ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC 

By: Ankur 

A DJ in action at Ultra Miami Festival, 2018

Introduction

Electronic Dance Music (EDM), also known as club music, is a broad range of electronic music genres made largely for night-clubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by a disc jockey (DJ) who create seamless selections of tracks, called a DJ mix, by transitioning from one recording to another which is designed to create and maintain dynamic energy flow and charged atmosphere, with high peaks and deep valleys. This results in building up the energy, then dropping it back down, only to repeat the process again thus making it a melodic rollercoaster.

History and Development

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, following the emergence of underground festivals and an upsurge of interest in club culture, EDM achieved mainstream popularity particularly in the US and Europe. Historically speaking, Germany, particularly the city of Berlin, played a crucial role in the development of the electronic dance music scene – especially in the wake of the Berlin Wall’s demolition in 1989. The synth-pop quartet, Kraftwerk, was among the most relevant acts of that time. The newly reunified city quickly became an important locale for raves and renegade parties previously popular across England.

The Beatles with a Moog Synthesizer which led to the early origins of the EDM Genre

Subsequently, in the new millennium, the popularity of EDM increased globally. By mid-2010, the initialism “EDM” was being pushed by the American music industry and music press to rebrand the American rave culture. Despite the industry’s attempt to create a specific EDM brand, the initialism remains in use as an umbrella term for multiple sub-genres of EDM, including synth-pop, trap, dance-pop, future bass, deep house, techno, dubstep, electro, trance etc. Stylistic variation within an established EDM genre can lead to the emergence of what is called a sub-genre.

Features of EDM

• No vocals required: While there are, traditionally, rarely any vocals in the EDM music pieces, what’s typical for the style is the deliberately inorganic sounds and timbres, rhythmic pulse, and high and steady tempo of, usually 120-150 beats per minute (BPM).
• Anatomy of EDM: Generally, EDM tracks can be broken down into four main structural elements – intro, build-up, breakdown and drop. The intro of a song is evidently self-explanatory. It is common for the beginning of a track to feature a stripped-down beat to set the pace. The intro is then followed by a breakdown, where the drum and bass fades out to create a sense of anticipation for the listener. The breakdown then paves the way for the build-up, which ramps up the energy to prepare the listener for the drop. Common techniques in build ups include rising pitch synths and rushing percussion patterns. The last element and arguably the most important is the drop. This is the main hook of the song and the section which differentiates the production skills among different DJs. Technically speaking, the drop is the highest energetic point in the track characterized by a sudden change of rhythm or bass-line. This is the part that is made catchy enough in order to make the listener vibe and want to dance along.

• Equipment and Instruments used for EDM production: While other styles, such as rock, pop, jazz, etc. tend to utilize traditional music instruments, in EDM, those are replaced by diverse electronic gear, including sampler-sequencer, bass-line generator, and synthesizer. During the initial days, the EDM tracks would very often be composed and built by remixing and remastering samples of previously made recordings. But nowadays, there is a vast array of technology available for DJs to create their music which includes a wide variety of dedicated software known as digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Ableton Live and FL-Studio.

Notable Artists, Events and India in the EDM World

The EDM world has a plethora of amazing talent and a huge roster of legends. Music that they created often left a deep imprint on people in many indescribable ways. Some produce music that makes you want to rave all night while the others, simply touch your heart in a very deep way. Avicii, Marshmello, The Chainsmokers, Tiesto, Martin Garrix, Skrillex, David Guetta, Major Lazer, Calvin Harris, Alan Walker are among the few of many EDM legends to be named. They have conquered the hearts of millions by their melody as well as their seamless performances in various music festivals like Ultra Music Festival (USA), Tomorrowland (Belgium), Sunburn (India), Escapade (Canada), Sensation (Netherlands), Ultra Japan (Japan) etc.

Swedish DJ duo, Axwell Λ Ingrosso at Ultra Europe, 2018

EDM is slowly starting to gain momentum in India and is becoming everyone’s favorite because of its infinite pumped-up vibe, consequently creating a bevy of Indian EDM Artists which is taken to the next level as Bollywood has also started recognizing their work and adapting it in the movies. This is the reason why we see a lot of EDM artists in India collaborating with Bollywood music producers. Nucleya, Lost Stories, Ritviz, Zaeden and KSHMR are among the big names of who are maestros in this field.

Indian DJ and EDM producer, Nucleya performing in Sunburn Arena, Goa-2019

Psychological Impact of EDM:

EDM is proven to be helpful in reducing anxiety levels and are also great stress-busters. In a 2016 study conducted by the University of Michigan, USA it was found that high BPM and tempo rate, which are typical to EDM, were responsible for secretion of chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin etc. which are collectively colloquialized as the ‘hormones of happiness’. The release of these chemicals stimulates motivation and enthusiasm as these induces positive feelings within the listener. This also has a direct impact on improving the quality of sleep and rest.

It is one of the most popular music choices among those who regularly workout or are involved in physical exercises. In a 2019 survey conducted by the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, it was reported that cyclists performed better when listening to fast-paced music like EDM. This is because the dynamics of this genre help them get “in the zone,” or in other words, the grueling effort involved is mitigated by their musical delight.

Last, but not least, EDM unifies people, promotes social interaction and strengthens the bonding among people. As EDM concerts and festivals invites large social gathering, it makes a great choice for people, especially EDM enthusiasts from all walks of life to interact with each other and rejuvenate themselves.