Electronic Music

Electronic music is a musical genre that is difficult to define universally, because the kinds of music that it encompasses include many varieties and ranges, such as dance, trance, techno, and experimental art music. The common element of music belonging to the electronic genre, however, is this: composition of pieces using electronic techniques and devices. An electronic music piece may thus employ electronic musical instruments (the telharmonium, drum machines, Hammond organ, electric guitar) or electronic music technology in its production (sampling, synthesizing, filtering, etc.) Example electronic music artists who are popular today include Moby, Bjork, Biosphere, Girl Talk, Daft Punk, Celtic Cross, Paul van Dyk, Ratatat, Infected Mushroom, and Crystal Castles.

What is Electronic Music?

Electronic music relies on electronic devices to produce sound. These devices include synthesizers, samplers, computers, drum machines, filtering techniques, and an array of other similar electronic instruments, one or more of which are used to produce music in a unique, non-generic fashion. And while there’s an infinity of electronic instruments available, there are subgenres or similar genres that appropriate better and more appropriately the unique aspects of electronic music; these include ambient, downtempo, drum and bass, electro-acoustic, breakbeat, trance and techno.

The History of the Electronic Music and Important Electronic Music Artists and Figures

The origins of electronic music can be traced back to over one hundred years ago, with the 1897 invention of the first purely electronic instrument, called the telharmonium by Thaddeus Cadhill. It was followed by the c. 1919 invention of Ondes Martenot by Olivier Messiaen. Throughout the years, before and after World War II, these inventions were embraced by progressive composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen as a way to produce music beyond traditional means and combine conventional orchestras with electronically generated sounds: an ornamental addition to classical melody. From 1960s to 1980s, electronic music was then adopted into popular culture, with Walter Carlos (or Wendy Carlos) popularizing the use of synthesizer on baroque classical pieces as his way of musical experimentation. It was at this time that electronic artists like John Cage, The Silver Apples, The Residents, Brian Eno, Vangelis, Kitaro, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Heaven 17, Severed Heads, The Human League, Yaz, Throbbing Gristle, and New Order worked to incorporate synthesized elements into their sound, such that they were able to develop popular music using entirely electronic means and define the genre in their own ways, and using their own technologies. Artists like Nine Inch Nails and KMFDM also adopted electronic sound techniques and melded these into mechanical dance beats.

The mid-70s arrival of disco and the late 1980s rise of techno and house music in American suburbs – plus the simultaneous growth of the house movement in UK – led to the acceptance of electronic music into the mainstream, and this introduced electronic dance music to nightclubs everywhere. Electronic music artists such as Bjork and Moby took advantage of this variant of music and popularized it into the mainstream.

Electronic Music Today

Electronic music continues to grow and evolve today, with the advent of new music and computer technologies and the reduction in the cost of electronic music equipment. Notable electronic music artists who have achieved considerable success in the 21st century include Fatboy Slim, Moby, Bjork, The Postal Service, Chemical Brothers, Girl Talk, Daft Punk, Stereolab, The Presets, Infected Mushroom, MGMT, Ratatat, and Crystal Castles.

Electronic Music Records and Electronic Music CDs

Moby CDs, Bjork CDs, Chemical Brothers CDs, Fatboy Slim CDs, Girl Talk CDs, Daft Punk CDs, Biosphere CDs, Infected Mushroom CDs, Crystal Castles CDs, Paul van Dyk CDs, Brian Eno CDs, John Cage CDs, The Silver Apples CDs, New Order CDs, Nine Inch Nails CDs, as well as other electronic records and electronic CDs by electronic music artists and bands, are available at MusicStack. Electronic music vinyl LPs are also available.

Electronic Records and Electronic CDs

Find all kinds of rare, hard to find and out-of-print Electronic records and Electronic CDs on MusicStack.

Moby
Fatboy Slim
Chemical Brothers
Brian Eno
Bjork
Infected Mushroom
Daft Punk
Girl Talk
Karlheinz Stockhausen

Electronic Websites

Electronic music Electronic music entry at Wikipedia
Electronic at Lala Elecronic Music at Lala.com
EMA's definition Electronic Music Association’s definition of the genre