Electronica was coined during the ’90s to describe a variety of electronic music genres that were becoming mainstream on popular charts and movie soundtracks, including Daft Punk, Bjork, The Prodigy and Moby who all achieved hit songs with this style of music.
Stylistically, this genre picked up where 1970s disco and funk left off, featuring 4/4 beats that are suitable for club dancing.
Definition
Electronic music has evolved into an umbrella term encompassing various genres. Composed predominantly with synthesizers and other electronic equipment, its styles span many subgenres such as trance music, house music, techno, drum n bass and IDM. Furthermore, many popular artists from other genres incorporate elements of electronic music into their albums or live performances, popularizing this genre among mainstream culture; examples such as Madonna and Bjork have made names for themselves through heavily electronic productions.
Musically, electronica takes off where non-electronic disco left off: with steady beats and tempos designed for dance music. But where disco left off, electronica takes the orchestration of synthesized instruments a step further and introduces darker and psychedelic tones; this differentiates it from funk which relied more heavily on syncopated rhythms than electronica does.
Electronica became increasingly popular during the 1990s due to access to synthesizers and drum machines, reducing costs associated with creating music. Furthermore, musicians of a new generation had access to personal computers equipped with the latest technologies – which led to new genres being created such as trance, intelligent dance music (IDM), downtempo chillout dubstep and UK garage.
Electronica remains a popular musical genre today. It continues to be utilized by artists across all genres of music – from rock to pop and even country! Many people misunderstand its meaning; many refer to electronica simply as any electronic genre without realizing its true roots and history.
Origin
Karlheinz Stockhausen and Theremin were early pioneers in using electronic sound-producing devices to experiment with music; tape was then widely employed in compositions by Wendy Carlos, Tangerine Dream and others during the turn of the 20th century. Additionally, electronic instruments like Hammond organ, Ondes Martenot, RCA Synclavier and Trautonium allowed composers to create new forms of musical expression through experimentation and innovation.
In the 1970s, disco, funk and hip-hop played on traditional instruments established the 4/4 beat and drum patterns that would later underpin electronic music. By the 1980s, various electronic dance music styles had begun appearing across Europe and North America in clubs; such styles as techno house acid house freestyle.
Early genres were often distinguished by an absence of lyrics; however, thanks to digital vocoders available during the mid-1980s artists could incorporate vocals into their music – something achieved by The Alan Parsons Project, Kraftwerk and Mike Oldfield using synthesizers as they created mainstream ‘pop’ songs influenced by experimental music from the 1960s.
In the 1990s, electronic music gained widespread appeal among young people. Rave culture thrived in the UK while acts such as The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and Moby became chart toppers. Meanwhile in America various electronic styles like ambient techno, big beat and drum & bass were collectively labeled “electronica” to appeal to mainstream audiences.
Electronic music has evolved into an eclectic form that encompasses numerous genres. Over the past decade, its popularity has steadily grown thanks to a wealth of high quality synthesizers and sequencers as well as dance music’s growing appeal.
Influences
Electronic music is defined in many ways, but typically revolves around using electrical equipment to add sounds and effects to musical pieces. This may range from keyboards and drum machines all the way through synthesizers, sequencers, and computer programs; its most well-known application being in US pop radio formats like Rhythmic Top 40.
Assuming the invention of the synthesizer as being the origin of electronic music may seem intuitive, however the roots go much deeper. Manipulation of sound using mechanical devices has its origins dating all the way back to the first vacuum tube. Composers like Ferruccio Busoni advocated microtonal music and anticipated expansions in timbre that might become possible through electronic instruments; futurist composers like Edgard Varese explored blending acoustic noise with traditional musical conventions in experimental works such as Sonus Terrae.
The 1980s witnessed an explosion of dance music styles that utilized electronic instruments to produce beats and basslines, such as disco, funk and hip-hop. All three genres contributed to creating 4/4 grooves that now underpin so much modern electronica; leading to genres such as Detroit techno and Chicago house music.
Recently, artists such as Madonna and Bjork have helped introduce electronic music into mainstream culture with albums featuring heavy electronic production – Ray of Light by Madonna and Homogenic by Bjork respectively.
Electronica music has risen to become one of the dominant styles within popular music today, including rock. Mike Oldfield and The Alan Parsons Project (who patented the first digital vocoder in 1975) have used this genre to update their songs with contemporary sounds.
Styles
As is true of all musical genres, electronica offers many distinct styles to choose from. Popular forms include chill out music, downtempo music, ambient and experimental styles as well as dance floor music such as techno music drum and bass trance trance etc. Unfortunately however the term electronica often serves as a catchall term which can lead to confusion as each style of electronica has their own individual sound signature.
Early electronica was first developed during the 1960s. DJs in Jamaica began spinning reggae backing tracks without vocals to form dub, while Kraftwerk used synthesizers to compose mainstream pop songs – these innovations paving the way for modern electronica.
Electronica generally utilizes electronics to generate its beats and other sounds in songs. Sampled sounds may be combined together into new tracks by sampling; other electronica sounds may come from synthesizers – computers that create music through sequenced notes and chords.
Electronica music tends to have a fast tempo and loud volume due to its origin as dance floor music. Furthermore, electronica often includes singing through traditional instruments or with computer programs; notable artists who have contributed to its popularity include Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers Fatboy Slim Orbital Moby
No matter the wide variety of styles, there are some general guidelines you can use to distinguish one genre from the next. One way is looking at its bpm (beats per minute); downtempo tracks should have between 90-110 while house music typically falls around 120. Techno, acid techno and trance tracks typically have 120-140.1
Subgenres
Electronic music encompasses many subgenres, each with their own sound and style. Popular examples are drum and bass, techno, acid house and trance – these genres can often be recognized by their distinct tempo/beat pattern (typically 4/4), use of high hats/cymbals, kick/snare patterns modulated bass lines as well as sampled instruments or vocals.
Synthpop is an electronic genre combining synthesizers with pop melodies and vocals for an organic yet natural sound that has quickly become immensely popular, especially among teenagers.
Electro is an electronic music genre that incorporates elements from various traditional musical genres with contemporary production techniques, often including deep beats and atmospheric sounds as well as various effects such as distortion and filtering.
Electronica music relies heavily on electronic equipment like synthesizers and drum machines. This style blends classical, jazz, and rock influences with technological advancements of late 20th-century technology to form its soundscape.
Techno music evolved during the 1980s, although its precursors can be traced back to 1970. As synthesizers became more affordable and turntablist techniques from rappers and hip-hop DJs were translated into digital formats, it quickly gained prominence within dance clubs – leading to techno, house music, and freestyle being among its more notable forms.