Emo electronica is an eclectic combination of styles that fuses rock music, modern dance music and synthpop into one genre. Skrillex and Deadmau5 utilize this eclectic sound by employing chaotic yet unpredictable melodies in order to produce songs which both challenge and reward listeners.
Garage music, another genre native to the UK, offers a more relaxed and rhythmic alternative to drum & bass with 140bpm tempos that rely heavily on chopped vocal samples and distorted basslines.
Hardcore
Electronic music refers to any musical genre which incorporates electronic instruments or sound processing, from drum machines and sequencers to synthesizers, electric guitar emulators and virtual instruments like those found in electronic music production software. Traditional acoustic instruments may even be combined with electronics in innovative ways to produce surprising results; many electronic musicians prefer working exclusively with digital instruments while others find analog/acoustic elements easier and more intuitively controlled through computer software.
Electronic instruments have long been at the center of modern music. Some of the first electronic instruments, including the Moog synthesizer and theremin, were first created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries; soon thereafter they began being widely adopted, especially by jazz and avant-garde musicians such as Karlheinz Stockhausen who utilized his theremin to compose complex pieces that transcended notes and chords.
The 1980s witnessed an unprecedented explosion of electronic music, led by German composers such as Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre as well as American bands like Madonna and Depeche Mode. Dance music saw great prominence with styles like disco and house music becoming mainstream; house was an eclectic fusion of existing genres like funk, early hip hop and New York boogie; electro was a combination of existing electro-funk styles with German synthpop to form electro fusion music styles like electrofunk.
Hardcore techno, also known as hardcore electro, emerged during the 1990s as a more refined form of house music with faster beats and deeper basslines. Furthermore, this genre often utilizes distortion effects for an edge and intense sound.
Hardcore songs tend to feature short tracks that allow musicians to focus on maximum intensity. Their lyrics often deal with sensitive subjects like alienation, frustration and disillusionment; some critics even refer to this genre as gutter music!
Hardcore music has long been associated with an independent spirit and DIY ethic, and often features collaborative arrangements between its artists. Most labels that produce this genre operate under principles that foster mutual trust, financial independence and creative control – characteristics often found among DIY practices and collective artist projects.
Electroclash
Electroclash music first gained popularity during the late ’90s as a subgenre of electronic music, drawing inspiration from New Romantic makeup and neon hues to convey an escapism-themed aesthetic. While electroclash never reached as widespread popularity as house and drum ‘n’ bass music genres such as house or drum ‘n’ bass, its brief moment in the spotlight gave an intimate view into an expressive form of music at its most self-indulgent.
Electroclash developed as an antidote to the sentimentality of indie rock, with artists like RuPaul and Fischerspooner adopting sexuality with an aggressive performance style that defied convention on stage. Their brazen attitude was further amplified by minimalist synths, vocal distortion, retro-futurism, and an affinity for creating immersive experiences through music.
DJ Larry Tee coined the term electroclash (a combination of “electro” and “clash”) to describe this new form of electro music that blended elements from punk, new wave, synth-pop, goth and industrial styles. Tee was inspired by Peaches & Fischerspooner at their performance; inspired by their look, sound and politics he imagined an alternative to contemporary techno that combined punk’s raw musicality with DIY culture’s DIY ethic, all while maintaining its distinct sense of humor and trashiness to set itself apart from contemporary techno.
Electroclash stands apart from other electronic genres such as house or drum ‘n’ bass by featuring looser beats and structures than those typically associated with dance music, creating a more danceable feel emphasized by its hi-hats and 808s rattling together. Electroclash also often featured lyrics with controversial themes or subject matter that made for an accessible pop experience.
Electroclash draws its primary inspirations from alternative rock acts like Joy Division and Wire as well as post-punk bands like Gang of Four. Other influential groups include Detroit duo Adult. and Fischerspooner singer Nicola Kuperus’ fashion-show like stage performances.
Though few artists identify as electroclash today, its influence still lives on in other electronic music. Ladytron famously blends harsh noise with twinkly ’80s pop, while SOPHIE explores alienation and lust through her music. Additionally, you may hear some elements of electroclash even in contemporary hip-hop such as Megan Thee Stallion or Young Thug who both feature electroclash beats or lyrics in their music.
Electronica
Electronica music is an electronic genre utilizing synthesizers, drum machines and other electronic equipment to produce sounds such as synthesizers, drum machines and looping/sampling technologies; often featuring looped or sampled loops with distortion filtering reverberation effects for added authenticity and atmosphere. Examples of electronica include techno drum and bass house and trance music styles.
Electronica was initially coined during the 1960s and 1970s to describe a style of music created using electronic devices, particularly synthesizers. This music style often took influence from other genres like reggae and jazz while simultaneously inspiring new forms such as dub and musique concrete.
By the 1980s, electronica had emerged as an influential genre within popular music, due to an increase in synthesizer usage as well as new wave and synthpop genres being developed. Also around this time was electronic sound manipulation’s rise – artists such as Vangelis and Kitaro took advantage of this technology to stand out among the competition with their music.
Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer’s 1977 track, “I Feel Love”, is widely considered the precursor of electronic dance music. This groundbreaking tune featured a four-on-the-floor beat and introduced synth melodies into popular music for the first time. Furthermore, “I Feel Love” popularized sampling technology which allows artists to reuse short segments from previously recorded melodies or voices to create completely unique sounds.
From the 1990s forward, electronica has seen widespread popularity. Artists such as Aphex Twin, The Orb, and Bonobo have all made significant contributions to this genre with their use of various synthesizers and percussion combined with traditional rock instrumentation to produce unique sounds combining rock with electronics – as well as creating highly danceable songs suitable for club audiences.
Industrial
Industrial music, the more militant cousin of electronica, can be described as an aggressively experimental mix of electronics with elements of other genres. Artists specializing in industrial often combine instruments more typically associated with rock (guitar, bass and drums) with sequencers or synthesizers more common to dub, dance or hip-hop such as sequencers or synthesizers for dub music (dub, dance or hip hop), producing an intense, menacing and transgressive sound; it also features vocals with high repetition or distortion or tape loops as well as intentionally mechanical qualities that make up all sorts of genres – perfect for industrial artists!
As its name suggests, industrial music often expresses political and social criticism through lyrics and performances. Artists in this genre typically address issues like terrorism, war, corporate greed and environmental degradation through their lyrics and performances.
Nine Inch Nails and Ministry were instrumental in popularizing industrial music throughout alt-rock and metal audiences during the early ’90s, popularizing this genre among broader alt-rock audiences and sparking its mainstream acceptance. Other noteworthy industrial bands at that time included England’s Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire as well as Einsturzende Neubauten from Germany and Skinny Puppy from America.
As the 1990s progressed, industrial music took on more of a pop-oriented direction. Futurepop, with acts such as VNV Nation, Front Line Assembly and Icon of Coil popularizing it. Hedktro or Aggrotech also gained momentum, with groups such as Combichrist and Psyclon Nine providing this more aggressive take on industrial.
As this trend towards more mainstream approaches continued, many industrial musicians began incorporating elements from other pop dance styles, particularly Trance. This inspired Electronic Body Music; later acts such as Merzbow and Nitzer Ebb added pummeling dance beats to their predecessors’ provocative sounds and created more abrasive and harder to digest forms of industrial music that has come to be known as Noise.