The phrase “EDM”

My guess – and I have absolutely no data or research to back this up whatsoever – is that the record companies needed to somehow re-brand dance music because of the sudden popularity of top40 dj/producers like David Guetta etc., and the term ‘dance music’ just felt too… 90’s, if you get what I mean? So they simplified the heterogeneous field of various sub-genres and grouped it all under one marketable name – EDM. To the true fan this simplification is of course an abomination, but I guess the same goes for most types of music. I’m sure there are a gazillion different sub-genres of jazz, but since I don’t really listen to the genre, it all sounds jazz to me!

Back in the days, there are a LOT of confusion to named those kind of “genre”, some people referred to it as “electronic music”, and theres this trend where most americans called it “techno” music (to named them PVD tunes, darude tunes, etc), it gives me a headache, lol

LOL @ Daryl,
I never really grab the concept whats the difference for THEM, the rave and the techno music

I agree with the notion that in all likelihood the acronym “EDM” was created to simplify the concept of electronic dance music; in other words, for either marketing reasons by labels or by journalists writing about the rise in popularity of the blend between progressive and electro house with R&B and hip-hop that began to growth rapidly here in the US some time around maybe 2007 or so.

However, I would suggest we go further by noticing two things that seem related to me:

(1) That when most people (in the US, at least) think about “EDM” and come to identify a taste for it and follow specific DJproducers, what they are focused on is almost exclusively progressive and electro house and somewhat of a lesser extent trance.

For evidence of this you can look, for example, at playlists with the label “EDM” on Spotify, and to what type of music dominates in certain kinds of festivals and leading dance clubs (at least in the US). In other words, young people I’ve met who like “EDM” know much about other house sub-genres or other types of electronic dance music.

(2) Now here comes a more controversial observation, one that I remember D-Jam, a Chicago-based DJ who contributes greatly to this website’s article comments said once, and that is something I have observed repeatedly first hand: the vast majority of “EDM” fans, again, at least in the US, are White young people. Very, very rarely do I see, in either clubs or big performances by leading “EDM” DJproducers crowds in which the number of Black or non-White Latino people is more than a sprinkle here and there. I have seen this both in person and by looking at videos of big performances, as well as in conversations with plenty of college students.

Indeed, most of this crowd isn’t that interested in deepsoulful house, or so-called “tribal” (a label I hate), or Latin house, d’n’b, etc.

So, if we combine items #1 and #2, it’s possible to argue that either major labels or the press that covers this scene, or both, decided that White young people in the US were a growth market for a certain kind of music that wasn’t generally associated with people of color in this country.

Just my two cents, from the perspective of someone who interacts a lot with college students and plays all kinds of house and other genres.

Stazbumpa, post: 45225, member: 1739 wrote:
This is an exercise in marketing and it comes from America. But cast your minds back and this is simply history repeating itself. Back in the 90’s The Prodigy happened, and when they happened and sold records by the truck load the US record industry had no clue how to package and neatly display a band that was the complete opposite of that concept, and so the word “electronica” was born and applied. We Brits scratched our heads and wondered what the hell you were on about. Electronica as a term simply didn’t make sense and was ignored.

HAHAHAHAHAH, so true, “The Fat of the Land” explosion !

I liked using the term “EDM” before it digressed to being the name of this pop phenomenon.

I liked it because it was one blanket term to cover house, techno, trance, jungle, dubstep, breaks, etc.

[quote](2) Now here comes a more controversial observation, one that I remember D-Jam, a Chicago-based DJ who contributes greatly to this website’s article comments said once, and that is something I have observed repeatedly first hand: the vast majority of “EDM” fans, again, at least in the US, are White young people. Very, very rarely do I see, in either clubs or big performances by leading “EDM” DJproducers crowds in which the number of Black or non-White Latino people is more than a sprinkle here and there. I have seen this both in person and by looking at videos of big performances, as well as in conversations with plenty of college students.[/quote]

Yeah, the Black scenes are divided among those who want rap, those who want old school, those who want deep house and other funky underground vibes, and some outliers who are into rave music. The Latino scenes are mixing around with Spanish music, deep house, and old school.

“EDM” for the most part is used as an easily digestible term for Suburban White America to get into it all.

I’d like to think though that it’s not even some “racial phobia” that keeps the EDM fests all white, but more just in different tastes. Lord knows deep house wouldn’t fly well in a massive 10,000 person fest. If you even watch the Documentary “The Dutch Influence”, you’ll see really how much of this EDM sound is a more electro-housed up variation of trance.

Still, even in the WMC, you’ll see plenty of minorities in the more darker underground parties, and I’ll still see many worshiping what I think is better music. I’ll take Derrick Carter playing a dingy club or Miguel Migs at some lounge over any of those massive “throw your hands up” massives.