Armed Forces Radio Network

Genres

New Wave
During the 1980s, underground bands and labels built a network
of distribution and touring that was independent of the mainstream music industry.
Encompassing artists as diverse as Sonic Youth, the Meat Puppets,
and the Replacements,
'alternative' came to be more about DIY ethics than any sort of strict stylistic similarities.
It wasn't’t until Nirvana’s Never mind broke wide open in 1991,
however, that the term became a glaring misnomer.
Many alternative bands subsequently signed to major labels
and became platinum-selling artists,
which helped turn this once-underground movement into a full-blown phenomenon.
Punk's existence began in 1976 when the Ramones
emerged from CBGB's with a ramshackle image, fast rhythms,
and a complete lack of musical prowess--a refreshing chang
e from the often-overproduced (and overwrought)
rock sounds so prevalent during the '70s.
The Ramones’ trip to England is said to have ignited the
Sex Pistols into action; the Pistols took a more aggressive and nihilistic approach
and spawned an equally fervent scene.
Since then, there's been no shortage of disaffected and creative youths
, and therefore the popularity of alternative,
punk, new wave, and so-called
'indie rock' hasn't’t waned a bit.
Many exciting new sounds have emerged,
from Pavement and Guided By Voices'
lo-fi masterpieces to the
post-hardcore art-rock of Fugazi.
Notable Artists: Nirvana, the Pixies, Gang of Four, the Clash

Singer/Songwriter
As the kaleidoscopic music scene of the late '60s
shattered from drugs and disillusionment,
a new breed of musician emerged.
The singer/songwriter placed the highest premium on integrity.
Armed only with an acoustic guitar or a piano
these earnest sons and daughters of Dylan made it clear
that the Technicolor labyrinth of acid rock was just an illusion.
Electronic is directly related to super intellectuals
involved with computer technology,
regardless of what level.
James Taylor and Jackson Browne represented male songwriters
who wed social consciousness with personal introspection.
The leading women were the jazz-influenced Joni Mitchell and former Brill Building
writer Carole King whose Tapestry album still represents a high-water mark of the genre.
In their wake came millions of sensitive souls with something to say,
including transcendent tune smiths like Kris Kristofferson,
Leonard Cohen, Cat Stevens and Elton John.
As the '70s progressed, their painful honesty became a liability and eventually disco,
then punk would overshadow the popularity of the singer/songwriter genre.
However, the fine pioneers of song craft left their mark
and their influence remains everywhere from modern troubadours
like John Mayer and Sondre Lerche to retro divas
like Joss Stone and Alicia Keys. Notable Artists:
Joan Armatrading , Loudon Wainwright III , Gordon Lightfoot

British Invasion
The Beatles' triumphant American debut in 1964
opened the floodgates for British bands
to capture the hearts and minds of American teenagers.
By the mid-'60s, the Elvis phenomenon had died down in the U.S.
and cute, modern British combos were all the rage,
with their impeccable manners and mop-top hairdos.
The sugary pop of the Dave Clark Five and Herman's Hermits,
along with the blues-influenced raunchy of the Kinks and the Rolling Stones,
captivated the American psyche.
The delicate folk-rock of the Searchers and the Hollies
and the borderline-baroque pop of the Zombies
contrasted with the primitive howling of the Who and the Troggs;
then there was Lulu and Dusty Springfield,
who proved it wasn't just boys with guitars who could sell records.
The British dominance of the American pop charts lasted until the late '60s,
when the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
shifted pop's consciousness towards the psychedelic.
Notable Artists: The Beatles, the Rolling Stones,
the Kinks, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Walker Brothers

Synth Pop
Intertwined with the new romantics,
synth pop was heavily influenced by the sleek sounds of Roxy Music
and David Bowie as well as the electronic innovations of Kraftwerk.
The music was typically created on synthesizers,
exploiting its own artificiality by means of relentless,
ominous droning and inert vocals.
While most synth-pop acts enjoyed a hit or two,
artists such as New Order, Depeche Mode, Devo,
and Duran Duran gained considerable success;
the latter's catchy, danceable hits took synth pop out of clubs and into arenas.
By the mid-'80s, however, synth pop's heyday was waning,
though the music did wonders for the beloved synthesizer,
establishing that instrument's primary position in mainstream pop

Ambient
Certainly one of the dreamiest varieties of electronic music,
Ambient concerns itself with the blending and motion of sonic textures,
both organic and artificial.
Although beats and rhythmic elements can come into play,
Ambient music's key feature is formlessness.
This is music for the mind, not the dance floor.
Mood and emotion are presented
in waves of ethereal energy,
provoking images through dynamic sound manipulation,
natural field recordings, and amorphous melody.
Two of the most groundbreaking Ambient outfits
include the Orb and Global Communication,
both of which have had a huge impact on the genre
since their seminal releases in the early '90s.
Notable Artists: the Orb, Global Communication, Ulf Lohmann

Gabber
Like its cousin happy hardcore, gabber (or gabba) hails from the U.K.
break beat/hardcore culture of the mid-'90s,
though it also has strong roots in the Netherlands.
The genre is an offshoot of the hardcore techno scene,
with darker themes and a more aggressive sound than happy hardcore,
and super-charged tempos that often exceed 200 bpm.
Notable Artists: Paul Elstak, the Mover, Atari Teenage Riot

New Age
Before the dawn of the 20th century, a western movement--
loosely referred to as New Age--
emerged with the idea that modern civilization was entering
an age of intellectual and spiritual enlightenment.
Based somewhat on eastern philosophies and a sense of optimism,
its cultural impact has been slim yet steady.
In 1967 the musical Hair introduced many to
"the dawning of the age of Aquarius,"
and suddenly the concept of positivists, mysticism,
and idealism seemed more palatable.
New Age music emerged a bit later in the wake of groundbreaking works
such as Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and Brian Eno's Ambient 1:
Music for Airports.
New Age is a broad term,
but its aesthetic consists mainly of gentle arrangements
that blend into soothing ambient textures.
It can be keyboard-driven and electronic-based,
or acoustic and organic in origin.
Just don't forget to light a candle as you listen.
Notable Artists: Enya, George Winston, Robert Julian Horky

Neo-Symphonic.
The modern symphony orchestra
often features hundreds of different instruments.
In the hands of a master composer and a skilled conductor,
each of those instruments provides a vital aspect of the harmony,
melody, and rhythm of a piece.
The first symphonies were written
at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
Over the next two hundred years, many great composers,
including Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms,
Dimitri Shostakovich, and Charles Ives,
worked to develop and expand the symphony orchestra
into the sophisticated ensembles we know today.
Certainly one of the dreamiest varieties of electronic music,
Neo Symphonic concerns itself with the blending
and motion of sonic textures,
both organic and artificial.
Although beats and rhythmic elements can come into play,
neo symphonic music's key feature is formlessness.
This is music for the mind.

Soft Rock
In its original form, rock 'en' roll is ground zero for modern music.
An amalgam of blues-based yearning and rockabilly fury,
the progenitors of the sound were wild-eyed showmen
like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley.
An electric guitar and a driving beat are the only constants
in the world of rock,
but these rules have been stretched over the years
as the genre has mutated to encompass everything
from the soft singer-songwriter musings of
Jackson Browne
to the frenzied, rap-rock fusion of
Rage Against the Machine.
Styles as disparate as progressive, surf, punk,
rock en espanol, and heavy metal
are all branches of the original family tree,
while at the same time
many R&B artists remain close to the original formula,
creating rock and soul hybrids.
Rock and pop are somewhat interchangeable terms,
though pop (a.k.a. 'popular')
music appears to have traded rock's rebellious attitude in exchange
for more mainstream success.
Notable Artists: Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley,
Credence Clearwater Revival, the Beatles.

Classical
Classical music, as opposed to pop music,
is a written form of music that can be passed down
and reproduced faithfully from century to century.
Generally speaking,
it is a form that utilizes the instruments of an orchestra,
with performances largely adhering to the intentions of the composer.
While many boundaries broke down during the 20th century,
traditional classical music nonetheless remains the foundation of art,
Beethoven or how westerners understand melody and harmony.
The works of masters such as Bach, Beethoven,
Mozart, Wagner, Brahms, and Debussy
have withstood the test of time.
Notable Artists: J. S. Bach, Mozart.


20th Century & Modern
The 20th century brought many diverse changes to classical music,
with developments in electronics, percussion, and orchestration,
not to mention the demise of the tonal system in the work of many composers.
An acceptance of folk music--notably jazz, ethnic,
and pop--led to extremely varied and creative movements,
and these in turn cross-pollinated with innovative avant-garde techniques.
Electronic manipulation, minimalist movements, complex rhythms and atonalities,
and postmodern techniques all have contributed to,
and continue to further,
experimentations in the modern world of classical music.
Notable Artists: Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Claude Debussy.

Eclecticism
The 20th century brought many diverse changes to classical music,
with developments in electronics, percussion, and orchestration,
not to mention the demise of the tonal system in the work of many composers.
An acceptance of folk music--notably jazz, ethnic, and pop--
led to extremely varied and creative movements,
and these in turn cross-pollinated with innovative avant-garde techniques.
Electronic manipulation, minimalist movements, complex rhythms and atonalities,
and postmodern techniques all have contributed to,
and continue to further, experimentations in the modern world of classical music.
Notable Artists: Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Claude Debussy.

Electronic Classical
Seemingly an oxymoron, Electronic Classical
is a form that has taken centuries of classical music
using organic instruments and adopted the powerful innovations of technology
to enhance and enrich new possibilities for expression.
The use of powerful sampling, sequencing, processing and recording tools
is ideally suited for musical arrangement and this potential has been seized
by classical and experimental composers alike.
Although electronic and computer based technologies
are used in almost all music genres,
these new tools are ideally suited for composition,
structure and complex instrumentation characteristic of classical music.
Today, almost any artist who desires the precision and complexity
formerly limited to formally trained musicians can avail themselves tools
that infinitely expand the possibilities of classical.
Composers once forced to painstakingly write and notates each aspect of their imagined pieces
have been freed to arrange and experiment with the ease
that electronic means have brought to all aspects of society.
Notable Artists: Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Wendy Carlos, Milton Babbitt, Mario Davidovsky.

Experimental Classical
In most eras and styles of classical music,
a theme or stylistic method emerges that differentiates a movement from the ones before.
An adherence to certain musical rules,
tonal systems, modes, and instrumentation is what defined many genres of classical music;
but experimental, often called Avant-garde,
is inspired by a drive to be different, daring,
or challenging rather than harmonious, pleasant, and formal .'Avant-garde'
is a French phrase that described
those who challenged the norms and standards of the day with daring ideas.
This organized, culturally elite group dove into the most difficult or dogmatic practices,
and acted as the 'advance guard'
going to battle with the quotidian and clashing with conformity.
Movements in the visual arts frequently had musical counterparts
where the intelligentsia used novel concepts in every artistic medium.
Dadaists, Futurists, and Impressionists all took radical ideas
and created music that diverged drastically from prior musical standards.
While experimental music continues in every conceivable style,
Experimental classical challenges fundamental notions of what we call music,
yet often retains enough orchestration, intention,
or conceptual gusto to remain somewhat 'classical.
'Notable Artists: Arnold Schoenberg, Gyorgy Ligeti, John Cage, Anton Webern, Philip Glass.

Electro-Dub
A very close cousin of the Trip-Hop and Illbient genres,
Electro Dub is another open-ended down tempo style designed for after-hours consumption.
The things that classify Electro Dub is the Dub-inspired use of lo-fi programming,
heavy delay, and deep reggae elements,
all of which act as chilled seasonings in a more modern, electronic production.
Artists such as Mad Professor and Lee Scratch Perry
can certainly be cited as having a prominent influence in this style,
pioneering the fusion of analog electronics and reggae/dub roots
before artists like Boards of Canada and Rhythm & Sound
took it even further into the electronic music realm.
Notable Artists: Mad Professor, Lee Scratch Perry, Rhythm & Sound

Electro
Electro is a fusion of electronic dance music and hip-hop.
Rather than rely on disco breaks,
early Southern California rappers used drum machines,
synthesizers, and sequencers to create beats for their rhymes.
This genre is heavily influenced by Kraftwerk and funk music in general.
Africa Bambaataa's 1982 recording "Planet Rock"
was one of the first electro songs, and it remains among
the genre's most popular...and definitive.
Notable Artists: Africa Bambaataa, Newcleus, the Egyptian Lover,
the World Class Wrecking' Cru, Arabian Prince.


Children's Music
In a world filled with eye-opening animated cartoons
and technically advanced video games,
music is still a viable and entertaining method for capturing the imagination of children.
Whether it's educational or pure fantasy, the genre is characterized by catchy,
easy-to-sing tunes or engaging audio stories, often accompanied by a read-along book.
The target audience is usually pre-school kids
whose sponge-like minds are eager to absorb the world around them,
although many outside the demographic
adults included--enjoy this light-hearted music as well.
Notable Artists: Raffi, Linda Arnold, Tom Chapin, the Chipmunks.


Jazz
In the 1960s, many artists--most notably John Coltrane
became fed up with traditional forms of jazz
and began exploring the boundaries of sound and improvisation.
Artists like Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman
came to the same conclusions from different backgrounds,
eschewing traditional harmony and melody
and improvising with a raw, focused sense of emotion.
Further artists such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Eric Dolphy, and Pharoah Sanders
extended the techniques of their instruments,
improvising with a fury that, while hard for mainstream critics to take,
was instrumental in furthering the processes of jazz.
Notable Artists: Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp.

Fusion
Jazz went through an identity crisis in the late 1960s,
trying to find new modes of expression amongst a vibrant rock and funk scene.
Artists such as Joe Zawinul (playing with Cannonball Adderley),
Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, and Chick Corea
began to use electric instruments and apply a rock beat to their jazz compositions.
The electric guitar gained prominence due to the incendiary playing of Jimi Hendrix,
and Moog and Fender made electric keyboards defining a new sound.
Fusion blossomed in the early '70s thanks to groups like
Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Return to Forever--
each featuring members who had played in the core ensemble
on Miles Davis' landmark album Bitches Brew.
Out of fusion grew jazz rock, crossover jazz, and even smooth jazz,
while the core rock/jazz mixture making up fusion has continued through the '80s, '90s and beyond.
Notable Artists: Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Herbie Hancock.

New Orleans/Classic Jazz
Around the beginning of the 20th century, blues, African-American spiritual forms,
and ragtime combined and rearranged to develop into jazz.
Many different forms popped up in different areas,
with cultural center like New Orleans, Chicago, and New York
becoming hotbeds of musical creativity.
Boogie-woogie, stride, and ragtime piano developed alongside the riffing of Dixieland
as jazz prepared to become America's popular music
of the 1920s, '30s and '40s.

World
The music of planet Earth is as diverse as the globe is large
. While western pop music is ubiquitous,
making headlines and dominating airwaves,
listening to and exploring the music of the world's many cultures
allows further opportunities for universal communication.
Lyrics regarding religion, rebellion, and romance are sung in any number of languages,
and even while we may not always understand the words,
the sentiments do get through.
Western music was once mistakenly considered the pinnacle of the sonic arts.
Today, however, musicians, musicologists, and listeners alike
have learned that music from everywhere in the world has much to teach us--
whether it's the intricacies of African poly rhythms,
the micro tones of Indonesian Gamelan,
or the melodic complexity of Indian ragas.
Notable Artists: Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Ravi Shankar.

Boogie-Woogie
Around the beginning of the 20th century, blues, African-American spiritual forms,
and ragtime combined and rearranged to develop into jazz.
Many different forms popped up in different areas,
with cultural center like New Orleans, Chicago,
and New York becoming hotbeds of musical creativity.
Boogie-woogie, stride, and ragtime piano
developed alongside the riffing of Dixieland as jazz
prepared to become America's popular music of the 1920s, '30s and '40s.

Easy Listening & Vocals
Easy listening is mostly instrumental pop music
marked by light or nonexistent rhythms,
designed to be as unobtrusive as possible.
Though it's generally thought of as quiet background stuff
(a.k.a. 'elevator music'),
easy listening also embraces unusual genres like space-age pop
and the 'exotica' sounds of Martin Denny and Juan Garcia Esquivel.
Vocal music encompasses torch songs, barbershop quartets, a cappella works,
pop standards, and the work of classic crooners such as
Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Rosemary Clooney.

Improvised Music
In the 1960s, many artists
most notably John Coltrane
became fed up with traditional forms of jazz
and began exploring the boundaries of sound and improvisation.
Artists like Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman
came to the same conclusions from different backgrounds,
eschewing traditional harmony and melody and improvising with a raw,
focused sense of emotion.
Further artists such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Eric Dolphy, and Pharoah Sanders
extended the techniques of their instruments,
improvising with a fury that,
while hard for mainstream critics to take,
was instrumental in furthering the processes of jazz.
Notable Artists: Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp.

Islamic Music
Music has played a major part in world religion for centuries,
from ancient Islamic songs to ninth-century Gregorian chants
to the African-American spirituals
and shape-note choirs prevalent in the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries.
American gospel music derives mostly from blues, folk, and jazz traditions,
and its influence had been wide and strong. Today's Christian music,
however, has widened the stylistic boundaries even further,
marrying sacred themes with contemporary sounds
from acoustic folk to alternative rock, hip-hop to heavy metal.
Notable Artists: Mahalia Jackson, Chuck Wagon Gang, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay.

Reggae
During the late 1950s,
the popular Caribbean mento and calypso sounds began to combine in Jamaica
with the vocal influences of U.S. soul and R&B.
Initially this resulted in the sweet vocals and fast rhythms of ska.
But as ska slowed down and added vocal harmonies,
it morphed into rock steady during the mid-'60s.
This in turn led, by the end of that decade,
to the hiccupping skank of reggae. In the 1970s,
Bob Marley helped develop and introduce reggae to international audiences,
infusing the music with Rastafarian beliefs and political messages.
The '80s brought the digital rhythms and gruff-voiced style of dance hall.
Notable Artists: Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Sean Paul.

Traditional Gospel
Music has played a major part in world religion for centuries,
from ancient Islamic songs to ninth-century Gregorian chants
to the African-American spirituals
and shape-note choirs prevalent in the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries.
American gospel music derives mostly from blues, folk, and jazz traditions,
and its influence had been wide and strong. Today's Christian music, however,
has widened the stylistic boundaries even further,
marrying sacred themes with contemporary sounds from acoustic folk to alternative rock,
hip-hop to heavy metal.

Adult Contemporary
The singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s never really died;
it just got better production values.
Artists such as James Taylor, Elton John,
and Chicago tamed their rock demons and laid the groundwork
for Phil Collins, Sting, and Eric Clapton to do the same.
Adult contemporary is bereft of production grit;
clean, sanitized tracks are a necessity, as is virtuosic performance,
evidenced by the rise of vocal gymnasts like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Mariah Carey.
Mellowed rocker Bryan Adams and grown-up pop icon George Michael
enjoyed lucrative careers as post-teen idols on adult-contemporary stations,
while user-friendly jam acts like the Dave Matthews Band built strong followings
among the format's thirty something demographic.
Meanwhile, a new demographic began emerging:
the Hot AC crowd.
Hot AC is a radio format for younger, slightly edgier bands,
a new breed of elite rockers who appear "alternative"
while eschewing the vitriol of the alternative set.
Witness the multi platinum success of artists like Matchbox 20,
3 Doors Down, and Maroon 5.
Notable Artists: John Mayer, Lionel Ritchie, Christopher Cross.

Euro pop
Since the 1970s, Europe has spawned a wellspring of sugar-coated pop music.
At the top of the heap is Sweden's ABBA, a massive, universally loved musical phenomenon
whose popularity shows no signs of abating.
The 1990s success of groups like Ace of Base added fuel to the Euro pop fire,
though it was England's Spice Girls who gained international attention
and paved the way for countless imitators.
Euro pop may not be the most cerebral of musical styles,
but it's undeniably catchy.
Notable Artists: ABBA, Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue.

Tribute Albums
In its original form, rock 'en' roll is ground zero for modern music.
An amalgam of blues-based yearning and rockabilly fury,
the progenitors of the sound were wild-eyed showmen
like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley.
An electric guitar and a driving beat are the only constants in the world of rock,
but these rules have been stretched over the years
as the genre has mutated to encompass everything from the soft singer-songwriter
musings of Jackson Browne to the frenzied, rap-rock fusion of Rage Against the Machine.
Styles as disparate as progressive, surf, punk, rock en espanol,
and heavy metal are all branches of the original family tree,
while at the same time many R&B artists remain close to the original formula,
creating rock and soul hybrids.
Rock and pop are somewhat interchangeable terms,
though pop (a.k.a. 'popular') music appears to have traded rock's rebellious attitude
in exchange for more mainstream success.
Notable Artists: Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beatles.

British Rap
During the mid-'80s, hip-hop began to emerge from countries beyond the United States,
the first being the U.K.
The same basic U.S. production techniques and philosophies
were applied by early British rap acts Derek B. and the Cookie Crew.
Many British hip-hop artists also incorporated Jamaican-style vocals,
resulting in a sub genre called ragamuffin,
which is unique from American rap and reggae.
In many cases, though, the outstanding difference between U.K. rap
and its U.S. cousin remains the dominating presence of the British dialect.
Notable Artists: Daddy Freddy, Stereo MC's, Hijack, Roots Manuva, Braintax, Dizzee Rascal.

Trance
As the name suggests,
trance music aims for a hypnotic state
with a combination of hard, up-tempo, four-on-the-floor beats,
arpeggiated sequences, and euphoric, anthem-like refrains.
While trance gained popularity at both underground clubs and raves,
the movement proliferated in countries such as the U.K., Belgium, Holland, and Germany
, in tandem with the rise of ground-breaking talent such as Art of Trance,
Jam and Spoon, and Sven Vath.
The style gained popularity and play in European clubs
such as Ministry of Sound, Ibiza, and Cream.
Meanwhile in India, in the coastal state of Goa,
a form of electronic dance known as Goa, or psychedelic trance,
arose alongside an international backpacking community.
Live acts such as Infected Mushroom characterized the sound with abrasive,
repetitive, 4/4 rhythms and winding acid loops.
During the '90s, artists such as Sasha and John Digweed
and hard-trance forefathers Pascal FEOS, DJ Scot Project,
and Cosmic Gate helped trance diversify into different styles in the U.K.,
including progressive trance (synonymous with progressive house).
New producers and re mixers entered the fold of trance rather quickly
with new forms and styles that embedded the melodic "epic" feel of the music style.
Labels such as AM:PM, Manifesto, Perfecto, and Positiva Records
championed the sound commercially
and spawned the likes of U.S. producer and DJ Christopher Lawrence,
who is today's leading U.S. trance DJ alongside trance empress Sandra Collins.
Notable Artists: Art of Trance, Sven Vath, Sandra Collins.

Surf
In the early '60s,
as California beach subculture gained awareness in the national psyche,
so too did its musical soundtrack, surf rock.
Early surf rock tracks were strictly instrumentals
created to replicate the exhilarating rush of shooting the tube.
Dick Dale is considered by many to be the father of the movement,
with his extended guitar arpeggios fed through an electric reverberation unit.
Soon, the Ventures, the Chantays and the Surfaris scored national hits
and expanded surf influences to include Middle Eastern modalities and futuristic exotica.
As the instrumental craze gained momentum, a new surf sound emerged.
Californians Jan & Dean were singing Everly Brothers-style harmonies over lyrics
celebrating the emerging hot rod and beach bunny lifestyle.
However, the kings of vocal surf music were undoubtedly the Beach Boys.
Led by mastermind/savant Brian Wilson,
they sang uplifting, complex harmonies over a driving rock 'en' roll beat.
As the '60s blossomed, action-packed instrumentals gave way to Wilson's Technicolor vision,
but successive waves of surf revival have kept the sound afloat.
Notable Artists: the Mermen, the Astronauts, Dick Dale.

Southern Rock
Reeling from the psychedelic hangover of the late 1960s,
traditional, roots-based rockers like the Band and Creedence Clearwater Revival
found favor with the record-buying public.
This back-to-basics approach was mixed with 'chooglin'' beats
and outlaw-country attitude and became known as Southern rock.
The Allman Brothers Band was one of the first to fuse
the extended jams of the Grateful Dead
with the boogie shuffle of John Lee Hooker,
but it was Lynyrd Skynyrd
who cemented the free-wheeling, hard-rocking foundations of the genre.
Skynyrd's astute lyrics and triple-guitar attack was tremendously popular,
until a 1977 airplane crash took the lives of singer Ronnie Van Zandt,
guitarist Steve Gaines, and backing-vocalist Cassie Gaines.
By then Molly Hatchet, Little Feat, and Black Oak Arkansas
had emerged to help bring the Southern sound to the masses.
Florida's .38 Special had a string of hits in the mid-'80s,
but new, flashy MTV bands soon began deflating the scene.
Only the image-conscious Georgia Satellites
and the roots-rock-inspired Black Crowes were able to keep the spirit alive.
Notable Artists: Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band, the Marshall Tucker Band, the Dixie Dregs.

Techno
Techno was born in the early '80s
in Detroit and Chicago at the hands of Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May.
Many of today's generation of techno music, though,
was heavily influenced from the German group Kraftwerk.
Experimenting with modern music synthesizers made by Robert Moog and others,
as well as digital drum machines such as the Roland 303 and 808,
Kraftwerk buzzed and whirred on the electronic edges of the 1970s
Krautrock scene and wound up influencing a new generation of German bands.
While techno grew in the U.S., U.K.
artists such as Carl Cox, Sven Vath, and Dave Angel
began to create grooves that were much more aggressive and darker
than those in the U.S. European labels
such as R&S, Tresor, and Peacefrog
promoted the rise of techno during the Summer of Love in the U.K.
Meanwhile, in late-'90s Sweden, pioneering artists such as Cari Lekebusch (H Productions),
and Adam Beyer (Primate/Drumcode) released hard,
four-to-the-floor techno with heavy drum programming.
Back in the U.S., the techno scene spawned artists such as
Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin (Plastikman), Carl Craig, and Kenny Larkin,
who developed a minimal techno sound that attracted U.K. labels
including Background Records and Force Inc. .
Notable Artists: Carl Cox, Sven Vath, Cari Lekebusch, Plastikman.

Detroit Techno
Techno was born in the early '80s in Detroit
and in Chicago at the hands of Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May.
Many of today's generation of techno music,
though, was heavily influenced from the German group Kraftwerk.
Experimenting with modern music synthesizers made by Robert Moog and others,
as well as digital drum machines such as the Roland 303 and 808,
Kraftwerk buzzed and whirred on the electronic edges of the 1970s Krautrock scene
and wound up influencing a new generation of German bands.
While techno grew in the U.S., U.K.
artists such as Carl Cox, Sven Vath, and Dave Angel
began to create grooves that were much more aggressive and darker
than those in the U.S. European labels such as R&S, Tresor ,
and Peacefrog promoted the rise of techno during the Summer of Love in the U.K.
Meanwhile, in late-'90s Sweden, pioneering artists such as
Cari Lekebusch (H Productions), and Adam Beyer (Primate/Drumcode) released hard,
four-to-the-floor techno with heavy drum programming.
Back in the U.S., the techno scene spawned artists
such as Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin (Plastikman), Carl Craig, and Kenny Larkin,
who developed a minimal techno sound that attracted U.K. labels
including Background Records and Force Inc. .
Notable Artists: Carl Cox, Sven Vath, Cari Lekebusch, Plastikman.

Teen Pop
Electronica is a blanket term that describes electronic music,
but it mainly references a style in which the use of electronic technology
(drum machines, synthesizers, samplers)
takes a role in the creative process.
Experiments by such pioneers as Russian physicist Leon Theremin
and later Robert Moog and Don Buchla
brought electronic sounds and keyboard synthesizers to the public arena.
Early electronic composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen,
ambient pioneer Brian Eno,
experimentalist John Cage,
and the German electro group Kraftwerk
utilized technology to make innovative music.
As technology became more affordable
and widely available in the late '70s and early '80s,
the analog synthesizer birthed a variety of new sounds and sub genres.
Innovation around the development of these devices
gave way to the beginnings of Detroit techno and Chicago house,
with hats tipped to the early '70s disco-funk influence,
a breath of fresh air to American and British music.
In the mid '90s, drum 'en' bass, trip-hop, techno, big-beat,
and garage were sired by British DJs,
and though each took a dramatically different set of chromosomes from its mother,
all were born from disco hips.
Notable Artists: Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Fatboy Slim.

Hard Trance
The minimal face of hard-trance music began in Frankfurt, Germany,
at the hands of Pacal FEOS.
Hard trance is characterized by aggressive 4/4 drum loops and hypnotic bass lines,
reminiscent of the styles in acid and techno.
U.K. labels such as Platipus, Hard House, and Superstition
have unearthed gems of unparalleled purity with luminary acts
such as Art of Trance, Energy 52, and DJ Scot Project.
Notable Artists: Pacal FEOS, Nick Sentience, Andy Farley DJ Tiesto.

Latin Dance
Electronica is a blanket term that describes electronic music,
but it mainly references a style in which the use of electronic technology
(drum machines, synthesizers, samplers)
takes a role in the creative process.
Experiments by such pioneers as Russian physicist Leon Theremin
and later Robert Moog and Don Buchla brought electronic sounds
and keyboard synthesizers to the public arena.
Early electronic composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen,
ambient pioneer Brian Eno, experimentalist John Cage,
and the German electro group Kraftwerk
utilized technology to make innovative music.
As technology became more affordable and widely available
in the late '70s and early '80s,
the analog synthesizer birthed a variety of new sounds and sub genres.
Innovation around the development of these devices
gave way to the beginnings of Detroit techno and Chicago house,
with hats tipped to the early '70s disco-funk influence,
a breath of fresh air to American and British music.
In the mid '90s,
drum 'en' bass, trip-hop, techno, big-beat,
and garage were sired by British DJs,
and though each took a dramatically different set of chromosomes from its mother,
all were born from disco hips.
Notable Artists: Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Fatboy Slim.

House
As the age of the DJ/producer arose in early 1980s,
post-disco dance music entered one of its most fertile periods,
bringing the likes of Chicago/New York house
innovators Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan, and Ron Hardy.
Known as the creative force behind the foundation of house music,
these three built the style with the hypnotic "four-on-the-floor" drum sound,
mid-tempo beats,
and organic instrumentation found on early
house labels West End Records, Salsoul, and Casa Blanca.
It was the underground clubs the Warehouse and Paradise Garage in New York
and Chicago that simultaneously broke the barriers of race and sexual preference,
also acting as breeding grounds
for the music that eventually came to be known as house and garage.
Meanwhile, during the rise of acid house in Europe
(a.k.a. the Summer of Love),
artists such as 808 State ("Pacific State," 1989)
and A Guy Called Gerald ("Voodoo Ray")
shaped the direction of British house music,
which launched the careers of Carl Cox, Fabio, and Grooverider.
Back where it started in the U.S.,
Chicago deep-house artists such as Mark Farina, Derrick Carter,
and DJ Sneak all played a major role in dance culture,
while New York's undisputed house king Larry Levan
championed the more soul- and gospel-influenced side of disco's remnants,
which would become known as garage in the early '80s.
Notable Artists: Frankie Knuckles, 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald, Mark Farina.

Chicago House
House music was born in Chicago in the mid-'80s
at legendary club the Warehouse, where the term house originated.
It started during post-disco America in a predominantly African-American dance culture
with DJs such as Frankie Knuckles, Lil Louis, and Larry Heard.
The style established labels including Trax Records, Strictly Rhythm, and Jes Say Records,
with music heavily influenced by disco,
soul, and funk and characterized by driving four-on-the-floor percussion,
funky rhythms, and simple bass lines.
Legendary Chicago house producer Larry Heard (a.k.a. Mr. Fingers)
released the classic house EP Can You Feel It (1986),
which continues to stir up dance floors.
Notable Artists: Larry Heard, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk, Jesse Saunders, Roy Davis, Jr.

Deep House
While house music in Chicago and New York had producers
like Frankie Knuckles and Lil Louis,
deep house was flourishing on the Bay Area dance floors
with mid-tempo grooves, a mesmerizing blend of deep, organic synthesis
and raw live instrumentations played by the likes DJ Garth (Greyhound Recordings),
Miguel Migs (Transport, Large, OM), and DJ Rasoul (3rd Floor Productions).
Deep house is often described as more underground and less commercial than its parent,
but with smooth, swirling synths, strong rolling bass lines, and plaintive vocals, deep house is firmly rooted
in the tradition of house innovators.
Notable Artists: DJ Garth, DJ Rasoul, Miguel Migs.

Garage House
In the early '80s, house pioneer Larry Levan started the garage-house scene
at the legendary club Paradise Garage in New York.
Combining disco's 4/4 drum patterns (marked by hi-hats and claps)
with the warm rhythms of funk and soul,
the garage-house scene gathered at labels such as Trax Records,
Strictly Rhythm, and Nervous Records.
By the mid- to late '80s, artists including Tony Humphries,
Masters at Work, Junior Vasquez, and Roger Sanchez
developed a brand of up-tempo soul music
that was funky and fused with Latin and jazz elements;
this was later was picked up by U.K. labels like Ministry of Sound.
Subsequently, the British jumped on the bandwagon,
taking the sounds of garage music and creating sub genres
such as speed garage (a.k.a. U.K. garage) and 2-step.
Notable Artists: Larry Levan, Masters at Work, Junior Vasquez.

Minimal
During the early ‘60s,
minimalism developed in the hands of such American composers
as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, La Monte Young, and Terry Riley.
Each had a rigorous system of composition,
adapting their conception of music to a style containing fewer musical elements
and often involving solitary work rather than collaboration.
Minimalism engages the listener with eloquent musical elements
including simplistic harmonies, repetitive loops,
endless drones, and subtle pulses varying in duration, volume, and speed.
The influence of minimalism can be felt in the works of experimental composer
John Cageand New Age instrumentalist Steve Roach
as well as in styles such as ambient, modern classical, and abstract music.
Notable Artists: Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terry Riley.

Industrial-Electronic
Forged from the metallurgy of founding bands such as Throbbing Gristle,
Cabaret Voltaire, and Clock DVA in the late '70s and early '80s,
Industrial music progressed into the digital age,
morphing along the way and ultimately giving birth to Industrial-Electronic genre.
The angry grooves, mechanical beats, and grinding aesthetic of Industrial
gets translated here through computerized mediums
often run by one or two operators,
rather than a complete traditional band.
Artists like Kill Memory Crash and Front 242 continue to be leaders in this genre,
often blurring the lines between the Industrial,
Techno, and EBM styles.
Notable Artists: Kill Memory Crash, Front 242.

IDM
Short for 'intelligent dance music,'
IDM began as an offshoot of abstract electronic music during the early '90s.
Some say it began with Germany's electronic outfit Kraftwerk;
others cite John Cage's experimental works as a chief influence.
Many would agree, though, that the musicians
who helped usher in the IDM movement were
Richard D. James (Aphex Twin), Autechre, and Squarepusher.
These artists explored the use of drum machines and harsh,
prerecorded samples,
creating electronic music that embraced experimentation through deconstruction.
Though IDM was intended for sitting and listening rather than for dancing,
the ever-changing style challenged those who heard it.
Labels such as Warp and James's Rephlex Records facilitated the electronic IDM explosion of the '90s,
as well as inspiring a wave of musicians
to push the limits of electronic music.
Other notable artists include Scanner,
Musiq, and Mouse on Mars.
Notable Artists: Aphex Twin, Autechre, Mouse on Mars.

Game Soundtracks
While, to some, this genre may seem a bit frivolous,
Game Soundtracks have both a distinguished history
and an essential role in modern electronic music.
With roots in the early 8-bit constraints of the '70s,
video game music was,
and continues in the modern digital age to be crafted
with an objective parallel to that of dance music:
to create a dynamic, energizing atmosphere subject to manipulation by a third party.
Be it a video game player finishing one level and moving onto the next,
or a DJ taking the dance floor through his or her own series of levels,
both styles of music are designed
as a controllable mechanism.

Noise
Noise is a genre that defies and traditional music ideals of form or function,
and concerns itself entirely with the uninhibited exploration of sound.
The mediums used can be anything
from lo-fi set-ups comprised of broken home electronics
to intricately programmed digital sound generators,
and the concepts and tactics applied to the production can be equally diverse.
Although Noise is often loosely associated with experimental and industrial styles
due to the influence of bands like Merzbow
and Einsturzende Neubauten on many Noise artists,
it employs too broad an artistic spectrum to truly have any concrete affiliations.
Notable Artists: Violent Stabbing Motion, Aube, Borbetomagus.

Neo-Classical
Before the dawn of the 20th century,
a western movement
loosely referred to as New Age--
emerged with the idea that modern civilization was entering an age
of intellectual and spiritual enlightenment.
Based somewhat on eastern philosophies and a sense of optimism,
its cultural impact has been slim yet steady.
In 1967 the musical Hair introduced many to "the dawning of the age of Aquarius,"
and suddenly the concept of positivity, mysticism, and idealism seemed more palatable.
New Age music emerged a bit later in the wake of groundbreaking works
such as Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and Brian Eno's Ambient
Music for Airports. New Age is a broad term,
but its aesthetic consists mainly of gentle arrangements
that blend into soothing ambient textures.
It can be keyboard-driven and electronic-based,
or acoustic and organic in origin.
Just don't forget to light a candle as you listen.
Notable Artists: Enya, George Winston, Robert Julian Horky.

Progressive Electronic
Born in the late 60's after the expansion of avant-gardist, modern,
post-modern and minimalist experimentation,
the progressive electronic movement immediately guides us
into a musical adventure around technologies and new possibilities for composition.
As an author or a searcher,
the musician often creates his own modules and electronic combinations,
deciding his own artistic and musical action.
The visionary works of Stockhausen, Subotnick, John Cage
("concrete" music, electro-acoustic experimentation),
La Monte Young, Steve Reich, Terry Riley (minimal, micro-tonal music)
express a vision of total reconstruction in the current musical world. Luminous works such as
"A Rainbow in Curved Air" (1967) and "Silver Apples of the Moon" (1967)
bring an inflexion on opened forms and new ways to explore
the essence and the physical aspects of sounds (through time and space).
"Static" textures, collages & long running sounds,
the power of technology previously exposed in ambitious classical works
will have a major impact in "popular" electronic music.

After the artisan & innovative uses of magnetic tapes,
feedback, microphones, etc., the instrumental synthesis,
the elaboration of global sound forms and the psycho-acoustic interactions will be sublimated
thanks to the launch of the analog synth.
A great improvement happened in 1964 with the appearance of the first modular synthesiser (Moog).
This material (or "invention")
brings the answer to the technological aspirations of many musicians,
mainly after the release of the popular "Switched on Bach" (Walter Carlos)
and Mother Mallard's portable masterpiece (pieces composed between 1970-73).

At the beginning of popular essays in electronica,
the pioneering technologies (in term of recording and sound transmission) will not be abandoned.
For instance, "Tone Float" (1969) by Organisation (pre-Kraftwerk),
"Zwei Osterei" & "Klopzeichen" (1969-70) by Kluster and "Irrlicht"
(1972) by Klaus Schulze will carry on the domestication of the electric energy
and the use of refined harmoniums, organs and echo machines.
During the 70's decade, European groups & musicians such as Eno,
Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream will make their name in the music industry
thanks to an abundant use of analog synthesisers and original electronic combinations.
After weird, mysterious experimentation on conventional acoustic & electric instruments
, Kraftwerk enjoyed huge success in popular music thanks to
"mechanical electronic pop music".
"Trans Europe Express" (1977) and "The Man Machine" (1978) figure as two commercial classics.
The German spacey electronic scene launched by Tangerine Dream
with their outstanding "Alpha Centauri" (1971)
and Cluster "I" & "II" (1971-72) will have echoes everywhere,
starting from the Berlin underground electronic scene
(the Berlin School)
with Klaus Schulze ("Timewind" 1974),
Michael Hoenig ("Departure from the Northern Wasteland" 1978),
Ashra ("New Age of Earth" 1976),
Conrad Schnitzler's buzz-drones and repetitive electronics ("Zug", "Blau", Gold" 1972-74) .
After several innovations always from Germany we notice the dark,
doomy atmospheric manifests of Nekropolis (Peter Frohmader) in "Le culte des Goules" (1981),
Asmus Tietchens in his colourful and engaged "Biotop" (1981)
and the semi-ambient "Hermeneutic Music" (1988) by Lars Troschen (sound sculptor and synthesist).

In France, the "hypnotic" and "propulsive" electronic essays of Heldon ("Electronic Guerrilla" 1974)
and Lard Free ("Spiral Malax"1977)introduce an inclination for industrial,
urban and post-modern sound projections.
The French "avant gardist" Philippe Besombes takes back the inspiration of " concrete music" (Pierre Henry.)
and mixes it to a hybrid rocking universe
(published in 1973, "Libra" figures as a true classic).
Bernard Xolotl in "Prophecy" (1981), "Procession" / "Last Wave" (1983),
Zanov (Green Ray, 1976) and Didier Bocquet (Voyage cerebral, 1978)
will follow the musical path anticipated by Klaus Schulze in his kosmische electronic symphonies.

At the end of the 70's until the debut of the 80's Albums as "ambient
1: Music for Airports" (Brian Eno), "Cluster & Eno", "Deluxe"
(Hans Joachim Roedelius side project called Harmonia)
will announce the emergence of the famous ambient movement,
musically characterised by gorgeous shimmering atmospheric textures.

During the 80's, Maurizio Bianchi will be in search of the absolute industrial
"post-nuclear" sound tapestry.
His visionary musical experience is based on cyclical loops,
abrasive concrete noises and vertiginous piano dreamscapes.
("Symphony for a Genocide" 1981 and recently the mesmerising "A.M.B Iehn Tale" 2005).
Check also the revisited experiences of Italian industrial minimal dronescapings
with new projects such as Mushy (Superfetazione, 2009),
Peter M (Underworld Dreams, 2005), Newclear Waves (split albums, 2009 and upcoming releases)
and Heinrich Dressel
(a sonically moving retro-ish electro project founded by the owner of the independant label MinimalRome).
Before M.B and the industrial-bruitist wave,
the 70's Italian specialists of electronic experiments had been
(among others) Francesco Cabiati (Mirage, 1979), Francesco Bucherri (Journey, 1979),
and Francesco Messina for representative,
lyrical and spacey orchestrations and also Futuro Antica (D'ai primitivi all'elettronica, 1980)
or Telaio Magnetico (Live' 75) for tripped out minimalism.

In the early 1980s and after following the kosmische path of classic Klaus Schulze,
The Bay Area / Los Angeles school of electronic created the so called "alchemical" / "Sacred" space music.
The music offers a dynamic combination between ancient-traditional music of the West
and synthesised sonic soundscapes.
The most representative artists of this movement are Michael Stream (Lyra Sound Constellation, 1983)
Robert Rich (Numena, 1987) and Steve Roach (Dreamtime Return, 1988).

In the early 80s Ian Boddy (Spirits, 1984 / Phoenix, 1986)
and Mark Shreeve (Assassin, 1983 / Legion, 1984)
unique spacedout synthesised sagas represented
the british answer to the challenging Berlin kosmische school.
Their music embodies timbral drone sequences,
systematic arpeggiations and synth-pop textures.

Young contemporary bands and artists in electronic experimentation
took their inspiration from the 70's "kosmische"
analog synth psychedelica of Klaus Schulze, Conrad Schnitzler, Tangerine Dream, etc.
In the spaced out synthesisers spectrum, modern Japanese artists as Yamazaki Maso
(noisy avant garde experimentor who contributes to the Kawabata's projects named Andromelos,
Christina 23 onna and Father Moo & the Black sheeps) or Takushi Yamazaki
(Space Machine) are key figures.
The minimal, moody / lysergic epic soundscapes of Omit (Clinton Williams),
Cloudland Canyon,
Astral social club or Zombi also contribute to the renewal of the "cosmic" synth genre.
Many modern electronic artists have taken an original musical direction,
surfing on post-krautrock ambient waves (Aethenor),
on spherical "abstract" ambient minimalism (Pete Namlook,
Biosphere, Robert Henke) or on trancey,
(post) industrial drone hypnosis
(Alio Die / Amon / Nimh for the italian side
and Andrew Chalk with his respective projects Mirror, Monos and Ora).

To sum up things, the progressive electronic subgenre is dedicated to intricate,
moving, cerebral, intrusive electronic experiences that get involved in "kosmische",
dark ambient, (post) industrial, droning, surreal or impressionist soundscapes territories.
Notable Artists: Enya, George Winston, Robert Julian Horky.

Machine Music
The 20th century brought many diverse changes to classical music,
with developments in electronics, percussion, and orchestration,
not to mention the demise of the tonal system in the work of many composers.
An acceptance of folk music
notably jazz, ethnic, and pop--led to extremely varied and creative movements,
and these in turn cross-pollinated with innovative avant-garde techniques.
Electronic manipulation, minimalist movements, complex rhythms and atonalities,
and postmodern techniques all have contributed to,
and continue to further, experimentations in the modern world of classical music.
Notable Artists: Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Claude Debussy.

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