"d'essential" albums unveiled

I've compiled a list of my 30 "D'essential" long-players of the e-music era, which I define as roughly 1989 to now. I use 1989 as a starting point because it marks the rave explosion in England and the largely British ideal that electronic dance music could transcend the 12-inch and master the album format. Although it didn't make my list, 90 by 808 State was released that year. The Orb and The KLF released albums of their own the next year. So, sure, there was plenty of house, techno and EDM in the 1980s, but '89 marks the dawn of contemporary e-music as far as I'm concerned. It's the year that four-on-the-floor dance music from black and Latino inner-city America spread across the world.

Some notable albums didn't make my list. Maybe they're too obvious, and I'm a little tired of them, frankly, if only because they're so obvious. I'm thinking of the Prodigy's Experience in 1992 and Fat of the Land in 1997, the latter of which became the first e-music-era album to top the American pop charts. I'm thinking of Portishead's Dummy (1994), Leftfield's Leftism (1995), Tricky's Maxinquaye (1995), Underworld's Second Toughest in the Infants (1996), Fatboy Slim's Better Living Through Chemistry (1996). I'm also thinking of 808 State's ex:el (1991) and Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1993). If -- or rather, when -- I expand the list to 50, however, these albums will surely be included.

I couldn't begin to rank my faves, so the list is in alphabetical order. No wholly women acts made the list, and I feel bad about it, although, if its any consolation, there are many invaluable female contributions to the works on the list. The earliest contributions here come from Massive Attack and The Orb circa 1991. The most-recent ones are from Gui Boratto, Digitalism and Spank Rock circa 2007. I expect some 2008 albums, such as John Tejada's Where, to make an expanded list.

Here it is. At some point I'll make it a permanent feature on the lower right, with links to Amazon. Please feel free to disagree ...

Air, Premiers Symptomes (Virgin/Astralwerks, 1999)
Basement Jaxx/Various, Atlantic Jaxx Recordings – A Compilation (Atlantic Jaxx, 1997)
Bent, The Everlasting Blink (Sport/Guidance, 2003)
Booka Shade, Movements (Get Physical, 2006)
Gui Boratto, Chromophobia (Kompakt, 2007)
BT, Ima (Perfecto, 1995)
Chemical Brothers, Exit Planet Dust (Astralwerks, 1995)
The Crystal Method, Vegas (Outpost, 1997)
Daft Punk, Homework (Virgin, 1997)
Danger Mouse (with The Beatles vs. Jay-Z), The Grey Album (Unreleased, 2004)
Danny Tenaglia/Various, Global Underground 017: London (Global Underground, 2000)
Digitalism, Idealism (Kitsune/Virgin/Astralwerks, 2007)
Diplo/Various, Fabriclive.24 (Fabric, 2005)
DJ Dan/Various, Funk the System (Moonshine, 1999)
Goldie, Timeless (FFRR, 1995)
Hardkiss/Various, Delusions of Grandeur (Moonshine, 1995)
Kruder & Dorfmeister/Various, The K&D Sessions (Studio !K7, 1998)
Lil' Louis, Journey With the Lonely (Sony, 1992)
LTJ Bukem/Various, Logical Progression (Good Looking/FFRR 1996)
Mark Farina/Various, Mushroom Jazz (Om, 1997)
Massive Attack, Blue Lines (Wild Bunch/Virgin, 1991)
Moby, Play (Mute/V2, 1999)
Nuyorican Soul (Masters At Work), Nuyorican Soul (Giant Step, 1997)
The Orb, The Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld (Island, 1991)
Radiohead, OK Computer (EMI, 1997)
Plastikman (Richie Hawtin), Musik (Mute, 1994)
Sasha/Various, Involver (Global Underground, 2004)
Sasha & John Digweed/Various, Northern Exposure (Ministry of Sound, 1996)
Spank Rock, Fabriclive.33 (Fabric, 2007)
Spooky, Gargantuan (IRS, 1993)