EDM, or electronic dance music is a term used to describe a revolutionary new set of music genre’s that are generally beat driven, with tracks that are made, typically, by playing directly with sound equipment as apposed to traditional interments. EDM’s roots date back to the early seventies when a few members of the band known as The Grateful Dead got together with a few MIT graduates and began making music using new technologies that were available to them. Then in the mid seventies the disco movement and experimental pop music from the group Kraftwerk elaborated upon these ideas. With the advent of home PC’s and MIDI(Musical Instrument Digital Interface) the possibilities for musical expansion in the electronic world became endless. Many genre’s began popping up and a whole new musical revolution was beginning.

Though there is no “official guide” the different genres of EDM can be viewed historically as all coming from seven mother genres. The “mother” genres of EDM are: House, Trance, Techno, Break-beat, Jungle, Hardcore, and Down-tempo. Each of these genres is then split up more by their rhythm and speed. Each genre has its own unique feel and style and within each of these genres are hundreds of other sub genres.

House is one of the oldest genres originating in Chicago and New York city, in the mid seventies and early eighties from a mix of Disco and Dub Reggae. It is based on a 4/4 beat making it the most danceable. House is the most human sounding or warm EDM genre making it the most popular all of modern pop music gets its beats hooks and gimmicks from house and vise versa. Across the globe House music is the single most popular form of music.

Trance originates from an infusion of early eighties industrial techno and disco. It is extremely popular in Europe, and is at the center of much of the European rave scene (which is more popular there than football is here, in 1997 Germany held the first annual million-man rave).Trance is based on long tracks which start out slow then speed up and peak then slowdown right before ending.

Techno is often a misused term in America because it is the name for the style of EDM that originated in the poverty racked streets of Detroit in the early-mid eighties. It is the heart of the American EDM scene with a dark inhuman almost depressing sound. This is the music of a dying industrial city, with sub genres that include, Deep Techno, Minimal Techno and Gloomcore. Techno has little current main stream success it historically gains popularity when we have an abundance of poor inner city youth.

Break-beat is the most popular form of EDM in America. Started in the early eighties by the Sugarhill gang and other underground artists in New York city, inspired by electro funk. Some sub genres of Break-beat you may be familiar with are Hip-Hop, East/West coast rap, Gangsta rap, and Turntableist. Break-beats are characterized by there 2/4 rhythm and a general feel of a beat being laid down then broken and repeat.

Jungle is the newest “mother genre” originating in America in the late eighties it came out of the fusion of the Reggie and the Rave scenes. It is very popular in the Americas and England with the supper sub genre of Drum & Bass or simply D&B being one of the fastest growing areas of EDM.

Hardcore is THE underground genre coming from House and Industrial it single handedly was responsible for the early nineties American rave culture and the fall of EDM in America. To this day this is the music of the Rave world wide. Like the rave it has two sides to is one being the American based, fast passed anger based side and the other is the European (Scottish originating) Happy-Hardcore.

Downtempo is the chill genre, this is the genre that you listen to while reading a book at night or driving etc. Though it is EDM it is the least danceable form of EDM. It is based on music exploration and is really in some ways the heart and soul of all EDM.












If you would like to listen to and learn about EDM www.di.fm/edmguide/ is a wonderful site to do so on.

There is a lot on campus which a red squirrel may see.
In his search for god.
55 it's said to be.
As before new hope he trod.
Against the arrows in the road.
Just past the magic mushroom.
There was a light before the tree.
to let him see the lock.

And now all signs were telling him.
he was on his way.
But then the bridge befuddled him.
for what did the signs say.

He was at a bridge he could not cross.
He had no time for games of golf.
But then he saw before he stopped.
If he were brave.
And he could rave.
He could continued upon his way.

Now he thought the worst is past.
Pondering how he and god would toast.
As he struggled to maintain his fast.
There was a sign at every post.

Past the final green, what was left of the path?
he walked until he saw the sign
and then he did the math
it was clearly time for him to climb.

Up the twins he scurried fast.
To the father bear.
With fur like paper.
It had seen climbers past.
Though very, very rare.
As he climbed this greatest tree it's limbs began to taper.
Then at the top he saw the sign and saw the view and saw god’s truest nature.