“EDM” is often used as one big label, but electronic dance music is really a family tree with dozens of branches. Each genre was born in a specific city, scene and moment, often because someone took an older sound and pushed it somewhere new. This guide walks through the most important genres in the order they appeared, so you can see how one led to the next.
| Genre | Born in | Era | Typical BPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electro | New York / Detroit | Early 1980s | 110–130 |
| House | Chicago | Mid-1980s | 118–130 |
| Techno | Detroit | Mid-1980s | 125–140 |
| Trance | Germany | Early 1990s | 130–140 |
| Hardcore & Hardstyle | Netherlands | 1990s / 2000s | 150–200 |
| Jungle & DnB | UK | Early 1990s | 160–180 |
| Big Beat | UK | Mid-1990s | 100–140 |
| UK Garage | London | Late 1990s | 130–135 |
| Electro House | Europe | 2000s | 125–130 |
| Dubstep | South London | Early 2000s | 140 (half-time) |
| Progressive & Big Room House | Europe | 2000s–2010s | 126–130 |
| Trap (EDM) | US | 2012 | 140–150 (half-time) |
| Future Bass | Worldwide | Mid-2010s | 130–160 |
| Tropical House | Europe | 2014 | 100–115 |
| Tech House | UK, then worldwide | 1990s, boom late 2010s | 124–128 |
| Melodic Techno | Europe | 2010s–2020s | 120–125 |
| Amapiano & Afro House | South Africa | 2010s–2020s | 110–122 |
The roots: 1970s and 1980s
Before EDM had genres, it had pioneers. Disco gave dance music its four-on-the-floor beat, and Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder proved that machines could make people dance. Everything below grew from that soil.
Electro
Origin: In the early 1980s, producers in New York and Detroit fell in love with Kraftwerk. In Detroit, Cybotron’s “Alleys of Your Mind” (1981) mixed Kraftwerk’s machine sound with funk. In New York, Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” (1982) combined Kraftwerk’s melodies and rhythms with the booming Roland TR-808 drum machine and turned electro into a hit.
The sound: Funky, syncopated drum machine beats, robotic vocals and sci-fi synths. Unlike house and techno, electro doesn’t use a steady kick on every beat.
Why it matters: Electro shaped early hip-hop, Miami bass and Detroit techno, and the 808 became one of the most important instruments in modern music.
Key artists: Afrika Bambaataa, Cybotron, Egyptian Lover, Jonzun Crew, Man Parrish, Mantronix
Most iconic track: Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force – “Planet Rock”. It’s the track that defined the genre and gave it its name in popular culture. It turned the Roland TR-808 into a star, brought Kraftwerk’s sound to American clubs and radio, and directly influenced hip-hop, Miami bass, freestyle and Detroit techno. Most music histories treat it as electro’s starting point, much like “I Feel Love” for electronic dance music as a whole.
Honorable mentions: Cybotron – “Clear”, Egyptian Lover – “Egypt, Egypt”, Herbie Hancock – “Rockit”
House
Origin: Chicago, late 1970s to mid-1980s. DJ Frankie Knuckles played a mix of disco, soul and electronic music at a club called the Warehouse, and that’s where the name “house” came from. In the mid-’80s, local producers began making their own tracks with cheap drum machines and synths, and the first house records were born.
The sound: A steady four-on-the-floor kick, open hi-hats on the offbeat, soulful vocals and piano or synth chords. It’s warm, groovy and made for long nights of dancing.
Why it matters: House is the foundation of most modern dance music. It quickly split into subgenres: deep house (moody and jazzy, pioneered by Larry Heard), acid house (built on the squelchy Roland TB-303) and vocal house. In 1988, acid house sparked the UK rave explosion.
Key artists: Frankie Knuckles, Jamie Principle, Larry Heard (Mr. Fingers), Marshall Jefferson, Jesse Saunders, Phuture
Most iconic track: Frankie Knuckles feat. Jamie Principle – “Your Love”. It’s the track that gave house music its heart. Its hypnotic, bubbling synth pattern, lush chords and sensual vocal proved that house could be emotional, not just functional. Knuckles played it in clubs for years before its release in 1987, and it later became the backbone of the dance anthem “You Got the Love”. For many DJs and fans, it’s still the greatest house record ever made.
Honorable mentions: Jesse Saunders – “On and On” (often called the first house record), Marshall Jefferson – “Move Your Body” (subtitled “The House Music Anthem”), Mr. Fingers – “Can You Feel It”
Techno
Origin: Detroit, mid-1980s. Three friends who met at high school in Belleville, a small town outside Detroit, Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, mixed Kraftwerk’s machine music with funk and a futuristic vision inspired by their struggling industrial city. In 1988, a UK compilation called Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit helped spread the sound and its name around the world.
The sound: Repetitive, hypnotic and mechanical, with driving kicks, synth stabs and an emphasis on rhythm and texture over vocals.
Why it matters: After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, techno became the sound of a reunited Berlin, with legendary clubs like Tresor in the ’90s and Berghain in the 2000s. Today, techno is one of the world’s biggest underground scenes, and its harder, faster forms are booming again.
Key artists: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Eddie Fowlkes, Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin, Charlotte de Witte
Most iconic track: Rhythim Is Rhythim – “Strings of Life”. Released by Derrick May under the name Rhythim Is Rhythim in 1987, it’s the anthem of Detroit techno. Built from fast, dramatic piano chords and soaring string stabs, it sounds more like an orchestra on fire than a typical dance track. It exploded in Chicago clubs and during the UK’s 1988 rave boom, and it proved that techno, often seen as cold machine music, could be deeply emotional.
Honorable mentions: Model 500 – “No UFO’s” (often called the first true techno record), Inner City – “Good Life” (Kevin Saunderson’s crossover hit), DJ Rolando – “Knights of the Jaguar”, Jeff Mills – “The Bells”
The rave era: 1990s
As house and techno crossed the Atlantic, Europe took them in wild new directions. The ’90s were the decade when electronic music exploded into dozens of styles.
Trance
Origin: Germany, early 1990s, especially Frankfurt. Producers took techno’s driving energy and added long, emotional melodies and dreamy atmospheres. Tracks like “The Age of Love” (1990) helped define the early sound. In the late ’90s, the Netherlands and the UK took trance to its commercial peak.
The sound: Rolling basslines, uplifting synth leads, long breakdowns and huge build-ups. It feels euphoric and almost spiritual.
Why it matters: Trance became Europe’s biggest club sound around 2000, with DJs like Tiësto and Armin van Buuren becoming global superstars. Its breakdown and build-up structure laid the groundwork for the EDM drop. A psychedelic branch, psytrance, grew from the beach parties of Goa, India.
Key artists: Sven Väth, Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, Ferry Corsten
Most iconic track: Paul van Dyk – “For an Angel”. First released in 1994 and turned into an international hit by a 1998 remix, it captures everything trance is about: a shimmering, emotional melody, a steady, driving pulse and a sense of floating above the dance floor. It made Paul van Dyk one of the genre’s first superstar DJs and remains one of the most loved trance anthems ever.
Honorable mentions: Age of Love – “The Age of Love” (one of the first trance records), Energy 52 – “Café del Mar”, Robert Miles – “Children”, ATB – “9 PM (Till I Come)”, Darude – “Sandstorm”
Hardcore and Hardstyle
Origin: The Netherlands. In the early ’90s, Rotterdam created gabber, a brutally fast form of hardcore techno running at 160 to 200 BPM, celebrated at massive parties like Thunderdome. In the early 2000s, Dutch producers developed hardstyle: slower, at around 150 BPM, but still heavy, with distorted kicks and epic melodies.
The sound: Pounding, distorted kick drums, aggressive energy and, in hardstyle, euphoric melodies and dramatic vocals.
Why it matters: Hardstyle built one of the most passionate fan communities in electronic music, with huge festivals like Defqon.1 and Qlimax.
Key artists: Paul Elstak, Angerfist, Showtek, Headhunterz, Brennan Heart, Wildstylez
Most iconic track: Headhunterz – “Dragonborn”. Released in 2012 and built around the epic theme of the video game Skyrim, it’s a perfect example of what makes hardstyle unique: thundering, distorted kicks combined with a huge, cinematic melody. It became a festival anthem and introduced the genre to many new fans, including gamers.
Honorable mentions: Paul Elstak – “Rainbow in the Sky” (the gabber scene’s crossover hit), Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo – “Wonderful Days” (a happy hardcore classic)
Jungle and Drum & Bass
Origin: The UK, early 1990s. British rave producers sped up hip-hop breakbeats, especially the famous “Amen break” from The Winstons’ 1969 funk track “Amen, Brother,” and mixed them with heavy reggae basslines from Jamaican sound system culture. Spread through London’s pirate radio stations, the result was jungle, which evolved into the smoother, more futuristic drum & bass by the mid-’90s.
The sound: Very fast, complex drum patterns over deep, rolling basslines, often around 170 BPM.
Why it matters: Drum & bass became one of the UK’s most important musical exports. Roni Size and Reprazent even won the prestigious Mercury Prize in 1997. The genre is enjoying a big revival today, with a new generation reviving classic jungle sounds and D&B returning to the charts.
Key artists: Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Shy FX, Roni Size, Andy C, Pendulum, Chase & Status, Nia Archives
Most iconic track: Goldie – “Inner City Life”. Released in 1994, it showed that drum & bass could be ambitious and emotional. Fast, rolling breakbeats run beneath lush atmospheres and Diane Charlemagne’s soaring, soulful vocal, creating something that feels both urgent and beautiful. It turned Goldie into the face of the genre and proved drum & bass was more than just rave music.
Honorable mentions: Shy FX & UK Apachi – “Original Nuttah” (a jungle classic), LTJ Bukem – “Horizons” (the dreamy, atmospheric side of D&B), Roni Size & Reprazent – “Brown Paper Bag”, Pendulum – “Tarantula”, Chase & Status – “Baddadan” (the modern revival)
Big Beat
ThOrigin: The UK, mid-1990s. Producers combined chunky hip-hop breakbeats with rock energy, funky samples and acid synths. The genre took its name from the Big Beat Boutique, a club night in Brighton where Fatboy Slim was a resident DJ. American acts like The Crystal Method soon built their own version of the sound.
The sound: Heavy breakbeats, distorted basslines, playful samples and big, rock-style hooks.
Why it matters: Big beat brought electronic music to rock fans and to American audiences during the late-’90s “electronica” wave. It paved the way for EDM’s crossover with rock.
Key artists: The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Propellerheads, The Crystal Method
Most iconic track: The Chemical Brothers – “Block Rockin’ Beats”. Released in 1997, it’s big beat at its peak: a monster bassline, crashing breakbeats and a vocal sample shouted over the top, all with the energy of a rock band. It went to No. 1 in the UK and won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, proof that electronic music could compete with rock on its own ground.
Honorable mentions: Fatboy Slim – “The Rockafeller Skank”, Propellerheads feat. Shirley Bassey – “History Repeating”, The Crystal Method – “Busy Child”, The Prodigy – “Firestarter” (closely related to big beat)
UK Garage
Origin: London, mid to late 1990s. British DJs took American garage (soulful house music named after New York’s Paradise Garage club) and made it their own, first with the faster, bass-heavy speed garage, then with a bouncier, skippy rhythm called 2-step. The sound spread through pirate radio and packed Sunday club nights.
The sound: Shuffling, syncopated beats, chopped and pitched vocals, deep basslines and smooth R&B influences.
Why it matters: UK garage dominated the British charts around 2000 and gave birth to grime and dubstep. Its influence came back strongly in the 2010s through artists like Disclosure.
Key artists: Artful Dodger, MJ Cole, Craig David, So Solid Crew, Ms. Dynamite, Disclosure, plus American producer Todd Edwards, whose chopped vocal style inspired the scene
Most iconic track: Artful Dodger feat. Craig David – “Re-Rewind”. Released in 1999, it captured the sound of London at the turn of the millennium: a skippy 2-step beat, a bouncing bassline and Craig David’s smooth, rapid vocals. It went to No. 2 in the UK, launched Craig David’s career and remains the ultimate UK garage anthem.
Honorable mentions: Shanks & Bigfoot – “Sweet Like Chocolate” (a UK No. 1), MJ Cole – “Sincere”, Sweet Female Attitude – “Flowers”, So Solid Crew – “21 Seconds” (the bridge to grime)
The 2000s: new sounds, new scenes
Electro House
Origin: Europe, early 2000s. Producers mixed house rhythms with buzzing, distorted synth basslines inspired by ’80s synth-pop and the electroclash scene (despite the name, it’s only loosely related to the electro of the ’80s). In the mid-2000s, the sound spread through music blogs and labels like Paris’s Ed Banger Records, a wave often called “blog house.”
The sound: Gritty, aggressive basslines, punchy beats and a raw, energetic attitude. French duo Justice gave it a rock-like edge, while others made it bigger and brighter.
Why it matters: Electro house laid the foundation for the louder sound of the 2010s EDM boom, including big room and complextro.
Key artists: Benny Benassi, Justice, Boys Noize, The Bloody Beetroots, Deadmau5 (early work), Wolfgang Gartner, Steve Aoki
Most iconic track: Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction”. Released in 2002 by the Italian producer, it’s built on one of the most recognizable sounds in dance music: a buzzing, distorted synth bassline that grinds and pulses under a robotic vocal. It reached No. 2 in the UK and became a global club hit, and its gritty bass sound shaped electro house and much of the EDM that followed.
Honorable mentions: Justice – “Waters of Nazareth”, Justice vs. Simian – “We Are Your Friends”, Deadmau5 feat. Rob Swire – “Ghosts ’n’ Stuff”, The Bloody Beetroots feat. Steve Aoki – “Warp 1.9”
Dubstep
Origin: South London, early 2000s. Producers in Croydon took the dark side of UK garage and mixed it with the deep bass and space of Jamaican dub music. The scene grew around a record shop called Big Apple and club nights like FWD>> and DMZ in Brixton. In 2006, DJ Mary Anne Hobbs’s BBC Radio 1 show “Dubstep Warz” introduced the sound to listeners around the world.
The sound: Original dubstep is dark, minimal and spacious, with half-time drums at 140 BPM and huge sub-bass. Later, UK producers like Rusko and Caspa made it louder with “wobble” basslines, and American brostep pushed it even further, with screaming, “talking” bass sounds.
Why it matters: Dubstep took over the world around 2010 and made the bass drop the center of EDM. It inspired bass music genres like riddim and colour bass.
Key artists: Skream, Benga, Digital Mystikz (Mala & Coki), Burial, Rusko, Flux Pavilion, Skrillex
Most iconic track: Skream – “Midnight Request Line”. Released in 2005, it was one of the first dubstep tracks to break out of the underground scene. Its eerie, hypnotic melody, half-time beat and deep sub-bass capture the spacious, dark atmosphere of original dubstep. It became an anthem far beyond London and showed the world what this new sound could be, years before the genre exploded globally.
Honorable mentions: Benga & Coki – “Night”, Burial – “Archangel” (dubstep’s moody, atmospheric side), Rusko – “Cockney Thug”, Flux Pavilion – “I Can’t Stop”, Skrillex – “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” (the brostep explosion)
The EDM boom: 2010s
Around 2010, electronic music exploded in America. Festivals got bigger, DJs became pop stars and new genres appeared almost every year.
Progressive House and Big Room
Origin: “Progressive house” first appeared in the UK in the early ’90s for long, evolving tracks by artists like Leftfield, Sasha and John Digweed. In the late 2000s, the term was taken over by a more melodic, euphoric sound from Sweden and Canada. In the early 2010s, Dutch and Belgian producers stripped it down for festival stages, creating big room house.
The sound: Progressive house is all about emotional melodies, big chords and patient build-ups. Big room is louder and simpler, with massive builds and minimal, hard-hitting drops.
Why it matters: These sounds defined the EDM golden era, filling the main stages of Tomorrowland, Ultra and EDC.
Key artists: Eric Prydz, Deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, Hardwell, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Martin Garrix
Most iconic track: Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin – “Don’t You Worry Child”. Released in 2012, it’s the sound of EDM’s golden era in one song: a soaring, emotional vocal, huge piano-driven chords and a euphoric drop made for tens of thousands of people singing together. It went to No. 1 in the UK, became a hit in the US and earned a Grammy nomination, and it was the trio’s farewell anthem before their first split.
Honorable mentions: Leftfield – “Not Forgotten” (early ’90s progressive house), Deadmau5 – “Strobe”, Avicii – “Levels”, Hardwell – “Spaceman” (a big room classic), Martin Garrix – “Animals”, Eric Prydz – “Opus”
Trap
Origin: Around 2012, producers in the US, Canada and the UK borrowed the booming 808 bass, rapid hi-hats and dark atmosphere of Southern hip-hop trap music from Atlanta and combined them with festival-sized drops.
The sound: Half-time beats, rolling hi-hats, deep 808 bass and explosive drops.
Why it matters: Trap connected EDM with hip-hop and spread worldwide thanks to viral hits like “Harlem Shake,” which helped change how music charts work.
Key artists: RL Grime, Baauer, TNGHT, Diplo, Flosstradamus, UZ, Yellow Claw
Most iconic track: Baauer – “Harlem Shake”. Released in 2012 on Diplo’s label Mad Decent, it exploded in early 2013 when thousands of people uploaded short videos dancing wildly to its drop. It reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 right after the chart began counting YouTube views, making it one of the first hits created by internet culture. Its booming 808s and sudden, chaotic drop introduced trap EDM to millions of people.
Honorable mentions: TNGHT – “Higher Ground” (the sound that started it all), RL Grime – “Core”, DJ Snake & Lil Jon – “Turn Down for What” (trap energy goes mainstream), Yellow Claw – “DJ Turn It Up”
Future Bass
Origin: Worldwide in the early to mid-2010s, spread largely through the internet and SoundCloud. It grew from experimental bass music scenes, including the Glasgow label LuckyMe, home to producers like Hudson Mohawke. Australian producer Flume became its biggest name, and his album Skin won a Grammy in 2017.
The sound: Warm, wobbly chords that swell and pulse (made by running lush synth chords through heavy sidechain and modulation), chopped and pitched vocals, and colorful, emotional drops.
Why it matters: Future bass brought softer, more emotional sounds into EDM and strongly influenced pop production in the late 2010s.
Key artists: Flume, San Holo, Louis the Child, Illenium, Cashmere Cat
Most iconic track: Flume feat. Kai – “Never Be Like You”. Released in 2016, it’s the track that took future bass from SoundCloud to the charts. Its warped, pulsing chords, glitchy textures and Kai’s emotional vocal create a sound that feels both experimental and pop. It topped the charts in Australia, became a hit in the US and helped Skin win the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
Honorable mentions: Disclosure – “You & Me” (Flume remix), Cashmere Cat – “Mirror Maru”, Louis the Child feat. K.Flay – “It’s Strange”, San Holo – “Light”, The Chainsmokers feat. Rozes – “Roses” (future bass meets pop)
Tropical House
Origin: Europe, around 2014, led by Norway’s Kygo, whose remixes, like his take on Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire”, went viral on SoundCloud and YouTube. The term is often credited to Australian producer Thomas Jack.
The sound: Relaxed tempos, marimbas, steel drums, pan flutes and soft, sunny melodies. It’s EDM for the beach rather than the main stage.
Why it matters: Tropical house slowed EDM down and took over streaming playlists and pop radio in the mid-2010s. Remixes like Felix Jaehn’s version of OMI’s “Cheerleader” topped the charts in the US and UK, and Kygo even performed at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Key artists: Kygo, Thomas Jack, Felix Jaehn, Robin Schulz, Lost Frequencies
Most iconic track: Kygo feat. Conrad Sewell – “Firestone”. Released in 2014, it’s the blueprint of tropical house: a gentle, laid-back beat, soft plucked melodies, a warm vocal and a drop that relaxes rather than explodes. It became a global streaming hit and made Kygo the face of the genre, proving that dance music could be calm and still fill festival fields.
Honorable mentions: Ed Sheeran – “I See Fire” (Kygo remix), Robin Schulz – “Waves” (remix of Mr. Probz), OMI – “Cheerleader” (Felix Jaehn remix), Lost Frequencies – “Are You with Me”, Kygo & Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”
Tech House
Origin: The UK in the 1990s, combining house grooves with the minimal energy of techno, with London DJ Mr. C and his club The End among its early champions. In the 2000s, labels like San Francisco’s Dirtybird gave it a playful, bass-heavy edge. In the late 2010s, it exploded into the mainstream, especially in Ibiza and the US.
The sound: Groovy, punchy basslines, crisp drums, catchy vocal samples and a stripped-back, playful vibe.
Why it matters: Tech house replaced big room as the festival favorite of the late 2010s and remains one of the most popular club genres today.
Key artists: Mr. C, Claude VonStroke, Jamie Jones, Fisher, Chris Lake, John Summit, Dom Dolla, Mau P
Most iconic track: Fisher – “Losing It”. Released in 2018 by the Australian DJ, it’s tech house in its purest form: a rolling, hypnotic bassline, a simple vocal hook and a long, teasing build that drives crowds wild. It became the anthem of the genre’s festival boom, earned a Grammy nomination and turned Fisher into one of the biggest DJs in the world.
Honorable mentions: Claude VonStroke – “Who’s Afraid of Detroit?” (a Dirtybird classic), Dom Dolla – “San Frandisco”, John Summit & Hayla – “Where You Are”, Mau P – “Drugs from Amsterdam” (the viral 2020s sound)
The 2020s and beyond
Melodic Techno
Origin: Europe, 2010s, growing into a global phenomenon in the 2020s. It grew from emotional, melodic club music on German labels like Innervisions, home of the duo Âme. The label and party series Afterlife, launched in 2016 by the Italian duo Tale Of Us, became its home.
The sound: Dark, cinematic and emotional, with hypnotic arpeggios, deep synths and slow-building tension.
Why it matters: Melodic techno brought the emotion of trance and progressive house into the techno world. Its biggest shows, like the residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas by Anyma (the solo project of Tale Of Us member Matteo Milleri), turned concerts into audiovisual spectacles.
Key artists: Âme, Tale Of Us, Anyma, Stephan Bodzin, Adriatique, Mathame
Most iconic track: Stephan Bodzin – “Powers of Ten”. The title track of the German producer’s 2015 album, it captures everything melodic techno is about: hypnotic, cycling arpeggios, deep, rolling bass and tension that builds slowly like a film score. Bodzin, known for performing live with his synthesizers rather than DJing, helped define the genre’s emotional, cinematic sound.
Honorable mentions: Âme – “Rej” (the roots of the sound), Stephan Bodzin – “Singularity”
Amapiano and Afro House
Origin: South Africa. Afro house grew from South African house music in the 2000s and 2010s, with DJ Black Coffee as its global ambassador. Amapiano, which means “the pianos” in Zulu, emerged in the townships of Pretoria and Johannesburg in the mid-2010s, mixing deep house, jazz and kwaito, South Africa’s own township house style of the ’90s.
The sound: Afro house features rich percussion, soulful vocals and hypnotic grooves. Amapiano is known for its rubbery, bouncing log drum basslines, jazzy piano chords and relaxed tempos.
Why it matters: Both styles became huge globally in the 2020s. Black Coffee won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2022, Berlin collective Keinemusik helped spread Afro house to clubs worldwide, and Tyla’s “Water” took amapiano into the US top 10 and won the first Grammy for Best African Music Performance.
Key artists: Black Coffee, Keinemusik, Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, Focalistic, Uncle Waffles, Tyla
Amapiano most iconic track: Tyla – “Water”. Released in 2023, it blended amapiano’s log drums and laid-back groove with smooth R&B vocals and became a global hit. It reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100, making Tyla the first South African solo artist to chart there in more than 50 years, and introduced amapiano to millions of new listeners.
Afro house most iconic track: Adam Port, Stryv & Malachiii – “Move”. Released in 2024, its hypnotic percussion and catchy vocal hook made it one of the biggest club tracks in the world and a symbol of Afro house’s global rise.
Honorable mentions: Focalistic & Vigro Deep – “Ke Star” (the amapiano street anthem), Black Coffee, David Guetta & Delilah Montagu – “Drive”, Kabza De Small – “Sponono”
Conclusion: one family, many branches
Every genre in this guide came from an older one. House came from disco, techno from electro and Kraftwerk, jungle from rave and reggae, dubstep from UK garage and dub, and so on. Even today, the newest sounds still borrow from the old ones: Beyoncé brought ’90s house back to pop, and young producers are reviving jungle and hard techno for a new generation.
That’s what makes electronic music so exciting. New genres appear whenever someone tries something new with old ideas. The next big one might already be taking shape in someone’s bedroom studio.
Which genre do you love most, and what did we miss? Tell us in the comments. To hear how many of these genres began, check out our list of the 11 tracks that shaped EDM history.
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