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JJ's Bizarre Blog #35 - Voyage into Synthetic Realms
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Heya, everybody. Hope you are keeping the summer party atmosphere strong out there! If you’re not, well maybe this blog can help you with that. I have been passionate about electronic music for a long long time and I enjoy a wide spectrum of what is out there. I’ve always wanted to talk about this in blog form ever since I started this project, but there’s a consistent problem – the genres of electro are vast and varied, yet confusingly overlapping and my knowledge in them was far too surface level to give them the proper blog treatment. But I still wanna talk about them! I may not be able to map the entire realm for you, but I can still take you there and hopefully inspire you to explore. So here’s what I’ve decided to do. Let’s explore together a glossary of some of the biggest electronic genres out there, at least the ones I tend to enjoy the most, and appreciate the vastness of these synthetic realms. So hop on in and let’s go!
Obviously, electronic music is heavily tied to the advancement of technology, so the first productions of this kind were born around the 60s and 70s, just as computers started becoming more accessible and synthesizers started to enter the market. Innovative composers quickly began to take advantage of this rapid innovation and went on to contribute to it by inventing their own instruments and techniques for the creation of electronic music. This was entirely uncharted territory, so basically everything about it was created from scratch! German visionaries Kraftwerk were among the first to kickstart this revolution and many of their contemporaries helped make electronic one of the most important branches of popular music.
This would be further expanded by the aptly titled new wave movement – a mixture of rock and electronic that went for a poppy yet synthetic sound and exposed a whole new generation of listeners to the beauty and potential of synthesizers. Some of the biggest bands of this style remain global superstars to this day.
Let’s begin our journey of discovery in earnest with techno. What can widely be regarded as the nexus point and origin of most electronic subgenres, techno was one of the first coined terms and is still often erroneously used as a catch-all term for all electro. Generally though, this style was born in the 80s and was defined by forgoing any traditional instruments and instead embracing computers and synthesizers fully, creating an artificial and robotic sound. The style has evolved a lot and has significant overlap with many other styles but it remains one of the most influential movements out there, going from dark to danceable, from minimalistic to experimental and everything in between.
One style that evolved roughly around the same time as techno would be house. Basically a blank slate term referring to electronic music with a catchy four on the floor beat, accompanied by synths, effects, samples and sometimes vocals. Born from the underground clubbing scene in the early 80s, house continues to evolve and to this day remains one of the premier electronic genres, gathering a global fanbase and blasting in front of crowds in the tens of thousands. It’s many offshoots also make it one of the most versatile styles, such as the drawn out compositions of progressive house, the atmospheric beats of deep house, the wild synth melodies of acid house, etc.
The nearby cousin of house is the other big star of the electronic scene – trance! The border between the two is razor thin in my opinion and the main differentiation is that house focuses more on steady beats and a consistent vibe while trance strives to be more melodic, dancey and uplifting. Even though here too, there is a ton of variety. Progressive trance goes way more experimental while psychedelic, goa and acid trance go for a more bizarre and quirky atmosphere instead. Nonetheless, trance never fails to lift one’s spirits up and is a powerhouse on the world stage. Dutch superstar Armin Van Buuren is easily the most popular and his A State of Trance show is the biggest gathering point for all fans of the genre.
Probably the most popular offshoot of these popular genres would be the so called electronic dance music, or EDM for short. This has become a global sensation and even most typical pop music coming out nowadays follows an EDM formula. The style itself is very loosely defined and mostly used as a catch-all term for upbeat and melodic electro meant for dancefloors and festivals, its general style mainly deriving from house and trance. Despite the vagueness, the term is everywhere now, so I couldn’t just pass it up.
An offshoot of techno that has been brewing in the shadows from as far back as the 70s is industrial. This is a broad term that mainly focuses on electronic and adjacent styles that commit fully to the artificial, mechanical sound, much more than techno. Synths are often twisted and distorted, beats are heavy and marching, vocals, if present, are layered with tons of effects and the use of samples of both other media and industrial machinery and assorted appliances are common. The latter is where the genre gets its name from too. Industrial is a vast landscape that I intend to explore deeper in future. Its much darker sound makes it less palatable than the aforementioned styles, but it’s still gathered a massive cult following and the compositions are ever so engaging and never waste a chance to be catchy and danceable.
Techno of course continued to evolve and as more mixes from other cultures and music spheres like dub and reggae started to join the UK clubbing scene, a new style was gestating – breakbeat hardcore, also sometimes called just hardcore but that makes people confuse it with hardcore punk so I’m not gonna call it that. Breakbeat was named namely after the iconic “amen break” and many similar jazz, blues and funk originating drum beats that were sampled for the creating of this style. Very similar to classic techno, breakbeat evolves by using heavier rhythms, more unusual drum patterns, lots more samples and experimentation and a loud potent sound. While not as mainstream, electronic hardcore has one of the vastest and most devoted fanbases today and has spawned endless spinoff subgenres that dominate the underground electro scene.
One offspring of breakbeat that did go on to take the world by storm was the oddly titled “big beat”. Played at a slower tempo, employing heavy, hard hitting drum beats (likely where the name comes from), lots of synth lines and elements of acid house, goa trance, dub, jungle and more, the big beat movement born in the UK became a global sensation, mostly thanks to its pioneers The Prodigy. Soon, it would spread across the Atlantic and the UK and US scenes would start trying to outcompete each other over who has the most pumping, most headcrushing tracks. Loud, energetic, catchy, dancey and unique, big beat was relatively short lived as a stylistic movement, but it left a massive impact on the electronic scene. Since then, no racing video game would feel complete without them.
Now, if all this hardcore stuff wasn’t hard enough for you, we can go one further with one of the loudest movements in the electronic hardcore scene – hardstyle, also known as gabber. Unlike some other genres on this list, hardstyle is one of the most easily recognizable thanks to its super loud marching drum beats, distorted bass lines and heavy drops. It’s a very distinct style that has gathered a massive fanbase and has been shaking clubs apart for decades now. I mean, it’s techno so powerful it’ll make your brain ooze out of your earholes, how could you not love it?
If the amen break hadn’t become iconic enough through breakbeat, it would spawn another whole genre pretty much exclusively centered around it – drum ‘n’ bass! This is one genre I am actually really deep into, so much so it has its own blog already so I’ll keep it short here. What you need to know is this – d’n’b is likewise very recognizable thanks to its characteristic drum beats that are full of energy. It goes fast and hard and is basically adrenaline in sonic form. Go for it!
Drum ‘n’ bass would be the pappy to a genre I’m sure you’ve heard before, one that came to define the early 2010s and has left a lasting impact on popular music – dubstep! Immediately recognizable by its mid-tempo heavy beats, wobbly bass and, most importantly, heavy drops filled with distorted synth and wacky effects. This is one of my favourite electronic genres and likewise has a whole blog on it, so drop right in and reminisce about an era that is hard to forget. And don’t worry, dubstep is still going strong in the underground scene and it won’t be going anywhere soon! There’s plenty more bass to drop left!
We went harder and we went faster, but electro is far more versatile than just speed and adrenaline. There is a whole other branch of techno that spawned long ago that focuses on slowing things down and crafting a dense and soothing atmosphere. Most of these fall under the so called downtempo umbrella, which encapsulates a lot of styles of techno that focus on a very slow and deliberate pace. The synth lines used focus either on dark melodies or dense soundscaping. The vibe created is like nothing else out there! It also spawned a ton of other similar styles like chillstep, chillhop, trip hop and more.
Downtempo of course was heavily influenced by and had its own influence on another huge style, that being ambient. This is a very broad term and ambient music traces its history all the way back to the first electronic recordings. In general, it refers to a broad range very slow and atmospheric music designed to create a distinctive vibe and feeling. It’s very calming, often forgoing percussion altogether. A lot of people may say that this makes it boring, but there is a distinct goal of being very atmospheric with ambient and there is a lot of subtlety to appreciate when you really pay attention. I implore you to give it a fair chance.
From here on out, we reach the modern era of electronic music as it continues to evolve, so allow me to introduce you to some more niche modern styles that keep pushing the envelope. A personal favourite and one that is growing ever more popular is synthwave and darksynth. Focused on a steady techno-style beat, layered synth melodies, a dark and melancholic sound and dense atmosphere, this style is just a joy to behold. Deeply integrated with cyberpunk artistry and taking cues from 80s synthpop and internet microgenres like vaporwave, the distinctive vibe of this movement is its defining feature. Few styles are so linked with their visual and lyrical themes. I recommend you check my cyberpunk blog for more on this beauty and its origins. In general though, if you love this sort of deep dark sci-fi vibe, synthwave and darksynth are a necessity!
Another darling of mine is eurobeat – imagine if you took 80s disco, put it on oldschool house and techno beats, sped it up to the limit and drowned it in retro synth melodies and corny lyrics. It’s pure adrenaline! Ironically, despite the name, it rose to popularity in Japan before making a global splash. Basically, watch the anime Initial D and you’ll know what it is. All eurobeat traces back to that starting line.
A really fun one that took the internet by storm is hardbass. This is a cousin of hardstyle that was born in Russia and quickly spread first across Eastern Europe and later worldwide. It stands out with its catchy danceable rhythms that are less heavy than hardstyle and its heavy use of the iconic “PVC pipe donk”. It’s hard to describe, but you’ll know it when you hear it. In any case, hardbass is a ton of fun, it’s like the UK hardcore techno parties but with a distinct Slavic twist.
Lastly, a new kid on the block is one wackjob called phonk. You may not know the name, but if you spend enough time online nowadays, you’ve definitely heard this one. An offshoot of house that also draws on electronic hardcore and hip hop,
phonk is known for its very hard hitting slow to mid-tempo rhythms, distorted synth lines and use of garbled samples. In general, if it has a ton of OOMPH and if it makes you wanna walk like you own the place, it’s probably phonk. Not gonna lie, it’s started to grow on me too.
Thus, approach our conclusion. For dessert, I give you a sweet French pâtisserie in the form of the legendary Daft Punk. I don’t need to say anything right? You know these two masked robots for sure. They are one of the most iconic and influential artists in all of electronic music but their style is far too varied and diverse to fit neatly into any genre, which is why I’m putting them here. After all, this playlist would be woefully incomplete without them.
So, I hope you enjoyed this voyage! It was a bit of a different approach but I really wanted to talk about these things and this seemed like the most natural way to approach that. Plus, I’m never shy of experimenting and broadening the horizons of what is possible with these blogs. Electronic music is a vast realm of boundless creativity and is a pure blast to dive into. It’s just so inspiring what people can create when armed with just a computer, some synthesizers and an open mind. So now, I hope you’ve loaded up on enough electronic bangers to last you the rest of the summer. Regardless if you wanna dance to some EDM, house or trance, run along the beaches to some D’n’B or hardstyle, crawl the nightclubs with some techno or industrial or just relax on the shore with some downtempo or ambient, now you should be well equipped for whatever adventure you choose. Have fun, party hard, stay safe and I’ll catch you all again soon!
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