Frankie Knuckles first began creating house tracks that integrated disco’s 4/4 rhythm into uptempo arrangements – this marked the birth of EDM, which now encompasses subgenres like dubstep, hardstyle and drum and bass.
Origins
EDM stands for Electronic Dance Music and refers to an umbrella term covering various musical subgenres such as disco music, synthpop music, techno house music trance trance bass drum and bass and dubstep. EDM events encourage participants to express themselves fully without worry – as dancers from diverse backgrounds are welcomed and can dance freely at EDM events.
Dance music’s roots can be traced back to the 1970s when disco became an immensely popular form of entertainment across a range of social classes and communities. Disco was heavily influenced by rhythms from funk, salsa and pop. Producers such as Giorgio Moroder and synth-pop artists like Kraftwerk were key figures in shaping dance music during this era.
In the early 1990s, California witnessed an explosion of raves. Dancers would take to the beach and hold all-day festivals dominated by electronic music; these raves are widely credited with altering people’s perception of electronic music through providing an atmosphere of freedom and inclusivity where all were welcome regardless of age, gender, race or sexuality.
At raving parties, drug use was widespread and part of their culture, particularly ecstasy use for mood enhancement and intensifying musical experiences. Although drug scares and enforcement actions caused some disruption during the mid-1990s raving scene events, the movement endured and found new home at large music festivals.
By the late 2000s, mainstream pop musicians had begun to embrace electronic dance music’s sounds; artists like Rihanna, Madonna and Calvin Harris collaborated with DJs to produce hits that appealed to audiences outside the dance music community. Furthermore, dance music became more recognizable as an arena or stadium live performance genre as acts such as Daft Punk began touring massive arenas and stadiums for performances.
EDM remains popular today with artists like Tinie Tempah, Pharrell Williams and Dua Lipa using electronic elements with more traditional styles to craft chart-topping songs that break records on charts worldwide. Additionally, hard dance genres like dubstep are becoming their own distinct subgenre within EDM umbrella.
Subgenres
Electronic Dance Music (EDM) encompasses several subgenres. Genre lines can sometimes blur, and artists frequently combine sounds from multiple styles into a single track to form new genres or form cross-overs between styles and BPMs. Most dance for electronic music genres are distinguished by digital or synthesized sounds; traditional musical instruments may have been replaced with computer hardware like drum machines, synthesizers and samplers which use various digital audio software to produce unique musical pieces.
House music has become one of the most beloved dance genres within electronic music. Originating in rhythm & blues, funk and soul genres as well as disco and synth-pop artists like German group Kraftwerk’s influence; house first made an impactful entry to American mainstream dance music during the late 1980s, and has now become a mainstay.
Progressive Trance was heavily influenced by the spiritual, psychedelic music of progressive rock and classical composers, featuring melodies and harmonies with both soothing and intense elements, designed for DJ playback at dance clubs primarily. Subgenres of Progressive Trance include Uplifting Trance (upbeat), Tech Trance and Vocal Trance.
Miami Bass is a genre of dance electronic music that blends rhythm & bass and rap with other forms such as electro house and trance. The beats in Miami Bass tend to be faster than those found elsewhere; its stop-start sound often includes hissy cymbals for added dimension. Miami Bass typically falls between 130-135 BPM.
Big room house is one of the more recent dance genres for electronic music, and has quickly become a mainstay at many major events and festivals around the globe. With its bombastic character, minimalist melodies, and electro-house style drops perfect for peak time event slots; often accompanied by pop vocals reaching up to 140 BPM it can quickly become one of your go-to genres!
Influences
EDM music draws its inspiration from dance culture, influencing it heavily through movement and environment. EDM songs typically consist of synthesized sounds and rhythms produced with cheap early 80s hardware such as Roland’s 303 bass synthesizer and 808 drum machine; live instrumentation or singing can often form part of EDM tracks but usually acts to augment or complement rhythmic elements created by these synthesizers and drum machines that define its style.
One of the greatest influences that shaped EDM was disco music’s surge in the 1970s. Disco’s popularity led DJs to start creating electronic dance tracks by mixing popular tunes with synthesized rhythms – eventually leading to subgenres like Synthpop that combined vocals and synthesized beats.
The 1980s witnessed an explosive rise of Hip Hop and EDM as genres that found footholds in underground clubs and dance scenes around the globe. Bands such as The Prodigy, Public Enemy and N.W.A became global icons that helped introduce many people to music that used sound and lyrics to address social and political issues; techno was first developed during this era by Detroit-based musicians Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May – an ensemble known later on as Belleville Three.
In the 1990s, Hip Hop and EDM both underwent rapid development across underground dance scenes as well as nightclubs across Europe and America. At this time period, digital recording equipment such as Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), which allowed computers, instruments and hardware to communicate more directly, made its debut and widespread availability allowing more aspiring producers to experiment with electronic music production techniques in their homes.
Listening
Music producers use numerous computer software programs, known as digital audio workstations or DAWs, to compose and produce electronic dance music. These DAWs allow the user to easily compose multiple-tracked compositions as well as record live performances and edit existing songs.
Ableton Live, developed by Berlin-based Ableton, is an indispensable tool for EDM musicians. This software program enables users to manipulate sounds and sequence songs while controlling live productions with a MIDI controller. Furthermore, Ableton Live can import and export music files in different formats for storage and sharing projects online.
Electronic dance music’s development can be traced to several significant technological innovations. Prior to the 21st century, most music was stored on vinyl records and DJing was done using turntables; however, with the arrival of CDs and digital streaming services came significant change for electronic dance music.
There are various genres of electronic dance music, each one boasting its own distinct sound. House music stands out with its heavy bass lines and 4/4 beats while Trance music boasts melodic soarings melodies with sweeping chord progressions.
Drum and bass music is an electronic dance music style that incorporates elements from other genres. It usually features throbbing basslines and beats, vocal samples and melodies as well as synthesizers or other instruments that give it an energetic sound compared to other dance genres.
Drum and bass music is easily recognized for its funky influences that stem from African and Caribbean musical traditions, combined with synthesized, highly textured sounds that give it an overall funkier tone than other forms of electronic dance music.
Recent studies have shown that listeners over 33 don’t respond as enthusiastically to the new wave of computer music hitting charts; rather, these older listeners tend to prefer long-established genres like house, deep house, techno jungle and drum & bass instead.