I had heard some of the more famous Aphex tracks a couple of years ago, but after that there wasn't really any serious IDM love going on. After that though, I listened to Tri Repetae a couple of times and after a couple of listens it just struck me how genious it was. So I started looking for similar artists and found lots of good ones

But before any of that, I was listening mostly to metal ( I still do )

it seems that we basically have the same background. I was a big metalhead back in the early 90's, and then I was awestruck by the electronic music I was listening to. Metal is still a strongpoint today for me, and I really enjoy it.

for me it was all Radiohead and the Deftones. basically i had nowhere else to go but electronic music because nothing could live up to either of these band's characteristics.

Same here. I was always searching for intensity, but got more and more weary of metal cliches, with many bands going nu-metal. Meshuggah and Will Haven were among the few left that turned me on, yet I had no idea this other world of sound was going on. What a dunce....

im really trying to think of what i would be into right now if it wasn't for electronic music. i think it would mainly be the classic experimentalists such as Cage, Reich, Penderecki etc. thanks to my music history class i have been opened up to many interesting composers that i would never have known about otherwise.

but would my appreciation be as open to this music without any previous experimental music listening sessions? perhaps not. some of these classic experimentalists make Devine sound like a tamed rabbit.

but it would have sounded fresh and welcome to observation. just as i experienced with my first listen to Autechre.

then you might want to check out Gyorgy Ligeti...Geoff recommended me to him and it's VERY different.

i will look into that...as long as you get some more of Penderecki's work! Geoff, sure knows his stuff.