Bowery Electric

Bowery Electric is widely considered a highly influential and pioneering band within the shoegaze, post-rock and trip-hop genres. While they remained largely underground during their active years (1993–2000) their legacy has grown significantly through retrospective acclaim and their influence on later atmospheric and electronic acts. Their self-titled debut is featured in Andrew Earles' book Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996 and Pitchfork ranked it as one of the best shoegaze albums of all time. They were among the first rock bands to integrate samplers, laptops and hip-hop beats into a shoegaze framework. This innovative approach helped bridge the gap between traditional American guitar rock and the experimental UK electronic scene of the 1990s. Their second album Beat (1996) is frequently cited as a masterpiece of electronica and trip-hop. By submitting the tracks from Beat for the remix album Vertigo (1997) they were early adopters of a now-standard practice where rock bands allow electronic producers to completely dismantle and reimagine their songs. Despite their influence on the cerebral side of experimental rock the band is often described as seriously under-appreciated compared to more mainstream contemporaries maintaining a perfect legacy within underground music circles.