As the evolution of electronic dance music continues to change the face of dance music, it is important for us to keep in mind some commonalities in the genre as a whole. The evolution of electronic music started with the birth of rave as a global phenomenon in the early eighties. From its origins in 1970s New York rave and ’70s Detroit techno to the global, mainstream surge of similar styles as house, techno & dubstep, dance music continues to reshape the musical landscape from city to country.
Rave culture, which was the original expression of electronic music, featured large numbers of attendees, often in their teens and twenties, who traveled together by bus or train to see a group perform. In the United Kingdom, the term “rave” actually derives from the British slang “rap”, which means “slow”. While the British rave is now considered a farce by many, it nevertheless remains popular in parts of the UK. Other nations also had their share of the rave craze, including Holland, Canada, Europe and Japan.
In the United States, raves became a worldwide phenomenon after they moved westward. At first, these raves were small gatherings held in parties and other events, but as the ‘scene’ began spreading from city to city, they began to become bigger, more formalized affairs.
While the origins of the rave culture have varied across the world, the core elements that define it have remained essentially the same: a series of DJs spinning records at high decibel levels, along with lots of people dancing and having a good time. It may seem ironic to consider that, in the 21st century, these elements are still prevalent in some of the most modern dance music. Still, the evolution of electronic music is not always as simple as people make it out to be. In fact, the history of modern dance music is filled with examples of how it has become what it is today. From hip hop and jazz to trance and drum and bass, there are many fascinating influences from the past that still remain active in today’s music.
As mentioned above, many of the core elements of electronic music have been present for a long time, such as the use of turntables and microphones for recording tracks, and DJ mixing decks. Although they are often regarded as necessary elements of the modern dance music scene, some have questioned the importance of these items, arguing that they are too basic to be worthy of mention.
One of the earliest elements that have been around since the beginning of electronic music is the DJ turntables themselves. These devices, originally used to make records and play back music at parties, eventually found their way into the club scene. They were not designed for the purpose of DJing, but instead for making beats on the turntables.
As the technology of producing music advanced, audio tape began to replace traditional record-based music. At first, these machines were not designed for this purpose, but were instead used to create and mix records and re-record tracks that sounded good when played back on tape. The technology, which became known as “rum” (although it is still sometimes referred to as “rumble” to some), was eventually taken away from the original function and replaced with computer software.
Nowadays, the turntables are no longer solely a source of creating music, but rather are also being used as a source of sound waves for producing sounds for DJing. For example, a wide range of programs can be downloaded online that allow a user to manipulate different kinds of turntables, including pitch-shifting, reversing, and other effects. In addition, there are also specialized machines that have all of these features. These tools, once considered to be just part of the DJ equipment, are now considered as the heart and soul of the whole modern electronic dance music scene.
