A History of Electronic Dance Music at UCLA

A history of electronic dance music at UCLA, including the rise of raves in the early 1990s and the popularity of dubstep in the early 2000s.

The Early Days: Pre-EDM

Electronic Dance Music, or EDM, has been around for decades. It has its roots in the early days of electronic music, when artists like Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder were experimenting with synthesizers and drum machines. In the early 1980s, techno and house music emerged from the underground club scene in Detroit and Chicago. These genres quickly spread to other parts of the world, and by the 1990s, EDM was a global phenomenon.

The Birth of Hip-Hop at UCLA

In the early days of hip-hop, UCLA was one of the first campuses to really embrace the new sound. In 1979, KDAY radio DJ Rodney Bingenheimer started playing rap music on his show, and soon the campus became a hotbed for the genre. Local groups like the World Class Wreckin’ Cru and Egyptian Lover began to blow up, and UCLA students were some of the biggest fans.

In the mid-1980s, UCLA’s reputation as a hotspot for hip-hop continued to grow. The school became known for its annual “Hip-Hop Day” event, which featured performances from local and national rap groups. And in 1988, UCLA’s hip-hop scene got a boost when KDAY started broadcasting live from the campus.

UCLA has always been at the forefront of musical trends, and that’s no different when it comes to electronic dance music. In the early 1990s, students on campus were already talking about rave culture and attending underground parties. By the mid-’90s, EDM had gone mainstream, and UCLA students were some of the biggest fans.

Today, UCLA is still a hotspot for electronic dance music. The school has its own EDM radio station, and there are always events and parties happening on campus. If you’re looking for a place to dance your heart out, UCLA is definitely the place to be!

The Rise of House and Techno

In the mid to late 80s, as rave culture began to take off in the UK, a similar but underground scene was developing in Chicago. House and techno music were born out of this era, and soon after, Detroit. These three US cities would go on to have a huge impact on the development of electronic dance music (EDM) as we know it today.

While the early days of EDM were marked by a strong underground and DIY ethic, in the 90s, the scene began to go mainstream. This was due in part to the rise of rave culture in the UK, which led to increased interest in EDM from both fans and producers. However, it was also due to the increasing popularity of festival culture in the US, which provided a platform for EDM to reach a wider audience.

In the 2000s, EDM continued to grow in popularity, with more and more producers and DJs beginning to experiment with different subgenres and styles. This decade also saw the rise of electronic music festivals such as Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival, which helped to further cement EDM’s place in mainstream culture.

Today, electronic dance music is one of the most popular genres in the world, with millions of fans across the globe. It shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon – only continuing to evolve and grow as new artists experiment with its endless possibilities.

The Mainstreaming of EDM

UCLA has a long and storied history with electronic dance music. While the university’s relationship to the music and the culture surrounding it has changed over the years, UCLA has always been at the forefront of the EDM scene.

The Second Wave of Hip-Hop

By the mid-1990s, a new wave of hip-hop artists such as Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., and Snoop Dogg had emerged and brought the genre to a new level of popularity. These artists incorporated elements of EDM into their music, which helped to increase the genre’s visibility and appeal to a wider audience. As EDM became more mainstream, a number of clubs and venues began to host EDM events, which further boosted the genre’s popularity.

The Explosion of Dubstep

In the early 2000s, a new kind of electronic dance music began to take hold in the underground clubs of London. This new sound, which would come to be known as dubstep, was characterized by its heavy bass lines and signature wobble effect.

While dubstep had been around for a few years before 2010, it was in that year that the genre truly exploded in popularity. This newfound popularity was largely due to the mainstream success of a handful of dubstep tracks, including Skream’s “Midnight Request Line” and Rusko’s “Cockney Thug.”

With its newfound popularity, dubstep began to make its way across the Atlantic to the United States. In particular, the city of Los Angeles became a hotbed for dubstep culture. This was due in part to the fact that many well-known dubstep producers and DJs, such as Skream and Rusko, had relocated to LA in order to be closer to the heart of the US dubstep scene.

As dubstep continued to grow in popularity, so too did attendance at UCLA’s weekly dance party known as Bass Drop. Bass Drop became so popular that it eventually outgrew its original venue and had to be moved to a larger space on campus.

Today, electronic dance music has firmly established itself as a staple of popular culture. And while dubstep may no longer be the hottest sound in EDM, it remains an important part of the genre’s history.

The New Wave of EDM

Electronic Dance Music, or EDM, has been around for decades, but it has only recently become popular at UCLA. In the past few years, there has been a surge in the number of EDM clubs and events on campus. This is due in part to the growing popularity of EDM culture in the mainstream.

The Rise of Trap

In the early 2010s, a new subgenre of EDM began to form that would come to have a major impact on the music scene at UCLA and nationwide. This subgenre was called “trap.” Trap music is a type of hip-hop that emerged from the Atlanta underground scene in the early 2010s. It is characterized by heavy 808 bass, hi-hat rolls, and rap vocals. Trap music quickly gained popularity at UCLA, with students often throwing trap-themed parties in the dorms.

In 2016, one of the biggest trap artists in the world, Lil Uzi Vert, came to perform at UCLA’s Sun God Festival. His performance was one of the most talked-about sets of the festival, and it solidified trap music’s place in EDM culture. Since then, trap music has only grown in popularity, with more and more students throwing trap parties and listening to trap artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Cardi B, and Post Malone.

The New Sound of House

The New Wave of EDM, which is a type of electronic dance music, has been becoming more popular in recent years. This style of music is characterized by its heavy use of synthesizers and drum machines, as well as its often-repetitive nature. The New Wave of EDM first gained popularity in the early 1990s, when groups such as the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy began to release hits that combined elements of techno and acid house.