Albums that changed my life...lets see.
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar.
Introduced me to metal and industrial music.(Admittedly this album is not strictly either of those). It opened up the world of darker music for me. It also showed me that appearances can be deceptive: They may dress up like a bunch of idiots, but DAMN if they don't make good music.
Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile.
Wow! An absolutely awe-inspiring double cd album. To me, this was the album that brought nine inch nails to a whole new level of artistic achievement, stretching the industrial genre to whole new heights. Many people dislike nine inch nails, judging them purely on the harsh tones of "the downward spiral". They should give this album a listen, and see if they form a different opinion of Trent Reznor.
Chemical Brothers - Surrender.
My first electronica album. Proved to me that all electronic music is not the "Ummph..Ummph...Ummph...Ummph" of dance music. A brilliant album, that introduced me to electronica and "IDM".
Aphex Twin - I Care Because You Do.
Aphex Twin is now one of my favourite modern musicians. This album is amazing, especially Icct Hedral, almost unbearably tense, wonderful stuff. Oh and it contains "that" track: Ventolin. Beautiful in its own special way
Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports.
This is an absolutely amazing album. It introduced me to ambient music, and the idea that music can be listened to on an unconscious level. Played in the background, gently colouring the atmosphere. It also introduced me to the idea of "systems music". The idea that music doesn't have to be meticulously "composed", yet can be created by systems of "rules", which led to the idea of "generative music"