Tangerine Dream was famous for producing music that was both innovative and mainstream at its time, such as their groundbreaking Pink Years albums that had an important part to play in shaping Krautrock. Unfortunately, following Jerome Froese’s departure Tangerine Dream’s output became less experimental and more mainstream; one example being 1989’s Destination Berlin soundtrack which features up-tempo Casio synths that seem anathema to Syd Barrett himself! However, their early albums played a vital role in its formation; those early “Pink Years” albums had an essential place within Krautrock development!
4. Laurie Spiegel
Laurie Spiegel is an American composer specializing in computer music since the 1970s, having produced recordings for 1750 Arch, Capriccio Philo and Unseen Worlds labels.
At Bell Labs, she created the GROOVE system. This compositional tool allowed her to compose music using algorithms. One of her best known works was her realization of Kepler’s Harmonices Mundi that was included on golden phonograph records sent into space via Voyager spacecrafts in 1977.
Although she embraces technology in her music, Spiegel remains faithful to classical and folk traditions. She has the rare talent of making even the most mathematically complex computerized textures sound melodic and accessible; form and emotion often merge and often switch roles within her compositions. Spiegel views computers as new kinds of folk instruments and explores cutting edge technologies while maintaining her deeply-rooted musical integrity.
5. Suzanne Ciani
Suzanne Ciani was an early pioneer of the Buchla synthesizer, using it to craft lush soundscapes on her albums and commercials in the ’70s. She contributed electronic swoosh sounds for Starland Vocal Band’s Afternoon Delight as well as soundtracking several B-movie horror and kung fu movies. Furthermore, Ciani used her Buchla live performances which fuse New Age with folk music genres.
Depeche Mode’s presence alone would qualify any top 10 list as legitimate; they are among the pioneers of electronic music, creating whole worlds through songs with catchy melodies and clever lyrics – always filled with hope for a brighter tomorrow, yet they remain relevant today as an international pop phenomenon with fans worldwide.
6. Anne-Marie Derbyshire
Anne-Marie Derbyshire was one of the pioneers of electronic music. Working with oscillators and tape recorders, she created captivating compositions unlike anything else available during the 1950s. Although initially she went largely unappreciated at her time of creation, today Anne-Marie is seen as an influential musician and pioneer.
El-Dabh may not be well known to modern fans of electronic music, but he was an influential force behind the development of electroacoustic composition. El-Dabh used both acoustic instruments and electronic manipulation techniques to produce unique sounds which would later become part of electronic music’s genre.
Joris Voorn, an electronic musician relatively new to the scene, is an experienced producer who knows how to incorporate vocals into his songs. His blend of techno and house has produced many hit tracks. Furthermore, he has performed on television programs as well as theatrical performances.
7. Monika Kruse
Monika Kruse has made her mark on the electronic music scene, particularly techno. Her club performances include playing Space Ibiza alongside Carl Cox and Egg London as well as We Love… at Amnesia Festival and Melt Festival as well as her weekly residency at Berghain in Berlin.
Her own Terminal M label charted the cultural movement of techno for 17 years, hosting early releases from Stimming and andhim and supporting artists such as ANNA, Gregor Tresher, Paride Saraceni, Noir and Victor Ruiz. In production terms she has made her mark most recently through collaborations such as Pig & Dan’s Soulstice album as well as remix packages like Summer Drops.
Their dense arrangements added depth and richness to electronic music while their innovative sounds pushed boundaries. Oxygene should be considered a must-listen for fans of this genre.
8. Robert Hood
Robert Hood is one of the founding members of Detroit techno group Underground Resistance alongside Mad Mike Banks and Jeff Mills, and one of the pioneers of minimal techno. He has released music under several aliases such as The Vision, Inner Sanctum, Monobox and Floorplan (with Lyric Hood as a collaborator).
He is also an integral figure on Hardwax label, while operating his own M-Plant imprint. His 1994 LP Minimal Nation established minimalist sound; since then he’s delivered critically acclaimed studio albums like Point Blank (2002) and Motor: Nighttime World Vol 3 (2012) as well as Fabric and DJ-Kicks mix series volumes.
Hood’s 2021 album Mirror Man saw him tread even deeper into challenging territory with its mix of blaring horns and vocal refrains, while his reissue of Technatural EP from earlier in 2021 demonstrated his diverse musical skills. Through these releases and other aliases he has created whole worlds with melodies that blend both retro and modern sensibilities seamlessly.
9. Maya Jane Coles
Maya Jane Coles found herself drawn towards electronic sounds as she explored London’s warehouses and clubs as a youngster, producing everything herself: writing, engineering, mixing and arranging her debut EP on Dogmatik in 2007. However, 2010’s What They Say single really propelled her career forward.
Coles has not looked back since. A truly singular talent, her music strikes at the heart of dance culture with equal measures of sensibility and technical expertise.
She has performed at venues ranging from key electronic venues such as Fabric (UK) to multi-genre festivals like Coachella (USA). Her debut Nocturnal Sunshine album released in 2015 also won critical and fan acclaim worldwide.