When it comes to dance music, many get caught up in defining EDM (Electronic Dance Music). As an umbrella term used for decades now, EDM may lead to considerable confusion.
There are various subgenres of electronic music such as dubstep, hard house, trap music and glitch hop.
Origins
An important challenge of understanding electro music lies in its roots. Techno first surfaced as an electronic dance music term in 1988 in Britain; however, its popularity didn’t gain steam until 2000 in America. At first, its initial adoption by critics and music listeners alike was met with widespread dismissal; but over time it would grow increasingly popular among younger fans and become part of mainstream popular culture.
Defined by its use of drum machines and synthesizers to generate beats and rhythms, electro was an offshoot of hip hop music dating back to its roots in early hip hop and funk genres, with artists like Kraftwerk playing an integral part in its development. Electro differed from its boogie predecessor by being less vocally-oriented; most songs only featuring short lyrics. Early recordings included heavy Roland TR-808 drum machine influences as well as elements of bebop jazz featuring harmonically rich chords for added harmonic intensity.
By the time EDM reached its peak of popularity, it had become a powerful influence in mainstream music through acts like Kaskade and Deadmau5. But EDM also had a strong underground following with various subgenres beginning to form; eventually a unifying term needed to encompass all these sounds; that is when EDM emerged.
Techno is a term that encompasses any genre of electronic dance music produced with electronic equipment and designed to move bodies on dance floors, including classic house and dubstep music as well as related genres such as trance and club.
Although some might find it confusing, lumping all these genres under one umbrella title might make sense when considering how they are promoted today. Nearly every major record label now features an EDM department which sells releases under this banner to specific audiences.
Styles
People tend to become emotionally invested in music genres. This is especially true with electronic music, which offers so many styles for fans to discover and explore. Furthermore, its constantly shifting and developing landscape is constantly producing new artists and sub-styles; making it difficult to keep up with all the trends and developments within this particular genre.
EDM stands for Electronic Dance Music (abbreviated as EDM), which refers to electronic forms intended for dancing. This term encompasses house, techno, trance and other dance music that incorporate elements of electronics; house music being an example. EDM genres typically feature more rhythmic and bass-heavy soundscapes compared to acoustic genres with beat rates usually between 120-13BPM.
Electro dance music differs from many other dance genres by not typically including vocals in its compositions; rather, electro is driven by synthesizers and drum machines along with sampled recordings from acoustic instruments and sounds.
Breakbeat, Jungle/Drum & Bass, Industrial and Nu-Skool are among the most well-known subgenres of electro. While each style belongs to electronic dance music’s vast genre spectrum, each has its own distinct sound and style.
Breakbeat music fuses elements from Hip Hop, Rave and Funk to create its distinctive style. Often found at high-energy clubs such as nightclubs or discotheques, Breakbeat features fast-paced drum beats inspired by Roland TR-808 and 909 drum machines which is intended to encourage dancing.
Jungle/Drum & Bass is an electronic dance music genre incorporating influences from funk, acid jazz and breakbeat along with elements of Techno and House. The style features deep and punchy basslines as well as synthetic and organic instruments used in its creation; its music often takes place at high energy clubs designed for dance tempo dancing.
Nu-Skool dance music originated in the late 80s. It features a heavy beat with melodies inspired by funk, disco and soul genres; as well as heavily processed and distorted vocal samples as well as electronic noise distortion.
Definitions
EDM (pronounced dm) stands for electronic dance music. As its name implies, EDM covers any percussive electronic genre designed for dancing – from electro house and drum and bass through techno and trance as well as lesser-known genres like ambient future bass and trap music. EDM music production uses either digital or analog electronic equipment and should ultimately be designed to encourage dancefloor movement.
Electronic dance music spans across many genres and subgenres, often leaving their boundaries blurry and often shifting over time as new styles emerge. While some consider electro to be subgenre of house music, others view it as its own genre entirely; definitions can change according to who’s listening.
Electro music stands apart from other genres by using synthesizers and drum machines as its primary production techniques, creating its unique sound with synthesizers, drum machines, synthesized vocals, processed vocoders or speech synthesis to give an almost robotic or mechanical quality to its composition.
Contrastingly, acoustic music tends to be performed using traditional instruments like pianos and guitars, giving it a more organic sound which some listeners find preferable. Although some acoustic musicians attempt to recreate electronic-esque sounds through analog techniques alone, most find that doing so proves fruitless.
Some of the most enduring forms of electronic music emerged during the 1980s. Yet there remain numerous emerging genres today, like Trance which emerged in the 1990s and is distinguished by long, buildup tracks with an almost hypnotic quality.
Dubstep, which combines elements from hip hop and electro, has quickly gained in popularity recently. Characterized by heavy beats and bass lines, dubstep can often be found at night clubs or live events; though not as melodic as other genres of electronic music, dubstep makes an excellent choice for dancing!
Audience
There’s a large audience that loves electronic genres like drum and bass, techno and house music. Listeners of these electronic forms of expression are frequently found at dance music nightclubs, events and shows; with most listening between 18 to 35 years old.
Electronic music has seen unprecedented popularity due to technological advancements. Cutting-edge software, hardware, and digital tools make creating high-quality music accessible to both amateurs and professionals alike – leading to the emergence of various genres characterized by their structures, rhythms, melodies etc. This has resulted in multiple genres being created that cater specifically to specific fan bases within this genre of electronic music.
Electro music is distinguished by a heavy use of distortion and waveforms with harmonics. Typically louder and faster-beat than other dance genres like house and trance music, such as house music or trance – which tends to make it more intense; yet can also be relaxing. Electro songs may include vocals when combined with female vocalists.
Trance and club music share many similarities with electro, but also possess unique characteristics. Both styles feature tempos between 120 to 140 beats per minute – this corresponds to an elevated heart rate associated with dancing – along with 4/4 beat structures featuring intros and outros to assist DJs when mixing tracks together seamlessly; both also don’t include chords or complex melodies to avoid key clashes.
Trance and club music each have distinct styles, yet both belong to EDM (Electronic Dance Music). EDM refers to an umbrella term covering any form of electronic music made using synthesizers or having rhythmic features; this includes everything from chicago house to dubstep.
Electronic dance music’s growth can be attributed to various factors, including creator culture and advanced digital tools becoming more widely available. Furthermore, global economic expansion is driving demand for live entertainment while technological innovations transform performances into multisensory experiences that engage fans on a deeper level.