Electronic dance music, often abbreviated as EDM, is a type of electronic music characterized by loud, pulsating percussion and repetitive bass and melody lines. It is usually created using synthesizers or a process called sampling. Sampling involves incorporating sounds or music from other recordings. EDM is designed to be played in dance clubs, but it is also performed live at electronic music festivals throughout the world. Varieties of EDM include house music, drum ‘n’ bass, dubstep, trap, hardstyle, trance, and footwork. The various kinds of EDM differ in style and in beats per minute (BPM).
EDM’s roots can be traced back to such electronic music pioneers as Delia Derbyshire (known for composing the theme for the British television show Doctor Who ) and experimental German bands Can and Kraftwerk, as well as the disco, funk , and new wave music of the 1970’s and 1980’s. EDM is most directly influenced by the techno and house music that was produced in such cities as Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Berlin, Germany, in the 1980’s. Like disco and funk, house and techno were created primarily for dance clubs. However, although those earlier styles were created using mostly traditional instrumentation, composers of house and techno music use drum machines, synthesizers, and sampling.
EDM first became widely popular in the 1990’s, when such recordings as “Firestarter” by the English group the Prodigy, “Block Rockin’ Beats” by the English duo the Chemical Brothers, and “Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)” by the American musician Moby became worldwide hits. The 1990’s also saw the rise of rave culture. Raves are large, all-night dance parties where EDM music is played, either by disc jockeys (DJ’s) or groups.
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, affordable personal computers (PC’s) and a variety of computer-based music software brought EDM production out of expensive recording studios and into the homes of anyone who wanted to create it. The wide availability of music software led to an explosion of EDM artists in the 2000’s, notably the Swedish musician Avicii, the Canadian producer and DJ deadmau5 (pronounced “dead mouse”), the American producer and DJ Diplo, the Dutch producer and DJ Tiësto, the American producer and DJ Skrillex, and the Swedish group Swedish House Mafia. Also in the 2000’s, EDM-based festivals began to take place all around the world, attracting large crowds.
A number of popular recording artists use elements of EDM in their music, including the American singers Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, the Canadian rap performer and singer Drake, the Barbadian singer Rihanna, the Australian singer Sia, and the British group Radiohead.
