The Most Influential Electronic Music Pioneers

Bronx DJ Afrika Bambaataa (Kevin Donovan) is arguably among the best in his field. Some consider him the father of electro funk and there's no question that his tunes helped to give birth to hip hop. In the early 80s, Bambaata combined unique sounds from German-influenced electronica with his own innovative style, giving birth to electro funk. Not sold? Check out the song 'Planet Rock.' Any doubt about his influence? No. His influence can be heard in the music of everyone from Leftfield to Rage Against the Machine.

The electronic musician Aphex Twin (aka Richard David James), is a tremendously successful contemporary electronic musician. Influences from Kraftwerk to Tangerine Dream can easily be heard in the music, which runs the gamut from ambient techno to trance and, of course, electronica.

Oh, The Art of Noise, how we love thee. This British group drew from a variety of different sounds (everything from hip hop to jazz) to create unique, quirky songs with catchy, driving beats.

No list of influential electronic music pioneers would be complete without the great Brian Eno and his brilliant ambient music. Eno's solo work (after Roxy Music) is considered by many to be a positively dazzling example of ambient music. Eno's influences run deep - Aphex Twin comes to mind immediately.