Today’s electronic dance music (EDM) features the latest equipment and sound programs. However, the roots of these innovative sounds lie in 1970s synth pop and disco, mixed by DJs in out-of-the-way nightclubs. 

Where did it all start? How has this music evolved since the 70s? For answers and to learn more about electronic music, read on.

What is EDM? 

Let’s define what EDM or electronic dance music is. It is a wide range of percussive electronic music developed mainly for nightclubs, raves and festivals. EDM is usually produced for playback by DJs who create seamless compilations of tracks called mixes that transition from one recording to the next. 

In Europe, EDM is more commonly referred to as “dance music.” Rowley Bornstein of MTV referred to electronic music as “the new rock and roll.” Producers of EDM also play their music live at concerts or festivals, sometimes referred to as “live sound.” Casino Vulkan even has themed slot machines dedicated to electronic music and sees Vulkanbet casino bonuses.

With electronic dance music, you can find different genres: house, downtempo, trance, etc. Modern EDM also has 

• many different styles;
• countless DJs;
• large scale music festivals;
• excellent venues;
• international appeal.

History of EDM – where, when and who

In the late 1970s and early ’80s, sounds on synthesizers and electronically amplified tunes were popping up all over the world, but the birth of techno was in Detroit, Michigan. Three Detroit musicians, known as “The Belleville Three” and named after the Detroit area, created sounds that could be played in new ways, remixed and integrated into popular music, including 

• Juan Atkins;
• Kevin Saunderson;
• Derrick May.

Around the same time, DJs in Chicago, Illinois, were showing a similar trend, mixing disco, soul, and new sounds from synthesizers with a particular emphasis on heavy, electronic drum beats. A legendary DJ named Frankie Knuckles opened The Warehouse nightclub in 1977. His unique musical mixes combined with the club’s name introduced the term “house” and earned Knuckles the title “Godfather of House” and the honorary name Frankie Knuckles Way on the corner of Jefferson and Adams in downtown Chicago. Phuture, Mr. Fingers and Kym Mazelle, who became known as “the first lady of house music,” were also part of the early house scene.

Hits that spread electronic music

Electronic music became popular around the world in the 1980s thanks to a wide range of songs – from a-ha’s “Take on Me” to Technotronic “Pump Up the Jam” – and it continued to evolve in the 1990s, becoming a musical genre in its own right. 

The EDM artists such as Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Kraftwerk, David Guetta and Tiësto were popular all over the world and in the US in the 90s. Today’s chart-topping pop music is mostly a mixture of electronic and acoustic elements. 

Moby was another famous American artist. Even Madonna from Detroit participated in the development of electronic music and added EDM sounds to her albums “Bedtime Stories” and “Ray of Light”.