The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Music Genres

Electronic music comes in so many forms. Each of these genres have their own unique sound and style and often include many diverse sub-genres within them.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular electronic music genres and what makes them so radically different from one another. 

1. Techno

One of the biggest genres of electronic music, Techno, began in Detroit in the United States in the 80s, before taking over the rest of the world in the 90s. The key characteristic of Techno is often a solid, steady four-on-the-floor beat, with many tracks around 120-150bpm and faster or broken-beat exceptions. Drum machines such as the Roland TR-808 and the TR-909 have become synonymous with Techno and software emulations of it are used to make Techno music to this date. 

The fusion of Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and Giorgio Moroder’s synth-heavy futuristic sound with African-American House, Funk, and Electro music gave birth to “techno”, which is now further categorized into sub-genres such as Minimal, Acid, Industrial, Hardcore, Dub and Ambient Techno.

For the Detroit foundations, listen to Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. Techno influences also turn up in the wider electronic work of The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin, Apparat, and Modeselektor; those artists do not all work mainly in techno. Berlin clubs such as Berghain are another familiar part of the genre’s international story.

2. House

Similar to Techno in terms of BPM, House music originated in Chicago in the 80s. Spearheaded by the DJs Frankie Knuckles and Marshall Jefferson, House has since evolved into sub-genres such as Acid, Big Room, Chicago, Deep, French, Deep/Electro, Future, Latin, Minimal, Progressive, Tech, and Tropical House. 

In its early days, House drew on disco, soul, funk, and electronic production. The Roland Bass Line Synthesizer TB-303 became especially important to Acid House, with its distinctive resonant bass patterns. It is a defining sound of that branch, rather than a requirement for all House music.

The list of top House music artists is long and some of the names include Deadmau5, Justice, Avicii, Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, and Swedish House Mafia. Daft Punk have also been credited for being one of the first artists to bring House music into the mainstream. 

3. Electro

With the decline of disco music in the United States, funk and early hip-hop merged to form Electro (or, Electro-Funk). The Roland TR-808 remained a common component of the music but added to this were synthesizers, homemade circuits, voice boxes, and instruments such as the flute. 

Electro often uses syncopated or broken drum patterns rather than the steady kick on every beat associated with house. Its tempo varies, so 128BPM is not a fixed identifying mark. Synth bass, drum-machine sounds, and processed voices can be more useful clues, and contemporary Electro should not be confused automatically with Electro House.

4. Dubstep 

Dubstep developed in London around the turn of the millennium. The genre is characterized by syncopated rhythms, deep bass, and a half-time feel, often around 140BPM. A snare on the third beat of a four-beat bar helps create that slower-feeling pulse; half-time describes the groove, rather than a mandatory break in the arrangement.

The grooves can incorporate tuplets and a heavy wobble-bass, though neither is compulsory. The name ‘dubstep’ can be traced back to the use of Jamaican ‘dub’ reggae sounds mixed with popular sounds of the UK such as grime, jungle, and broken beat. 

In 2011, Dubstep gained traction in the United States spearheaded by Skrillex. This was an evolution of the sound, in which it was more aggressive sounding and incorporated elements from metal and nu-metal. This American variation is known as “Brostep”.  

Dubstep has appeared in mainstream pop as well as underground club music, and the more aggressive American sound is only one part of it. For listening, Benga offers a route into the UK sound, while Major Lazer, DJ Snake, and Bassnectar show how bass-heavy electronic styles can overlap. These are related references rather than a ranking of today’s biggest Dubstep artists.

5. Electro-Pop

As the name suggests, Electro-Pop is an amalgamation of electronic music with pop songwriting and heavy use of synthesizers. Electro-Pop thrived in the 70s and the 80s, championed by artists such as the Pet Shop Boys, Soft Cell, and even New Order on some of their more uptempo songs.

Acts such as Depeche Mode and Madonna continued to explore electronic pop in the 90s. Goldfrapp arrived with the debut album Felt Mountain in 2000, before later moving toward a more overtly electronic pop sound. In the 21st Century, Britney Spears’ Blackout and Lady Gaga’s The Fame brought more prominent examples of synth-heavy pop to a wide audience.

Not just American or European artists, Electro-Pop features prominently in K-Pop music, and boy/girl bands such as BTS and Girls’ Generation are some examples.

There is no clear demarcation when it comes to a tempo and the genre is usually defined by the instrumentation on the tracks.

6. Trance

Often described as a hybrid of Techno and House, Trance music is characterized by its emphasis on melodies, harmonies, and lush soundscapes. The tempo generally falls somewhere between 128 to 140BPM, but this is not a strict yardstick because some of its subgenres (such as Uplifting, Progressive, Vocal, Epic/Orchestral, and Psy/Goa Trance) often do not fall into this group.

Trance music first made its presence felt in German nightclubs in the 90s before spreading across Europe. Ferry Corsten, DJ Tiësto, and later Armin Van Buuren are credited for bringing Trance into the global limelight. Currently, it enjoys popularity across the globe, with major Trance music festivals on almost every continent.

7. Jungle And Drum & Bass

The UK rave scene in the 90s also saw the rise of another new genre that came from breakbeats, dub reggae bass, and syncopated percussions.

Generally characterized by its fast tempo ranging from roughly 150 to 180BPM, with exceptions, Jungle emerged also as a result of the sound-system culture prevalent at the time and became a cultural expression for urban lower class youth who were feeling the pressure of living in a post-Thatcherite society. Although there is no exact record of who can be credited for coining the term “Jungle”, Rebel MC, MC Navigator, and Top Buzz’s MC Mad P have all been attributed at some point. 

Ragga Jungle and Jump-Up are two labels you will encounter in this wider musical family, but they do not divide all Jungle into two neat categories. Ragga Jungle foregrounds reggae and dancehall connections, while Jump-Up is also widely discussed as a Drum & Bass style. The labels overlap, and individual tracks can sit between them.

Some of the most iconic Jungle tracks are “Everyman” by Kenny Ken, “Burial” by Leviticus, and “Bad Ass” by Aphrodite. Jungle became a major forerunner for Drum & Bass, which would emerge by the mid-90s.

Drum & Bass is characterized by sub-heavy basslines, synthesizers, samples, and fast breakbeats, often around 165 to 185BPM. Different approaches range from the smoother, melodic sound often called Liquid to harder and more stripped-back tracks. “Light” and “heavy” can describe the feel, but they are not a complete or standardized set of subgenres.

Goldie, DJ Hype, Roni Size, Chase & Status, and Pendulum are some of the names immediately associated with Drum & Bass.  

8. Breakbeat

Breakbeat started in the 1970s and is known for its use of hip-hop, funk, jazz, and R&B drum samples. Its influence can be found in many forms of music such as Deep House, Drum & Bass, UK Garage, and even Trip-Hop. 

It is said to have been founded in New York in the 1970s by Grandmaster Flash and DJ Kool Herc. Unlike other genres, there is no fixed tempo for breakbeats and instead, the tracks are characterized by their danceable rhythm, the use of classic funk samples, hi-pass filters, and other audio effects. 

In the 1980s, Breakbeats were incorporated into non-hip-hop music. In the 90s, Florida Breaks, Breakbeat Hardcore, Psychedelic Breakbeat, Nu-Skool Breaks, and Progressive Breaks emerged as new sub-genres. 

Artists like The Chemical Brothers, Propellerheads, The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, and Death By Vegas are considered pioneers of this genre.

9. Downtempo

When we think of the word ‘downtempo’, we automatically associate it with music that has a slow pace and is often atmospheric. Downtempo music is melodic, has a slow-tempo beat (usually about 90BPM), and incorporates layered and textural sounds to give it an overall easy mood. It is usually played in clubs before or after an electronic dance music set to help one relax. 

Artists like Massive Attack, Tricky, and Portishead started to fuse slow tempo hip-hop beats with psychedelic elements that resulted in the rise of ‘Trip-Hop’. This was probably one of the earliest examples of Downtempo.

By the 90s, slower electronic listening music was finding audiences in places such as Bristol, Ibiza, and Australia. Thievery Corporation offer a well-known American example. Downtempo overlaps with Lo-Fi and Chillout, and some artists also cross into Indie or Deep House; those styles did not all arise simply by Downtempo changing its name.

Currently, some of the most notable Downtempo artists are Bonobo, Tycho, Nicolas Jaar, and Boards of Canada.

10. Ambient

Instead of relying on a structured melody or a steady beat, Ambient music is all about exploring mood, texture, atmospheric layers, and tonality. Synthesizer pads and acoustic instruments are used and the emphasis is on minimalism, along with non-traditional song structures. 

French composer Erik Satie’s background pieces, which he called musique d’ameublement (“furniture music”), are an earlier reference point. John Cage also explored listening, silence, and timbre, while Brian Eno developed his own ambient approach in the 70s. Ambient 1: Music For Airports and Ambient 4: On Land are two well-known Eno records to explore, rather than the first two examples of music made for atmosphere.

In the 80s, Ambient merged with electronica, and Aphex Twin’s ‘Selected Ambient Works’ is a great example of the coming together of these two musical styles. 

Currently, Ambient music has evolved into subgenres such as Ambient House, Ambient Dub, Ambient Techno, Ambient Pop, Space Ambient, and Dark Ambient.

11. Synthwave

Synthwave emulates the synthesizer sounds and beats of the early 80s which were commonly found in action movies and videogame themes. To spark a kind of nostalgia, the tempo remains at a steady 80-118BPM and some of the more upbeat tracks play at 128-140BPM.

Kavinsky’s “Nightcall,” featured in the 2011 movie Drive, helped bring this nostalgic electronic sound to a wider audience. The soundtrack included other artists too, so it should not be treated as a complete Kavinsky score. Other notable Synthwave artists include Waveshaper, The Midnight, Perturbator, and Gunship.

12. IDM

Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) is associated with experimental electronic listening music, and Warp’s 1992 compilation Artificial Intelligence is an important reference point. It included music by Aphex Twin under an alias, I.A.O., Speedy J, The Black Dog, B12, The Orb, and Autechre. The compilation helped present music for attentive home listening as well as club audiences. That does not mean IDM must avoid dance rhythms or be heard only through headphones.

Since the term “Intelligent” Dance Music is often considered condescending, IDM is also referred to as ‘Art Techno’, ‘Electronica’, or ‘Armchair Techno’.

Some of the most popular IDM artists are Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, and Amon Tobin.  

13. Garage

The name “garage” comes from the New York nightclub Paradise Garage which operated from 1977 to 87 and artists ranging from The Clash to Sylvester played at the venue, as long as the music they played could be danced to.

Inspired by R&B, jungle, and garage house, UK Garage emerged in England in the mid-90s. 

UK Garage includes both four-on-the-floor tracks and syncopated 2-step rhythms. Shuffling percussion, sub-bass, and chopped or sped-up vocals are useful listening clues, often around 130BPM but without one compulsory tempo. This rhythmic variety helped feed later styles such as Dubstep, Future Garage, and UK Funky.

While Garage was popularised by artists like Sunship, Craig David, and Armand van Helden in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was brought back into the spotlight recently by artists like Disclosure and Jamie XX.

14. Industrial and Post-Industrial

Industrial Music gets its name from the British Industrial Records label, founded in 1976 by Throbbing Gristle. Its early sound involved experimental electronics, noise, tape manipulation, and confrontational performance. Distorted guitars and beat-heavy electronic arrangements became prominent in later Industrial Rock and Metal; melodic hooks and a danceable rhythm are possibilities, rather than requirements for all Industrial music.

Artists like Skinny Puppy, Numb, and Front Line Assembly popularised this sound in the 80s, and bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson would further experiment with the genre in the 90s by adding heavily overdriven or distorted guitars to the mix. 

Industrial is often considered a precursor to Dark Electro and Aggrotech.

Industrial music branched out into Post-Industrial sounds such as Ambient Industrial, Electro-Industrial, Industrial Rock, Industrial Hip-Hop, Powernoise, Neofolk, Power Electronics, and Witch House.

15. Hardcore

Hardcore originated in the UK, Germany, and Netherlands in the early 90s. Ranging from 160-200BPM, it uses heavily distorted kick drums with synthesized basslines and often violent-sounding textures. 

Some of its subgenres are Gabber, Mákina, Industrial Hardcore, Speedcore, and Breakcore. 

Prominent Hardcore artists include Angerfist, Sefa, and Dr. Peacock.

Conclusion

Electronic music continues to evolve in wondrous ways. While brand new genres such as Algo Rave, which uses live coding, are pushing boundaries with newer technology, some musicians are choosing to go back to where it all started with complete analog, modular setups. The evolution of electronic music is like water, never staying still and constantly moving in different directions.

Prodigy Image by: Batiste Safont, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Daft Punk Image by: James Whatley, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Depeche Mode Image by: Nir Nussbaum, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Armin van Buuren Image by: Patrick Savalle, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Chemical Brothers Image by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alterna2/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Massive Attack Image by: Platonova Alina (ru: Платонова Алина), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Brian Eno Image by: How We Get To Next, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kavinsky Image by: Brian Krofchick, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Aphex Twin Image by: clattimo, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Angerfist Image by: riotstarter1978, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons