Electronic music has become a widely popular genre even in the last few years. As it has begun to infuse more and more with other genres like pop, rock and roll, hip/hop, R&B, and Rap. More and more music is being made with synthesizers and electronic music software but does that necessarily mean it’s considered techno or house music?
House started in Chicago where the african american, latino, and gay clubs and discos began toying with synthetic beats and music styles to reflect some pre-existing modes of music like soul, funk, and disco. It spread to New York and other places before making it to Europe and finding its way into the mainstream currents and then migrating to mainstream America. Not so different than the way most music or cultural trends influence the American mainstream.
The style is certainly tailored toward dance with its disco-reminiscent percussion and steady bass drum beat. Like most techno or electronic music, it utilizes synthesizer effects, pop samples, and reverb-enhanced vocals and instrumentation in a type of melting pot of sound and rhythm. It gives remix control to the individual when a plethora of sounds and combinations are at your fingertips.
Few would argue the influence House has had in the club and rave scenes where the new cultural-tribal dance around the fire has turned into a thumping dance in a space of colored lights. That’s the magic of electronica though, I guess. Same homo sapiens, different tools. No matter how digital or synthetic you may want to call it, it still comes from the human soul.
