First Encounter Tour 1996 is the thirteenth full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster.

First Encounter Tour 1996 was recorded at various concert venues around the United States in 1996 and was produced by noted keyboardist and ambient musician Tim Story at Zeta in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

First Encounter Tour 1996 was Cluster's only release for the Purple Pyramid label.

Each track is named for the city or cities in which the concerts took place, with the sole exception of the last track which is named for guest musicians Bond Bergland and The Brain (the duo of Paul M. Fox and Tommy Grenas), which was recorded in Anderson, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois.

For example, the track "Portland Oregon #2" is a live performance of "Emmental" from the 1991 release Apropos Cluster.