Electronic genres 101

01The short version

Electronic dance music is a lot of families that share a kick drum and a crowd. People argue about the borders. You do not need to. Pick what moves you and follow it.

The descriptions below are ours. Where we state a fact such as where a genre started or its usual tempo, we cite a source. Tempo is in beats per minute, bpm. Genre labels are fuzzy, tempo ranges overlap, and the DJs at any festival cross lines all night.

02House

Sources 12

House is built on a steady four-on-the-floor kick and a groove you can move to for hours. Wikipedia describes it as having a typical tempo of 115 to 130 bpm, created in Chicago by DJs and producers from the city's queer Black underground club culture, evolving in the early to mid 1980s as DJs altered disco songs to give them a more mechanical beat.

Tech house is a house subgenre that takes features from techno, often tighter and more minimal. It is common on club stages and late-night sets.

How it feels. Warm, social and built for the long haul. You can talk to the person next to you. It is the easiest family to start with.

03Techno

Sources 3

Wikipedia says techno is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos from 120 to 150 bpm, built from drum machines, sequencers and synthesizers. It adds that vocals and melodies are uncommon and the focus is on rhythm.

How it feels. Hypnotic, repetitive and darker than house. It builds slowly and rewards staying in one place for a long set. Hard techno is the faster, harder-hitting end.

04Trance, progressive and melodic

Sources 4

Wikipedia says trance emerged from the techno and EBM scene in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and spread across Europe. Progressive and melodic styles are close cousins, built on long, rising arrangements.

How it feels. Big, emotional and euphoric. The track climbs for minutes and then lets go. The crowd sings along. If you like film scores and fireworks, start here.

05Bass music, dubstep and riddim

Sources 5

Wikipedia says dubstep originated in South London in the early 2000s, as an offshoot of UK garage that blended 2-step rhythms with sparse dub production, with roots in the Jamaican sound system scene of the early 1980s. Wikipedia describes future bass as a 2010s style that mixes dubstep and EDM trap with warmer, less abrasive rhythms. In our words, riddim is the stripped-down, repetitive, heavy end of the family.

How it feels. Loud, physical and full of drops. The low end hits your chest. Bass crowds are often the most intense at the rail, so see the etiquette guide before you go in, and wear your earplugs.

06Drum and bass

Sources 6

Wikipedia says drum and bass emerged in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s, and is characterized by fast breakbeats with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, samples and synthesizers.

How it feels. Fast, but not frantic. Lots of room for singers, rollers and liquid, melodic sets and also for harder ones.

07Hardstyle and hard dance

Sources 7

Wikipedia says hardstyle emerged in the late 1990s, with origins in the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy, and mixes influences from techno, new beat and hardcore.

How it feels. Anthemic, fast and fierce, with a distinct kick that carries the whole set. The crowd tends to be loyal and loud.

08Big room and festival EDM

Sources 8

This is the sound many people mean when they say "EDM". Wikipedia describes big room as a fusion of progressive and electro house that gained popularity in the early 2010s, generally set between 126 and 132 bpm, with long buildups followed by an electro-style drop over a four-on-the-floor kick. It is a crowd-pleaser by design.

How it feels. Huge. The lights, the pyro and the crowd are the point as much as the music.

09Where each sound lives in the archive

This is built from the genre mix and listening starts in our festival files. The mix is our editorial judgment of the lineup, not a measured count. The artists are places to start, and may be from an earlier edition.

10How to find your sound

1. 1
   Start with a festival page

   Open one you like the look of. Read the genre mix and the listening starts.

2. 2
   Play a set, not a single

   Long DJ sets show you how a genre moves over an hour. Pick one from an artist on the page.

3. 3
   Notice what you skip

   The tracks you skip tell you as much as the ones you replay.

4. 4
   Then pick a festival

   Use how to pick a festival or the finder.