Is Electronic Dance Music the Same As Dance Music?

is electronic music the same as edm

EDM (Electronic Dance Music) is an umbrella term describing genres like drum & bass and house, often being misunderstood as such by listeners. Unfortunately, EDM has also become used as a marketing term for artists such as Bonobo and Four Tet to categorize into this genre, leading to some listeners being misled into believing these acts belong within it.

Electronic music is usually composed on computers for dancing. Genres range from Chicago house to dubstep – an electronic genre can cover it all!

Definition

Electronic music (EM) is a genre incorporating electronic instruments and digital effects, usually found in house music but often including other genres like trance and techno. While rock musicians might once experimented with synthesizers and drum machines to produce EDM tunes, today the technology has become much more accessible and affordable – you can even find digital audio workstations (DAWs) which allow beginners to record and edit their own music as part of an EDM career! These DAWs provide excellent starting points for EDM careers!

EDM first gained popularity during the early 2000s, and has since evolved into an umbrella term for various dance music trends and subgenres. EDM generally refers to sounds that feature pulsing beats and intense drops – features originally found at raves but now seen more regularly on pop charts as well. EDM stands as an example of how different musical genres can change over time to incorporate new influences.

While the term “EDM” may be relatively new, electronic music itself has been around for decades. EDM originated out of a need to find music appealing to young audiences after disco died out during the late ’70s; its rebirth occurred later when artists like Chemical Brothers, Prodigy and Moby began making waves on music charts and movie soundtracks.

As Internet access grew more accessible and people gained access to cheaper computer equipment, the world of electronic music expanded quickly. New subgenres emerged rapidly – from The Prodigy’s trance anthems to Aphex Twin’s “Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments.” There was something for everyone!

Today’s most prevalent forms of EDM are likely future bass, big room house, hybrid trap and dubstep; you’re likely to hear these at most major festivals and clubs thanks to artists such as Hardwell, Skrillex and Diplo. There are, however, other genres within the realms of electronic dance music (EDM), including trance, deep house tech house progressive house among others.

Origins

As electronic music evolved in the 1970s and 80s, various genres began to form that would later become sub-genres. This era saw disco and synthpop flourish with artists like Donna Summer’s hit “I Feel Love”, as well as Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force’s smash track “Planet Rock”.

Techno first emerged in Germany during the early 1980s as an extension of house music with slower tempos, more electronic sounds, and looping atmospheres instead of arrangements. It quickly gained popularity within clubs as well as underground spaces like fitness centers or fields all across Europe – this period also seeing the birth of trance music.

By the turn of the century, artists such as Daft Punk and Tiesto had achieved global acclaim and mainstream popularity. Additionally, streaming music services and mobile phone connectivity allowed all types of artists to create and share their creations worldwide.

The 2000s and 2010s witnessed a seismic shift in how we consume and perceive electronic music of its many subgenres – from Chicago house to tearout dubstep – with one major contributing factor being computer technology and musical software’s advent and higher accessibility, meaning producing high-quality electronic music no longer requires expensive analogue equipment.

Music production technology enabled more people to produce musical compositions without investing either financially or time, leading to the formation of many independent labels and the discovery and promotion of young talents that had previously gone undiscovered by wider audiences.

EDM’s rise has also been marked by large-scale commercial festivals and parties like Tomorrowland, Electric Daisy Carnival and Ultra Music Festival that bring newcomers into its fold and make it more approachable than ever before. These events have introduced EDM music to new generations of fans while making it more approachable than ever.

Subgenres

Electronic music has developed into an expansive genre. These subgenres can be identified by their use of synthesizers, drum machines and other electronic instruments that produce sounds which can be altered with software and create sounds which cannot be reproduced any other way – often played by DJs at clubs, festivals and other venues.

At the turn of the 20th century, electronic musical instruments first made their debut, including telharmoniums, Hammond organs and theremins. Over time acoustic instruments like pianos were fitted with electromechanical hammers that could be controlled via computer for electronic playback.

In the 1980s, pop artists introduced synthesizers into their songs, giving birth to synthpop; an amalgam of pop and techno sounds which produced funky danceable tracks with catchy melodies and an irresistibly catchy beat. Synthpop became massively popular through festivals and concerts held during that decade; its popularity remains undiminished today.

Contrasting with EDM of previous decades, modern EDM focuses more on technical proficiency than catchy melodies. This genre has often been referred to as “braindance”, and features elements of glitch music, avant garde compositions and ambient compositions in order to form experimental compositions – artists such as Aphex Twin, Autechre and Squarepusher can be considered part of this subgenre.

Trance music is another subgenre of EDM that creates a mesmeric beat that transports listeners into an altered state. Trance often features visuals projected onto large screens at clubs or festivals to enhance its effects.

Trap is an EDM subgenre that gained prominence in 2012. This hybrid of hip-hop and dance music produces an infectious bass design wizardry with head-nodding beats, giving rise to artists such as Lex Luger and Rick Ross.

As technology develops, so too will the possibilities for creating innovative styles of electronic music. As more people share an appreciation of this genre, its presence will only increase within society for years to come.

Audience

Electronic music audiences vary, from those who prefer specific genres such as hardstyle and trap to progressive house and moombahton. Certain audiences tend to prefer certain niche genres over others, yet most audiences share one trait: dancing! These audiences attend EDM festivals, purchase tickets to see DJs such as Kaskade and Deadmau5 perform, listen to their tracks via streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music and attend EDM festivals; people like this also frequently attend EDM concerts, buy tickets to see Kaskade, Deadmau5, listen and buy tickets to see DJs such as Kaskade and Deadmau5 perform live at concerts alongside listening tracks from artists like Zedd and Avicii among others; plus enjoy various electronic styles such as hardstyle/trap/progressive house/moombahton music genres!

These same people purchase music both online and physically; their purchases make up an important target market for businesses advertising music events and ticket purchases, too. Reaching this audience requires more than an ad campaign alone: companies need to build lasting connections that resonate with this demographic.

Some electronic producers possess musical backgrounds that enable them to play piano, guitar or drums; other people may rely solely on keyboard and mouse skills for production. Either way, keyboard-using producers can often create songs faster than when using instruments alone and may produce tunes that sound more precise, full and loud. Remixing new sounds also opens up endless opportunities; for instance if one beat doesn’t feel quite right they can replace it immediately instead of waiting for musicians in studio to play it first.

By having the ability to easily alter a track’s style and tempo on-the-fly, hip hop music makes itself adaptable for use not just clubs but also any setting imaginable – including phones or computers, video games, etc. Thus, its popularity among listeners of music online makes hip hop an accessible form.

“EDM” was coined in the ’90s to describe an emerging trend among electronic artists into mainstream culture, including The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers. However, it is important to keep in mind that they weren’t the first musicians using electronic instruments in their music and that there existed numerous electronic genres prior to EDM taking off.