Electronic music has seen numerous trends emerge over time, some resulting from artists who were inspired to form new genres through their intuitions and creativity.
Kraftwerk stands as an exemplar, having begun their transformation from disco to synth-pop music production just a few years after disco peaked.
Techno
Techno is one of the most beloved forms of electronic music. The repetitive beats and hypnotic synthes of this style create a futuristic yet energetic atmosphere, often including elements from other genres like rock, pop or disco music.
Techno can be traced back to its beginnings in the 1920s and 1930s when experimental sound experiments first surfaced. These early trials helped lay the groundwork for later developments in electronic music production; later still, with the arrival of drum machines and synthesizers as tools of music production, musicians could experiment with rhythms and sounds previously unheard-of; eventually this gave way to techno music as we know it today.
The Belleville Three, formed in Detroit during the early 1980s, were responsible for producing some of the earliest techno tracks. Their members, Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson combined the energy of both funk and disco into their sound to produce something which combined danceability with experimentation; pioneers of this genre produced something truly distinct and hypnotic.
As techno became more popular, other artists took note of its influence and developed their own styles of techno music. Today there are various genres of techno, such as acid techno and hard techno. Techno is distinguished by the use of synthesizers, drum machines, sequencers and often creates an upbeat, danceable rhythm.
Techno has had an enormous influence on other forms of electronic music, particularly dubstep and trance. Techno draws its sound from many other genres while maintaining its own distinct signature sound.
House
House music first emerged through DJs who experimented with remixing older disco and soul recordings by adding deeper basslines and more rhythmic textures. It was popularized by Danny Tenaglia, Deep Dish and Sasha who would often perform 10-to-12 hour marathon sets at clubs around the world.
Funk combines elements from funk, R&B, synthpop and italo disco sounds together with beats that are repetitive and often created using looped samples from early 1980s drum machines like Roland Juno-60. Chord progressions often adopt jazz-esque voicings and extensions while using diatonic intervals in chord progressions to avoid synthesizer’s harsh, uninviting sounds.
Its golden age occurred during the mid 2000s, as promoters and festivals took rave seriously. US audiences were exposed to big clubby sounds with lyrics that explored pop culture – and tracks by David Guetta and Calvin Harris even reached No 1 on US charts!
Today’s dance music enthusiasts can choose from an abundance of house subgenres to satisfy their musical tastes. Progressive house takes an melodic approach that easily crosses over into pop music – as evidenced by hits by Zedd, Avicii and Gorgon City.
Techno is a more mechanical, industrial cousin of house music with faster tempos and aggressive sawtooth kick drums, using drum machine loops sampled from previous recordings to get their desired rhythm and synthesized basselines that sound distorted at high speeds. Techno has given rise to hardcore and dark themed subgenres such as gabber and speedcore; IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), on the other hand, is more abstract form which includes ambient music – making comparisons between Coke and Pepsi impossible without further investigation of both genres!
Electro
Electro music is a subgenre of electronic music that blends funk with hip-hop culture, using synthesizer technology and vocal coding techniques to produce an electronic, robotic sound. Electro has seen an upswing in popularity over recent years with artists such as Skrillex and Deadmau5 using elements of it to compose their songs.
At the height of electro, drum machines were often employed as the rhythmic base of each song. Many producers also utilized sequencers and samplers in order to craft intricate rhythms and sounds into their songs.
Electro music can be easily recognized by its characteristic sounds: harmonically rich chords, distortion and waveforms composed of many frequencies. Electro also tends to be more intense than other electronic genres with faster tempos and louder sounds; however, this does not indicate that techno and trance don’t reach such intensity levels; in fact both genres can offer melodic forms.
Electro can be a bit of a vague term, since it covers so many different genres of music. Some may misconstrue “electro” with electro house; however, they’re both distinct styles of dance music with distinct artists, like Zedd and Elley Duhe being particularly prolific in creating it.
Electro music comes in various genres, including synthpop, electro house and acid house – each having their own individual success and style. Future bass has recently emerged as a trend in electro music – this hybrid genre blends the beats from hip-hop/trap with dubstep/trance supersaws for an irresistibly catchy combination that young audiences seem to embrace like no other! One such song by Martin Garrix and Mesto called Limitless being an amazing success among others in this vein.
Dubstep
Dubstep is an EDM subgenre characterized by a heavy bass beat and mechanical sound with an ominous or sinister undercurrent. Dubstep became mainstream thanks to artists such as Skrillex and Rusko; since then it has evolved by merging with ambient music and hip hop genres for an entirely unique sound that has its own identity.
There are various subgenres of dubstep music, each one featuring its own unique sound. Glitchstep emphasizes glitch sounds in songs while remaining fast and high-pitched; by comparison, deathstep mixes metal vocals with electric guitar distortion to form its unique style.
Drumstep is another subgenre of dubstep that is becoming increasingly popular, featuring faster tempos than its original incarnation and fast-oscillating synths. Similar to brostep, however, Drumstep tends to feature faster song style shifts with angelic or incomprehensible vocal runs for an aggressive yet hardcore sound that stands out.
Post-Dubstep has seen immense popularity since its creation in 2011. Combining elements from various genres to produce its unique sound, Post-Dubstep music has become immensely popular since 2011. Artists such as James Blake, Mount Kimbie and Burial have used Post-Dubstep to convey emotion while creating an air of mystery through this form of expression.
Dubstep may have reached its height of popularity in EDM circles, yet remains an integral component. The genre continues to adapt and add new influences which is likely to make it even more beloved over time. Furthermore, its wide array of sounds allows it to appeal to a wide variety of listeners across ages and backgrounds.
Trance
Trance music is an EDM genre that blends club energy with emotive melodies and chords, usually featuring instrumental tracks with one or more vocalists thrown in for variety. The tempo usually ranges between 128 and 150 beats per minute and features build-up and breakdown elements which create tension and excitement for listeners. Trance has several subgenres including progressive trance and uplifting trance.
Trance music has developed into an iconic style within electronic dance music in recent years. Its worldwide appeal and influence span multiple genres such as pop and chill-out music as well as psychedelic and atmospheric pieces. Trance’s distinct sound has also become associated with spiritual healing properties as it’s used in ceremonies to summon supernatural forces or gain insight into things unexplainable.
Like other genres of electronic dance music (EDM), trance music draws its inspiration from many musical genres and styles, such as techno, classical music, ambient sounds and disco music. Furthermore, elements from other genres like disco can often be found within it such as Donna Summer’s hit “I Feel Love”, which incorporates rhythm and blues with synthesized beats from trance tracks such as Donna Summer’s I Feel Love track.
Trance music has quickly become one of the most well-known forms of electronic music, often found at dance clubs played by disc jockeys (DJs). Although unfamiliar listeners may find it challenging to understand, its popularity has steadily grown since 1990s and many listen to it both inside their homes as well as at dance clubs. Scot Project and Cosmic Gate helped spawn a new era of trance music during this era.