How Electronic Dance Music Was Founded by Gay Black Men

A look at how electronic dance music was founded by gay black men and the lasting impact they have had on the genre.

Origins of EDM in the Gay Club Scene

Electronic Dance Music, or EDM, has its origins in the gay club scene. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, LGBT clubgoers in New York City and Chicago began experimenting with new sounds and technologies to create their own version of dance music. This nascent genre would eventually come to be known as house music.

The rise of disco in the 1970s

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new style of music was beginning to take form. This style would come to be known as disco. Disco was a style of music that was heavily influenced by funk and soul music, as well as Latin American and Italian pop music. Disco was characterized by a heavy rhythm, often created by a drum machine, as well as synthesizers and other electronic instruments. The first disco hits were released in the early 1970s, and the style quickly rose to popularity.

However, disco’s popularity was not limited to the mainstream world. In fact, disco found a home in the gay club scene long before it became a mainstream phenomenon. Gay clubs in the 1970s were often underground establishments that were not always welcomed by the wider community. However, these clubs provided a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves through music and dance.

It was in these clubs that disco found its earliest adopters. Gay clubgoers embraced the new style of music and began to create their own unique versions of it. This led to the development of what would come to be known as “Hi-NRG”, a subgenre of disco that was characterized by its fast tempo and sexually suggestive lyrics. Hi-NRG would go on to become one of the most popular genres within the gay club scene, and it remains popular today.

The influence of the African American and Latino community

The African American and Latino community has long been at the forefront of the electronic dance music scene. In the early days of club culture, pioneering DJs and producers like Frankie Knuckles and Armand Van Helden were spinning cutting-edge tracks that would go on to shape the sound of dance music as we know it today.

These days, you’re just as likely to hear hip-hop, R&B, and trap–influenced EDM in the clubs as you are traditional house and techno. But it all started with a group of gay black men in New York City who created a safe space for themselves to express their sexuality through music.

The roots of EDM can be traced back to the proto-house and techno sounds that were coming out of Chicago in the early 1980s. Frankie Knuckles, who is often referred to as the “Godfather of House Music,” was one of the first DJs to start playing this new style of music at his club, The Warehouse.

In 1977, a group of gay black men in New York City founded a similar club called The Loft. The Loft was a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves without judgement or discrimination. The Warehouse may have been where house music was born, but it was at The Loft where it truly came alive.

Club kids like Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, and Derrick May all got their start by spinning records at The Loft. These three DJs would go on to become some of the most important figures in techno history. Thanks to their influence, techno became one of the most popular genres in Europe throughout the 1990s.

Today, electronic dance music is enjoyed by people all over the world regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. But we have the LGBTQ+ community – and specifically, gay black men – to thank for its existence.

The Birth of House Music

In the early 1980s, LGBT people of color in Chicago’s South Side created a new style of music to make their voices heard. This new style of music was inspired by the post-disco, R&B, and soul music played in local gay clubs. This new style of music eventually came to be known as house music.

The first house music tracks

The first house music tracks were created in the early 1980s by DJs in Chicago. These DJs, who were mostly gay and black, played a mix of disco, R&B, and electronic dance music at clubs like the Warehouse and the Music Box. The sound of house music was heavily influenced by these early pioneers, who helped to create a new genre of music that would go on to become hugely popular around the world.

The development of the genre

Though it’s hard to identify the exact moment when house music was born, most experts agree that it emerged from the ashes of disco in the early 1980s. Disco had been hugely popular in the 1970s, especially with the gay community, but by the end of that decade, its popularity was waning. At the same time, a new generation of black and Latino DJs in Chicago were experimenting with a new sound that would eventually become known as house.

These DJs were playing a style of music that was based on disco but featured a heavier beat and often incorporated elements of electronic music. They were also heavily influenced by the nightclub culture of New York City, which was full of clubgoers looking for a more energetic and exciting sound than what disco had to offer.

The term “house music” is believed to have originated from one of these Chicago clubs, named the Warehouse. The Warehouse was founded by DJ Frankie Knuckles, who is often credited as being the godfather of house music. Knuckles played a mix of disco, soul, and funk records at the club, but he would sometimes slow them down or speed them up to create a more danceable groove. This style of DJing soon became known as “house” music, and it quickly began to spread beyond Chicago.

The Global Expansion of EDM

Electronic Dance Music, or EDM, has taken the world by storm in recent years. But where did it all begin? The roots of EDM can be traced back to the gay black men who founded it in the early 1990s. In this article, we’ll explore the history of EDM and how it has become a global phenomenon.

The popularity of EDM in Europe

In the early 1990s, Europeans began to show a growing interest in American electronic dance music (EDM). This was partly due to the increased exposure of European clubgoers to American DJs and club nights, but it was also due to the increasing popularity of rave culture in Europe. Rave culture, which had its origins in the acid house parties of the late 1980s, was particularly popular with young people and countercultural types.

European EDM scenes began to develop in major cities like London, Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam. These scenes were influenced by American EDM, but they also developed their own distinct style and sound. European EDM is characterized by a focus on melody and atmosphere, as well as a greater emphasis on trance and techno styles of music.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, European EDM began to achieve mainstream popularity. This was due in part to the success of French DJ David Guetta, who helped to bring EDM to a wider audience with his hits “Love Don’t Let Me Go” and “Getbusy.” Other European DJs who achieved mainstream success during this time include Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, and Sasha.

Today, European EDM is more popular than ever before. In addition to Guetta and other established stars, there is a new generation of exciting young DJs making their mark on the scene. Some of the most popular European EDM DJs today include Avicii, Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, and Oliver Heldens.

The popularity of EDM in Asia

Electronic dance music (EDM), also known as dance music, club music, or simply dance, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves and festivals. EDM is generally produced for playback by disc jockeys (DJs) who create seamless selections of tracks, called a mix, by segueing from one recording to another.

The popularity of EDM in Asia has been on the rise in recent years, with the genre becoming increasingly mainstream. In China, for example, the number of EDM festivals has grown from just two in 2012 to over 30 in 2016. And in India, the genre has found a home in Bollywood films, with several hits featuring EDM tracks.