I am a dedicated student of the history of electronic sound, and wanted to offer a few key recordings for anyone interested in exploring this history further.
This is the music of the future.
Compilations:
Manhattan Research Inc. - a wonderful 3LP set of electronic musique concrète by electronic pioneer, Raymond Scott. Humorous, engaging, and decades ahead of its time.
Various – OHM: The Early Gurus Of Electronic Music - one of the better compilations of early electronic sound, featuring Xenakis, Oliveros, Stockhausen, Cage, Eno, Varèse, and others
Original Recordings:
Louis & Bebe Barron - Forbidden Planet OST (1956) [released in 1976] - recently reissued, this is a monumentally important work of early electronic music.
Edgard Varèse - Poème électronique and Ionization (1958) - written for the Philips Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair and released on LP in 1960
Various - Columbia Princeton Electronic Music Center (1964) - an early release by the Center showcasing their experimental sounds
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Kontakte & Gesang der Jünglinge (1962) - a milestone of musique concrete
Max Mathews - "Bicycle Built For Two" (1962) - the three million dollar IBM 7090 mainframe was the very first computer ever programmed to sing, later inspiring the legendary scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
BBC Radiophonic Workshop - Doctor Who Theme (1963) - if you don't know this theme, you aren't reading this right now.
Perrey and Kingsley – The In Sound From Way Out! (1966) - space age bachelor pad music for the masses. The ladies love this stuff.
Morton Subotnick – Silver Apples of the Moon (1967) - one of the finest electronic recordings of its decade.