Who Started Electronic Dance Music?
Check out this blog to find out who started Electronic Dance Music and how it has taken over the world!
Pre-EDM
Electronic dance music, also known as EDM, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. EDM is generally produced for playback by DJs who create seamless selections of tracks, called a mix, by segueing from one recording to another.
The origins of electronic dance music
Electronic Dance Music, or EDM as it is commonly known, is a genre of music that emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The origins of EDM can be traced back to the disco era, when DJs began to experiment with electronic instruments and synthesizers. This new type of music quickly gained popularity in nightclubs and soon spread to other venues such as raves and festivals. Today, EDM is one of the most popular genres of music in the world, with artists such as Calvin Harris, Avicii, and Deadmau5 selling out stadium shows and headlining major music festivals.
The first electronic dance music artists
The first electronic dance music artists were producers and DJs who started experimenting with electronic music in the early 1970s. These pioneers used synthesizers, drum machines and other electronic instruments to create new sounds that were different from anything that had been heard before. They also began to play these new sounds at clubs and parties, which helped to popularize electronic dance music.
Some of the earliest and most influential electronic dance music artists include Giorgio Moroder, Kraftwerk, Afrika Bambaataa, and Juan Atkins. These artists helped to lay the foundation for the many different genres of EDM that exist today.
The rise of EDM
Electronic dance music has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the 1970s. Who started this genre of music? Who are the pioneers of EDM? How did it become the massive phenomenon it is today?
The birth of house music
In the late 1970s, several Chicago-based performers, including Frankie Knuckles and DJ Ron Hardy, began playing a form of electronic dance music that was influenced by disco. This new style, which came to be known as house music, quickly became popular in clubs throughout the city.
In the early 1980s, a Chicago-based record label called Trax Records began releasing records by local house music artists. These records were widely circulated among DJs in other cities, and eventually, house music began to catch on in other parts of the country and around the world.
The birth of techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid-to-late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno in reference to a specific genre of music was in 1988. Many styles of techno now exist, but Detroit techno is seen as the foundation upon which others were built.
The Berlin Wall came down in 1989, and with it went the separation between East and West Germany. Soon after, a new style of techno called schranz began to develop in the clubs of Frankfurt. Schranz is characterized by its hard, fast sound and its use of samples from other genres of music to create an aggressive, industrial feel. By the early 1990s, Frankfurt had become one of the major centers for techno music, along with Detroit and Berlin.
The birth of trance
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by hypnotic rhythms and melodies, often with a “floaty” or dream-like quality. The genre evolved out of the acid house and rave scenes of the late 1980s and early 1990s in Europe, and initially became popular in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. Early trance was often criticised for being too euphoric and cheesy, but by the end of the 1990s it had become one of the most popular genres of electronic dance music.
Trance music is said to have been influenced by a number of different genres, including acid house, techno, new age, and classical music. The first trance tracks were created in the early 1990s by German producers like Oliver Lieb and Talla 2XLC. In 1993, British DJ Paul Oakenfold released his landmark mix album “Perfecto Presents: Another World”, which helped to bring trance to a wider audience. Meanwhile, in 1994 Dutch DJ Tiësto released his first album “Magik One: First Flight”, which is widely considered to be one of the best trance albums ever made.
The popularity of trance continued to grow throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with influential DJs like Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Sasha, and Above & Beyond helping to take the genre to new heights. In recent years, trance has continued to evolve and diversify, with new sub-genres like psy-trance, tech trance, uplifting trance, and progressive trance emerging.
The mainstreaming of EDM
In the 1970s, electronic dance music was created by DJs and producers who were experimenting with new technologies. This new type of music was often played at underground clubs and parties. In the 1990s, EDM began to enter the mainstream, with artists such as the Prodigy and Daft Punk becoming household names.
The rise of commercial EDM
Commercial electronic dance music, or EDM, has exploded in popularity in recent years. But who started this genre of music, and how did it become so popular?
EDM is a form of electronic music that is often played at nightclubs, festivals, and concerts. This type of music often has a fast tempo and a repetitive beat, making it perfect for dancing. EDM can be traced back to the late 1970s, when DJs began creating new sounds by using electronic instruments and equipment.
One of the earliest pioneers of EDM was Giorgio Moroder, who is credited with creating the first disco hit, “Love to Love You Baby.” Moroder later went on to produce hits for artists like Donna Summer and David Bowie. In the 1980s, another influential figure in the development of EDM was Jean-Michel Jarre, who created groundbreaking electronic albums like “Oxygene” and “Equinoxe.”
The 1990s saw the rise of several key figures in EDM, including the French duo Daft Punk and the Swedish producer Avicii. Daft Punk’s album “Homework” is considered one of the most important releases in the history of EDM, while Avicii’s song “Levels” helped bring the genre to mainstream audiences.
Since then, EDM has only continued to grow in popularity. In recent years, artists like Calvin Harris and Marshmello have topped charts all over the world with their catchy dance tunes. It’s safe to say that EDM is here to stay!
The rise of festival culture
The rise of festival culture has played a big role in the mainstreaming of EDM. Festivals like Coachella, Ultra, and Tomorrowland have become household names, drawing in massive crowds from all over the world. These festivals are not only about the music – they’re about the entire experience. Attendees can expect to find top-notch production values, celebrity DJ appearances, and world-class stage designs.
This has helped to broaden the appeal of EDM beyond just the music. It’s now seen as a lifestyle and a form of self-expression. This is reflected in the way people dress at festivals – it’s not uncommon to see people in outrageous costumes or body paint.
The mainstreaming of EDM has also been helped by the rise of social media. Platforms like YouTube and Soundcloud have made it easier than ever for new artists to get their music out there. And with sites like Beatport, it’s now possible for anyone to buy and listen to EDM from anywhere in the world.
The future of EDM
You can’t talk about the future of EDM without first understanding its past. Electronic dance music has been around since the late 1970s, but it didn’t gain mainstream attention until the 1990s. Who started EDM and how has it evolved?
The rise of new genres
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a new wave of electronic music genres emerged, mostly related to techno, house and dubstep. These included psytrance, hard trance, nu-skool breaks and tech house. Some of these genres are now more popular than ever, with psytrance in particular undergoing something of a renaissance in recent years.
The continued mainstreaming of EDM
In the 2010s, EDM achieved widespread mainstream popularity in the U.S. Europe, Asia, and South America. In the United States, commercial EDM festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival and Tomorrowland drew large crowds of concertgoers from around the world. The rise of electronic music in mainstream culture led to a wave of new EDM artists such as Avicii, Calvin Harris, Skrillex, and Zedd.
In the 2010s, music critics began to notice a trend of commercialization in the genre. In 2012, Billboard declared that “EDM” had become “a buzzword used by music industry insiders to help define a rapidly growing new sector of popular music.” In 2014, Forbes stated that “mainstream festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival & Tomorrowland have become the equivalent of what Lollapalooza & Coachella were for alternative rock in the 1990s.”
The continued mainstreaming of EDM has led to criticism from some quarters. In 2016, DJ Mag argued that “the barriers between underground and mainstream have all but crumbled.” Some commentators have accused commercial EDM festivals of becoming “more about the experience than the music,” with one blogger stating that they are “nothing but corporate cash cows.”
