Explore Artists
Björk
Genres: Electronic, Experimental, Art Pop, Glitch Pop, Trip Hop, IDM, Ambient
You May Like: Matmos, FKA twigs, Arca, Oneohtrix Point Never, James Blake, Fever Ray, Radiohead, Flying Lotus
Björk Guðmundsdóttir, known mononymously as “Björk”, was born in Iceland in 1965. She began her music career at just 11 years old, and has since developed her career as a notable singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. She is widely regarded for her abstract art style, distinct vocal style, hard-to-pin-down sonic style, and imaginative, eccentric personality. Her music career took off with help from her recognizable vocals while performing for the alternative rock band The Sugarcubes. After going solo, her first two albums “Debut” and “Post” explored genres such as house, techno, trip-hop, industrial, and jazz from a pop-based perspective. Her third album, “Homogenic”, was built from programmed electronic beats with an overlay of orchestral strings, therefore influenced by IDM and classical music. Her subsequent albums continued to focus on experimental electronic-forward production, pulling from mostly IDM, glitch, and ambient while often incorporating strings.
Crystal Castles
Genres: Electropop, Electroclash, Bitpop, Witch House, Synthpop, Synth Punk, Darkwave
You May Like: CRIM3S, Snow Strippers, TR/ST, Salem, Suzy Sheer, White Ring, Grimes, Akiaura & Lonown
Crystal Castles was formed in Toronto in 2005 and includes singer-songwriter Alice Glass and songwriter-producer Ethan Kath. Later, Glass would be replaced by vocalist Edith Frances in 2015. Kath had been gaining traction in the Toronto underground electronic scene and asked Glass to record vocals for some demos he recorded in 2003. After shelving the tracks for six months, Kath eventually released the song “Alice Practice” which gained notable online attention, leading the duo to officially form the band Crystal Castles in 2005. The band gained further popularity after “Alice Practice” was used in the soundtrack for the TV show Skins. Eventually, the band’s song “Not in Love” would feature vocals from Robert Smith of The Cure fame and would play on radio stations. Regarding Crystal Castles’ approach to music, Kath stated that they “make the most annoying sounds ever [for Alice to] scream over and then we’ll try to open for Melt Banana”. Crystal Castles has retained immense influence in underground electronic scenes with their sound playing a significant role in establishing the genres witch house (2010), hyperpop (2016), and indie sleaze revival (2021). Crystal Castles disbanded in 2017.
Portishead
Genres: Trip Hop, Downtempo, Dark Jazz, Illbient, Experimental Rock, Turntablism
You May Like: Massive Attack, Lamb, Sneaker Pimps, Sevdaliza, Goldfrapp, Tricky, Hooverphonic, Nujabes
Portishead is a band from 1991 that was formed in Bristol, UK. The band is compromised of members Beth Gibbons (vocalist), Geoff Barrow (production), and Adrian Utley (guitar). Geoff Barrow and Beth Gibbons first met at a coffee shop. To provide the basis for the band’s trademark hip-hop beats, Barrow used samples gathered from records he borrowed from local Bristol DJ Andy Smith. The duo recorded their first song “It Could Be Sweet” and officially named their band Portishead after their hometown in 1991. Soon after, they met Utley at their recording studio, who would later join the band after providing guitar instrumentation for the release of their first album “Dummy” in 1994. Although Portishead played a key role in the development of trip hop as a genre, the band rejects the label and avoids press coverage as much as possible. Aside from trip hop, Portishead incorporates hip-hop and jazz production styles into their music and the band’s sound is particularly inspired by spy and sci-fi soundtracks. Portishead’s last album “Third” was released in 2008 and marks a departure from their signature trip hop sound, focusing more on elements of experimental rock. Regarding the future of Portishead, Barrow stated in 2025 that although they have no plans to release new music, the band isn’t broken up and the members “just do different stuff”.