Orbital 2 (Brown Album)

Orbital 2 proved British techno could carry grief and not just euphoria. 'Halcyon + On + On' is still the most emotionally devastating thing the genre produced, and the album around it is the strongest single side in UK electronic music. Where most rave records of 1993 chased the next rush, the Hartnoll brothers built long-form pieces that resolved and returned like movements. Nothing on it is functional filler, which is exactly why it sits above the records that follow.