Selknaeda – Tardigrada and SpudCelula: Two Experimental Electronic Tracks
Two tracks by Chilean electronic artist Selknaeda: Tardigrada builds rhythmic intensity, while the darker SpudCelula explores fragmented 5/4 beats and synthetic textures.
Category IDM / Glitch
Intricate programmed rhythms, unusual sequencing, fragmented textures and exploratory electronic composition. Discover reviews and artists working beyond established dance-music formats.Listen alongside the reviews: Essential Electronica playlist →
Frequency State / IDM / Glitch
IDM & glitch: a listening guide
IDM and glitch describe overlapping strains of electronic music that explore detailed programming, unusual rhythms, digital textures and musical unpredictability. The terms cover a broad range of sounds, from warm melodic electronics to abrasive edits.
Rhythms may shift away from familiar dance patterns while synthesis, sampling and deliberate digital imperfections carry the arrangement.
Three records to start with
Aphex Twin — Selected Ambient Works 85–92 (1992)
Melody, atmosphere and drum programming meet in a landmark early electronic album.
Autechre — Amber (1994)
Intricate rhythms and richly coloured synthesis balance abstraction with memorable themes.
Oval — 94diskont. (1995)
Clicks, fragments and digital artifacts become integral to the music's structure.
Curated listening
Essential Electronica
Discover related music in the Frequency State playlist.
Continuously updated
Latest IDM / Glitch reviews
Plaid: From Black Dog to Double Figure and Melodic Electronics
Ed Handley and Andy Turner have developed a distinctive approach to electronic composition in which intricate programming serves unexpectedly memorable melodies.
Squarepusher: Hard Normal Daddy, Big Loada and the Changing Shape of Drum and Bass
Tom Jenkinson's recordings connect virtuosic bass playing, extreme rhythm programming and a restless approach to electronic form.
Nephets – Krush / Run: Dark Breakbeats and Mellow IDM
Canadian electronic artist Nephets blends dark, rolling breaks and atmospheric synths on Krush, while Run takes a mellower, jazz-tinged IDM direction.
Jan St. Werner – Squares Will Fall: Fragmented Harmonies and Restless Electronics
Jan St. Werner's Squares Will Fall moves from distant, fragmented harmonies to soulful processed vocals and an increasingly restless electronic groove.
Yorimichi Mifune – Collapsed: Processed Vocals and Glitchy Rhythms
Tuned, clipped vocals sit front and centre in Yorimichi Mifune's "Collapsed", supported by an 80s‑tinged bass and tight, glitchy percussion. Sparse synth pads and occasional harmonies keep the focus on the vocal hook.
Yusaku Iida – Nyorai: Rolling Bass and Dark Ambient Electronics
A compact, moody piece built around a rolling rhythmic bass loop that gives way to swelling synths—beat‑driven but shaded with ambient textures.
DOGCULT – Manic Tonality: Off-Kilter Breakbeats and Gritty Electronics
DOGCULT's "Manic Tonality" pairs 90s-tinged pitched samples with an erratic, hard-hitting kick and dense, bitcrushed textures that shift the groove without losing intensity.
Akiyoshi Yasuda – As distance ends Review: Syncopated, Uneasy Minimalism
Akiyoshi Yasuda's As distance ends pairs tight, off-kilter drum programming with slowly evolving synth layers. The drums keep the piece rhythmically locked while subtle modulation and repetition create a quiet tension.
Kamran Arashnia – Transformations 001 – Spectral Shear Field Review: Glitchy IDM Pulse and Layered Percussion
A compact, glitch-leaning piece that pairs irregular, IDM-style percussion with a steady underlying pulse as layers of clicks and processed hits build complexity.