The Uprise of EDM

6 Comments
 24 Sep 2012   Posted by Alan Churchill


What on earth is EDM?

Please, why has this phrase even graced our consciousness?  We have polluted an otherwise healthy love of music with a phrase that seems only suitable for an uneducated text message from a 5th grader.

The phrase ‘LOL’ has bludgeoned to death the delightful act of TRULY and physically laughing out loud.  It has reduced an emotion to 3 letters.  The phrase EDM has ripped the heart out of electronic dance music and objectified it to a measly 3 letters!

How would you define EDM? No, it’s not Environmental Design Management!
Wikipedia has it down as ‘electronic music primarily for use within a night club setting, or in an environment that is centred upon dance-based entertainment’. The article goes on to mention mainstream popular music and I think that this is the key to EDM.

Pop Music EDM Culture

Spectrum 48k

My first computer…..

As big artists such as Madonna have made attempts at bringing ‘underground’ dance music into the pop realm, a dance music sound has become more popular in the mainstream media and the charts. The use of computer technology has been embraced more heavily in the production of various tracks and the glamorization of DJ’s has been marketed to the mainstream; with the likes of Tiesto and Paul Van Dyk being shown as ‘god-like’ figures who earn too much money! (see article below) Then Deadmau5 comes along and makes some noisy bleeps and grinds, reminiscent of my Spectrum 48k loading up. This entire facade is marketable and has therefore received the tag EDM. (Note: Many of you might not realise that computer games took 5 minutes to load, they were on cassette tape and made a disgusting shreiking sound with blips and screeches as they loaded)

Death of EDM

In the interests of maintaining some level of intelligence I request that the phrase EDM never makes the crossover into the underground dance music scene.  I don’t ever want to hear anyone talk about EDM in any clubs I consider as decent, or I may complain to the NCO.
NCO?
Yes, Night Club Owner!
Exactly, that sounds remarkably stupid, and so does EDM.  You get the point, so lets just drop it there.

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  • simon

    EDM is just house, i’ve not really heard it used in the uk, funny how house started in Chicago and now years down the line people in usa don’t even know what it is so name it again aha

    • simon

      well most of what i’ve heard that’s been called EDM is or like moombahton

    • http://traktortips.wordpress.com Traktor Tips

      Well at least there is some redemption that it has not reached the UK yet……

  • http://about.me/sixfootsix sixfootsix

    Here’s an interesting article that goes some way to explaining why ‘EDM’ is the phrase of choice for US promoters.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/aug/02/how-rave-music-conquered-america

    tl;dr – ‘rave’ is associated with drugs, ‘EDM’ isn’t. This makes it easier to make money out of large events.

    As much as I dislike the ‘EDM’ moniker, anything that brings more electronic music to the world is a positive thing, isn’t it?

    • http://traktortips.wordpress.com Traktor Tips

      Hello there, thanks for your comment! Yes, I have thought about the angle you mention here about bringing more people to the scene and introducing more people to an otherwise somewhat ‘sub-culture’. The interesting part however is that similarly to the fashion industry, once a certain brand (or ‘sound’ in this case) becomes popular, it is no longer on the cutting edge, or fashionable. The speed at which EDM is spreading simply forces more people to change styles and push boundaries at an attempt to run away from mainstream.

    • http://traktortips.wordpress.com Traktor Tips

      That is a sweet article, thanks for sharing! Long one, but well worth the read!