Can anyone explain electronic music to me?

If I wasn't on mushrooms I'd help correct some of Dr_H's spellings, but I already know how to translate the man, and he's crystal clear to me. Not only that, he's so dead on it would be a shame to fuck with perfection.

Dr_H droppin' some science on tha' bitches.

the disc jockeys in the seventies found the kids wilding out on the dance floors when the part of the song came on during which all the music would drop out and you would just have the rhythem instrument solos. They began both extending these rhythmic breaks cueing the break on two turntables so they could start the break on one turntable when it ended on the other thus allowing it to conceivably extend indefinitely. Those who dance the dance were the break boys or b-boys. These extended breaks eventually became highly produced dance songs that americans called disco and has since morphed with the help of computers, digital samplers, ect. to become the music concerning the given topic...amen brother....

I know most people consider Fatboy Slim to be Frat house happy crap, but I dig him and have always hear him lumped into the big beat category.

Has anyone mentioned Big Beat?

His commercial releases are so so-average, but "On the Floor at the Boutique" seldom leaves my CD player. That Jungle Brothers track in there makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I've also heard the Propellerheads (uberdrool) and the Chemical Brothers lumped into this bigbeat category.

I listen to all kinds of "electronica," but it gets sort of frustrating to have all the music you've been listening to for years suddenly show up in every car commercial under the sun.

You should be feeling pretty good by now, but that's not good enough.

I don't want you to just feel pretty good. I want you to feel GREAT!

[Edited on Jan 26, 2003 by Grendel]

Dr_H:

If you are in the SF area, look for friday nights at the DNA Lounge. I'm not too learned on electronic music, but all my techno producer buddies play there.

P.S you can usually tell techno artists by their use of laptops in the live invironment.

Ok, yeah, so what exactly is Big Beat, I've heard that word and actually I like Fat Boy Slim a lot. I've got three studio albums and the boutique thing (as grendel said, the jungle brothers track is dope).

Big beat is yr Fatboy Slims and Chemical Brothers. Lagered-up Coldcut / Ninja Tune / Head stuff. By that I mean similarly arranged funk breaks and samples but designed for dancefloors full of drunken students. Came out of Brighton, Skint records etc.

Yardies are Jamaican gangsters, said to run the cocaine / crack trade and blamed for the rise in gun violence here. The connection to jungle is old cos they're all into garage now. Drum 'n' bass is Jungle after gentrification and becoming acceptable at dinner parties (less daft samples and ragga chanting). There was also 'intelligent drum n bass,' slower, more 'soulful' and jazzier.

UK garage / 2-step is dnb with less and slower beats, fatter and more rolling-ish basslines. Plus the return of MCing and/or singing. So Solid Crew are the most famous example of that.

A long line of snare beats all run together I think of as a snare rush. If a track's got a lot of them in a jungle / breakbeat type track then that's Drill n Bass, a la mu-ziq or (some) Squarepusher.

Clear as mud.

yes, the box, my favorite

Big Beat is the electronic music most likeable to people who usually listen to rock music.

The Chemical Brothers first album is one of the big beat classics. And Fatboy Slim of course, etc. etc..

I would like to add ANY Orbital...The Orb...To those with turntables - Tangerine Dream (records can be had for cheap) Hawkwind (space rock - not just for hippies) Electronic music started out very simple in the late 60's and expanded in the 70's with huge racks of synthesizers - I won't bore you - and got colder with the arrival of Kraftwerk (natch) Click - new wave was born...I would highly recommend - LoFidelity Allstars, Red Snapper, Groove Armada, SpringHeel Jack, The 4 Global Underground Samplers (If you can find them) and System 7 - All of these people know what they are doing....Try a few out!....Cheers Everyone,,,,,,

I didn't see much mention of downtempo except for someone who dropped zero 7 i think

some good releases from the past year or so

fc kahuna - machine says yes
lo fidelity all stars - don't be afraid of love
felix da housecat - kittenz & thee glitz
sasha - airdrawndagger
deep dish - global underground moscow
layo and bushwacka! - night works (loads of breaks if you want to hear what they sound like)