Ishtar’s Guide to Electronic Music

Ishtar is a music producer, DJ, and sound designer from Brooklyn, NY. In this blog, she discusses various topics related to electronic music production and DJing.

Introduction

In this guide, I will be providing an in-depth look at the world of electronic music. I will be discussing the history of electronic music, the different sub-genres, and the artists that have influenced the genre. I hope that by the end of this guide, you will have a better understanding of electronic music and its place in the world of music.

What is Electronic Music?

Electronic music is a musical genre that is produced using electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology. It typically consists of a synthesizer, a drum machine, and a sequencer.

The Birth of Electronic Music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments and circuitry-based music technology. In general, a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means (electroacoustic music), and that produced using electronics only. Electromechanical instruments include mechanical elements, such as strings, hammers, and so on, and electronic elements, such as magnetic pickups, power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Examples of electromechanical sound producing devices include the telharmonium, Hammond organ, and the electric guitar. Pure electronic instruments do not have moving parts; examples include the theremin, synthesizer, and computer.

The first electronic devices for performing music were developed at the end of the 19th century. The earliest synthetic musical instrument was the telharmonium, an electrical instrument invented by Thaddeus Cahill in 1897. It was an enormous machine weighing nearly 200 tons that used banks of vacuum tubes to generate sound by means of additive synthesis. It was capable of producing any combination of notes and overtones which could be played together in any order or arrangement desired by the composer/performer. The first public performance given by a telharmonium was in 19061; however, it failed to achieve commercial success because it required too much electricity to operate (100 kilowatts) and was extremely expensive ($200 thousand in 1906 dollars).

In 1920–212 , French composer Edgard Varèse experimented with arc discharge lamps connected to tone generators to create what he called “poemes electroniques” (electronic poems). These consisted of recordings of sounds made by various objects like pieces of metal or glass rubbed together which were then amplified and played back using electromechanical tone generators. However these poemes electroniques were never publicly performed during Varèse’s lifetime due to their technical difficulty.

The Evolution of Electronic Music

Since the 1970s, electronic music has been one of the most rapidly evolving genres in the world. It has gone from being a niche style of music made by a few experimenters to becoming one of the most popular genres in the world, with a multi-billion dollar industry built around it. In this guide, we’ll take a look at the history of electronic music, from its beginnings in the early twentieth century to its current state as one of the most popular genres in the world.

Early History
The first electronic musical instruments were invented in the early 1900s. These instruments, called theremins, were used in a limited way by composers such as Edgar Varese and Sergei Prokofiev. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s that electronic music began to be truly explored. In 1955, hte first piece of electronic music was composed by Italian composer Luciano Berio. This piece, entitled “Thema (Omaggio a Joyce)”, used sounds generated by electronic oscillators to create a unique sonic landscape.

The 1960s and 1970s
The 1960s and 1970s were a time of great experimentation in electronic music. Composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Gyorgy Ligeti were pushing the boundaries of what could be done with electronic sound, creating complex pieces that often incorporated elements of chance into their structure. At the same time, composers such as Steve Reich and Terry Riley were using simple repetition to create hypnotic effect s that would later become signatures of minimalist music.

The Birth of Electronic Dance Music
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new style of electronic music began to emerge that would come to dominate popular culture for decades to come. This style, which came to be known as techno or house music, was characterized by thumping bass lines and repetitive rhythms that were designed to get people moving on dance floors. The earliest pioneers of this style include DJs such as Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk, who created some of the earliest examples of danceable electronic music with hits like “I Feel Love” and “Trans-Europe Express”.

The Rise of Electronic Music Culture
In the 1990s and 2000s, electronic dance music culture exploded into the mainstream consciousness. Thanks to artists like The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk and Moby, who brought their own unique styles to the genre , techno and house became two of the most popular musical styles in the world. At the same time , new subgenres began to emerge , such as trance , drum & bass , jungle and dubstep . By the 2010 s , EDM had become one ofthe most popular genres in America , with festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival attracting hundreds of thousands of fans each year .

The Future Of Electronic Music
Where will electronic music go next? Only time will tell , but one thing is certain: it will continue to evolve and change , just as it has for over half a century .

The Different Types of Electronic Music

Electronic music is a genre of music that is created with the help of electronic devices. It is a broad genre that includes many sub-genres. The different types of electronic music are techno, trance, house, and drum and bass.

House

In electronic music, there are many different sub-genres and styles. One of the most popular styles is house music. House music is a style of dance music that was created in the early 1980s by club DJs in Chicago. The first house track was created by DJ Pierre in 1985, and since then, the style has evolved and grown in popularity. House music is usually characterized by a 4/4 time signature, a thumping bassline, and repetitive synthesizer melodies.

Techno

Techno is a genre of electronic dance music that is characterized by a repetitive four on the floor beat and a synthesized melody. The history of techno is traced back to the 1980s, when it emerged as a style of electronic dance music in Detroit, Michigan. Techno was developed by DJs and producers who were influenced by the music of African-American and Jamaican sound system culture, as well as European electronic music.

Drum and Bass

Drum and bass (also written as “drum ‘n’ bass” or “d&b”; commonly abbreviated to “D&B”, “DnB” or simply “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, sampled sources, and synthesizers. The genre grew out of the United Kingdom underground rave and jungle scenes in the early 1990s and developed with further input from various other scenes, particularly those in the US. Drum and bass incorporates a number of styles including breakbeat, jungle/drumfunk, hardcore techno, dubstep andFootwork.

The commercial/popular appeal of drum and bass has recently been questioned by some commentators who point towards the continued growth of niche scenes such asjump up and darkstep as proof that it is still an underground genre with great cultural value. Others have praised drum and bass for its continued global rise in popularity as musical genres such as dubstep evolve from its sound.

Dubstep

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the late 1990s. It is generally characterized by sparse, syncopated rhythmic patterns with prominent sub-bass frequencies. The style emerged as an offshoot of the UK garage scene, drawing on a lineage of related styles such as 2-step and dub reggae.

In the early 2000s, dubstep began to emerge as a distinct genre in its own right, with artists such as DBridge, El-B, and Zed Bias beginning to experiment with more minimal, sub-bass-heavy production styles. The term “dubstep” was first coined in 2002 byMusic Week magazine, and it was subsequently popularized by El-B’s track “Basslation” (2002). These early tracks generally have a tempo around 140 beats per minute (bpm), and typically feature buzzing sub-bass lines, repeated samples, and simple drum patterns.

Dubstep typically features syncopated rhythms with prominent sub-bass frequencies

The Best Electronic Music Festivals in the World

From Tomorrowland to Electric Daisy Carnival, there are plenty of renowned electronic music festivals around the world. But which ones are the best? In this article, we’ll be counting down the top five electronic music festivals in the world, based on a variety of factors.

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland is an electronic music festival held in Boom, Belgium. The festival has been organized since 2005. It was first held on August 14, 2005. The festival takes place in the recreation area De Schorre in Boom. The first edition of the festival wasTomorrowland: The Ark of Mystery, which sold out all tickets within minutes of going on sale.

Ultra Music Festival

Ultra Music Festival is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that takes place in Miami, Florida. The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes and is produced by the entertainment company, Ultra Music. The festival features performances by world-renowned DJs and producers and is one of the most popular electronic music festivals in the world.

Electric Daisy Carnival

Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic music festival that takes place each year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The three-day event features performances by some of the world’s top DJs and producers, as well as art installations and carnival rides. More than 150,000 people attended the 2017 edition of EDC Las Vegas, making it one of the largest music festivals in the world.

Conclusion

Electronic music is a broad and ever-evolving genre, with new subgenres and sub-subgenres appearing all the time. This guide has only scratched the surface, but hopefully it has given you a taste of what’s out there and some direction for further exploration. Ultimately, the best way to find the music you like is to just keep listening – there’s a whole world of sounds out there waiting to be discovered.