Triple LP. 

A compilation of Western electronic music recorded between 1978 and 1984. This 32 track snapshot shows off everything from house and techno, ambient and musique concrète. Features tracks by Holger Czukay, O Yuki Conjugate, The Residents, Tuxedomoon, Portion Control, Thomas Leer, The Legendary Pink Dots, D.A.F. and more. File under: 101 things to make with a synth. 

The late 70s and early 80s were a pivotal moment in electronic music. The capabilities for making electronic music had been massively expanded with the advent of (relatively) cheap musical equipment, and, aided by the success of bands like Kraftwerk and New Order, there were many artists experimenting with this new way of making music making the first forays into genres such as house, techno, ambient, and IDM. On this superb compilation released by the ever-reliable Cherry Red Records, there is a good mix of a few classics and great swathes of stuff you might not have heard before. Blown away by a hitherto-unknown band called O Yuki Conjugate from Nottingham who have a track called "Sedation", a mix of a sampled Japanese choir (I think...) as well as ambient beats and synthesizers.

You can hear the effects of post-punk clearly on this compilation (especially in the minor, cyclic chord progressions), but you can still sense the move away from traditional instruments in favour of something more clinical and sparse. Techno in its initial form is always so scintillating to hear because you know what it eventually turns into, but on these tracks you can hear the tentative steps towards the industrial, hard-edged form that we know and love today.