Electronic dance music or ‘disco’ is nothing new, what with the rise of rave in the eighties and the more recent breakdown of the rave scene in the early to mid 90s. It started off as house music, the sound of heavy scratching and beat juggling. Fast forward to present day, it has evolved into a highly refined and complex style of dance, with complex beats, chopped up sounds, sampled sounds and loops. Today, dance (or ‘dance music’) is one of the most popular musical genres on the internet. It reaches a huge audience through online sites, social networking, live shows and clubbing.
Electronic dance music is also known as ‘house music’, ‘disco music’, ‘nu disco music’, ‘breaks’ music’ or ‘breaks’. The term ‘breaks’ (as in ‘breaks’ bingo’) was popularized by musician Lee Ritenour in his book “How To Play It”. ‘Breakcore’ refers to the sounds of percussion instruments such as the snare drum, cymbals, snares, etc. ‘Glitch’ (as in ‘future glitch’) is made using broken sounds, often with chopped up sounds and pitched up. ‘IDM’ (IDM DJ) is an acronym for ‘ID tune’ which means an ID (instrumental mix) of a song.
The birth place of electronic dance music can be traced back to the early ’80s, when many techno artists made use of sample packs to generate rhythm. This was later adopted into hip hop and jungle styles. It has gone through many iterations and changes to reach its current state today. As a result, there are many talented producers who have released quality electronic dance music. Most of these individuals have gone on to become top industry producers.
There are several things that distinguish good producers from great producers. One way to determine this is by listening to their music. You need to pay close attention to the quality of the track and how the instrumentals build up and seamlessly fit together. While some dance tracks have a distinct sound, most beat come from a combination of instruments and vocals. Of course, the actual production techniques are what make the difference between a great electronic dance music producer and someone who produce ho-hum, poorly put together dance songs.
Most producers make use of effects such as reverb, compression, and other tools to help shape the entire track. Sometimes this is done with the assistance of a mixer. When it comes to good electronic dance music, you want to avoid any producer who does not make use of effects. These tools can truly help separate one song from another.
Many producers focus only on writing the music and adding the vocals. If you are just starting out, then this may be your preferred method. However, as you become more experienced, you will probably find yourself spending more time producing. One of the keys to being an effective electronic artist is having the ability to play along with your song in real time. By playing along with your track, you can fine tune the tempo and key to fit the song exactly. This will result in a high quality electronic music composition that you can show off to your friends and family.
One thing that you should always remember is that dance music producers are not just using one piece of equipment to create the finished product. The entire song is synthesized. This means you will need a variety of different pieces of equipment to create the beat, including a keyboard, a guitar, drum machine, and samples. If you do not have these pieces of equipment at your disposal, then you should start looking as soon as possible.
Some people enjoy producing their own electronic dance music. For many, this is a hobby that they feel they are good at and they like to create original electronic dance music. Others do it for a living. Regardless of your intentions, if you can learn the basics you will be well on your way to creating wonderful and unique electronic dance music.
