Electronic Education Thread

[fractalign]

An interesting and well researched post but there are some important things that have been left out. As far as electronica goes E.B.M actually predated house and techno by a number of years and was an equally influential genre in its own right.

Emerging from Germany and Belgium in the early eighties, the term ''Electronic Body Music'' or E.B.M was first coined in 1978 by Ralf Hutter from Kraftwerk. Combing elements of industrial and synth pop, E.B.M was arguably the worlds first electronic dance music genre.

For some strange reason this fact is almost always overlooked in dance music history. The earliest pioneers of E.B.M including Front 242, Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy and later on Frontline Assembly are still recording and performing at festivals around the world.

Belgium label Alfa Matrix is responsible for releasing a host of new generation E.B.M artists as well as veteran artists. Another genre created as a result of E.B.M was Goa trance in the early nineties.

What people refer to as trance these days, actually had its origins in Goa India around 1990-91. Goa had been a seaside destination for travellers and hippies for years with all night beach parties featuring heavily in the culture. By the late 80's, DJ's were incorporating E.B.M into their sets along side their more traditional psych rock and dubby sounds.

Electronic producers who heard these sets started fusing all these elements into their tracks
when they got back to Europe, creating what would be known as Goa Trance. Tip Records was one of the first Goa record labels. Tip standing for ''The Infinity Project'' was also a musical project of Raja Ram (who would later go onto form Shpongle with Simon Posford) and Graham Wood.

Its interesting to note that Raja Ram was also a Goa veteran, having first ventured there in the late fifties, he had also been recording music for decades prior to the scene exploding in the early nineties so he was more than versed in helping to create Goa trance.

Before forming Shpongle with Raja Ram, Simon Posford recorded as Hallucinogen which was equally as influential as The Infinity Project. These two acts along with others such as Juno Reactor, Green Nuns of the Revolution and Eat Static were all responsible for the evolution of Goa through the early nineties.

Around 1997 Goa trance spawned a sub genre psychedelic trance or psy trance as it is more commonly known. Japanese Producer and head of Matsuri Productions, Psyoshi Suzuki put a note on his compilation that year "Goa Trance" R.I.P. While this statement did not kill off the genre, it did mark a new evolution in the story of trance.

The Matsuri release marked a rapid departure from the Goa sound with a more minimal electronic approach.
While Goa trance is not as popular now as it was in the nineties, it still lives on and a new generation of artists continue to create Goa trance based tracks.

One of the most interesting twists in the evolution of Goa trance and indeed E.B.M is the co dependency the two genres seem to share. Many modern E.B.M artists such as ''Asphyxia'' use the very same style of pentatonic scales and arpeggiations that Goa artists such as
''Man With No Name'' used in their tracks back in the Nineties.

Whether this is an intentional move by these newer E.B.M artists or not is really of no relevance. What this newer twist in the sound of E.B.M shows is that the two genres continue to feed off each other.

Its also interesting to note that the influence of Goa Trance can be seen in other ways as well. Psy trance based festivals such as Boom, Ozora, Doof and Rainbow Serpent all of which attract tens of thousands of revellers would would not exist with out the influence of Goa trance. And none of this would exist without the creation of E.B.M in the early eighties.

In summing up E.B.M deserves it's place along side house and techno as a member of the big three that helped created E.D.M.

[Aux-In]

We need Melbourne Bounce and Future Bass. I keep seeing these and while they have a slightly different sound, Melbourne being some sort of offshoot of Progressive House with a more tropical vibe, and Future Bass being an offshoot of Deep House, I'm unsure of the technical production aspects which make them different. But that's just how I hear it. I'm pretty decent at distinguishing the differences by ear, but I'm not very knowledgeable about the technical production aspects of electronic music.

[Epikouros]

Power, Journeys and Dreams


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uCkcqnaC_s

[Epikouros]

Methysmerna - Vessel



https://methysmerna.bandcamp.com/album/vessel

an atmospheric journey into the future dystopias..

[dnbgirl]

Originally Posted by djchameleon

Techno

Techno had its roots in the electronic house music made in Detroit in the mid-'80s. Where house still had explicit connection to disco even when it was entirely mechanical, techno was strictly electronic music, designed for a small, specific audience. The first techno producers and DJs — Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins, and Derrick May, among others — emphasized the electronic, synthesized beats of electro-funk artists like Afrika Bambaataa and synth-rock units like Kraftwerk. In the United States, techno was strictly an underground phenomenon, but in England, it broke into the mainstream in the late '80s. In the early '90s, techno began to fragment into a number of subgenres, including hardcore, ambient, and jungle. In hardcore techno, the beats-per-minute on each record were sped up to ridiculous, undanceable levels — it was designed to alienate a broad audience. Ambient took the opposite direction, slowing the beats down and relying on watery electronic textures — it was used as come-down music, when ravers and club-goers needed a break from acid house and hardcore techno. Jungle was nearly as aggressive as hardcore, combining driving techno beats with breakbeats and dancehall reggae — essentially. All subgenres of techno were initially designed to be played in clubs, where they would be mixed by DJs. Consequently, most of the music was available on 12-inch singles or various-artists compilations, where the songs could run for a long time, providing the DJ with a lot of material to mix into his set. In the mid-'90s, a new breed of techno artists — most notably ambient acts like the Orb and Aphex Twin, but also harder-edged artists like the Prodigy and Goldie — began constructing albums that didn't consist of raw beats intended for mixing. Not surprisingly, these artists — particularly the Prodigy — became the first recognizable stars in techno.

Examples: The Advent, Joey Beltram , Damon Wild, Space DJs, Speedy J

Trance

Breaking out of the German techno and hardcore scene of the early '90s, Trance emphasized brief synthesizer lines repeated endlessly throughout tracks, with only the addition of minimal rhythmic changes and occasional synthesizer atmospherics to distinguish them -- in effect putting listeners into a trance that approached those of religious origin. Despite waning interest in the sound during the mid-'90s, trance made a big comeback later in the decade, even supplanting house as the most popular dance music of choice around the globe.

Inspired by acid house and Detroit techno, trance coalesced with the opening of R&S Records in Ghent, Belgium and Harthouse/Eye Q Records in Frankfurt, Germany. R&S defined the sound early on with singles like "Energy Flash" by Joey Beltram, "The Ravesignal" by CJ Bolland, and others by Robert Leiner, Sun Electric, and Aphex Twin. Harthouse, begun in 1992 by Sven Väth with Heinz Roth & Matthias Hoffman, made the most impact on the sound of trance with Hardfloor's minimal epic "Hardtrance Acperience" and Väth's own "L'Esperanza," plus releases by Arpeggiators, Spicelab, and Barbarella. Artists like Väth, Bolland, Leiner, and many others made the transition to the full-length realm, though without much of an impact on the wider music world.

Despite a long nascent period when it appeared trance had disappeared, replaced by breakbeat dance (trip-hop and jungle), the style's increasing impact on Britain's dance scene finally crested in the late '90s. The classic German sound had changed somewhat though, and the term "progressive" trance gained favor to describe influences from the smoother end of house and Euro dance. By 1998, most of the country's best-known DJs -- Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, Tony De Vit, Danny Rampling, Sasha, Judge Jules -- were playing trance in Britain's superclubs. Even America turned on to the sound (eventually), led by its own cast of excellent DJs, including Christopher Lawrence and Kimball Collins.

Examples: Juno Reactor , Power Source , System 7, Atmos

Trance Sub genres

Epic: Came about in the late 90s and early 00s when trance was commercial. It's known for it's epic, euphoric, and emotional feel. Since it was commercial, it wasn't hard to find and a multitude of producers were making it. Eventually due to the fact that many of the songs started sounding the same, around 04-05 many of the commercial artists started to delve into tech trance and also started incorporating house influences. The first song that really made epic trance the way it was : Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar (Three N' One Remix). It is one of the most remixed songs ever.. and the original song was pretty much overlooked until 4 years later when this version came out.

Artists : Nitrous Oxide, Andy Blueman, Daniel Kandi, Aly & Fila, Oen Bearen
Songs : Age of Love - Age of Love, ATB - 9 P.M. Til I Come, Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar, Armin van Buuren - Communication

Tech : Came about after the very big commercial uprising of trance. It started out being produced by former hard trance producers.. but when hard trance got harder.. and harder.. it ended up being its own genre of Hardstyle. Producers like Scot Project and Cosmic Gate were not interested in it so they began to produce tech trance. However some commercial trance artists got interested in the sound and started to produce it as well because the "epic" sound was getting a bit dated. Then hard trance legends like Scot Project started performing with commercial artists like Mike Koglin and still do today. However hard trance is still being produced today.. it isn't nearly as easy to find.

Artists: Mike Koglin (later releases), Jesselyn, Marcel Woods, Sied van Riel, Kidd Kaos (bordering on hard trance)
Songs: Tiesto - Traffic, Richard Durand - Make Me Scream, Joop - Another World, Fred Baker vs. Greg Nash - Lunar Eclipse

Hard : Since trance originated in the early 90s when hardcore was popular, many trance songs would by today's standards be considered hard. However it wasn't until around 2001-2002 when producers like Scot Project, Cosmic Gate, and Yoji Biomehanika started truly mastering it. As I'd mentioned before.. it got harder and harder until hardstyle was created and most of the artists went their separate ways. Scot Project started to produce tech, Cosmic Gate went commercial and now are producing.. whatever you would consider popular right now (epic trance mixed with techno.. some electro and maybe some house), and Yoji Biomehanika went to Tech Dance like Vandall.

Artists: Kamui (earlier releases.. then went to tech.. now are electro), Scot Project (earlier releases), A.S.Y.S. (earlier releases), S.H.O.K.K., Space Raven
Songs: Cosmic Gate - The Wave, Schwarze Puppen - Tanz, T.O.C.S. - 2, Kamui - Ghosts

Progressive: This started around the mid 90s when commercial trance started becoming popular.. but this was more underground music. Artists like BT, Sasha, John Digweed, and Airwave (or Lolo) were producing it. Nowadays it took off and is still being produced and played by many of the big names. One issue with progressive trance is that progressive house is quite similar. Both can be emotional, both can be uplifting, both usually have breaks, and both are quite popular. If progressive trance sounds good then definitely check out progressive house (artists like Mango and Atlantis Ocean).

Artists: Armin van Buuren, Markus Schulz, Ashley Wallbridge, Lolo, Breakfast
Songs: Annie Lennox - The Saddest Song I've Got (Kuffdam & Plant Remix), Solarstone - Seven Cities (Armin van Buuren Remix), Robert Vadney - A Day in Heaven, Markus Schulz & Carrie Skipper - Never Be the Same Again

Progressive

House music had reached the mainstream by the late '80s (more so in Britain than anywhere else), and while several early house hits were by genuine pioneers, they were later overwhelmed by the novelty acts and one-hit wonders dominating the charts around the turn of the decade. As well, ambient, techno, and trance made gains early in the '90s as electronic styles with both street cred and a group of young artists making intelligent music. A generation of house producers soon emerged, weaned on the first wave of house and anxious to reapply the more soulful elements of the music. With a balance of sublime techno and a house sound more focused on New York garage than Chicago acid house, groups like Leftfield, the Drum Club, Spooky, and Faithless hit the dance charts (and occasionally Britain's singles charts). Though critically acclaimed full-lengths were never quite as important as devastating club tracks, several Progressive House LPs were stellar works, including Leftfield's Leftism, Spooky's Gargantuan, and the Drum Club's Everything Is Now. By the mid-'90s, the innovations of progressive house had become the mainstream of house music around the world.

Examples: Sasha, Mike Dierickx, Armin Van Buuren, Brian Transeau

Trance Subgenres by CanwllCorfe

very good information indeed.

[Roguette]

Originally Posted by djchameleon

.....

Electronic

Reaching back to grab the grooves of '70s disco/funk and the gadgets of electronic composition.....

About 10-12 years ago I began reading (must have been a thing at the time) that electronica had (has!) something like 270 different subgenres. It's crazy, or it must have driven a few people crazy trying to break it down into those hundreds of itty bitty teensy weensy lumps.

I started listening to 'EDM' in the summer before I started college, about 2001 or so. Friends started dragging me to underground clubs in the Philly/DC area.... sometimes I didn't even know where I was lol, but NOT from drugs or drink, I just didn't worry about where, as long as I was with my besties. I also didn't worry about what to call the music that I really loved.

Funny story, just a few weeks ago I got mega-slammed by a European guy (who claimed to be a DJ) for using the term 'EDM'. He told me that Europeans laugh at Americans who call it that. I wanted to tell him that I ****ing didn't care what he or anyone else wanted to call it, I was just trying to be brief in my messaging.

Terminology is important to some extent and I thank you djchameleon for taking the time and trouble. I also love to read and talk about and explore music history in all of its wonderful and sometimes marvellously majestic forms.

I myself love some old-and-mid-school House music (plus or minus Oakenfold, Benassi etc) and various Trance, probably going back at least 10 years. And I may be wrong but the label that I use for any Trance type music that leans toward monotone and >124 bpm is 'Techno', and in that regard I usually think of myself (in part) as a 'Techno' freak. It's easy for me to see why I categorize like that but not easy to describe to anyone else.

I Love House/Trance 'love songs' like Kristine W's 'Save My Soul' (Gabriel & Dresden Bootleg!!) and some minimal house and ambient trance and I LUST for (more or less) minimal techno artists like Harvey McKay and Trentemoller, and just overall The Beats 'n Bass of so much other stuff in this genre. But the #1 thing with me is mostly about the DANCE aspect of......

EDM. Electronic DANCE Music.

OF COURSE not all electronica is dance music. EDM. But ****** that's what I like and sometimes that's exactly what I want to call it. ******.

[dnbgirl]

I making new ambience and making some diskz for it. (out in 2025)

[Roguette]

SO CHILL

[Roguette]

Listening to the 8-minute Inpetto extended mix (BopRl0_DqpQ), less vocals and more luscious music