The History of EDM
Technology has affected every aspect of our lives and has given rise to the increasingly popular genre of electronic dance music, or EDM. The umbrella term EDM covers a range of subcultures and genres, which all grew out of the 1960s culture of raves, music festivals, and club culture. Some forms of EDM and rave culture originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s from gay and Black communities in Chicago, making it a home for inclusion and acceptance from the start. Simultaneously, club and house music was becoming very popular in Europe, as well, which led to the global, but very nuanced, phenomena of EDM in the 2000s and onwards. Despite any differences, though, EDM around the world had this in common: it was also a symbol of the concurrent cultural and social movements of the times. As a modern and futuristic genre, EDM provided a sense of unity at the turn of the century while also furthering progressive societyal goals of equality and inclusivity. It represented a new era for music, and a new era for society.
So, how does EDM actually work? Part of the allure of EDM came from the fact that the whole process could be done by one individual – artists no longer needed to learn how to play an instrument and put together a band, lowering the barriers to entry. That’s not to say that DJing is easy; mastery of their DAW (Digital Audio Workshop), the ability to use electronic instruments and synthesizers, and most importantly, a good ear are all crucial to producing electronic music. At the same time, clubs could save money because they didn’t have to hire bands. Instead, they could let one DJ own the stage and transition seamlessly through a variety of songs, known as a mix.
While you might think of EDM as just mainstream music made by the Aviciis, Kygos, and MARSHMELLOs of the world, you may not have heard of the more niche genres of trance, dubstep, drum and bass, tropical house, techno, ethnic electronica, lounge house, Eurotrance, Ragga jungle, just to name a few. There are countless genres as EDM is an ever-expanding field with new technology and innovation enabling DJs and producers to create more sounds within their tracks. As one writer put it, “this genre spawns a constant stream of variants as the technological wizards, DJs, re-configure any kind of music or sound—from a train whistle to the chant of a Tibetan llama—within the thud-thudding of a four-beats-to-a-bar rhythm.” EDM’s origins, along with its free-form, developing style of expression made EDM and the culture surrounding it a backdrop for an inclusive and diverse community, where individuals were free to express themselves however they wanted, in the same way that the music took many different forms.This freedom and creativity that came with electronic music, as well as the relative newness of the genre, gave rise to a whole host of sub-genres, and sub-cultures to go along with it.
Location was also very influential in the development of EDM, as many different cities developed their own sub-genres. Sometimes, individual DJs or clubs would have such a distinct style that they earned their own musical subcategorization. In fact, the whole genre of “house” music derived from the characteristic music played by famous DJ Frankie Knuckles at a predominantly black gay club in Chicago called The Warehouse.
Similarly, in the 1980s DJ Larry Levan was a DJ at Paradise Garage (a club in NYC), which led to the development of “garage house” music, which subsequently led to a host of other sub-genres including “UK garage” and “speed garage.”
While there are countless genres and sub-genres of EDM, some of the generally-accepted parent genres of EDM are House, Trance, Techno, Dubstep, Drum n Bass. As the EDM movement progressed, it has taken hold around the world and is very popular in places like Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and has morphed into different styles and identities in each location. For a deeper dive into these individual genres and sub-genres, stay tuned for the next article in this series!