This much you would probably know about electronic dance music (EDM in the acronym). It broadly encompasses the music that disk jockeys play at all-night parties, whether a private rave affair or a mega event festival. Since the early 1980s, EDM has taken in its fold a number of music genres like Electro, House, Trance and Dubstep.
Unless you are a hard core EDM fan, there are many interesting aspects of this music that you would be unaware of. Check out five of them below.
#1 EDM pioneers drew inspiration from George McCrae and Donna Summers
Most histories of EDM would say that the music emerged in the 1980s through the pioneering efforts of the likes of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Yellow Magic Orchestra, DJ Shadow and Afrika Bambaataa. Who provided inspiration for these artistes?
The Los Angeles Film School has posted an article titled A Brief History of EDM at its web site. It traces the origins of EDM to the disco music of the 1970s that used “drum machines and electronic instruments to create synthesized rhythms”. This form of disco music is also referred to as synthpop. The article refers to two specific songs as precursors of EDM and also explains why.
Rock Your Baby by George McCrae (1974)
The song was among the first to use a drum machine and Roland rhythm machine to synthesise music. Incidentally, McCrae recently partnered with EDM legend Sander Kleinenberg for Colours in the Sun.
I Feel Love by Donna Summers (1977)
This synthesised disco hit was written by Pete Bellotte and Giorgio Moroder, who would later collaborate with Daft Punk. Daft Punk achieved major success in the French EDM sphere in the 1990s.
#2 There have been not one but two pairs of sister EDM DJs
Disk jockey has been essentially a man’s profession. Female DJs have risen to fame, but they have been very few. Among this small number there have been two pairs of sisters that have rocked the EDM world. Here are some interesting facts about them.
Olivia and Miriam Nervo
- Olivia and Miriam are twin sisters born in 1982 in Melbourne.
- They operate under the name Nervo.
- The sisters began their career as songwriters.
- They began live performances in 2010 and have played at the best locations with the biggest celebrities.
- The duo was nominated for ‘Best Party DJ’ at the inaugural World Dance Music Radio Awards at the Azteca Stadium in 2017.
- It has been reported that the Nervo sisters are the highest paid women DJs.
Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf
- The name of their group is Krewella, which is a misspelling of cruel.
- Within the EDM umbrella they focus on progressive house, dubstep and trap.
- The sisters are of Pakistani origin.
- They were among the presenters at the inaugural Electronic Music Awards & Foundation.
#3 EDM has had a strong influence on gaming and gambling
EDM and Video Games
For over two decades some of the most popular video games have featured EDM. You are sure to recognise these.
- The launch of Mortal Kombat for home consoles in 1994 was accompanied by a techno album from the Immortals that featured an EDM song for every character.
- The Dance Dance Revolution machine inspired home-console rhythm games like Amplitude and Rez that featured electronic music from the early 2000’s.
- Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band feature some EDM stars like Skrillex, Zedd and The Glitch Mob.
- Grand Theft Auto V, the fourth-highest selling game of all time, had several radio stations in the game featuring EDM stars as hosts and artists.
EDM and Video Slots
Online video slots operate in a competitive environment, so developers include interesting facets to increase their value to players. One such trick is to introduce EDM in the slot games. Many of the leading games suppliers have party themed slot games with EDM in the background. You can really enjoy foot tapping music while you spin the reels for big wins. Look at some popular no deposit EDM slots.
- Spin Party by Play n Go
- DJ Wild by Elk Studios
- Ambiance by iSoftBet
#4 DJ Magazine runs an annual poll to decide the best DJ of the year
Every field of human endeavour awards the top performer of the year. The Oscars award the best actors in movies. The NBA has the Most Valuable Player award. DJ Magazine, which is dedicated to EDM, runs a public poll to rank the top 100 DJs for the year. The poll was first introduced in 1997. The poll attracted over one million votes in 2015, making it the World’s biggest music poll. The following DJs have emerged as top performers in the polls.
- Armin van Buuren: He secured first place in five years, four of them consecutively from 2007 to 2010. He has in addition secured 3 second places, 5 third places, 3 fourth places and 1 fifth place. From 2002 onwards he has been in the top five.
- Two other DJs have registered hat tricks in the Top 100 DJs: Tiesto from 2002 to 2004 and Martin Garrix from 2016 to 2018.
- Country wise break-up of the top place since 1997: Great Britain 5; The Netherlands 13, Germany 2; France 1; Belgium 1.
#5 There are more than 50 genres encapsulated in EDM
It is common knowledge that EDM is an umbrella term for genres of music that share similarities. EDM fans would be able to list out the ten or even twenty currently popular genres. Many EDM lovers would not know that over the four decades there have been more than 50 specific genres identified. Take a look at some of the lesser known names.
- New Wave: It was popular from the late 70s to middle 80s. The genre provided a link between the traditional blues and rock and roll sounds and EDM by incorporating disco, mod and electronic music.
- Deep House: The genre used different synthesisers and drum machines to create tempos of about 120 BPM. It later evolved to the Future House genre in the 2010s.
- Intelligent Dance Music: This was an experimental genre in the 1990s that was more suited to listening than dancing. Since it employed electronic music, it is often listed as an EDM genre.
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