Hyperion's Favorite Music
My goal with this list wasn’t to make a ranking or a “best of” but to give an actual representation of my music taste with the records and songs that are in constant rotation. When I don’t have something new to listen to, 80% of the time I’m going to choose something on this list. I like exploring and finding new things of course, but at 31 years old I kind of know where my tastes are, and this list is a pretty good representation of where I stand after all those years of obsessively exploring and consuming thing to listen to.
Some of these are artists, some are records, some are songs. All of them end up getting played at least a couple times a month and usually much more than that. |
| 1 |  | Drexciya
Neptune's Lair
My all-time favorite music. I can put it on anytime, anywhere and be entertained. Most music that I really love I would characterize as "pure", e.g. strictly adherent to the sounds and tropes of whatever genre ist belongs to without much cross-pollination and genre blending. To me, Drexciya is the purest form of electro there is: funky, cybernetic, nerdy, and analog. And since electro is probably my favorite flavor of electronic music, and electronic music is my favorite genre, this results in Drexicya being my ultimate jam. I probably listen to them at least four to five times a week almost every week. |
| 2 |  | Biosphere
Microgravity
Biosphere was one of my introductions to the world of electronic music and ambient along with the likes of Autechre and Boards of Canada. Even though those other two made some of my all time favorite music, somehow Biosphere ends up being put on more frequently. This wasn't always the case, especially when I was obsessed with Autechre, but nowadays I find myself spinning Microgravity or Patashnik almost weekly, especially when I'm gaming or reading stuff on the internet. And whenever I'm in the mood for ambient, especially when it gets cold, Substrata is the go-to (especially since I also have it on wax and it makes for a perfect cold morning wakeup spin). |
| 3 |  | Autechre
Amber
Probably the music I've obsessed over the most in my life. There was a period from like 2011 to about 2016 where it was fairly close to all I listened to (I was diagnosed with OCD in 2018 LMAO). As a consequence, I kind of overdid it and don't listen to it as much as I used to. But they're albums are still a constant in my rotation, especially Amber and Quaristice. I can still put on any of their albums and remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first listened to it. Still probably my second favorite musical artists of all time and at times could be #1, but honestly they kind of lost me with the last few releases (maybe one day I will re-obsess). |
| 4 |  | Aphex Twin
Drukqs
Another constant in my rotation, especially SAW95 and Drukqs (which I consider to be one of the greatest albums ever released). RDJ’s music ranks among some of my all-time favorite music and it basically never gets old. I even semi-regularly jam all the AFX/Analord stuff. I still don’t really like RDJ album but with how much I love everything else, it doesn’t really matter. |
| 5 |  | Suffocation
Pierced From Within
Pierced From Within is the best metal album of all time and probably why they get a spot on this list. I listen to Effigy a lot too and tracks here and there from the later releases, but I listen to Pierced at least once a week (usually in the gym honestly). Never gets old and adds an extra rep to whatever set I’m doing on any given day. |
| 6 |  | Oneohtrix Point Never
Rifts
The run from Rifts to R+7 is another chunk of my all time favorite music. Whenever I’m in the mood for synthesizer music, Rifts is usually my go-to first thought and the others get spun on a semi-weekly basis, especially when I’m overly anxious for whatever reason. Progressive electronic never sounded better than the stuff he put out before Replica and even though the new stuff isn’t that good, that initial run will pretty much never leave my rotation. |
| 7 |  | Death
Spiritual Healing
While Pierced might be my favorite single death metal album, Death is the best death metal band and I don’t really think it’s particularly close. If I want some good ol’ chunky OSDM, Leprosy or Spiritual Healing are instant go-to’s. Tech death? Human and ITP. Proggy DM? Symbolic. I’m never not down to spin a Death album and if I’m in the mood for death metal and can’t think of what to listen to, it usually ends up being Death. |
| 8 |  | E.R.P.
Exomoon
More pure atmospheric electro from Dallas, Texan native Gerard Hanson. I have all his 12” and EP’s and spin the full-lengths constantly when I’m in the mood for electronic music. |
| 9 |  | Monolake
Ghosts
Another one of my early favorites when I first got into electronic music. Monolake was my introduction to Chain reaction and Momentum, Silence, and Ghosts continue to be constants in my rotation. No other techno sounds quite like this and it’s very rare that I’m not in the mood for really any of the albums I just mentioned. |
| 10 |  | Steve Moore
Pangaea Ultima
Progressive electronic/berlin school is one of my personal favorite flavors of electronic music that unfortunately doesn’t have all that many actually good releases. Luckily Steeve Moore exists, because the man is the master of analog synths and arpeggios. Everything from his 12” on L.I.E.S. to his sprawling full-lengths is superior quality material and you’d be hardpressed to find better music in the subgenre. Highly recommended and a very important part of my typical rotation of music. |
| 11 |  | Dopplereffekt
Linear Accelerator
Gerald Donald, one half of Drexciya, is also one of my all time favorite artists. His solo-material is much more Kraftwerk influenced old-school electro with a mid-century sci-fi flavor, but I love it almost as much as Drexciya. Z-Boson from Linear Accelerator is one of my all time favorite tunes (Daniel Lopatin even namedropped it as an influence on the title track from his Russian Mind album) and would be a go-to track as an answer to the question “what kind of music are you into?” |
| 12 |  | Arpanet
Wireless Internet
Another one of Gerald Donald’s solo-aliases. Similar flavor to Dopplereffekt but even more robotic and funky. Pure electro goodness. |
| 13 |  | Elektroids
Elektroworld
Drexciya offshoot that did a one-off album for Warp in ‘95. I believe both Donald and Stinson were responsible and possibly one of the guys from Aux 88, but regardless it’s more mid-century sci-fi, Kraftwerk influenced electro awesomeness. Perpetual Motion is another personal favorite tune. |
| 14 |  | Nevermore
This Godless Endeavor
One of the first bands to introduce me to the more extreme sids of metal. Before this it was nu-metal like Korn and Slipknot, but I had a Guitar World subscription and there was a feature on Jeff Loomis with a tutorial video on a little DVD (imagine explaining that these things were real to a zoomer lmao). I watched him play and was like “that is the most amazing guitar playing I’ve ever seen or heard” and the rest was history. I got all their albums and played them to death on my little Sony Walkman portable CD player and still to this day think it’s some of the best metal out there. I would go as far as to say they are the single best American heavy metal band and I will jam most of their records all the time. |
| 15 |  | Pestilence
Consuming Impulse
Consume Impulse used to be my favorite death metal album and it’s still in the top 3 but I honestly love all the first three Pestilence records. Patrick Mameli probably has actual brain damage but man he could write some riffs back in the day. Consuming and Testimony are constants when I want to put some old school death metal on the hifi and I even jam Spheres once in a while because it's like what if Cynic didn’t suck. |
| 16 |  | Convextion
Convextion
The dub techno alias of Gerard Hanson (mentioned further up as E.R.P.). Top-tier atmospheric, analog dub techno that I just can’t get enough of. Pure and soulful, just like all the best techno should be. |
| 17 |  | Quantec
1000 Vacuum Tubes
Another personal favorite dub techno artist. It’s nothing groundbreaking but everything he releases is way above-average quality and it always scratches the itch when I’m in the mood for this style of music. Unplumbed Depths is one of my all time favorite techno tunes. |
| 18 |  | Robert Hood
Minimal Nation
Along with Basic Channel, the ultimate techno artists as far as I’m concerned. If aliens came to Earth and asked me what techno was, I would tell them to listen to Detroit: One Circle and they would instantly get it. Internal Empire and Minimal Nation are two of my most favorite techno records and I even heard Moritz von Oswald play Rhythm of Vision in a club in DC once, which was an all time experience. He became a born again christian later in life and his new music kind of sucks now but nothing will ever take away from the original Underground Resistance material. |
| 19 |  | Mobb Deep
Hell on Earth
I’m not really into hiphop as much as I used to be, but whenever I’m in the mood I almost always go back to the classic New York stuff. Hiphop never got better than this and it probably never will. I love The Infamous obviously but I think Hell on Earth is the superior record and I pretty consistently put on the whole album and just let it play. RIP Prodigy. |
| 20 |  | Defeated Sanity
The Sanguinary Impetus
The best death metal band currently making music. If Suffocation didn’t exist, The Sanguinary Empetus would be the best brutal death metal album of all time. Lille Gruber is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of musician and I jam Defeated Sanity multiple times a week every week (also a great gym band). The new one is my most anticipated album of the year and I can’t wait to have it on constant rotation once it comes out. |
| 21 |  | Boards of Canada
Tomorrow's Harvest
Along with Biosphere and Autechre, this was the third of the “bands that got me into electronic music” back in the day. I kinda don’t really dig Campfire that much and really never listen to it (it’s a little too backpacker Pitchfork enjoyer sounding for my tastes), but then they went on to release Tomorrow's Harvest which scared all those people back to their Washed Out records and ended up being one of their best releases. Nothing is Real is one of my all time favorite songs and I spin them at least once or twice a month pretty consistently. For a while, MHTRTC was a close to every day listen and, if I had actually tracked, is probably one of my all-time most listened to records. |
| 22 |  | Objekt
Objekt #2
One of my go-to’s for club music and also one of my go-to’s for IDM. Unglued might be the best club tune of the 21st century and I love both of his full-lengths. He needs to release another one because the last 12” was just as good as everything else he’s released. I was also lucky enough to catch him doing a set a while ago and it was just as good as I’d hoped it would be (he blew Helena Hauff out of the water but then again that’s not too surprising). |
| 23 |  | MF DOOM
Operation: Doomsday
The greatest rapper of all time, of course. RIP and one of the artists that really got me into hiphop. I have all his records and whenever I’m in a hiphop mood at least one DOOM record comes on at some point. |
| 24 |  | Madvillain
Madvillainy
And this has to get a mention because it’s tied with Illmatic as my all time favorite hiphop and and it’s DOOM’s best record. I could probably recite the entire album from memory at this point. |
| 25 |  | Fluxion
Vibrant Forms
One of my favorites from the Chain Reaction label. Both Vibrant Forms and its sequel are constant spins in my rotation. Some of the best dub techno out there. |
| 26 |  | Big L
Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
Another one of my old school New York favorites. DITC was one of the most underrated crews in the game at the time and this record is a constant go-to for hiphop binges. All Black has one of my all time favorite beats and L rhymed like no-one else. |
| 27 |  | King Diamond
The Eye
I don’t really listen to much traditional heavy metal but something about King Diamond just makes them stand out as the best traditional heavy metal act out there. Conspiracy and The Eye are my favorites but the first five are all 100% classics. Andy LaRoque is one of metal’s all time riffmasters and, especially around fall, the King always ends up coming back on. |
| 28 |  | Terekke
YYYYYYYYYY
Subtle, weightless, hazy ambient house/dub mashup that I always come back to. The Yyyyyyyyyy EP is his best work but the full lengths are also amazing, especially Plant Age. Relaxing and pulsing, some of my favorite electronic music. |
| 29 |  | Dr. Octagon
Dr. Octagonecologyst
I love Kool Keith but this one was always my favorite. In fact, it’s one of my all time favorite hiphop records and I always come back to it over pretty much everything else Keith did. It’s almost 100% pure nonsense but somehow he makes it work and that’s what’s so fascinating about it. The beats are killer and when he said “now my helmets on you can’t tell me i’m not in space” i really felt that. |
| 30 |  | CiM
Reference
Probably the most underrated IDM act of all time. The EP’s and 12”s are all chock full of amazing material, some of it more club focused than others, but the Reference full-length is nearly unmatched. It perfectly captures that escapist new age futurism that all the best IDM had while having some of the best, crispiest analog IDM production you’ll ever hear. Constantly spin this one all the time. |
| 31 |  | Khotin
New Tab
Another one of my more recent favorites. The New Tab tape is one of my personal favorite ambient records. It has this vibe that I just haven’t found anywhere else and I always come back to it for that special flavor. The rest of his work is all great too but that New Tab tape is something special. |
| 32 |  | AceMo
Moblu
Found AceMo’s music on technotwitter back when I still had an account many moons ago. He’s constantly releasing top-tier techno and house and does a whole range of collabs that are usually straight bangers. The new one from this year, Moblu, is one of his best works and I always go back to the early drum n’ bass stuff and the Castle of Mana record. Always looking out for new AceMo and spinning it on the regular. |
| 33 |  | Lil Ugly Mane
Uneven Compromise
Probably the only modern hiphop that I would even put in the same league as the classics. In fact, I’ve seen LUM live more than any other artist (four times now I think) and I still think Uneven Compromise is the best 21st century hiphop track. His new stuff doesn’t really vibe with me cause I’m not really into rock or singing, but the run from Mista Thug to Oblivion Access ranks among my most favorite hiphop. |
| 34 |  | Morbid Angel
Formulas Fatal to the Flesh
Trey Azgathoth is probably the best guitarist in death metal and has a style that is so idiosyncratic that I’ve personally never heard it replicated. Altars is cool and I dig Blessed a lot but Covenant is in the top 5 best death metal records. Unfortunately they let cowboy Dave Vincent ruin Domination but thankfully they kicked him out and released Formulas which is my second favorite. I spin Formulas and Heretic all the time and give the others a listen with decent frequency too. Pretty much all the classic members are crazy people now but back in the day they made some of the best and most original death metal there was. |
| 35 |  | Nas
Illmatic
Illmatic is still my #1 hiphop record and I don’t think anyone has ever rapped as good as Nas did on that record. The beats are all perfect and nothing I know sounds quite as classic New York as this record does. Always gets spins when I’m in the mood. |
| 36 |  | Caterina Barbieri
Patterns of Consciousness
Another one of my favorite progressive electronic artists. Her compositional skills are close to unmatched and shes really the only artist in the genre that has made music that comes close to the kind of stuff Daniel Lopatin was putting out with those early OPN releases. Patterns of Consciousness is probably my favorite but it’s all good and the track Math of You off the newest one is one of my all time favorite tunes. |
| 37 |  | Diabolical Masquerade
Nightwork
Nightwork is the best melodic black metal release. It’s like if King Diamond was actually an extreme metal band. The side project of Anders Nystrom of Katatonia fame with Dan Swano collaborating on most of these records (he produced Nightwork and did the drums). It’s spooky and melodic and gloomy and fun and it just kicks ass. I always come back to it and, while I like the other records (especially the debut), this one is where it’s at. |
| 38 |  | Cradle of Filth
Cruelty and the Beast
Another one of my introductions into extreme metal. I heard Medusa and Hemlock on some Headbangers Ball compilation CD in like 7th grade and it was off to the races from there. Dusk through Midian is some of my all time favorite music and when I’m in the mood for gothic spooky theatrics I always come back to them. Their recent revival came as somewhat of a surprise and its still hilarious that the maximum amount of time a person can stand being in a band with Dani is like 3 albums, but as good as it is, nothing comes close to that original run. |
| 39 |  | Dimmu Borgir
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant is the Platonic Ideal of a symphonic black metal record and it’s my go-to when I want to listen to that kind of music. Stormblast is also one of my personal favorites and I go back to the other records from time to time, but Enthrone is one of my most favorite records and I’ll probably never stop listening to it. |
| 40 |  | Forest Drive West
Apparitions
All Forest Drive West’s music is good but it’s kind of genre hopping in a way that I don’t always vibe with. This record is where it’s at though. It’s a perfect blend of UK Bass and techno that doesn’t get too weird with it and the result is a record that I constantly throw on when I’m gaming or reading. |
| 41 |  | Basic Channel
BCD-2
The GOATs. I’m not gonna add all the Basic Channel aliases because I’ve already been making this list for like 4 hours but it’s pretty much all 10/10. The BCD comps are great for longform listening but I’m always jamming some version of the 12” at least a couple times a month. |
| 42 |  | Rhythm and Sound
Carrier / Density / Outward
I will add this one thought because it’s far enough removed from the Basic Channel stuff that I think it warrants its own entry. Some of the best dub and reggae influenced techno there is and my wife and I still fuck to W/ The Artists fairly frequently. |
| 43 |  | Porter Ricks
Biokinetics
Port Gentil is one of my all time favorite tunes and I usually listen to it multiple times a month. The whole Biokinetics record gets spun fairly frequently though. |
| 44 |  | Dynarec
User Input
Another one of my favorite pure electro records. Basically nobody knows about it but you’d be hardpressed to find better electro tunes outside of Drexciya. |
| 45 |  | Steve Roach
Dreamtime Return
One of my original favorite ambient artists and one that still is basically at the front of the bench when I put ambient on. Everything he does is amazing so sometimes I’ll just put it on artist shuffle on Spotify and let it play, but if I’m spinning records it’s usually the classics like Structures or Dreamtime. |
| 46 |  | Mayhem
Ordo ad Chao
I used to listen to a ton of black metal when I was an angry teenager and I’ve almost completely grown out of that at this point (plus I don’t really want to spend hours trying to figure out if the music is made by Nazis which makes me want to listen to black metal even less). Beyond like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir and Darkthrone I pretty much don’t ever listen to black metal anymore. But when I do, Ordo Ad Chao is one of the only true norwegian records I want to put on. I think it’s probably the best black metal album of all time. |
| 47 |  | Pelon
No Stunts
No full-length but No Stunts might be the single best dub-techno tune along with Enforcement and I listen to it constantly. Chain Reaction remains unbeaten. |
| 48 |  | Vladislav Delay
Multila
Huone is almost the singular reason this one gets added. I like all Vladislav but I listen to Huone constantly just like I do No Stunts. One of the all time greats. |
| 49 |  | Kraftwerk
Minimum-Maximum
Electro is my favorite electronic subgenre so of course I can’t leave out the originators. The band that is almost singularly responsible for modern electronic music is of course one of the best to ever do it. That being said, the Minimum-Maximum live edits is usually what I spin because it somehow feels like the best versions of most of those tracks, and pretty much all the classics are there. |
| 50 |  | Darkthrone
Eternal Hails
Honestly it’s just Eternal Hails and Panzerfaust. Panzer might be the best TNBM record and it’s definitely the best black metal vocal performance, and Eternal Hails is just a very specific personal favorite that feels like black metal easy listening and I can throw it on pretty much all the time and enjoy it. |
| 51 |  | Terrence Dixon
From The Far Future Pt. 3
One of the last true techno artists still making music. He’s one of the only ones left still making tunes with the true spirit of the Detroit originators and whenever I want pure Detroit techno he’s always at the top of the list of choices. Unconditional Love is one of the greatest techno tunes of all time and I’m constantly playing it over and over and over. |
| 52 |  | The Black Dog
Temple of Transparent Balls
These next two are basically the same band but they had to have two different names of course. Both of these are my second favorite Warpcore records behind the first two Autechre records and contain some of my favorite early IDM tunes ever. |
| 53 |  | Black Dog Productions
Bytes
Like ¾ Heart which is like dancing in the sky of some early 3D polygon world. |
| 54 |  | Immolation
Dawn of Possession
It’s really just the first two records. I like all Immolation but Dawn of Possession and Here in After are OSDM perfection, especially the first one. Another one of those DM bands that pretty much no one was able to successfully copy, so the originals are the only place to get the same vibe and sound. |
| 55 |  | Deicide
Legion
I love everything up to Serpents of the Light. Ol’ Glenn and Steve knew how to make death metal and it’s just perfect dumb headbanging death metal music. Great gym music that gets put on all the time. |
| 56 |  | Possessed
Seven Churches
Gets credit for being the first death metal album but I don’t really care about that. It’s just damn good metal music and I come back to it constantly especially around Halloween. It’s slightly off-kilter in a way that just works, especially with LaLonde’s unique phrasing and style. |
| 57 |  | Cryptopsy
None So Vile
Blasphemy Made Flesh and None So Vile are constant gym classics. Just pure adrenaline and anger you really can't find anywhere else. The grooves and RUH’s on NSV get stuck in my head all the time and that results in an album that I constantly end up putting on. |
| 58 |  | Bloodbath
The Wacken Carnage
It’s really just this record. I think it’s the best live album of all time. Akerfeldt sounds like a fucking demon and the production and performances made basically every track significantly better than on the records. |
| 59 |  | Dead Congregation
Graves of the Archangels
One of the original classic OSDM revival records and one of the handful that got me into the scene. It’s also still one of the best and I constantly spin it in the gym and at home. |
| 60 |  | Herbie Hancock
Inventions And Dimensions
I’m not really a jazz head but I love me some Herbie. Inventions and Dimensions is my favorite but I love everything up to and including Thrust. I have a bunch of them on wax and they get put on all the time because my wife likes them too. |
| 61 |  | Magnetophonique
Lush Islands - Illusion of Paradise
One of my personal favorite ambient albums. No one else has captured the hazy, bittersweet tropicalia sound better than on this record and whenever I want that sound in my life, this is where I come. |
| 62 |  | Obliveon
From This Day Forward
I don’t like thrash metal but this band rules. Both of the first two are kind of my go-to thrash records when I’m in the mood and they made good gaming music too. |
| 63 |  | Watchtower
Control and Resistance
A more recent addition but I think this is the best thrash record of all time. Mayday in Kiev is such a monster tune and it’s constantly getting stuck in my head which means it’s getting constantly played. It also contains the best bass performance ever committed to an audio recording too. |
| 64 |  | Burger/Ink
Las Vegas
The whole record is nice but Twelve Miles High is one of my all time favorite tunes. I have the 12” version and it’s one of my most played records. |
| 65 |  | A Tribe Called Quest
Midnight Marauders
Another classic New York hiphop act that functions as one of my go-to’s when I want to listen to that sound. Midnight Marauders is my favorite and it comes on multiple times a month. |
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