EDM Genre Guide - Pt. 1

EDM has been quite the buzz word recently, but what does it really mean? Most people who are unfamiliar with the scene use it as if it were an individual genre, but not all EDM is the same. In fact, there are hundreds of different subgenres and sub-subgenres within the world of electronic music, for which EDM is just an umbrella term. While each subgenre might have a number of variations, there are still a few main genres to look at that cover the majority of the world of electronically produced music.

House

House music, either the most loved or most hated. Most people are probably thinking of house music when considering what EDM is, despite it being just a sliver of the scene. With roots in the disco scene, house music is also the basis for other genres like techno and trance, coming up next. This recognizable genre is often identified by its “four-to-the-floor” rhythm pattern, otherwise known as the “boots and cats” sound.

Notable artists: Avicii, Daft Punk, David Guetta, and Zedd

Techno

Techno has great similarities with house music, but is unique enough to stand alone as a separate genre. Techno might also include four-to-the-floor rhythms, but are more “atmospheric”, progessive tracks. This basically means that the songs don’t follow typical music structures, instead consisting of a continual timbre-manipulated beat.

Notable artists: Carl Cox, Boys Noize, Richie Hawtin

Trance

Trance is another genre built on repetitive melodies, much like you might imagine with the name of “trance”. These are hypnotic songs with simple and repetitive elements that typically build to one or two main “drops” or “releases”. These are the kinds of tracks that ravers can really get lost in with its ongoing melodies.

Notable artists: Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Paul Oakenfold, Above & Beyond

Dubstep

Now we arrive to dubstep, the main home for my music tastes recently. Dubstep takes a turn into darker tones, and a distinguishing heavy bassline feature. Dubstep also popularly includes the wobble bass, or “wubs” as I so affectionately call them.

Notable artists: Skrillex, Excision, Subtronics, Flux Pavilion

Drum & Bass

Similar (but completely different) to dubstep in drum & bass, or DnB. These songs are built on fast-paced breakbeats and, well, drum and bass emphases. 

Notable artists: Sub Focus, Goldie, Netsky, Pendulum

Hard Dance

Last on today’s list is hard dance! These are extra-fast-paced songs with heavy, distorted kick beats. The main variations here are hardcore and hardstyle.

Notable artists: TNT, Audiofreq, Sub Zero Project, Da Tweekaz

​Remember, this is just a small sampling of the many different EDM genres. There are even more “main” genres to discuss, but these six are a great and wide-enough start! Let me know what your favorite EDM genre is in the comments below!