Sunday, February 27, 2011

Electronic Music


So, I know that electronic music is not big in the states, but I love it. Studying abroad in England for a semester and living with two DJ's definitely had some effect on me. Even my roommates have begun to listen to it. I even find myself asking them for new tunes now. I have noticed that it is up and coming in the states though, which I am excited about. Certain songs have different aspects of electronic music, such as Stereo Love by, Edward Maya and even Brittany's new song Hold It Against Me.

What some people don't know is that there are different genres of electronic music. It is not just all techno. I certainly didn't know that until I was in England and my mates educated me on electronic music. Some of the more dominant types are House, Drum and Bass / Jungle, Dubstep, Techno, Trance and more. It may sound all the same to some, but once you start listening you can begin to tell the difference.

House has more of an uptempo that is good for dancing. You can hear a lot of house music out at clubs. Variants of house include, tech house, progressive house, pop house and more. Here is a song categorized as house music. It's called House Music by Benny Benassi.
Some other artists include, Afrojack, Kaskade, Swedish House Maffia, Calvin Harris, Tiesto, Fedde le Grand, Laidback Luke and The Bloody Beetroots.

Drum and Bass / Jungle is more of heavy basslines. Rhythm drives these types of songs and the overlaid rhythm patters and often changed several times during the same song to create breakbeats. Styles include, jump-up, liquid, techstep and more. This is Timewarp by Sub Focus.
Other artists include, Dirtyphonics, Pendulum, Datsik, Netsky, and DJ Hazard.

Dubstep usually has one or more "bass drops", which was inherited from drum 'n' bass. Typically, the percussion will pause, often reducing the track to silence, and then resume with more intensity, accompanied by a dominant subbass. This is Smash TV by Chase and Status.
Other artists include, Rusko, Bassnectar, Excision & Datsik, Designer Drugs and one of my favorites, Skrillex (a little more hard core).

Techno emphasizes rhythm and utilizes advancements in music technology and production. It is a mainly instrumental genre. Styles of techno include, detroit techno, dub techno, hardtechno and more. Here is Ghosts N Stuff by Deadmau5, another favorite of mine.
Some other artists include, Boyz Noise, and Carl Cox.

Trance is often intended for dancing. Trance has a steady beat and often uses synthesizer sounds to create a droning melody. Styles of trance include, progressive trance, psychedelic trance and hard trance. This is Flight 642 by Tiesto.
Other artists include, Armin Van Burren, Above and Beyond, and Paul Van Dyke.

I never was into electronic music, but being in England really rubbed off on me and electronic music is now a big passion of mine. I even intern at Ultra Music, which is an American independent electronic dance music label. 

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