[WraithApe]

 

Let's take a little trip down the history of electronic music. Here are five influential electronic artists from the 60's - early 80's:​

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Dick Hyman - The Minotaur (the first electronic album using a Moog synthesizer; 1969)​

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Cool! Never heard that before. It was actually predated by one year by Jean-Jacques Perrey's The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound... (1968), but that sounds well cheesy compared with the Dick Hyman (what a name by the way 

)

 

[DecentLevi]

...Before EDM & dubstep, it was dance music. Before drum & bass, there was techno. Before house, there was disco. And before disco, there were various synth and experimental musicians in Europe and radio shows in the 1950's and beyond, some of them performing on the Electrophonic Radio Workshop in the UK.
 
Also there's actually a current weekly radio show where they showcase ultra-rare vintage electronic music called Oscillator Drift on WLUW:
http://zbconline.com/ (search for "Oscillator Drift". Also check out the "High Voltage Circumcision Show" for breakcore, EBM, etc.)

 

  Techno changed to Tech House, most previous Techno producers went on producing Tech House. DnB has a different structure. EDM is a vague term, and mostly came from Electro House & Progressive House. Before House there was Acid House which in part came from Disco. Interesting topic though.

 

   
I don't like to get too caught up in genre discussions because it often leads to pointless arguments, but I would just say that Tech House evolved out of Techno, rather than Techno changed to Tech House. Techno is still very much alive and kicking in something close to its original form - a lot of Detroit records from the 80s still sound pretty fresh after all this time, while current producers like Surgeon, Blawan, Lucy, Regis, Objekt, Oscar Mulero and Marcus Dettmann (to name a few) continue to push the genre forward. House and Techno are the two forms of electronic music that really abide I think - others come and go but these two remain core. Not saying genres like DnB are dead, but there's less of it produced now than say the 90s or early-mid 00s. Some genres, like Nu School Breaks, were very short-lived indeed. Like you say though, it is an interesting topic, looking at the evolution of the form over the decades.

 

  In other words, yeah thats what i wanted to say.
Yes House, Techno, Trance will last quite a bit, some up and falls but those 3 will remain relatively solid.

I agree with the latter discussion - techno, house & tech house still thrive independently, although there are some hybrids that combine multiple styles... and the line between some of these genres is so thin (house, tech house, deep house, electro house... hardstyle vs. hardcore) that one person could often label the same song differently that another would.
 
I personally resist using the term EDM as an umbrella category. Consider this: EDM stands for electronic dance music, so if you were to say that IDM, breaks, trap, braindance, etc. are all part of EDM, then that implies that these are all meant for dancing, which is quite the contrary... then that leaves newbies to the scene saying "I like EDM but I don't know what electronic music is" 

 (and I've heard this more than once).
 
The way I interpret the term EDM is that it's "dance music" which surfaced in the 80's and rose to mainstream fame in the early/mid 90's, has updated it's name to "electronic dance music" in the mid-2000's; with it's traditional roots being mainly euro-dance to the likes of Culture Beat, Corona, Capella, Real McCoy & Aqua - however EDM remaining at around the same 124 - 132BPM and being independent from dubstep, breaks, house, etc.
 
I'm aware than D&B has a different structure, but was pointing that techno came before it (probably jungle was before D&B). 
 
I agree that house, techno and maybe trance will remain solid, but also that IDM will be quite a mainstay for years to come. In my interpretation, IDM is simply a chaotic rhythm structure, where there are essentially no universal rules, so almost unlimited permutations of random non-sequential beat patterns can be had, and in that way it's quite a diverse genre. Notable IDM artists who have pushed this sub-genre forward for around 25 years are Aphex Twin, Mouse On Mars, Cex, Plaid and Mu-Ziq (and sometimes Squarepusher and Autechre).
 
Labels are mostly just helpful to allow the listener to better find other artists of the style they like, but I would encourage any new listener to not feel burdened by genre labels, as quite honestly, for me, it took almost two decades to learn the difference between styles.

 

[BlakeT]

 

[BlakeT]

 

[DecentLevi]

Starkey - The Transponder Orchestra​

 
WOW! This is what I would call the absolute prime example of current-day electronica in all its glory. Starkey has held that status well in recent years with other gem releases... Out soon
 
https://www.wasabeat.com/releases/228546-starkey-the-transponder-orchestra (click "play all")
https://bleep.com/artist/3929-starkey

 

[WraithApe]

 
Blondes - Persuasion

 

[Eurobeat]

Hello all,

I joined this site a few days ago, but this is my first post in here.

Here is a little background before I go into my post.
 

I have been a fan of VGM(Video Game Music) for as long as I can remember, and I've been gaming for a very long time, both on console, and computer.  I feel I've had a lot of mixed periods of listening to music, from rap, to techno/electronic music, to trance type music, to VGM, and finally Eurobeat/VGM.  In these first few periods I would randomly get a VGM remix and would think "wow, it's cool that people actually remix the songs," without realize how truly big the VGM industry really is.  It's also funny, because I would also randomly get a lot of DDR type songs, which a lot of them ended up being Eurobeat/similar, which is funny since that's what I listen to/love now.  Eventually I found OverClocked Remix, and the VGM remixers on youtube, and dove into that world, FINALLY! .  There was no break with VGM until I saw the anime "Initial D," which features Eurobeat, and that's been how I've gotten into that Genre, and I really enjoy all the similar Genres, so it's not just "Eurobeat" I love.  It's funny because I didn't know what "Eurobeat" was called until the end of watching the show, when I randomly stumbled upon a video with the name "Eurobeat" and the rest was history.  In a sense, that's all I really listen to now, but I do enjoy VGM still as well, it's just I have so many Eurobeat sogs now, that' I'm going through.  I should setup a playlist, though.  I did have one for all my VGM songs, but I ended up adding to many "Idk why I added this crap" song .

So now I'm mostly into Eurobeat,but I still love VGM.  I don't think I could ever shy away from VGM.  Techno and Trance were great, but some songs didn't really appeal to me, and a lot of songs were very slow, which is something I dislike, and VGM/Eurobeat usually has faced paced sounds .

I wanted to post this thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/778532/headphone-recommendations-for-electronic-music#post_11857889

Which has 2 of the genres I mentioned.  I also want to explain a little bit about them, just in case people don't know about them.


the first is "Eurobeat" which essentially was created in Europe back in the 80's, and at one point was dying until a few top artists kept it alive.  I'm not sure if it was it's introduction, or just it boomed in "Japan," but Japan has the biggest market (I think) for Eurobeat now.  It has a lot of lyrics, and fast paced sounds.  Most of it has subgenres that it's based on, for example, the music is very popular among car culture, especially being shown in one of the classic Car Animes of the day "Initial D."


The next is "Video Game Music" which is as anyone can guess, the music that is from video games.  This genre is huge, because it can be any kind of music, seeing as Video games are all based on something, and the music that accompanies it, is based on whatever the game is.  VGM has a certain "flavor" and "tune" though.


Both songs posted above are good examples, imo, of what each Genre is, but there are many other songs that can be used as an example.

For instance, "Double Dragons" a game from the 80's has a more "80's theme" to it, as well as the remake "Double Dragon's Neon,"  keeping that "80's feel."


Countryside 1:



or even some Eurobeat from "Dave Rodgers" (one of the people who kept Eurobeat alive).  This song has heavy emphasis on guitar in it.

Sun City:


Also, one thing which Eurobeat does, which is done a lot in techno and electronic music is using sounds, or create similar sounds,  from other songs.  I wouldn't say VGM does that (normally vgm sounds are the ones being reproduced in other songs), but as I said earlier they reproduce genres and types of music, like the feel of Double Dragons.  This next song is an example of a Eurobeat song using elements from a Video Game.


Space Invaders:



Hope you enjoy .


I also am curious, since this is the section that would know the most about Electronic music, and since I've posted a ton of questions in the help section, I'm curious what setups/headphones people use/enjoy the most in here?

I would assume my best bet is to find out the preferences of those who have similar "tastes" in music as myself.  I would also assume if you like the same types of music, you more or less would like the same equipment that produces your favorite sound?  I know this "Genre" is HUGE when it comes to sounds, so I might not find anyone who even likes Eurobeat, or VGM, or a the same "sound" as myself, but it's worth a shot. 


Thanks all

 

[DecentLevi]

Starkey - Open The Pod Bay Doors​

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TOWA TEI - RADIO​

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screw Buttons - Surf Solar​

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DE DE MOUSE - floats & falls​

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[DecentLevi]

Those videos above were all from my favorite TV show of all time - AMP! (played on the new version around 2012)
 
AMP was an electronic music video show on MTV on late night from late 1996 - 2002 in the US, and there have been alternate versions on MTV-Brasil and MTV-Japan. Notwithstanding my collection of most shows from the original series, I have also been paying a friend in Tokyo to record the currently airing version onto blu-ray and mail them to me in the US for the last few years.
 
The current AMP is the last surviving arm a one of a kind rare bird, and although they do play a few mainstream-ish videos there are some real legends and innovative videos on there, and it's a great way to keep up with current popular electronic music. So anyway who's interested, please send me a PM here and I can share some of the episodes for you - it's in HD and I've personally remastered the audio to make it sound especially good on hi-fi gear. Not for the money, but to spread the love of it!

 

[Lohb]

Found this off WraithApe's Blondes vid. above.
 
A 'wee belter'. A blinder of a last track on a club mix.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[Lotmom]

Ive been looking for a page like this! I recently discovered Instrumental Core and was wondering what else i can listen to like it?
 
also, What genre is this:
 

 
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[DecentLevi]

@Lotmom my impression is that posted song is a combination of ambient, dub (ambient dub) and dubstep, which are sub-genres of downtempo electronica - but there could be other interpretations. Not all electronic songs are definable into one solid genre. Several other artists with a similar sound I would recommend are:
 
DJ Shadow, DJ Spooky, Tricky, FSOL and maybe Jazzanova.
 
Cool link for more like it: http://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/ambient-dub-ma0000011811

 

[DecentLevi]

Hello @Eurobeat, regarding your post. That's interesting, I actually wasn't aware of the the name Eurobeat, but I have heard that style before. This is definitely popular in Japan, and is similar to J-pop which is a tad slower.
 
Regarding video game music, there is actually a sub-genre called 8-bit; this is a more primitive type of electronic music in which at least part of it is made with vintage technology like modded video game consoles or synths that make an 8-bit type of sound, and some of it is still made (although I'm not a fan of this style). Here are some 8-bit mashups I found from the '8-bit universe' channel on Youtube:

All About That Shake (8 Bit Cover MASHUP Version) [Taylor Swift vs Meghan Trainor]

 
There are also several dozen online streams (commercial free online radio stations) for video game music, that you can find by searching "video game" on www.shoutcast.com. My favorite is:
Slay Radio
http://www.slayradio.org/home.php (listen links on the left)

 

[DecentLevi]

Also Mr. Eurobeat, that's a totally relevant question on which headphones are good for electronic music.
 
Personally my favorites are Senn. HD 650 and Beyerdynamic DT 770. Although I haven't tried it much, I would definitely recommend AKG K712 for those electro tunes also - it seems to have the perfect tonality and treble presentation with a just right soundstage. As far as in-ears, I have found that it's more difficult to find earphones that sound good with electronic music... maybe 1 out of 6. But I would definitely recommend the above more than the Oppo's, like PM-1, 2 or 3 which have a somewhat overall muddy/dark sound and lacking detail (referring to the PM-3's at least which I've also tried)

 

[nmatheis]

Agree about avoiding Oppo for electronic. If you want planars go for HiFiMan. My HE400 are great with electronic.

For IEM, I enjoy TPEOS Altone200, Trinity Delta, and VE Duke.