We’ve all seen the great, mysterious explosion of Electronic Music over the last few years. It can be a bit intimidating for someone who is just getting started. It was for me anyway. However, once I got my bearings and understood more about the types of electronic music that are out there, it became much easier to navigate through the subgenres. So, in case you’re looking to get into this wonderful world of music but don’t know where to start, I put together a list of some of the most popular subgenres for you to check out.
Ambient: Ambient music is often intended as background music or atmospheric enhancement. It is generally devoid of drums and percussion and relies on slow tempos and repetitive melodies. Some ambient artists include Brian Eno, Harold Budd & The Orb.
Breakbeat: Breakbeat refers to a range of styles that emerged from house/techno and hip hop in the late 80s/90s. Examples are jungle (one of my favorite genres), drum & bass, trip hop & nu jazz. Artists include DJ Zinc, Chase & Status & Aphex Twin.
Dubstep: Dubstep is an electronic music genre that originated in South London in the late
Electronic music can be a difficult genre to get into for the uninitiated. The sheer number of subgenres and artists can be overwhelming, especially for those who are new to the scene.
If you’re looking for a place to start, you’ve come to the right place. Below, you’ll find brief descriptions of some of the most popular subgenres that characterize electronic music.
House
House is probably the easiest type of electronic music to get into and is particularly well-suited for beginners. House is characterized by a 4/4 beat, with basslines and drumbeats that are usually simple but catchy.
Techno
The techno genre has many different styles within it and began in the mid 80s. Techno is usually characterized by the absence of vocals and instead focuses on synthesizers and sampling technology, along with drum machines and computer software like Logic Pro X or Ableton Live. Techno often uses repetitive beats and loops to create an atmosphere with sounds that have been described as “hypnotic” or “mesmerizing.”
Trance
Trance is also characterized by its hypnotic feel, which makes it another good style for beginners. Trance tends to be upbeat
When it comes to electronic music, there are so many subgenres that it can be hard for newcomers to choose where to start. For example, if you search “electronic music” on Spotify, you’ll get a whopping 969 genres in the search results. That’s a lot of listening material.
So to help out the newbs, we’ve decided to break down some of the most popular subgenres of electronic music. Here’s a brief guide to five of the most popular types of electronic music: dubstep, house, techno, trance and drum ‘n’ bass.
Dubstep
[dub-step]
Usually before someone even asks about dubstep, they already have something in mind—and it’s probably Skrillex. While this American producer has definitely made a name for himself as one of dubstep’s biggest artists (he even has his own subgenre named after him), he is by no means the only dubstep artist out there.
In fact, dubstep originates from London in the late ’90s and is characterized by heavy basslines and drum patterns with occasional vocals. The sound became more mainstream in North America during 2010 when artists like Rusko began playing at major music festivals like Coachella and Ultra
You’ve heard about it and are curious: Electronic music is taking over the world! But where do you start? There are so many subgenres that it can be mind boggling. Here’s a guide to get you started on your journey.
The most popular genre of electronic music is EDM which stands for Electronic Dance Music. EDM encompasses a wide variety of styles including the ones listed below. EDM producers generally use a lot of software instruments, samples and loops to create their songs.
Hip Hop – Hip hop producers use elements from traditional hip hop music like rapping and scratching as well as sampling and synthesizers. The most notable artists in the genre are DJ Shadow, DJ Premier, Organized Noize, Dr. Dre and Kanye West.
Trap – Trap is a dirty style of hip hop that originated in Atlanta in the early 2000s. It uses a heavy 808 drum sound, pitched down vocal samples and dark melodies to create an eerie mood. While trap isn’t very popular in the mainstream, it has an extremely loyal underground following. Popular artists include Chief Keef, Future, Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz.
Dubstep – Dubstep is characterized
The scene of electronic music is constantly changing and growing. For the beginner, this can be a bit daunting. One can easily be overwhelmed by all the choices, or simply get stuck in a tunnel of repetitive beats and mind-numbing lyrics.
It is good to know what exactly you want to hear when you tune into an electronic music radio station. The genre has many subgenres, each with their own style and vibe. There are so many different types of atmospheric dance tracks, not to mention remixes and mashups that make it hard to keep up with all the new hits.
Electronic music has been around for decades and is still going strong today. EDM has been featured in many popular movies such as Tron: Legacy, Oblivion and even The Social Network. Both Daft Punk and Skrillex have won Academy Awards for Best Original Score, proving that electronic music is being recognized as more than just an underground genre.
In this article we will go over some of the most popular subgenres of electronic music today, as well as some notable artists within each category. By the end you should have a better understanding of what makes each type of EDM unique from one another.
Electronic music is music made on computers, synthesizers, and drum machines. It’s hard to get an exact definition because it includes a huge range of styles, from Kraftwerk to Skrillex. But all you really need to know is that it’s a broad term for all kinds of instrumental pop music made with electric instruments.
Electronic music is not about guitars or drums. It’s about synths, samplers, drum machines and effects units. You can hear electronic music almost anywhere these days: in commercials and movie soundtracks, on the radio and in pop songs. But there’s also a whole world of electronic music out there that isn’t pop — and it can be pretty weird!
There are so many different kinds of electronic music that it can be hard to figure out where to start. To help you get started, here are some of the most popular genres:
House
House is a fast-paced dance music genre with lots of energy. It usually features 4/4 beats, repeating bass lines and simple melodies over multiple layers of rhythms. Its history goes back to the early 1980s when disco DJs in Chicago were experimenting with new sounds by playing multiple records simultaneously (a technique called
Electronic music has been around for a long time, but over the past several years, more and more people have started to become interested in it. I remember when I was in high school (around 5 years ago) and going to my first electronic show. All I knew was Daft Punk, Steve Aoki and Deadmau5. Everyone loved them but they weren’t really “cool” yet.
Now, electronic music is the most popular genre of music in the world. The problem with that is that with any genre of music, there are subgenres and it can be overwhelming to try and get into something when you have no idea where to start. So, because I love sharing my knowledge about music, here is a list of some of the most popular genres of electronic music and some artists that would fit under each genre.