Kids, old dude here, so be kind. I got into EDM in the late 90s. Breakbeats were king, funky samples, etc. I had lots of friends nearby to introduce me to great new music. But times have changed and now I feel awash in formulaic house music. What should I check out to get inspired again?

Prodigy, before the "Fat of the Land" album. Then it started to get monotonous and forced. I still blast "Voodoo People" in the car though :P

Edit: I assume you're familiar with old school Chemical Brothers and Sneaker Pimps as well. Pretty good 90's stuff. Nowadays there are so many people producing EDM that the names don't stick with me anymore, and I just care about the music, not who made it.

It's also interesting to hear how production techniques have changed over time. Back then, you used to have just a bunch of layered loops that start playing one by one and build the song up layer by layer. This was due to the limitations of sequencers and DAW software at the time. Now there's all kinds of neat "CD skipping" effects, fills, and drops to keep you interested.

Edit: I call it "CD skipping" because the first time I heard the effect in the early 2000's I thought my CD player was skipping. Those fills that repeat a highhat or snare a dozen times very quickly to produce almost a "buzz" sound. First heard it on an Aphex Twin album.

/r/EDM Thread Parent