Breakbeat refers to the practice of sampling drum breaks from Funk and Soul records and playing them back at dance floor tempo, initially popularised by Hip-Hop DJs such as Kool Herc.
Recent additions include vaporwave, which emerged solely on the internet as a criticism of our consumerist society.
Disco
Disco may have fallen out of fashion, but its music remains timeless. Best known from movies such as Saturday Night Fever, disco is still enjoyed today by DJs who specialize in 70s disco or its derivatives such as House or Techno.
Disco music draws its inspiration from both funk and soul genres, but has its own distinct sound produced by an upbeat brass section with brassy tones. Disco songs typically convey simple messages about love or sexuality designed to get listeners up on their feet and dancing!
At its height, disco was widely adopted by artists across genres. Rockers like Rod Stewart and Queen used disco influences in their songs; easy listening artists like Barbra Streisand and Joe Tex also recorded songs with disco influences. Furthermore, disco gave rise to various dance styles like Bumping and Hustling that continue today.
Liquid DnB
Liquid DnB is an easygoing and relaxed style of Drum and Bass that emphasizes soothing melodies with heavy use of reverb and guitar or piano sounds for added ambiance. Perfect for relaxing or dancing to, liquid DnB offers the ultimate relaxation and chill factor!
As Drum and Bass became more refined and sophisticated technically, its popularity increased among pirate radio stations as well as commercial music channels (circa 1995-1997) and became widely accepted (circa 1995-1997). Additionally, sub genres such as jump up, ragga and techstep emerged that took inspiration from techno music.
Neurofunk is immaculately produced android dance music with an iconic mechanical quality, popular among cyber goths. While related to Techstep in terms of compositional approach and musical soundscape, Neurofunk differs tempo-wise as its focus lies more in flowing complex rhythms incorporating processed breakbeats/percussion with expressive bass sounds distorted, filtered or modulated overlaid with dense soundscapes and percussive stab beats.
Lo-Fi
Lo-Fi music is an expressive musical genre that revels in imperfection. The beats, riffs, and vocals found within this style often include background static noise as well as record scratch, tape deck hiss or any number of imperfections that add character and warmth to its signature cozy sound.
Lo-fi music traces its roots back to hip hop production, when beat producers sampled and looped popular beats and melodies for production. Lo-fi musicians use jazz piano and relaxed, thoughtful drum beats as instruments in creating their compositions.
Lofi music began gaining a following in the early 2000s after Cartoon Network’s late night [adult swim] block started featuring lo-fi hip-hop beats as Bumpers (black screens that appear between programming and advertisements). Influences include chill-hop pioneer J Dilla and Japanese music producer Nujabes who composed Samurai Champloo’s soundtrack; livestream channels like ChilledCow and YouTube’s Lofi Girl have contributed significantly to its increasing popularity; its nostalgic aesthetic resembles Vaporwave, Animecore Dazecore or Vintage styles.
Ambient
Ambient music is a form of instrumental music that emphasizes texture and tone over melodic structure. Ambient sets mood through layers of layered aural textures, drawing inspiration from new age music, noise rock, minimalism, etc.
Glitch music is an electronic genre influenced by digital production techniques, featuring repetitive beats, sudden cuts at short intervals and synthesizers that sound as though they came directly out of your hard drive.
Vaporwave music is a genre derived from 80s computer advertisements and early Internet culture, mixed with hip-hop beats to create head nodding rhythms and displays of bass design wizardry.
Tropical Bass is a bass-heavy subgenre of Electro dance music that references traditional African and Island cultures. This genre’s signature feature is drum patterns incorporating Reggaeton and House rhythms, combined with acoustic percussion and electronic synthesizers for added flavor.
Dubstep
Dubstep first emerged in the early 2000s as a subgenre of drum and bass music, becoming famous for its bold manipulation of low bass tones and chaotic songs. Influences come from various genres such as 2-step garage, grime and dub reggae music.
Dubstep rhythms differ significantly from other electronic dance music genres in that they feature syncopated, shuffling beats that create tension and excitement. They typically occur at half time (140 beats per minute), with kick drums on 1 and 3 and snare drums on 2.
Although dubstep’s roots lie in its dark heart, its upbeat nature is surprising. Artists such as Skream and Benga use haunting melodies with powerful basslines to craft head-nodding tracks; Rusko popularized a more aggressive side of dubstep that appealed to dancefloor-goers with hard-hitting beats and wobbly basslines in “Cockney Thug”, while Zeds Dead combined their hip-hop/dance music background with production techniques unique production techniques in creating tracks with heavy bass/heartful soul content.
Trance
Trance music is an electronic dance genre that blends dreamy pads and drones with delicate leads in its song lengths that often surpass 5 minutes, and typically have BPM rates under 100. Trance is generally more subdued than other genres and its songs frequently incorporate experimental modulations on pads, drones, or soundscapes for added variety.
Garage music emerged out of a desire for an energetic and percussive variation of house music, boasting head-nodding rhythms with intricate bass design wizardry that make an impactful statement on any dance floor.
Trance is a state of consciousness associated with spiritual ecstasy, often used in animistic religions such as Yoruba in Africa to enter trances to commune with spirits. Additionally, trances are used in hypnotherapy to induce relaxation and reduce anxiety as well as meditation to attain an altered or lucid state.
Techno
Techno is an electronic music genre originating in Detroit during the 1980s. With its driving beats and mesmeric rhythm, techno has quickly become one of the world’s most beloved dance music genres.
Techno is an instrumental genre composed of repetitive four-on-the-floor music produced with electronic instruments such as drum machines and synthesizers. Typically it features a four-on-the-floor rhythm in common time (4/4), featuring bass drum beats every quarter note pulse as well as snare on every second and fourth beat of a bar along with open hi-hats every eight note pulse. Techno typically contains few to no lyrics with an average tempo between 120 to 150 beats per minute.
Early techno was distinguished by a grungy sound evoking Detroit’s urban environment, created using vintage analog synthesizers with distinctive sound qualities that gave this genre its distinct soundscape. Over time however, techno producers began experimenting with harmonic structures and complex chord extensions borrowed from jazz music, as seen on Jon Hopkins’ album ‘Singularity’ – an outstanding example of genre-defying techno.
House
With disco music’s success, clubs in New York and Detroit began introducing alternative dance forms such as house. This resulted in changes to DJ culture as DJs experimented with experimental mixing techniques – pioneers like Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy and Larry Levan are often credited for pioneering modern house music styles.
Acid House music evolved through experiments using the Roland TB-303 drum machine, producing a rougher and squelchier sound than standard house music. Acid House also incorporates elements from Funk music into bass lines and vocal samples for added funk influence and is typically faster paced at around 120-140BPM than traditional house.
Afro House is an energetic fusion of Hi NRG and African musical traditions, often employing instruments such as drums and vocals from Africa. Afro House parties are particularly popular on LGBT circuit party scenes and typically boast BPM between 110 to 130.
Reggaeton
Reggaeton is an exciting genre blending reggae, dancehall and hip-hop music together with Latin styles such as merengue and salsa. Dancers use popping and locking techniques to give their moves an added edge; popping is often used during performance for extra dramatic effect. Reggaeton started out dominated by male artists until female artists such as Ivy Queen, Mey Vidal and K-Narias began contributing their softer sides to an otherwise aggressive and sexual genre.
Streaming and YouTube have allowed Latinx artists to break through traditional gatekeepers to build global audiences, such as Ozuna, Bad Bunny and J Balvin whose success challenges crossover music etiquette that only allows Anglophone singers to sing Spanish songs.
White Latinx artists have helped soften the negative stereotypes associated with male-dominated genres that have historically been associated with violence, drug use and sexual libertines. This new generation of artists possesses more appealing images which appeal to younger generations while being culturally relevant.
Dance music is an extremely diverse genre with numerous subgenres and cultural influences, primarily defined by its fast tempos and rhythmic groove. These characteristics tend to get people dancing!
House, techno and trance music are among the most beloved subgenres within this genre, though other styles such as drum and bass, jungle music and disco music also fit this classification.
Psytrance
Psytrance is one of the most beloved dance music genres, famous for its upbeat and energetic feel. This genre boasts multiple subgenres ranging from full-on psychedelic, darkpsy and futuristic hi-tech styles; each offering their own distinct mood, tempo and stylistic approach that draws listeners and dancers alike.
Psytrance music first made its debut as a subgenre of trance music in the 1990s, merging psychedelic themes and aesthetics with elements of EDM. Psytrance draws its inspiration from hippie counterculture’s embrace of psychedelic drugs to increase consciousness and spiritual growth; Psytrance itself features high-tempo beats, repetitive beat patterns, synthesizer melodies and lyrics which explore spirituality, escape or self-discovery topics among many other themes.
Psytrance’s fast tempo creates a lively dance floor atmosphere, propelling listeners and dancers into an energetic trance-like state. Additionally, its meditative qualities have long been recognized for their therapeutic benefits in relieving stress and anxiety; indeed trance music has even been utilized by medical providers to treat patients suffering from depression or anxiety.
Psytrance producers utilize various sound effects to enhance the listening experience, such as synthesizers, drum machines, bass guitars and keyboards. Ambient sounds such as raindrops, windstorms and ocean waves may also add a natural feel. Recently however, an increasing number of producers have begun incorporating organic instruments such as violins or vocals into their work to produce an acoustic-based sound that appeals to wider audiences.
No single definition exists to define what defines psytrance music; however, certain guidelines may help distinguish it from other electronic genres. A typical psytrance track will usually feature between 140-200 beats per minute with an audible bass line which blends kick-clap motion with other repetitive patterns to define its genre.
Some psytrance tracks can be extremely complex and feature intricate melodies, while others are straightforward and simplistic. Popular examples of this style of music are Genetic Transmission, Electric Universe and One Love; other artists have taken an experimental approach by adding elements from other genres into their tracks such as dubstep and techno. As the scene continues to mature and develop hybrid genres will likely emerge – particularly given the availability of affordable computer software and sound equipment allowing more exploration within what psytrance can encompass.
Jungle
Jungle music combines elements of reggae and hip-hop, along with rave culture and sound system culture to produce an upbeat sound designed to get people dancing. Jungle originated in England during the early ’90s and was heavily influenced by rave culture and sound system culture; its unique sound often includes fast-paced breakbeats accompanied by heavy basslines – making it an increasingly popular form of dancing music genre.
This genre quickly gained in popularity due to its ability to generate intense dance floor energy, with energetic beats and polyrhythms creating an exhilarating dance experience for audiences around the globe. Furthermore, it’s highly versatile music which can be performed anywhere from clubs to festivals.
Jungle music boasts a flourishing community that thrives on collaboration and innovation, producing many pioneers who continue to push its limits with sound. One such pioneer was LTJ Bukem who played an instrumental role in helping drum and bass become the dominant form of Jungle.
British producers began producing jungle tracks themselves at home during the early ’90s using sampled drum loops from funk and soul records, using computer programs called trackers to arrange and chop up breaks, creating their distinctive “ruffness”. This laborious process required skill, practice and perseverance – contributing significantly to what eventually became one of music’s signature characteristics – “ruffness”.
By 1996, jungle had evolved into its current form with an increased tempo of 160bpm and talented DJs using hardware such as Akai S950 samplers to manipulate breakbeats and MC samples in new ways. This allowed jungle music to develop into the more rhythmical yet melodic sound of drum and bass produced by Goldie Dillinja Shy FX Krust Zinc among others.
Tom McFarland makes it clear that Jungle are determined to create their fourth album Volcano as an artistic statement that pushes their sound further, creating a deeper, darker tone than prior efforts but maintaining energy and momentum that has made Jungle such a potency force on dancefloors worldwide. Therefore it deserves your undivided attention and praise!
Drum & Bass
Drum & Bass stands out as an exception; its relevance has persisted through the years. This genre is famous for combining fast Hip Hop breakbeats with basslines that feature dubby grooves and jazzy melodies for an energetic club sound that also can be danced to.
As the beats become faster and breaks shorter, bass becomes heavier, producing tracks with an aggressive sound. Tempos in this genre range from 150-185 beats per minute for its trademark speed; additionally this style utilizes synthesizers and samplers as well as traditional acoustic instruments for depth of tone and texture.
Beginning its history in the early 1990s in UK rave scene as an eclectic combination of high-tempo breakbeats with heavily processed samples of Jamaican music, jungle began becoming widely popular at raves and pirate radio before receiving regular slots on BBC Radio One, becoming an accepted mainstream musical genre.
In the late ’90s, producers of drum and bass began to innovate with the style. They added elements such as edits of classic hip hop songs to their tracks and began using drum machines and samplers to standardise and professionalise their tracks more reliably. At around this time, subgenres such as jump up, hardstep, ragga and techstep became easily recognisable subgenres of drum and bass music production.
At approximately the same time, drum and bass music witnessed a change in its demographics as young people embraced its rave culture-influenced sounds and fell in love with them, turning into more of a dance floor experience with DJs spinning records while the crowd danced along to its beats.
This genre remains immensely popular and has given birth to new genres like minimal Drum & Bass. This subgenre takes the fundamental principles of Drum & Bass back down to its essentials with an emphasis on production quality and clarity, drawing heavily from house and techno genres while offering up head-nodding rhythms punctuated with shows of bass design wizardry.
Drum & Bass remains an immensely popular dance music genre that appeals to audiences of all ages and musical tastes. This genre manages to transcend individual tastes and unite audiences as few other can. To discover some of the best artists within this genre, we suggest listening to artists such as LTJ Bukem and Alex Reece for their deep yet smooth takes. LTJ Bukem gained instant renown when Fortnite video game player used Vierre Cloud’s music in an viral clip on social media.