The Best of 80s Electronic Dance Music

Looking for the best of 80s electronic dance music? Look no further than this blog post! Here we’ve compiled a list of the greatest hits from the era, so you can relive the glory days of disco and new wave.

Introduction

The 80s were a revolutionary decade for electronic dance music. This was the decade when electronic music first started to become popular, and it quickly rose to become one of the most popular genres of music. The 80s were also a time when many different subgenres of electronic music emerged, including house, techno, and trance.

There are countless great 80s electronic dance tracks, but some of the best include “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure, “Blue Monday” by New Order, and “People Are People” by Depeche Mode. If you’re looking for some great 80s electronic dance tracks to add to your collection, look no further than this list!

The Birth of Electronic Dance Music

The 1980s saw the birth of electronic dance music, or EDM. This new genre emerged from the disco era, and quickly gained popularity in nightclubs around the world. EDM is characterized by its heavy use of synthesizers, drum machines, and computer-generated sounds. It often features a strong danceable beat, and can be either fast or slow.

The First commercially available synthesizer

The first commercially available synthesizer was the Moog synthesizer, invented in 1964 by Robert Moog. The Moog was a modular synthesizer, meaning that it consisted of a number of modules that could be connected together to create different sounds. The Moog became popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s, used by artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Pink Floyd.

The first electronic music studio

The first electronic music studio was opened in Paris in 1955 by French composer Pierre Schaeffer. This studio, called the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM), was the first of its kind in the world and quickly became a leading center for the development of new musical techniques and ideas.

The GRM was soon joined by other similar studios in Europe and North America, and together they began to explore the new possibilities of electronic sound. This led to the development of many different genres of music, including musique concrète, electroacoustic music, and tape music.

One of the most important genres to emerge from this period was electronic dance music (EDM). EDM is a broad term that encompasses many different styles of music, but it is generally characterized by a heavy use of synthesizers and drum machines, and a focus on creating a danceable rhythm.

EDM began to take shape in the early 1980s, with pioneers like Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder, and Afrika Bambaataa helping to popularize the sound. In the 1990s, EDM exploded in popularity thanks to artists like The Prodigy, Daft Punk, and Fatboy Slim. Today, EDM is one of the most popular genres in the world, with festivals like Tomorrowland attracting hundreds of thousands of fans each year.

The Development of Electronic Dance Music

Electronic dance music, also known as EDM, emerged in the early 1980s. This new genre of music was influenced by various styles of music such as disco, funk, and synth-pop. EDM quickly gained popularity in nightclubs and dance clubs around the world.

The rise of disco

In the early 1970s, a new type of music was created by DJs and producers who took existing disco tracks and looped them to create an uninterrupted dancers’ experience. This new style of music, which came to be called “disco” (short for “discotheque”), quickly became popular in nightclubs around the world.

During the 1980s, disco music continued to evolve. New York City’s Puerto Rican and African-American communities were particularly influential in the development of what would come to be known as “house music.” House music is a type of electronic dance music that features repetitive 4/4 beats and often samples or borrows from other genres, such as disco, soul, and pop.

Chicago’s house music scene was also hugely influential in the development of the genre. One of the most important figures in Chicago house history is Frankie Knuckles, who is often credited with creating the genre. Knuckles’ style of DJing, which involved mixing different songs together to create a seamless flow of music, was hugely influential in the development of house music.

Detroit techno also emerged during the 1980s. This style of electronic dance music was created by producers and DJs who were influenced by British acid house and American electrofunk. Detroit techno is characterized by its use of synthesizers and drum machines, as well as its incorporation of elements from other genres such as soul, jazz, and funk.

The advent of house music

The advent of house music in the early 1980s is often credited to a DJ from Chicago named Frankie Knuckles. His style of music, which was heavily influenced by disco and soul music, quickly caught on with the clubgoers in Chicago. From there, house music spread to other cities in the United States, as well as to Europe and beyond.

The Popularity of Electronic Dance Music

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new type of music known as electronic dance music (EDM) emerged. This genre of music is characterized by a strong beat and synthesized sounds. EDM quickly gained popularity among young people and is now one of the most popular genres of music in the world.

The Second Summer of Love

In the late 1980s, the “Second Summer of Love” saw London clubbers embrace acid house and techno. The futuristic, often bleep-driven music found its way into the mainstream pop charts with hits such as “Pump up the Volume” by MARRS and “The Only Way is Up” by Yazz & The Plastic Population. The rave culture also brought illegal outdoor parties to fields and warehouses across the UK, with groups such as Spiral Tribe and DiY sound systems providing the soundtrack to all-night revelries.

The popularity of techno

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1990s. It is characterized by a repetitive 4/4 beat and often features synthesizers, drum machines, and vocoders. Techno is typically played in nightclubs, at rave parties, and on the radio.

The genre first gained popularity in the Detroit area of the United States during the late 1980s. DJs such as Derrick May and Juan Atkins were responsible for spreading techno to other parts of the country and to Europe. By the early 1990s, techno had become one of the most popular genres of electronic dance music.

Today, techno is still one of the most popular genres of electronic dance music. It is particularly popular in Europe, where it is often played at nightclubs and festivals.

The Legacy of Electronic Dance Music

The 1980s was the decade when electronic dance music was first created and established. This genre of music has since then taken the world by storm, and continues to be one of the most popular genres today. Let’s take a look at the history and legacy of electronic dance music.

The influence of electronic dance music on popular culture

The 1980s saw the rise of electronic dance music, a genre that has had a lasting impact on popular culture. From its humble beginnings in underground clubs to its current status as a global phenomenon, electronic dance music has come to dominate the charts and the club scene.

The sound of electronic dance music is often characterized by synthesizers and drum machines, which create a distinctive sound that is perfect for dancing. The genre has its roots in Detroit, where techno pioneers like Juan Atkins and Derrick May created a new kind of music that was influenced by European disco and American soul.

Electronic dance music quickly gained popularity in Europe, particularly in Germany, where it became the soundtrack to the underground club scene. In the 1990s, electronic dance music exploded into the mainstream, thanks to artists like The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, and The Chemical Brothers. Today, electronic dance music is more popular than ever, with huge festivals like Tomorrowland attracting hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world.

The influence of electronic dance music on other genres of music

The influence of electronic dance music can be heard in a wide variety of other genres of music, from pop and rock to hip hop and R&B. Many artists have sampled or outright borrowed from EDM tracks, and the genre has also had a major impact on the way that production and DJing are approached in other styles of music. In some cases, electronic dance music has even been responsible for the emergence of entirely new genres, such as dubstep and trap.