Electronic dance music

Not to be confused with Electro dance.

A DJ performing a mix.

Electronic dance music (EDM) is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment. The music is largely created for use by disc jockeys and is produced with the intention of it being heard in the context of a continuous DJ set; wherein the DJ progresses from one record to the next via a synchronized segue or "mix".

The term was popularized by Americans, to describe a set of percussive music genres that largely stem from the production methods of disco music, house music, trance music and techno music. The umbrella term electronic dance music is now rapidly growing and is used internationally. Such music was popularized via regional nightclub scenes in the 1980s, the warehouse party scene of the late 1980s, and the early rave scene of the acid house movement in the late 1980s. However, even in the later half of the 1970s the Disco music dance scene began to shift away from its traditional orchestration (acoustic orchestras) on its recordings. By 1977 producer Giorgio Moroder worked with Donna Summer to release I Feel Love. The song was a dance/discotheque hit, that was made using synthesizers and drum machines. They would later collaborate and release the Donna Summer's Bad Girls Album in which tracks like Sunset People used similar techniques during production. This sound would wind up being the norm for Disco in the late 1970s through to the 1980s. By the mid 1990s, the presence of electronic dance music in contemporary culture was noted widely and its role in society began to be explored in published historical, cultural and social science academic studies. It was originally constructed by means of electronic instruments such as synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers, and generally emphasizes the unique sounds of those instruments, even when mimicking traditional acoustic instrumentation. Currently the music is now mostly made using software that that contains the contains sequencing sampling and synthesizers, as well as effect abilities all in one. Now the ability to produce and create has become much easier economically and physically since producers no longer need to buy large amounts of equipment. It sometimes encompasses music not primarily meant for dancing, but derived from the dance-oriented styles. The genre had a large gain in mainstream popularity in the United States in 2012 as tens of thousands of fans flocked to EDM festivals.

Synonyms

Since around the mid-1970s, electronic dance music has enjoyed popularity in many nightclubs, and is the predominant type of music played in discothèques as well as the rave scene in the mid to late 1980s. As such, the related term club music, while broadly referring to whichever music genres are currently in vogue and associated with nightclubs, has become synonymous with all electronic dance music, or just those genres—or some subset thereof—that are typically played at mainstream discothèques. It is sometimes used more broadly to encompass non-electronic music played at such venues, or electronic music that is not normally played at clubs but that shares attributes with music that is. What is widely considered to be club music changes over time, includes different genres depending on the region and who's making the reference, and may not always encompass electronic dance music. Similarly, electronic dance music sometimes means different things to different people. Both terms vaguely encompass multiple genres, and sometimes are used as if they were genres themselves. The distinction is that club music is ultimately based on what's popular, whereas electronic dance music is based on attributes of the music itself.

Genres

Main article: List of electronic music genres

Electronic dance music is categorized by music journalists and fans alike as an ever-evolving plethora of named genres, styles and sub-styles. The presence of vocals, live instrumentation vs synthetic instrumentation, and pattern of drum beats help differentiate genres of electronic dance music.

Production technology

In the 1980s many genres of popular electronic music exploited the use of MIDI protocol; a technological development that expanded interactivity and synchronized functionality across a range of music related technologies. In the 1990s, following the growth of personal computing, EDM creation began migrating to computer based production systems.

Some of the most widely used synthesizers in EDM music include the Yamaha DX7, Korg M1, and Roland's Jupiter and SH-101. In addition, the most widely used bass synthesizer is the Roland TB-303, while the most widely used drum machines are Roland's TR-808 and TR-909.

Notable artists, producers and DJs

In the 1970s, producers like Brian Eno and Giorgio Moroder were pushing the boundaries for synthesizers and drum machines. While Eno would go off and be one of the innovators of Ambient Music, Moroder would score his second dance hit (first being "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer) and Academy Award for best score with the song Chase which was the theme song for the film Midnight Express. By the 1980s, bands like Yello and artists like Gary Numan would go on to produce Electronic Dance Music hits even before the commercial advent of MIDI. MIDI (which allows for digital/electronic instruments to communicate with each other) would be the catalyst which would allow new electronic dance musicians and genres to flourish by the mid to late 80's such as Front 242 and Meat Beat Manifesto.

With the explosive growth of computer music technology and consequent reduction in the cost of equipment in the late 1990s, the number of artists and DJs working in electronic music was overwhelming. With the advent of hard disk recording systems, it became possible for any home computer user to produce music, and hence the rise in the number of "bedroom bands", often consisting of a single person. Nevertheless notable artists can still be identified.

Influential musicians in industrial, synth pop and later electronic dance styles include Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), The Human League, Silver Apples, A-ha, Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, Cut La Roc, Depeche Mode, New Order, Cabaret Voltaire, and Throbbing Gristle.

Musicians, producers and DJs such as Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Tijs Verwest (aka Tiësto), ATB, Swedish House Mafia, Deadmau5, Above & Beyond, Paul Oakenfold, Showtek, John Digweed, Sasha, Markus Schulz, Kaskade and Ferry Corsten have reached true superstar status, can command five-figure salaries for a single performance and regularly perform for hours on end. Some DJs have world wide radio, and internet broadcasted shows that air weekly, such as VONYC Sessions, a show mixed by Paul Van Dyk; Trance Around the World, a show mixed by Above & Beyond; A State of Trance, a show mixed by Armin van Buuren, Tiësto's Club Life mixed weekly by Tiësto.

In House, Techno, and Drum and Bass, pioneers such as Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Charanjit Singh, Jesse Saunders, Larry Heard, Goldie, A Guy Called Gerald, LTJ Bukem, Joey Beltram and Frankie Bones are still active as of 2008. The only electronic music album to reach number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart is The Prodigy's The Fat of the Land. In contrast to the American charts, many dance albums have reached number 1 in the UK and european charts including Scooter, Basement Jaxx, The Prodigy, 2 Unlimited and more recently Pendulum and Example.

Mainstream appeal in the United States

Electronic music, then known as electronica, first achieved popularity during the 1990s. Today it has become common for established Top 40 artists and producers to infuse elements of popular EDM styles in their music. According to Time Out Chicago, EDM has "become the driving beat behind pop music and product sales, the soundtrack of choice for a new generation." In 2012, for the first time, the Grammy Awards telecast included EDM.

The Electric Daisy Carnival, a touring festival inspired by the underground rave parties of the 1990s, is drawing tens of thousands, and 100,000 people are expected to attend the festival at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey.Other festivals including Lollapalooza and Coachella have increased the number of EDM acts represented. Lollapalooza's organizer Perry Farrell, and Rawley Bornstein, an MTV music and talent programmer, have described EDM as the new rock and roll.Ray Waddell, touring editor at Billboard magazine, noted that festival promoters have done an excellent job at branding.

The increased popularity of electronic dance music styles in America has served to fill a void resulting from a decline in music industry based artistic development. There has also been speculation that EDM based entertainment provides an escape from the poor economic climate many consumers in their 20s now face.

Notable record labels

Early record labels that promoted electronic dance music include Larry Sherman's house label Trax Records, techno pioneer Juan Atkins' Metroplex Records, and Richie Hawtin's Plus 8 imprint. In the United Kingdom, Warp Records emerged in the 1990s as one of the notable sources of home-listening and experimental music. Later arrivals include Armada, Astralwerks, BPitch Control, Cocoon Recordings, Ed Banger Records, Ninja Tune, German Kompakt, !K7, and American Ghostly International.

See also

• Electronica

Further reading

• Hewitt, Michael. Music Theory for Computer Musicians. 1st Ed. U.S. Cengage Learning, 2008. ISBN 139781598635034
• Electronic dance music glossary by Moby for USA Today published December 13, 2011