Last week we ran an article on the shelf-life of an album within the electronic music world, and it sparked off some great conversation in the comments and on the Stoney Roads Facebook.

It’s pretty fair to say that there were some real stand outs for many people, and certainly some of the most seminal works had a huge impact on the face of the dance music scene that we have today. This isn’t a top ten; think of it more as an exhibition of the finest in album artistry from the last few decades, spread over a series of features. A curated shopping list of aural icons if you will!

So, without further ado, here is our first ten timeless electronic albums:

Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)

You couldn’t have a list like this without Daft Punk somewhere. Arguably the electronic album of the ’00s, Discovery is a stunning lesson in beautifully constructed, criminally danceable music. It’s incredible to think that this album is nearing twelve years since it’s original release.

LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem (2005)

LCD Soundsystem, headed by the larger the life James Murphy, brought together a musical dream team from the über cool New York based DFA label. Their self-titled debut LP still sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released all the way back in 2005. The line between dance and rock was blurred, and showed that electronic production had it’s place in a live band context.

Justice – Cross (2007)

Cross was an album that made the wider music community take notice of what was going on with electronic music. With a totally unique sound, a pair ex-graphic designers on a fledgling Parisian record label founded by Daft Punk’s manager, Justice truly broke new ground, becoming one of the hottest names in the genre.

Digitalism – Idealism (2007)

Digitalism broke ground in a similar way to Justice by making electronic music that could really stand on it’s own two feet alongside more traditional genres in an album form. Idealism has some really striking tracks, meaning that it was an extremely hard act to follow. Sadly, this proved to be the case with followup LP ‘I Love You Dude’, which never quite captured the zeitgeist that made Idealism such a classic.

Air – Moon Safari (1998)

Another French inclusion, Air’s Moon Safari is regularly used in TV ads and film montages. There’s a good reason for this; blissed out vibes and precisely constructed sounds make for an album that takes you on a real journey. The fact that tracks such as “La femme d’argent” are still often heard today lay testament as well as add to the timeless nature of this masterpiece.

Mylo – Destroy Rock & Roll (2004)

A popular choice with the commenters, this album still sounds remarkably fresh considering it’s age. Often cited as a big influence by many electronic producers, Mylo’s Destroy Rock & Roll works incredibly well as an actual album, rather than simply being a collection of tracks.

Boys Noize – Oi Oi Oi (2007)

Thirteen tracks of techno fury, Oi Oi Oi is arguably standing the test of time better than the slightly less accessible followup Power. This is the debut LP of one of the most influential figures in today’s electronic music scene, and it’s easy to see why, with stunning production showing that less is often more.

Hot Chip – The Warning (2006)

British electro-indie group Hot Chip have released some amazing music in the last decade, but their second LP The Warning is probably the stand out. With a slightly more focussed sound than their debut Coming On Strong, tracks like Over and Over don’t sound tired at all, whilst having more soul than some of their later releases.

Kraftwerk – Kraftwerk (1970)

Where would electronic music be today without Kraftwerk? Who knows, but you’d be hard pushed to believe that such incredible music could come from an era before many of us were even born! The first Kraftwerk release is 42 years old, archaic in comparison to pretty much all the albums mentioned here, and yet way ahead of it’s time.

SBTRKT – SBTRKT (2011)

At only a year old, it’s pretty early to say this is a concrete timeless album, however it was hard to ignore how many of you guys mentioned this record in the comments. It certainly has hallmarks of what will likely be an album that stays on regular rotation for years to come, being one of the best examples yet of the influence of the UK bass scene in less underground electronic production.

How did we do? Miss any iconic albums?