Our parents had the Ventures, but to those of us who came of age in the ’90s, Tortoise stands out as the most iconic instrumental band of our time. The outfit turned heads back then with its subtly evocative—and staunchly vocalless—blend of krautrock, plugged-in jazz and soundtracky ambience, and it’s still going strong today. As the Chicago quintet gears up for local gigs at the Bell House on Saturday and at the Bang on a Can Marathon on Sunday—and prepares to drop a new disc, Beacons of Ancestorship, via Thrill Jockey on June 23—we asked the band to furnish the Volume with a playlist of its all-time favorite instrumental tracks. Listen to the results below. (Drummer John McEntire picked Sonny Sharrock, guitarist Jeff Parker chose the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and bassist Doug McCombs opted for the Latin Playboys, Link Wray and Ennio Morricone.)

Note: If the tracks below stream as 30-second samples, you can click on the “windows” icon at the top right of the player to hear the full-length versions.