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An Inquiry Into the Conception and Development of Electronic
Dance Music.
 Some of the Most Influential There is a beginning for everything. There is always a One of the most controversial questions surrounding EDM is,
spark that creates interest or an idea that later expands into who started it? In order to understand how Electronic Dance
and Well Known Artists Are... something much greater than what it started out as (i.e. the Music has come to be what it is today, we must start at the
telephone, soda, clothing, movies, or cars). Think about it. beginning and rediscover the roots of the genre.
Nearly all of the possessions and objects that are around us
today are the result of someone’s idea reacting and adapting
to our ever-changing demands. This same theory applies to
the musical conception of Electronic Dance Music. EDM first began to develop near the end of the 1970s when
disco music was coming to the end of its course. The nation
Electronic Dance Music, or EDM as it is commonly was still enjoying its discotheques and musical gathering
referred to, is music that employs electronic musical instru- spots, but was starting to crave something better and more
ments – such as an electronic guitar – and electronic mu- unique to listen to. Enter the creative minds of the DJs resid-
sic technology (i.e. sound synthesizer or computer) in its ing in Chicago, Illinois and House music is born.
production. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding
EDM. First off, when the general population hears about an
EDM festival or show, they tend to assume that the only rea- House music utilized the expansive vocals and piano runs
sons people are going are to pop pills, smoke pot, and drink of disco music to create a genre that would later expand
booze. Though, if one not accustomed to the “rave scene” into something much greater. For the time being however, C+C Music Factory
were to actually attend a show he or she would realize that this new style of music incorporated the same familiar feel
Daft Punk while drug usage sometimes occurs, people go there to cele- of disco in order to appeal to the changing desires of the
brate music, love, and togetherness. The second misconcep- population’s ears. The first tracks created were solely for
tion about Electronic Dance Music is that it is all the same. mixing and use by club DJs. These tracks were made using
The way I understand it to be is that Electronic Dance Music raw rhythm and little melody or song structure specifically
for most people is rap music for me; I have a bias against rap for integration into the mixes already being played in clubs
and do not enjoy it because I think it all sounds the same, and discotheques.
however I do realize that there are tons of artists trying to
Armand create a bigger, better, and different sound than what their
Van counterparts are doing. The fact of the matter is, however,
Helden that Electronic Dance Music is similar to rap in the sense that The first documented debut of house music on a record oc-
there are a ton of DJs striving to create the next big thing in curred in 1983. While it is still debated as to which track was
their field of music. Please understand that there are about the first, the two under scrutiny are Z Factor’s “Fantasy” and
11 different types of EDM and over 100 sub-genres within Jesse Saunders’ “On and On.” What most people debating
those types!! this topic do not realize is that Jesse Saunders produced both
tracks.
While there is an appeal to discovering more about
the countless genres of EDM, what I would like to uncover is
Farley Jackmaster Funk
exactly how all these different types emerged. What specifi-
cally started the era of electronic dance music? How did it A few years following the introduction of house music,
come to break out of the underground and become main- emerged arguably one of the most influential artists to step
stream? Who should be accredited to creating and adapting onto the scene. Larry Heard is considered to have left one
this type of music? And why should the general population of the biggest marks on House music because he formed Madonna
even care about Electronic Dance Music? After a week a the crucial marriage of warmth & communal disco with the
research and inquiry the answers were made clear. energy & futurism of the new genre. Heard partnered with

Basement Jaxx
Robert Owens and Ron Wilson to form Fingers Inc. in 1985.
Within a year, he had already produced nearly a dozen tracks
and partnered with two other major recording labels, Trax
Records and DJ International. A list of his tracks includes:
Mystery of Love, Washing Machine, Can You Feel It, You’re
Mine, Distant Planet, and Bring Down the Walls. Countless
other artists began appearing as House music exploded
around the city. Many singles included: “Move Your Body”
by Marshall Jefferson, “Love Can’t Turn Around” by Farley
Jackmaster Funk, and “Jack Your Body” by Steve Silk Hurley.

As the end of the decade approached, the power related

to House music transferred from its birthplace of Chicago
across the east coast to New York. Here is where House
music positioned itself for a few years. Popular musicians
like C+C Music Factory and Madonna attempted to create
tracks that would appeal to their audience, but ultimately
failed to stay in the mainstream as a result of the growing
resistance to revive disco. Following this, the power of House
music transferred again, but this time jumped continents
and landed in central Europe. As Americans began to move
away from House music, Europeans embraced it and even
introduced a few types of their own (Jungle and Drum &
Bass.) Transitioning into the 1990s, House music in Europe
started becoming so popular that massive outdoor raves that
attracted tens of thousands of people were being held. This
is where House music really began to take off; House music
soon became extremely popular worldwide and was being
tweaked and reworked to create countless different genres
of EDM as well as combine with popular tracks in order to
create a more mainstream sound. The world had discovered
Electronic Dance Music.

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