EDM
Origins
Musicians have been playing around with electronic music since the 1960s, with the Theremin and the Moog synthesiser, but electronic music didn’t start to become popular until the 1970s. The music at this time, however, wasn’t classed as electronic dance music until “the use of the synthesiser to create popular music was combined with the songwriting and production techniques of disco". The earliest form of ‘true’ electronic dance music, known as House music, emerged in 1980s Chicago. Sub-genres, such as Drum & Bass and Trance, grew out of House. Over time, electronic dance music has become suitable not only for club settings, but also for a mainstream audience through its fusion with pop music.
Musical Fingerprints
Instrumentation: Drum machines (Roland TR series), synths (TB bass synthesisers), samplers, turnable. No live instruments. Mostly entirely instrumental.
Tempo: Ever since House music, many sub-genres, specifically Acid House, Drum & Bass, Jungle and Trace, have increased the tempo of the music. All sub-genres have a relatively fast tempo thats suitable for dancing to.
Rhythm: Some genres, particularly Drum & Bass and Jungle, use syncopated rhythms inspired by Jamaican style bass lines, which contrasted the very simple rhythms of House music (four-to-the-floor, off-beat high hats and accents on the second and fourth beats)
Harmony: Generally very little harmonic interest.
Structure: Relies less heavily on traditional song form; will have repeating sections, perhaps interspersed with contrasting sections.
Technological Fingerprints
Technology is vital in the creation of electronic dance music, specifically the development of the DAW.
Important instruments, such as the Roland TR series and the TB bass synthesiser, were developed in the early days of EDM, and they became widely associated with the musical style.
The TB-303 bass synth was mostly used in Acid House music, and musicians created the iconic ‘squelchy’ bass sound through “real time manipulation of cut off frequency, resonance and release time."
Side chaining, bass boosting, pitch shifting, time stretching and heavy automation are associated with the genre.
Artists
Daft Punk, Skrillex, Fatboy Slim, David Guetta.