Neptunes were absolutely all over Stereolab in the late 90s / early 00s and Dots and Loops was the main album they were hyping. Pharrell would talk about them all the time in interviews.
The Soulquarians collective sampled them a couple of times as well (and Lætitia is on Common’s Electric Circus LP). Think the Tortoise connection definitely helped, but it was the indie hip-hop lot that broadened their appeal in the states I think
Never seen this before! (He would talk about them in other contexts as well!)
This all makes perfect sense. I was amazed that Brakhage was their most streamed song and D&L their most popular album (when it’s their weakest one for me) but if you’ve got Pharrell cheerleading then no wonder.
had no idea, blows my mind a little bit
I’ve always thought of Dots and Loops as ‘the big one’ from them but interestingly Apple Music’s ‘Essential Albums’ section on their profile picks out Emperor Tomato Ketchup and Transient (correct decision)
One Small Step! Klang Tone!
Aluminum Tunes (Switched On Volume 3)
Released in October 1998 on Warp Records, Aluminum Tunes was the third instalment of Switched On, featuring singles, EPs and rarities from 1994 to 1997. It includes the mini-album Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center as the first 6 tracks.
At 2 hours long this thing sprawls but is a treasure trove of Stereolab music during the period they were branching out. Beyond The Extension Trip and Melochord 75 from Amorphous, One Small Step and Check and Double Check are standouts for me.
Polls to follow.
Thanks for giving me a kick up the arse with this. I think Thursday 5pm is stretching the definition of midweek a bit far.
show your working! 
I did say “for me”, but I love French Disko and Lo-Fi eras, so very different from this.
Weirdly, it was the first album I bought (bargain bin £2.99 in 1999 somehow!) of theirs that I bought as I’d only had singles up til then.
unfair to compare given how long it is, but definitely the best of the compilations for me so far - could easily make an album as strong as ETK/MAQ from the best of these tracks. The Body Study mini-album is the weakest stuff on here actually
gonna be getting a lot more plays
Hmm I might just stick to the main albums from here…
Choose up to two of your favourite Aluminum Tunes that aren’t on Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center.
And! if you haven’t already done so, choose your favourite Amorphous tune here. I’ll rejig the playlist if we get a different winner.
Strong Tropicália vibes on a fair few tunes here, I reckon, which makes it a huge amount of fun to listen to. The group sound like they are cutting loose.
Took me years to get into AT as I hadn’t got over my disgust at Dots and Loops. Silly.
Aluminum Tunes is very good. I’ll happily hoover up anything they released in this time period.
Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night
Stereolab’s sixth album came out on Duophonic in September 1999, two years after Dots and Loops. John McEntire co-produced eight songs and Jim O’Rourke co-produced the other seven; the Stereolab rock family tree grew another branch.
More jazzy, more experimental and longer than Dots and Loops, but what do you make of it?
I’m taking a one-week summer break after this week, so Sound-Dust will be on 24 August.
The Cobra album cover makes me want to eat chocolate and I love that typeface.
