Synthesizers experienced a revival during the 2000s. Keyboard synths like Moogs and Roland TR-808s became highly sought-after and could command premium prices on the used market.
Music technology has also become affordable enough for anyone to create beats and songs from home, leading to the fusion of genres such as rap with rock.
1. Daft Punk
Daft Punk were one of the pioneering groups in electronic music during the early 2000s, helping bring it mainstream. Their debut album Homework sold over two million units; featuring acid house, techno and disco styles alongside collaborations from Nile Rodgers, Julian Casablancas, Giorgio Moroder among others.
After the success of their debut album, Daft Punk went on to release two additional studio albums – with Random Access Memories being their most famous release and most well-known title in 2014. The title itself refers to human and machine memory; both its lyrics and artwork reflect this concept. Furthermore, Random Access Memories features more experimental musical styles compared to its predecessors.
Random Access Memories is widely considered the pinnacle of Daft Punk’s career, marking an experiment in sound and style that challenged what people believed possible with electronic music. Critical and commercial success was achieved as it earned Diamond certification from the RIAA and five Grammy awards including Album of the Year, Best Dance/Electronica Album (for “Get Lucky”) Record of the Year Award (for “Get Lucky”) as well as Engineered Album Non Classical Engineered Album NonClassical Engineered Album NonClassical Engineered Album NonClassical Engineered Album NonClassical. Random Access Memos is widely considered by fans as one of their must haves when it comes to electronic music!
After the release of their third studio album, Daft Punk took a brief respite from recording music together and began working on individual projects; one such collaboration being Thomas Bangalter’s Darlin’ project with drummer Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Both parties would adopt robot personas to protect their identities while only making limited public appearances and interviews during this period.
2. Avicii
Avicii was one of the most iconic figures in EDM music production and promotion. His festival music captured rave culture’s imagination while his charitable endeavors helped raise funds for clean water initiatives and educational opportunity for underprivileged children. His death at 28 sent shockwaves through the music world but his legacy lives on through young producers and DJs inspired by Avicii.
Trance was the go-to genre in European club music throughout the 2000s, yet America and other parts of the West remained an untapped market for this subgenre. While Skrillex and a few other artists made headway into America through Skrillex-influenced releases like Skrillex-II or Tsukihime had made progress towards opening doors; something else needed to get Americans on board; Avicii provided that with his 2011 smash hit “Levels,” featuring an infectious vocal hook and clever sample-flip of Etta James sample-flipping, making this dance track light enough for everyone but big enough to make an impressionful statement about his genre’s potential influence.
Trance became mainstream dance music thanks to Avicii’s groundbreaking influence, leading to artists like Swedish House Mafia (Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello) and Eric Prydz making waves with uplifting house tracks. Even today producers continue to take note from his lush sound; many new acts take cues from his festival-rocking summer hits for inspiration.
He was also an integral force behind progressive trance music such as Above & Beyond’s 2013 album “Group Therapy” and Kygo’s 2017 hit song, “Wake Me Up.” Although his music may have been fun and accessible for American listeners, Avicii was nonetheless instrumental in giving 00s electronic music its distinctive sound.
3. Calvin Harris
From house music’s funk and disco beats to the upbeat rhythms of electro house, the 2000s witnessed electronic dance music (EDM) move from underground scene to mainstream culture. EDM’s explosion inspired an explosion in remix culture as music fans across genres became committed dancers.
Technological advances of this period included digital audio workstations and studio emulation software that enabled musicians to produce professional-quality music using nothing more than a laptop computer. This accessibility propelled electronic producers from bedroom DJs into household names within years – quickly transitioning them from bedroom DJs into mainstage superstars.
Calvin Harris rose quickly from Dumfries, Scotland, to worldwide stardom as an electronic music producer. Beginning his career by uploading homemade solo recordings onto MySpace and garnering interest from talent scouts from EMI Records, Harris eventually went on to work with Rihanna while becoming an icon himself.
One of Harris’s signature songs, We Found Love, was an iconic dance record that epitomized the synth-pop movement of its time. This genre-blended event featured internationally-acclaimed acts, such as Men Without Hats, Trans-X and Lime from Canada; Yello, Sandra & Modern Talking from Switzerland; as well as Germany’s Propaganda and Alphaville. This genre was distinguished by the use of synthetic sounding instruments and vocals with futuristic aesthetic. By adopting this aesthetic in his productions, Harris pioneered an entirely new sound for electronic dance music while inspiring many other artists to discover synthpop’s infinite creative potential. “Galvanize,” released by The Chemical Brothers in 2005, marked an early example of this trend. With its combination of Middle Eastern influences and unconventional rhythm structures, the track set it apart from other dance music of its era while cementing their position as musical innovators.
4. Tiesto
Tiesto reigned supreme in electronic music during the 2000s. While some have noted his increasingly commercial style since his In Search of Sunrise days, Tiesto still manages to keep dancefloors moving with his hard-hitting progressive house tracks.
Tiesto’s “Chasing Summers” is an infectious track designed for festival stages. The fiery tune pays homage to dance music mecca Miami and Ultra Music Festival attendees with its pulsing synth pads and exaggerated “like this, like that” interjections.
With its infectious melodies and thunderous bassline, this track will surely win over audiences at any festival. The melodic intro blends soothing electro vibes with gentle vocals to set the mood before an exciting buildup leads to a spectacular climax.
Tiesto shows his range of talent on this uplifting track by experimenting with acoustics and more pop-driven progressive house sounds. His piano intro and synth riff capture listeners’ ears for maximum effect.
Progressive house classic “Hold Back the Nights” has become an indispensable staple at major music festivals around the globe. It showcases synthesizer’s power as creative production tools. Its mesmerizing melodies and haunting vocals show how a well-written song transcends genre boundaries.
The year 2000 marked a seismic shift in electronic music’s development. Many underground artists that previously produced underground genres shifted toward producing commercial pop hits and found great success on charts, thanks to digital audio workstation (DAW) software and studio emulation devices being readily accessible; more producers could create professional-quality music using only their laptop and their creativity to produce professional-grade recordings.
5. Girl Talk
Girl Talk is an artist known for her creative mashups; an audio genre in which audio samples and fragments from different songs are combined into original compositions to form new works. Mashups offer an alternative form of musical exploration which challenges traditional notions of authorship and creativity within music, often including hip-hop beats combined with Gothic or ethereal vocals for an unparalleled sound. His albums offer this distinct genre.
Gregg Gillis originally started his project as a hobby while earning his degree in biomedical engineering, but soon turned it into full-time work after becoming increasingly well-known within the mashup scene with his album Night Ripper released in 2006. It’s known for being extremely densely layered and features various genres; while Gregg also frequently incorporates spoken word from different news reporters into his tracks as a nod towards “girl talk” and the concept of appropriating art.
In the 2000’s, massive EDM festivals also started gaining traction globally and attracted audiences from all corners of the globe, leading to huge business interests for companies participating. This revolutionized EDM as it went from being an underground community into becoming an industry that could compete on an international scale.
At various points throughout this decade, various artists managed to merge experimental electronic music with its sexual metaphors. One iconic example was Gorillaz’s 2001 hit Clint Eastwood which brilliantly blended pop, rock, and electro elements into one infectious dance floor staple; though today this track may seem outdated by today’s standards it cemented Gorillaz’s place as pioneers of hybrid genre as well as inspiring many indie dance acts to incorporate similar elements in their own works.