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Electronic dance music

arts Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Electronic dance music, often called EDM, is a wide range of music styles.

Electric Love 2013
Electric Love 2013

These songs use percussion and electronic sounds. People usually listen to this music at nightclubs, raves, or large festivals.

BeatBurger in 2016 Spectrum Dance Music Festival
BeatBurger in 2016 Spectrum Dance Music Festival

A DJ plays the music for the crowd. They create a DJ mix by smoothly moving from one song to the next. This is called a segue. Some producers also perform their music live at concerts. This type of live performance is sometimes called a live PA. EDM is an umbrella term for many different styles. These include dance-pop, house, techno, electro, and trance.

Many different ways can create these sounds. Some styles grow when people mix two or more genres together. This is called hybridization. Other styles emerge as smaller groups called subgenres.

Friend's home studio (by David J)
Friend's home studio (by David J)

In the past, artists used special tools to change sounds. Jamaican dub music used a mixing board like a musical instrument. Producers used tools to add echo and delay to the music. They often used a machine called the Roland Space Echo. This helped create deep bass lines and special textures. These early experiments helped shape how modern dance music sounds today.

Electronic music has a long and interesting history. In the late 1960s, a band named Silver Apples made electronic music for dancing. During the 1970s, disco music became very popular. In 1974, George McCrae released "Rock Your Baby." This was one of the first disco records to use a drum machine. Later, producer Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte worked with Donna Summer. Their 1977 hit "I Feel Love" was famous for having a completely synthesized backing track. In the late 1970s, synth-pop also began to grow. This style used the synthesizer as the main instrument.

New machines helped dance music change in the 1980s.

Roland TR-808 drum machine
Roland TR-808 drum machine

The Roland Corporation made many important electronic tools. One very famous machine is the Roland TR-808. In 1980, Ryuichi Sakamoto used the 808 in his song "Riot in Lagos." This track helped create the sound of electro music. Another famous track was "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa in 1982. This song used the 808 to influence many new styles. Another important tool was the Technics SL-1200 turntable. It was developed in 1971 by a team led by Shuichi Obata. This turntable helped DJs practice a skill called turntablism.

EDM connects many different cultures and places around the world. In the late 1980s, it became very popular in Europe and Japan. In the United States, it was mostly found in places like New York City, Florida, the Midwest, and California. For a long time, the American music industry was not very friendly to rave culture. However, the popularity of EDM grew globally in the new millennium. It became especially popular in Australia and the United States. By the early 2010s, the term EDM was used more often by the music industry. Today, people everywhere enjoy the energy of these electronic beats.

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🖼️ Images & Media (6)
File:Roland TR-808 drum machine.jpg
Roland TR-808 drum machine.jpg
File:TB-303.jpg
TB-303.jpg
File:Friend's home studio (by David J).jpg
Friend's home studio (by David J).jpg
File:Electric Love 2013.jpg
Electric Love 2013.jpg
File:BeatBurger in 2016 Spectrum Dance Music Festival.jpg
BeatBurger in 2016 Spectrum Dance Music...
File:Ecstasy monogram.jpg
Ecstasy monogram.jpg
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