refining my tastes.
After discovering deadmau5' music, I naturally stumbled upon mau5trap. And just like him, his label served as a first exposure to a lot of subgenres of electronic music. I'd like to shout out some of the artists I listened to at that time. I'll list a few of my favorite songs from each, but really, if anything I mention interests you, you should browse their entire discographies.
The most obvious one is No Mana. Though he's fully embraced a more marketable electro-house style as of late, his earlier songs always struck the perfect balance of weird and danceable, all complemented by a nice retro aesthetic. I distinctly remember stumbling upon siren[0] and being blown away with the intro; the ghostly reverbed synths were unlike anything I had ever listened to. A few years later, when Metronomes for Pulsars came out, I was equally amazed by the minimalist techno track. Over and Over is an uplifting and catchy tune that almost makes me want to fall in love. And to this day, Clear has one of the most impactful and surprising drops I've ever seen outside of outright dubstep.
Another easy pick is Matt Lange. His music served as my first introduction to techno, and I immediately fell in love. An immediate stand out was Inside My Head, a dark and intricate track that shows vocals can coexist with synths. There's also Basimilus 3, built from an odd chirpy loop, yet still a perfect fit for a nightclub. But my favorite of his songs has to be Count It, featuring a quite unorthodox compound time signature that makes the heavy beat so much more engaging.
Also worth singling out is ATTLAS. Compared to the other artists I've mentioned, his music is more on the introspective side, featuring a distinct acoustic sound. A highlight in this regard is Red, which can only be described as a beautiful, adventurous instrumental, playing with dissonance in ways seldom seen within electronic music. Lighthouse is a playful song that still adheres to the analog aesthetic but whose marked bassline is sure to get some legs moving. And not to spoil the ending of an amazing album, but More Than That is one of the strongest finales I've ever heard for any musical work, ever.
There's a few more artists whose music I liked, but which I didn't really keep up with, or who never put out a lot of stuff. These include EDDIE, Tinlicker, and Oliver Winters. To Robert Oaks and i_o, may they rest in peace.
I stayed in touch with the label until about 2018, but I admit that I've got no idea what's going on over there nowadays. I bet the music is still good, but I don't have any further recommendations.