10 Essential 1990s Progressive Rock Music Albums

The improvisational crew from Tokyo relied heavily on blending jazz with electronica for their eyebrow-raising sophomore LP.

First dropping in 1995, 'Null & Void' sees the noise rock crew at their unconventional best, experimenting with seemingly opposite genres to form an almost dangerously progressive sound. Chaotically paced, the LP chops and changes in tone and structure frequently, giving a hectic sense of suspense to the proceedings. Considering the heavy emphasis on jazz here, the improvisational style of the album is a perfect fit. It manages to transplant the sensibilities of jazz onto an electronic, dance-friendly album.

Group leader Otomo Yoshihide has a blast here, putting both his guitar-playing and turntabling skills to good use throughout. The turntables in particular are what set both Yoshihide and the group as a whole apart. Prior to Ground Zero, the notion of using turntables in improvisational recordings was practically unheard of.

Even more unthinkable prior to Ground Zero's first couple of albums was blending turntables with rock, jazz, and less conventional band instruments such as the saxophone, koto, shamisen, and omnichord. Rarely imitated and never duplicated, Ground Zero enjoyed a solid underground following thanks to their boundary-pushing approach to recording and composition. Nearly three decades on, 'Null & Void' remains the strongest, most imaginative showcase of their wildly progressive sound.