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Styles, Genres & Eras

Electronic Dance Music (EDM)

Definition

Electronic dance music (EDM) is a family of dance styles made mainly with synthesizers, drum machines and computers, including house, techno, trance, drum and bass and dubstep, built around a steady beat for DJs and clubs.

Electronic dance music is an umbrella term for dance styles created mainly with electronic instruments: synthesizers, drum machines, samplers and, today, the computer DAW. It is made to be mixed by DJs and danced to in clubs and at festivals. In the United States, "EDM" became a popular label in the 2010s, especially for big-stage, festival-oriented dance pop.

Roots and major styles

  • Disco (1970s) supplied the steady four-on-the-floor beat and the club culture.
  • House (mid-1980s, Chicago): drum machines, soulful vocals and a beat around 120–130 BPM. Frankie Knuckles is often called its godfather.
  • Techno (mid-1980s, Detroit): more mechanical and futuristic, developed by Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson.
  • Acid house and rave (late 1980s, especially in the UK): the squelching sound of the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer.
  • Trance (1990s): long build-ups, euphoric melodies and arpeggiated synths.
  • Jungle and drum and bass (1990s, UK): fast breakbeats, often around 160–180 BPM, under deep bass lines.
  • Dubstep (2000s, UK): around 140 BPM with a half-time feel and heavy, wobbling bass.

Musical features

  • Four-on-the-floor: the bass drum on every beat in many styles, with a clap or snare on 2 and 4 and off-beat hi-hats.
  • Loops and layers: short patterns repeat and are added or removed to build and release energy.
  • Phrases in multiples of 8 bars (8, 16, 32), so DJs can mix tracks smoothly.
  • Build-up and drop: tension rises with risers, snare rolls and filter sweeps, then the full beat and bass return at the drop.
  • Sound design: much of the creativity lies in the timbres themselves, crafted on synthesizers.

Instruments that shaped the sound

Roland's TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines and TB-303 bass synthesizer, sequencers, samplers, and later software instruments and DAWs, became the tools of the genre.

Making EDM

Start in a DAW: program a four-bar drum loop on a 16-step grid, add a bass line, then a chord loop and an arpeggiator pattern. Arrange the parts so the track builds and drops over 8-bar sections. The Drum Patterns, Arpeggiator Patterns and Synth Waveforms worksheets cover the essentials.

Common questions

What is the difference between house and techno?

Both grew up in the mid-1980s (house in Chicago, techno in Detroit) with a four-on-the-floor beat. House tends to be warmer and more soulful, often with vocals; techno is usually more mechanical, repetitive and futuristic.

What BPM is EDM?

It depends on the style: house is usually around 120–130 BPM, dubstep around 140, and drum and bass around 160–180.

Practice it: free worksheets