Cultivating an engaging piece of music requires more than simply an array of ideas. To truly master how to compose great essays, it’s crucial that one considers both its visual appearance and content in creating compelling articles.
Which early electronic instrument allowed performers to control sound without touching it directly, and which DJ famously finished his show by taking a group photo with his fans? This quiz will test your knowledge of global dance music culture.
What is EDM?
Electronic dance music (EDM) has revolutionized the music world and continues to develop and change over time. This exciting form of musical expression has created new opportunities for musicians while inspiring a younger generation of music lovers – as well as uniting different musical styles and cultures together in its wake.
EDM music is usually composed using synthesizers and other electronic instruments, enabling producers to produce an array of sounds and textures impossible with traditional instruments alone. EDM’s distinctive characteristics include fast tempo and rhythm (often four-on-the-floor beat pattern) as well as repetitive melodies used to build tension and release.
EDM music dates back to the early 1970s when electronic instruments such as synthesizers and drum machines first came onto the scene. Raves in the 1980s helped popularize EDM, causing its development into its modern-day state and subgenres such as house music, trance music, and dubstep to emerge during this period.
These genres were originally developed for playing at nightclubs and raves, and often mixed together by DJs into seamless selections called DJ mixes that can then be played live at concerts and festivals.
EDM has quickly become one of the world’s most beloved music genres in recent years, drawing fans from all walks of life who appreciate its energetic and passionate performance. EDM looks set for continued innovation thanks to advances in technology as well as increased consideration of sustainability and social responsibility within its industry.
What is Techno?
Techno, an acronym for “technological,” first emerged in Detroit during the 1980s by DJs and musicians looking to produce futuristic-sounding music. Utilizing electronic instruments like synthesizers and drum machines, techno is often distinguished by repetitive beats with hypnotic basslines – creating its distinctive sound which draws upon science fiction references as well as modern trends influencing its unique soundscape.
Techno is typically more upbeat than other dance music genres and evokes an energetic feeling in its listeners, inspiring them to move around more energetically than usual. Additionally, its distinctive sound has given rise to an entirely unique subculture marked by inclusive values and distinctive fashion styles – creating many iconic techno artists and DJs such as pioneers who helped define this subgenre to contemporary ones who continue expanding its boundaries.
Techno may have originated from three Detroit DJs – Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. These early pioneers combined electronic funk with industrial beats to produce something both danceable and experimental – this being considered its origination point.
Techno has given birth to multiple subgenres, such as acid techno, hardcore techno, minimal techno and more. Each subgenre boasts its own style and sound which set them apart from one another; minimal techno is characterized by simple melodies with minimalist sounds; hardcore techno stands out with aggressive industrial beats.
What is Dubstep?
Dubstep is an electronic genre which emerged during the early 2000s. Influenced by dub music, garage, drum and bass and rave culture; dubstep features several subgenres with their own distinct sounds and characteristics.
Dubstep music stands out for its strong bass presence. This stems from its origins as drum and bass and jungle both feature intensely deep basslines, making these two genres perfect starting points. Furthermore, most dubstep songs feature an audible “bass drop,” whereby pitch is reduced so as to produce an audibly deeper and dramatic soundscape.
Dubstep music stands out for its fast tempo of approximately 140 beats per minute (BPM). This fast pace creates an infectious dance-like rhythm which gives dubstep its signature “wobble sound.” Additionally, its fast beat also allows for rapid changes to rhythm that makes for more intense tracks overall.
Dubstep stands out from other electronic music genres by possessing several distinguishing characteristics, such as its signature groove characterized by syncopated drum beats and bass lines. Furthermore, dubstep-oriented synthesizers typically produce lower frequency harmonics than their counterparts used elsewhere.
Filthstep and drumstep have emerged as subgenres of dubstep over time, respectively. Filthstep is a lo-fi style of dubstep similar to 16bit music from Super Nintendo games; sometimes known as “nerdcore.” Drumstep, on the other hand, can reach tempos over 170 BPM.
What is Breakbeat?
Breakbeat music is an electronic genre characterized by drum breaks from funk and soul songs that have been sampled, looped, and altered to create new beats. These unpredictable breaks add excitement to breakbeat songs; additionally they may serve to transition between different sections of tracks. Breakbeats can usually be found in hip hop and house genres of music but can also appear elsewhere.
Breakbeats are a key component in modern EDM tracks, particularly drum and bass and dubstep. Their beats typically consist of short kick drum hits every few bars with the snare falling on alternate two beats; often featuring complex syncopations and polyrhythms that add percussive elements for added syncopation and polyrhythms; making breakbeats an excellent way to create dance music!
Breakbeats can be traced back to 1970s New York City DJs such as Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaata who organized block parties using two copies of one funk record played simultaneously by separate turntables with breaks cut between them in order to create breakbeats used widely across hip hop music genres and beyond. These breakbeats became essential elements in many forms of hip hop and other musical forms at that time – including hip hop itself!
As an example of this phenomenon, consider The Winstons’ Amen break, taken from their song Amen Brother and used in thousands of tracks without incurring copyright law repercussions; yet rights holders never received royalties for its usage.
What is House Music?
House music is an electronic dance music genre with roots in 1970s disco. House was developed by a collective of DJs in Chicago who had experience in both subcultures – disco and hip hop – as well as new synthesizer technology from Roland synthesizers. House is typically distinguished by a four-to-the-floor beat reminiscent of disco’s rhythmic groove; deep basslines; soulful or funk-inspired vocals; long atmospheric pads and chord progressions inspired by jazz chord extensions/voicings (ie adding nine variations to an existing chord to create an “augmented tone).
House is unique among electronic genres in that many tracks utilise samples instead of live musicians in the studio, due to the increasing accessibility and affordability of sampling equipment in the late ’80s. Because of this, house tracks often incorporate elements from other genres – for instance the upbeat melodies and synth leads typical of trance music – into its tracks, giving this genre its signature diversity; each sound that falls under “house” category can be considered part of it.
Jesse Saunders’ 1984 track On and On is often considered the cornerstone of house music. Although heavily inspired by Italo disco, its influence can still be felt today in modern house music. After On and On came an explosion of hits from Chicagoans Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, Mr Lee Farley “Jackmaster” Funk and Marshall Jefferson as well as New Yorkers such as Larry Levan who opened up Paradise Garage club.
Subgenres within house music include acid house and tech house, both inspired by acid synthesizer technology. Progressive house was then added as a more melodic variant that featured longer structures and melodic leads that provided greater euphoria for dancefloor dancers.