Over the past year or so, the music industry has been buzzing about electronica as the next big movement. Madonna's label, Maverick, ended up grabbing British rave sensation, the Prodigy in the most hyped and costly bidding war in recent years. Upon the release of its first album in the US, "The Fat of The Land," it seemed that Madonna knew what she was doing-- the album debued at number one. This was no doubt due to the brilliant marketing plan the label had- the album was released almost eight months after the release of the first single, "Firestarter." Their second single, "Breathe," really gained popularity on MTV and Modern Rock Radio. As an aside, the term "Modern Rock" is innane but must be used so people understand the medium for this new genre of music. Modern Rock stations are those that play Prodigy in between bands like Third Eye Blind and Matchbox 20. Ground-breaking radio stations? Not really. Popular radio stations? Definitely.

The Chemical Brothers are another British act that has enjoyed modest success on this side of the Atlantic in the past year with the release of their second LP, "Dig Your Own Hole" (Astralwerks). This is because of the song "Block Rockin' Beats," which became an anthem for popular techno in this country. Their follow-up single was a tainted version of the Beatles' "Setting Sun." This was not only because of the guest lyrics provided by Noel Gallagher of Oasis, but because of the distinct drum loop which carries the song on its shoulders. While Prodigy tends to blend rock and techno on their album (they have a guitarist on stage with them when they preform), the Chemical Brothers stick more to the electronic nature of their music--drum machines, synthesizers and an inordinate amount of sampling.

It would be great if there was a market for electronica in this country that went further then our urban underground scenes, but unfortunately there isn't, and there may not be for awhile. However, our country is full of great artists in the genre--artists like DJ Shadow, Cirrus and DJ Coldcut. DJ Shadow's album, "Entroducing"... (Mo Wax) was easily one of the best and most influential albums of 1996. Once people start recognizing this fact and less-commercial radio stations command more power then perhaps electronica will get the recognition it really deserves.