Genres of music help

Dud

Established Member
Does anyone have a graph or a chart that explains all these genres of music? For example, what the fuck is the difference between Electro and Techno. What I really need is something visual that shows what are subgenres, what evolved from what etc... I didn't have any luck with Google. Thanks to anyone who can help.
 
I don't have a chart, but when you think electro, think bumpin', booty-bass style, or some of the more 80's stuff like Kraftwerk and so on. The classic electro beat would be something like 'buh-bu-bu-bu-BUH' vs. the classic 'boomchick boomchick boomchik boomchick' of techno. Techno itself encompasses a fairly wide range of styles, for example classic Detroit techno (slower, almost house-ier sound) to Berlin techno (harder, more bangin'), minimal, acid (303 sounds), etc. There are a lot of different genres and subgenres in electronic music, but it's hard to describe some of them without having you listen to stuff, and aside from that, a lot of times its hard to categorize something in one genre or another. I would advise you not to worry about it too much.

However, if you want to hear some of the differences, I would advise you to listen to some of the Digitally Imported net radio stations, as they seperate them by genre. They have several different trance styles, as well as hardcore and oldskool. For electro, check out Electro Radio, although they don't play pure electro all the time. For house, I recommend Housemusique, and for psytrance/goa, Philosomatika is a great station. I don't know of any stations that play pure, unfiltered techno all the time (unfortunately), but I can send you some good mix sets if you're interested.

Also, keep in mind that the labels can sometimes be confusing - for example, what people in the US call 'hardcore' is totally different from what people in the UK generally refer to as 'hardcore'. Also, many people refer to electronic music in general as 'techno', when in reality techno is its own genre, as I mentioned above.
 
Ok... one more post. As far as the evolution of different genres, you can basically take disco as a starting point. From that you have a few branching outs, such as Chicago house, oldskool/hardcore techno, acid house, electro, and Detroit techno. From there you can move on to different styles like:

hardcore-->dnb/jungle

house--->garage

hardcore-->hard trance,berlin techno, gabber

trance--->progressive trance,psytrance

electro-->electroclash, etc

brian eno etc-->ambient

Keep in mind this is just an interpretation, and of course depending on the music you're listening to, influences can be from all over the place. I'd like to think electronic music has moved beyond the point where such genre labels are really all that necessary, but they're still useful for DJs.
 
Originally posted by it290+Sun, 2005-02-06 @ 05:26 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(it290 @ Sun, 2005-02-06 @ 05:26 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>I don't have a chart, but when you think electro, think bumpin', booty-bass style, or some of the more 80's stuff like Kraftwerk and so on. The classic electro beat would be something like 'buh-bu-bu-bu-BUH' vs. the classic 'boomchick boomchick boomchik boomchick' of techno. Techno itself encompasses a fairly wide range of styles, for example classic Detroit techno (slower, almost house-ier sound) to Berlin techno (harder, more bangin'), minimal, acid (303 sounds), etc. There are a lot of different genres and subgenres in electronic music, but it's hard to describe some of them without having you listen to stuff, and aside from that, a lot of times its hard to categorize something in one genre or another. I would advise you not to worry about it too much.

However, if you want to hear some of the differences, I would advise you to listen to some of the Digitally Imported net radio stations, as they seperate them by genre. They have several different trance styles, as well as hardcore and oldskool. For electro, check out Electro Radio, although they don't play pure electro all the time. For house, I recommend Housemusique, and for psytrance/goa, Philosomatika is a great station. I don't know of any stations that play pure, unfiltered techno all the time (unfortunately), but I can send you some good mix sets if you're interested.

Also, keep in mind that the labels can sometimes be confusing - for example, what people in the US call 'hardcore' is totally different from what people in the UK generally refer to as 'hardcore'. Also, many people refer to electronic music in general as 'techno', when in reality techno is its own genre, as I mentioned above.

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Originally posted by it290@Sun, 2005-02-06 @ 05:34 PM

Ok... one more post. As far as the evolution of different genres, you can basically take disco as a starting point. From that you have a few branching outs, such as Chicago house, oldskool/hardcore techno, acid house, electro, and Detroit techno. From there you can move on to different styles like:

hardcore-->dnb/jungle

house--->garage

hardcore-->hard trance,berlin techno, gabber

trance--->progressive trance,psytrance

electro-->electroclash, etc

brian eno etc-->ambient

Keep in mind this is just an interpretation, and of course depending on the music you're listening to, influences can be from all over the place. I'd like to think electronic music has moved beyond the point where such genre labels are really all that necessary, but they're still useful for DJs.

[post=129188]Quoted post[/post]​


That helps quite a bit, thanks.

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@Sun, 2005-02-06 @ 06:44 PM

For electro try listening to some Westbam tunes.

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I'll have to check them out. For electro-type stuff I usually listen to Kraftwerk and VNV Nation. However I guess VNVN could be considered EBM.
 
VNV is EBM industrial... great tunes too. I've always wondered though, with such dark lyrics that come out of these bands like; VNV, Funkervogt, Front 242, SP being PETA activist and the sort. I mean with dark lyrics and props like SP's "Chud" you wouldn't really expect it. (unless you pay attention to some lyrics like on most of Vivisect IV).

Dont ask me though for much about sub genres... all I know is 80 synth music and Industrial. So basically the Starting steps of electronica today. All except Disco... hehe, seriousily, Disco is where most electronica starts. Listen to your techno and look at it for a second, its the disco of the 21st century, and influenced by disco of the 70's.

I will say its amazing seeing where the music has come, and I am happy they still credit some of the originators the way they do... except Peter Gabriel, why do hardly anyone give him credit in the Industrial scene, they give freakin' Gary Numan of all people credit Gabriel should get some! (I am a Numan fan, but still... WOW, theres some Disco like synth for ya! he actually wanted to do Disco at first, then tried punk, but decided to slide into synth.)
 
Originally posted by it290@Sun, 2005-02-06 @ 06:34 PM

Ok... one more post.  As far as the evolution of different genres, you can basically take disco as a starting point.  From that you have a few branching outs, such as Chicago house, oldskool/hardcore techno, acid house, electro, and Detroit techno.  From there you can move on to different styles like:

hardcore-->dnb/jungle

house--->garage

hardcore-->hard trance,berlin techno, gabber

trance--->progressive trance,psytrance

electro-->electroclash, etc

brian eno etc-->ambient

Keep in mind this is just an interpretation, and of course depending on the music you're listening to, influences can be from all over the place.  I'd like to think electronic music has moved beyond the point where such genre labels are really all that necessary, but they're still useful for DJs.

[post=129188]Quoted post[/post]​


I think that Karlheinz Stockhausen (spelling) and the second vienese school of serialism are the roots of all of todays Electronic music. Stockhausen's stuff is really bizzare and amazing for the late 40's/Early 50's. Ill see if i can dig up some of his woerd "phasing tape loop", but if you want wierd then you chould check out Map 1 and Map 2. Basically it is a big square film of magnetised tape and you run a tape head over the surface and create your own music!

On a side note, genre calssification is REALLY tuff and within Musicological circles it is still the center of much debate. A good starting point is to analyse the rythm of the songs, but sometimes genre classification relys heavily on the para-musical i.e. culture etc. Dr Phillip Tag's work on semiotic analysis and genre classification is a really good starting point. Also do a search for Dr. Martin Clunin he is from the University of Glasgow.

Dr Gary Tamlyn has also written some real good stuff on genre classification especially when it comes to early electronica (minimalism etc)
 
I like VNV Nation, but I'm more into Hybrid right now ... blending electro stuff with classical intruments is a must hear :D

For those interested, there's a website named Hybridised gathering all their livesets, and they've expanded to lot more artists (including Way Out West, NuBreed, Benz & MD, Grayarea, Digital Witchcraft etc ...)

Hybrid website is there
 
I think that Karlheinz Stockhausen (spelling) and the second vienese school of serialism are the roots of all of todays Electronic music. Stockhausen's stuff is really bizzare and amazing for the late 40's/Early 50's. Ill see if i can dig up some of his woerd "phasing tape loop", but if you want wierd then you chould check out Map 1 and Map 2. Basically it is a big square film of magnetised tape and you run a tape head over the surface and create your own music!


Yes, you make a good point there. Personally, I don't really trace much electronic music back to disco, either (with the exception of house)... I just put that there because a lot of people see it as such. Of course, there were a lot of other early influences - the above mentioned Brian Eno, people like Kraftwerk themselves, the Serialists, bands like Throbbing Gristle and the like, and some composers like Vangelis and Philip Glass... and don't forget John Cage (is he considered a serialst?). For me, the origin of techno music can be traced back to the Roland Corporation. ;)
 
Originally posted by it290@Mon, 2005-02-07 @ 08:12 PM

For me, the origin of techno music can be traced back to the Roland Corporation. ;)

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Roland TB 303 ... :yum
 
Originally posted by it290@Mon, 2005-02-07 @ 01:12 PM

Yes, you make a good point there. Personally, I don't really trace much electronic music back to disco, either (with the exception of house)... I just put that there because a lot of people see it as such. Of course, there were a lot of other early influences - the above mentioned Brian Eno, people like Kraftwerk themselves, the Serialists, bands like Throbbing Gristle and the like, and some composers like Vangelis and Philip Glass... and don't forget John Cage (is he considered a serialst?). For me, the origin of techno music can be traced back to the Roland Corporation. ;)

[post=129234]Quoted post[/post]​


What about Moog? I keep on forgetting the name of this lady/man/transvestite :blink: who did a whole lot of synth stuff in the sixites. She was originally a man but then later changed :p . I wish that i could remeber her name or even his name
 
Robert A. Moog (pronounced like Rogue)???

is this who you are talking about. I didn't know he was a transexual... but yeah this guy built synthesizers back as early as 61' and did a lot of synth music, remeniscent of classical music. Never really was main stream though.
 
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