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* [[Planet Patrol]]
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Revision as of 18:01, 9 September 2006

Electro
Stylistic originsSynthpop, disco, funk and Old school hip hop
Cultural originsearly 1980s Detroit, Bronx, Los Angeles,
Typical instrumentsSynthesizer, Drum machine, Vocoder, Sampler
Derivative formsElectroclash
Subgenres
Electro Funk - Electro Bass - Freestyle music - Miami bass - Glitch Electro - Techno Bass - - Downtempo Electro - Minimal Electro
Fusion genres
Ghettotech

Electro, short for electro funk (also known as robot hip hop and Electro hop) is an electronic style of hip hop directly influenced by Kraftwerk and funk records (unlike earlier rap records which were closer to disco). Records in the genre typically have electronic sounds and some vocals are delivered in a deadpan, mechanical manner often through a vocoder or other electronic distortion.

Characteristics

With few exceptions, the definition of the electro sound is the use of drum machines as the base of a track. A legendary drum machine with a recognizable sound still used today is the Roland TR-808. The instrumentation is generally all-electronic with a funk-style synthesizer bass line. Heavy use of effects such as reverb and echo together with electronic pads create a rich and simultaneously cold sound that emphasizes the common science fiction theme of the lyrics. Not all electro features rapping; vocals processed through a vocoder is a common element and instrumental tracks are more prominent than in related genres of electronic and hip hop music. In recent years it has become common for electro artists to perform using only laptop computers, this way emphasizing the technological theme of the music.

Concept albums are common in electro with Kraftwerk pioneering entire albums in technological or futuristic themes such as robots, computers or nuclear science. Many artists are entirely devoted to sci-fi subjects of this kind.

History

Bronx, NY based electro funk artist Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock (1982) is one of the first electro records, using elements of Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express and "Numbers" (from the Computer World album). Bambaataa and artists like Juan Atkins' group Cybotron, Planet Patrol, Jonzun Crew, and Newcleus went on to influence the genres of detroit techno, ghettotech, drum and bass and electroclash. In (1983) along came upper Manhattan, NY based Cutting Records' initial recording artist Hashim. Hashim was the work of Jerry Calliste Jr. who is now known as Hashim Music on the new i-label Bassmint Music Inc.. Born in Bronx, NY but raised most of his life in upper Manhattan at 17 years of age, Jerry Calliste Jr. or Hashim Music created the now lengendary and arguably the most influential electro funk tunes of all time titled "Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)". At the time Hashim Music was influenced by Man Parrish's "Hip Hop Be Bop", Thomas Dolby's "Blinded Me With Science" and Afrika Bambaattaa's "Planet Rock". "Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)" managed to crossover into the mainstream music markets around the world and is now one of the world's most sought after electro tunes in electro music's history.


Subgenres

Los Angeles artists Egyptian Lover and Arabian Prince gave birth to electro hop, a less funky, more bass-heavy West Coast sound, similar to 2 Live Crew and the Miami Bass scene. Other artists in this style include Chris "The Glove" Taylor and World Class Wreckin' Cru.

Detroit also has a unique style sometimes called Techno Bass which is a fusion of Detroit Techno with Miami Bass. On the East Coast and especially in Miami, electro spawned freestyle, a soulful, Latin-centric variant.

In the mid 2000s, other new bands like Tony Reed and Synthetik FM began to fuse rave styles of music with synthpop and new wave and use the new medium of the internet to distribute their music.

Contemporary electro

Although the early 1980s were electro's heyday in the mainstream it enjoyed a popularity increase in the late 1990s with artists such as Anthony Rother, DMX Krew, Mr Velcro Fastener and Japanese Telecom. Some current artists making music in this style have embraced the pseudonyms of Detroit techno pioneers. The renewed interest in electro, though influenced to a great degree by Detroit and New York music, is primarily taking hold elsewhere with electro club nights becoming commonplace again. The newfound popularity has influenced other electronic dance music genres such as EBM, as well as mainstream hiphop.

Modern day Electro has progressed into a type of house music that is less focused on a simple 4x4 bass line. The main focus lies in the grinding sounds created by synthesizers like the micro Korg. The tempo tends to range from 120-130 beats per minute. The grinding basslines become more pronounced than the hard snappy bass of traditional house music. For examples refer to the work of DJ's like Trentemoller and Sebastion Ingrosso.

Artists

See also

External links

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