The Different Techno Genres of Electronic Music

If you’re a fan of electronic music, you’re probably familiar with the different genres that exist within the genre. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the different techno genres of electronic music, from deep house to dubstep, and everything in between.

Introduction

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a new type of music known as techno emerged from the Detroit area. Techno was created by African American DJs who were influenced by European electronic music. These DJs would play long, repetitive tracks that often featured synthesizers and drum machines. Over time, techno evolved into a number of different sub-genres, each with its own distinctive sound.

Today, techno is one of the most popular genres of electronic music. It is frequently played at clubs and festivals, and has even been known to cross over into the mainstream pop world on occasion. If you’re interested in learning more about this ever-evolving genre, read on for a brief overview of some of the most popular types of techno.

1) Acid Techno:
Acid techno is a sub-genre that began in the UK in the early 1990s. It is characterized by its use of acid house basslines and eerie, atmospheric synthesizer pads. This type of techno often features 303 basslines that have been distorted or processed in some way to create a more psychedelic sound.

2) Detroit Techno:
As its name suggests, Detroit techno is a sub-genre that originated in Detroit, Michigan in the 1980s. This type of techno is characterized by its sparse, minimalistic production style and its use of futurist themes and imagery. Many classic Detroit techno tracks consist primarily of drum machine loops and synth melodies with very little else going on in the mix.

3) Dub Techno:
Dub techno is a sub-genre that was pioneered by German producerBasic Channel in the early 1990s. It is characterized by its use of delay effects, reverb, and other echo-based processing techniques to create a “dubby” soundscape. This type of techno often features minimalist percussion loops and sparse ambient textures.

4) Hard Techno:
Hard techno is a sub-genre that emerged from Germany and Belgium in the early 1990s. It is characterized by its hard-hitting drum beats and aggressive synth melodies. This type of techno often features distorted kick drums and heavily filtered basslines. Hardtechno tracks are generally designed for dancing rather than listening pleasure.

5) Minimal Techno:
Minimal techno is a sub-genre that was pioneered by German producers such as Wolfgang Voigt and Richie Hawtin in the early 1990s. It is characterized by its stripped-down production style and hypnotic rhythm patterns. This type of techno often features repeating percussion loops with very little else going on in the mix. Minimal tracks are typically designed for dancing rather than listening pleasure

What is Electronic Music?

Electronic music is a genre of music that is produced using electronic equipment. It was first created in the 1940s and has since evolved into a wide variety of subgenres. Some of the most popular subgenres include trance, dubstep, and techno.

Origins

The first electronic music was created in the late 19th century, when inventors started experimenting with using electricity to create sound. In the early 20th century, composers such as Edgar Varese and Paul Hindemith created works that used electronics, and in the 1930s, composers such as Luigi Russolo and Piero Ugoletti started experimenting with making music using electronic devices.

The first commercial electronic musical instrument, the Theremin, was invented in 1919 by Russian scientist Léon Theremin. The Theremin was used by composers such as Benjamin Britten and Leonard Bernstein to create eerie, otherworldly sounds. In the 1950s, German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen started using electronic devices to create music that was far ahead of its time.

In the 1960s, British musician Brian Eno popularized the use of synthesizers with his band Roxy Music. Synthesizers were also used extensively by German band Kraftwerk in the 1970s. In the 1980s, electronic dance music (EDM) emerged as a popular genre, with artists such as Afrika Bambaataa, New Order, and Depeche Mode gaining popularity.

Today, electronic music is more popular than ever before, with many different subgenres existing within the genre.

Characteristics

The four basic categories of electronic music are techno, house, drum and bass, and trance. Techno is the most danceable form of electronic music and often has a fast tempo. It employs the use of repetitive beats and can be either melodic or minimalistic in nature. House music is also designed for dancing and has a similar tempo to techno, but typically has a 4/4 beat instead of the more syncopated rhythms found in techno. Drum and bass is characterized by its heavy use of drums and percussion, as well as its fast tempo. This genre developed out of jungle music in the early 1990s. Trance is a more mellow form of electronic music that often features extended buildups and breakdowns, resulting in a hypnotic effect.

The Different Genres of Electronic Music

Electronic music is a broad term that covers a wide range of genres. Techno, Trance, Drum and Bass, Dubstep, and House are just a few of the genres that fall under the electronic music umbrella. In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at each genre and what makes it unique.

House

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in the early 1980s. It was initially characterized by sparse, syncopated drum tracks with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, and occasionally off-beat 16th notes in hi-hats and/or wide, open snare drum sounds. House music quickly spread to other American cities such as Detroit, New York City, and Newark – all of which developed their own regional scenes. In the mid-to-late 1980s, house music became popular in Europe as well as major cities in South America, and Australia. Despite its name, garage house music did not originate from people’s homes, but rather it was named after Chicago’s now-defunct Music Box club where many of the original house tracks were first played.

Techno

Techno is a broad genre of electronic music that developed in the rave and club culture scenes of Detroit, Michigan in the 1980s. The first Detroit techno tracks were created by Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson, who later founded the record label Metroplex. Techno is characterized by a repetitive four on the floor drum beat, unusual sounds and samples, and a minimalistic aesthetic that emphasizes atmosphere over traditional song structure.

Over the years, techno has evolved into a variety of subgenres including acid techno, minimal techno, hard techno, tech house, and experimental techno. Today, techno music is enjoyed by clubbers and ravers all over the world.

Trance

Trance is a genre of electronic music that emerged in the 1990s. It is characterized by a tempo lying between 110-150 BPM, repeating melodic phrases, and a musical form that distinctly builds tension and elements throughout a track often culminating in 1 to 2 “peaks” or “drops”. Although trance is primarily an instrumental genre, vocal elements are occasionally incorporated. Trance tracks are often lengthy to allow for such progression and commonly have sufficiently sparse opening and closing sections to facilitate mixing by DJs.

The genre is sometimes referred to as “epic trance”, “anthem trance”, or just simply “trance” as it became common to seetracks simply labeled as such in the early 2000s.

Drum and Bass

Drum and bass (also written as “drum ‘n’ bass” or “d’n’b”) is a genre of electronic music characterised by fast breakbeats (typically between 160–180 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, synthesizers, and sampling. Drum and bass emerged as a commercial proposition in the early 1990s. The popularity of drum and bass at its commercial peak ran parallel to several other homegrown dance styles in the United Kingdom including big beat and hard house.

Dubstep

Dubstep is a genre of electronic music that began to develop in South London in the late 1990s. It is generally characterized by a sparse, insistent dub-influenced rhythm with relatively simple melody lines. Elements of other genres, such as grime, 2-step garage, and drum and bass can be found in some tracks.

The earliest dubstep releases date back to 1998, when a local record label, Big Apple Records, released a trio of two-step garage tracks: “Euphony” by Oris Jay, “Phaze One” by Bundy Kovacs & El-B, and “Untitled #1” by Cirrus. These tracks were popular among pirate radio stations and clubs in London, but it would be another few years before the sound began to coalesce into a recognizable genre.

In 2002, dubstep began to make its way into the mainstream consciousness with releases from producers such as Horsepower Productions (with their anthemic track “Kingston Town”), Ming (with his track “The Truth”), and El-B (with his track “Bucktown”). These tunes were all released on dubstep’s first wave of Record labels: Tempa, DMZ, and Soul Jazz.

As the sound continued to develop and evolve in the early 2000s, subgenres began to emerge, including darkapostaliptic dubstep (a darker, more atmospheric sound) and 8bar grime (a more uptempo take on the genre that was popularized by UK grime MCs). In 2006, two key events helped propel dubstep into the mainstream: BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel started playing dubstep on his show; and Mary Anne Hobbs curated an influential Dubstep Warz mix for BBC Radio 1 which featured many of the biggest names in dubstep at the time.

Since then, dubstep has continued to grow in popularity around the world – especially in North America – with producer Styles&Complete’s 2014 track “Crankdat” becoming one of the biggest crossover hits in the genre’s history.

Conclusion

This was a quick guide to the different techno genres of electronic music. I hope it was helpful in understanding the different types of techno and their sub-genres.