Artificial Intelligence is a compilation album released via Warp on 6 July 1992.[1] It is the first release in Warp's Artificial Intelligence series. The album helped birth the genre that would later become known as intelligent dance music (IDM).
| Artificial Intelligence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by various artists | ||||
| Released | 6 July 1992 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:22 | |||
| Label | Warp | |||
| Artificial Intelligence series chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editAccording to Warp co-founder Steve Beckett, the album was primarily intended for sedentary listening rather than dancing, and this was reflected in the album art, which depicts an android asleep in an armchair with Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd albums Autobahn (1974) and The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), respectively, at its side:
You could sit down and listen to it like you would a Kraftwerk or Pink Floyd album. That's why we put those sleeves on the cover of Artificial Intelligence – to get it into people's minds that you weren't supposed to dance to it![2]
— Steve Beckett
The third album on the floor is Pioneers of the Hypnotic Groove, a 1991 collection of some of the first tracks released on Warp.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| Pitchfork | 8.8/10[4] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[5] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
Critic Simon Reynolds cited Artificial Intelligence as a key ambient techno release in a 1994 write-up for The New York Times.[7]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic John Bush praised Artificial Intelligence as "a superb collection of electronic listening music."[3] In 2014, Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy of Vice described it as "an exercise in re-training the ear."[8] The following year, Tegan O'Neil of The A.V. Club wrote: "Although every producer on it would go on to have a long and storied career, the album's music is satisfying enough on its own terms."[9]
In 2014, Rolling Stone included Artificial Intelligence on its list of "The 40 Most Groundbreaking Albums of All Time", citing its formative role in the development of intelligent dance music (IDM).[10] According to The Guardian's Ben Cardew, the album "birthed" the IDM genre and "changed the idea of electronic music as merely a tool for dancing".[11] In 2017, Pitchfork placed it at number ten on its list of "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time".[12] In 2023, British GQ placed it at number three on its list of the ten best electronic albums of all time.[13]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Polygon Window" | The Dice Man | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Telefone 529" | Musicology | 4:11 |
| 3. | "Crystel" | Autechre | 4:38 |
| 4. | "The Clan" | I.A.O | 5:08 |
| 5. | "De-Orbit" | Speedy J | 6:13 |
| 6. | "Preminition" | Musicology | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Spiritual High" | UP! | 7:43 |
| 8. | "The Egg" | Autechre | 7:32 |
| 9. | "Fill 3" | Speedy J | 3:42 |
| 10. | "Loving You Live" | Dr Alex Paterson | 4:01 |
References
edit- ^ "Various Artists: Artificial Intelligence". Warp. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (1999). Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture. Routledge. p. 183. ISBN 0-415-92373-5.
- ^ a b Bush, John. "Artificial Intelligence – Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Richardson, Mark (25 August 2005). "Various Artists: Artificial Intelligence / Artificial Intelligence II". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 396. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (13 March 1994). "Pop View; Techno Wars: A House Divided Over Beats". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ Montesinos-Donaghy, Daniel (22 July 2014). "Would You Like To Be Upgraded?: How Artificial Intelligence Pushed Warp Records Forward". Vice. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ O'Neil, Tegan (16 April 2015). "Warp's Artificial Intelligence compilation predicted the sounds of today, yesterday". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "The 40 Most Groundbreaking Albums of All Time: Various Artists – Artificial Intelligence". Rolling Stone. 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ^ Cardew, Ben (3 July 2017). "Machines of loving grace: how Artificial Intelligence helped techno grow up". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 January 2017. p. 5. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ^ "The 10 best electronic albums of all time". British GQ. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
External links
edit- Artificial Intelligence at Discogs (list of releases)
- Artificial Intelligence at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Artificial Intelligence at Warp