Popularity boom of "EDM"?

Icewind

New member
I have been a fan of electronic music well before this wave of EDM came about in the U.S, and I had always used the term edm as a blanket term for all the main genres of dance music (house, trance, techno, jungle/dnb, hardcore, etc). However I'm just wondering as to why it seems as though the media, and the fans (mainly in the u.s.) are treating this "EDM" as if it is separate from those genres and it's own genre of music. Almost as if dance music never existed before and it's now some new ground breaking genre. Can anyone shed any light on this?

I'm a firm believer that electronic music has always been underground music by nature, and that's where it thrives. The recent rise of edm seems very unnatural to me, and I worry about the affects it will have on dance music as a whole when it inevitably crashes. What are your thoughts?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The answer to your question is because it's 'murica.

It's the biggest market in the world, in terms of music (well, anything, really), so the listeners there tend to think genres were created the same time they've risen to prominence there.

Once I read a interview where Skream said the most difficult time of his career was djing in US. He said that, at one of his gigs, there was a guy screaming: "Play Dubstep, play Dubstep!!!". The guy was screaming so loud, he (Skream) were forced to stop the gig, get on the mic and respond: "I'm playing Dubstep the whole night, man!". What happened is that Skream was playing the now called "old-school dubstep" HE helped to create. The guy on the crowd was expecting something in the terms of brostep.

Anyways, what will happen when it crashes? Nothing, really. People will keep doing electronic music, on a underground level, as it was always been done. And the mainstream will be left with copies of Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.
 
When I was around 12 I wanted the scene to get big over here in North America as the only good music we had in the 90's/ early 2000's was punk rock (IMO at least). Then the boom happened.. and now I wish that the boom never happened as the scene is filled with so much garbage.. It's anything but inspiring now.

I can't say I dislike a lot of the new work coming out as I actually enjoy playing a lot of it in my sets.. but the deep-ness I use to feel with the music is gone (Huge trance fan). Even now, these artists tour over here and claim to play 'trance' and yet its the same damn progressive-house that every other artist is producing/ DJing (*Cough* Armin, Arnej, Myon & Shane 54 *Cough*)

Yes I understand that there will inevitably be 'change' and things won't always 'stay the same', but I think the American influence on the scene has been anything but good. America should stick with the music it knows best.. and thats music about drugs, hoes, Compton, and how lil wayne is gonna get all up in it in this club… or whatever.
 
The "scene is filled with so much garbage..." but... "I can't say I dislike a lot of the new work coming out as I actually enjoy playing a lot of it in my sets..."

Which one is it?

This whole "America killed EDM" nonsense is bullsh*t! And "America should stick with the music it knows best..." That is an absurd statement coming from somebody that probably considers themselves to be an artist.

Who forces you to listen to American music or any music for hat matter? Just listen to what you like.
 
I post here on FP and on other UK based forum (dnbforum). You'd be completely surprised on how UK people hate the "American EDM trending".
 
Which one is it?

How long have you been listening to electronic music? Have you been around long enough to witness the change in the scene? Maybe you are a fan boy, but I am not. Maybe it would have been more appropriate to say I am only 5% for, 95% against.
From what it was, and what it is now, this is how I feel. When I say it is filled with 'so much garbage', it is something I truly believe as there are only a few tracks here and there that I can actually appreciate.. The rest sounds exactly like what was released a week ago, just a bunch of people jumping on the bandwagon and not coming up with anything new or creative. (The songs I play in my set are those that bring something new to the table, and to the scene itself) An example of a track that has blown me away in the last 2 years is Zedd - Spectrum. and yes as an artists I believe this. I can play the piano, I can sequence beats, so yes I think I am an artist. Subjective term to each and everyone one of us.

And who forces me to listen to American music? Quite simply, everyone? You ever go to the mall? Have a girlfriend with bad taste who only listens to the radio? Watch T.V?
 
I have been a fan of electronic music well before this wave of EDM came about in the U.S, and I had always used the term edm as a blanket term for all the main genres of dance music (house, trance, techno, jungle/dnb, hardcore, etc). However I'm just wondering as to why it seems as though the media, and the fans (mainly in the u.s.) are treating this "EDM" as if it is separate from those genres and it's own genre of music. Almost as if dance music never existed before and it's now some new ground breaking genre. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Let me explain

Jungle/Drum & Bass:
BLACKSTAR -- Kunta Kinte -- old school ragga Jungle - YouTube


EDM Drum & Bass:
BIRDY NAM NAM - GOIN' IN (SKRILLEX 'GOIN HARD' REMIX) [OFFICIAL VIDEO] - YouTube


You can do that with atleast House,Trap & Dubstep

EDM is like pop. Any electronic genre can be EDM, but just like Drake is pop-rap & not really actual Rap, Skrillex makes EDM-Dubstep & not really actual dubstep. EDM always sounds a certain way no matter what genre. Pop always sounds a certain way no matter what genre.
 
Fair enough. And, tbh, I am relatively new to Electronic music as I've been listening to it for about three years or so. I just get annoyed with the concept that if something is popular then it's bad. If liking some music that happens to be popular makes me a fan boy then I guess that I'm a fan boy.
 
The media will always try to find fresh ways to present old news. Giving dance floor friendly music a blanket term makes it seem like there is a rush of popularity or a new scene on the rise because every dance music article has the term 'EDM' somewhere in it. At least, that's my take on it. I'm from the UK so i haven't really seen the term EDM all over the place. We generally still categorise as house, techno, d 'n b or whatever like we always have. In a way, i wouldn't mind if the grouping together of different genres resulted in more eclectic dj sets. Back in the late '80's and early 90's (old git hat on...) i loved the fact that a lot dj sets would have house, techno, jungle, acid house and funk all mixed together.
 
EDM will always stay but the popularity of it will rise until one crucial point and then drop down, but the originality will drastically change in next year or more.
 
Fair enough. And, tbh, I am relatively new to Electronic music as I've been listening to it for about three years or so. I just get annoyed with the concept that if something is popular then it's bad. If liking some music that happens to be popular makes me a fan boy then I guess that I'm a fan boy.

I agree. I would rather get labeled a fanboy.

The "cool" people are usually miserable at everybody else having mindless fun.



 
Yeah.. I must have a taste for the sweeter things in life I guess.. I mean, mixing the beauty of electronic music with the mindless jibber jabber of Will.I.Am and LMFAO really doesn't do anything for me. I don't need to sing about the next time i'll get my drank on, slap some booty, or get it all crunk up in this b!tch.. Which is clearly what I am getting from the video. I must REALLY be missing out :( Or am I?
 
I kinda feel like this too. LMFAO is, IMO, pure garbage. And then, you have Lady Gaga, Myley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, all of them using electronic music to gather more listeners. I really don't get it.

Funny thing: I was watching some live performances of brostep artists on youtube this weekend. All those crowded stadiums, and people behaving like they were on the first lollapalooza. It's just weird. Isn't people supposed to DANCE to electronic music?
 
Hmmm never really got what EDM is. It's a bastard genre of a mix of Electro House/Pop. It sure isn't House music, and it really grinds my gears when people refer to it as house music....
 
Well I think it's not bad that EDM became so popular, because It helped a lot of producers, many of them very young (Martin Garrix, Julian Jordan, etc.), to live their hobby.
 
Honestly I think 'modern 'day edm is in a way different too the older stuff. Calvin Harris is very different too Tiesto or Bass Hunter, they made mostly Rave which was what edm was automatically Branded Back in the day .Anytime anyone heard an actual Edm, or computer made track that wasn't house they'd be like 'ah Rave music'. But now 'we know better' there are actually different types of Electronic music:berzerk:. And with that realization we weren't cave men anymore! We figured too bang one's head too Rave and Edm are TWO dIFfEReNT tHINGS :hmmm:. And ofcourse there's the Fact that the big wigs in the music industry are always looking for something new to push once the current agenda gets old. Think about it Every 10 years the music Scene changes, One decade it's Led Zepplin Next it's Guns and Roses, Then, Red hot chilli peppers, Linkin Park, 50 cent,Jay Z, Young money and now were all tired of hip hop, So lets take something that's always been there , Give it a new Name ,Push it on a huge platform and call it the next Big thing :victory:!And the crowd goes Wild !
 
The word EDM came simply from the fact that all genres in dance music are growing closer to each other. House music has influences from hardstyle and hardstyle has influences from trance music... In the Netherlands we don't think in boxes anymore... you can lsiten to all dance music genres...
In the 90's you where a gabber if you listened to hardcore or i don't know what if you listened to house or trance but nowadays everything is respected by everybody... we even have hardstyle in the national top 40. This is the reason that Showtek can make bigroom house instead of hardstyle and still get's the respect they deserve...

So the fact that we as people are more open minded these days created the term EDM imo
 
Well. Everything is cyclical. So, as soon as I start the junglist revival (soon), we'll be good. See ya at the top! BOH!
 
Back
Top