EDM Music Genres Family Tree
![EDM logo](i/EDM.png)
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EDM Sub-Genres
Industrial
A genre that fuses elements of electronic music with rock and avant-garde aesthetics, known for its harsh, robotic, mechanical, or noisy sound.
Bands: Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Front 242
EDM (electronic dance music)
EDM, or Electronic Dance Music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. Developed in the late 1980s, it is characterized by its use of synthesizers, drum machines, and digital audio workstations. The music is generally built around a repetitive beat and often features build-ups and drops to enhance the dance experience. EDM encompasses a variety of styles including house, techno, dubstep, and trance, appealing to a global audience with its energetic and synthesized sounds.
Bands: Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Skrillex
Garage House
Garage house is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1980s in the United States. It is characterized by a soulful, rhythm-focused sound that combines elements of house music with gospel-inspired vocals and piano riffs. The genre was popularized in clubs that catered to African-American and gay communities, and is named after the Paradise Garage club in New York.
Bands: Todd Edwards, Tuff Jam, Kerri Chandler
House
Features a repetitive 4/4 beat, a tempo of 120 to 130 BPM, and often includes piano, synth, or vocal elements.
Bands: Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson, Swedish House Mafia
Techno
A genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive four on the floor beat and a tempo of 120 to 150 beats per minute.
Bands: Carl Cox, Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin
Acid House
A subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The defining feature is the squelchy sounds of the Roland TB-303 electronic synthesizer-sequencer.
Bands: Phuture, Larry Heard, DJ Pierre
Ambient House
A subgenre of house music that blends elements of ambient music with traditional house. The music typically features lush soundscapes and smooth beats.
Bands: The Orb, KLF, Moby
Hardcore
Known for its very fast tempo (often above 170 BPM), aggressive themes, and heavy use of sampling.
Bands: Scooter, Angerfist, DJ Paul Elstak
Jungle
A genre of electronic music that incorporates fast-paced breakbeats and heavy basslines, derived from old school hardcore with influences from reggae and dancehall.
Bands: Shy FX, Goldie, Roni Size
Trance
Trance music is known for its ability to draw listeners into a hypnotic state with its complex layers of melody, build-ups, and drops.
Bands: Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk
Garage
Also known as UK garage or UKG, it is distinguished by its shuffling hi-hats, syncopated rhythmic patterns, and typically features pitch-shifted vocal samples.
Bands: MJ Cole, Todd Edwards, The Artful Dodger
Emo (Electronic)
Typically, emo refers to a rock music genre. However, electronic emo has emerged as a fusion of emo's lyrical style with electronic music.
Bands: Owl City (in its early work), The Postal Service
Drum and Bass
Evolved from jungle, drum and bass features fast breakbeats (typically 160 - 180 BPM) with heavy bass and sub-bass lines.
Bands: Andy C, LTJ Bukem, Pendulum
Big Beat
Characterized by heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns common to techno and acid house.
Bands: The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy
see also Fatboy Slim albums
Psytrance
A style of trance characterized by arrangements of synthetic rhythms and complex layered melodies created by high tempo riffs.
Bands: Infected Mushroom, Vini Vici, Astrix
Hardstyle
Characterized by hard beats and synthesized melodies
Bands: Headhunterz, Wildstylez, Brennan Heart
Dubstep
Characterized by sparse, syncopated rhythmic patterns with prominent sub-bass frequencies.
Bands: Skrillex, Benga, Burial
Grime
Originating from East London, grime features rapid breakbeats, electronic sounds, and often involves rapid, syncopated rhyming.
Bands: Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, Stormzy
EDM Trap
Incorporates elements from the Southern trap music genre into a typical EDM framework. It's known for its use of thin, high-pitched lead synthesizers, atmospheric synths, and 808 kick drums.
Bands: Baauer, Flosstradamus, RL Grime
Future Bass
Known for its use of a wide range of pitch-bent sounds.
Bands: Flume, San Holo, Marshmello
See also EDM genre blog posts