electronica
Ambient music's umbrella
Electronica is a broad term for electronic dance music and related genres that emerged in the 1990s—encompassing techno, house, ambient, drum and bass, and other styles produced primarily with synthesizers, drum machines, and computers.
The term gained currency as electronic music moved from underground clubs to mainstream audiences: The festival lineup was heavy on electronica.
In American usage, electronica often distinguishes this music from earlier electronic experiments, suggesting something more danceable and commercially accessible.
Of the surroundings
- downtempoSlow, atmospheric electronic music
- trip-hopAtmospheric, slow electronic music
- glitchMinor system fault
- breakbeatSampled percussive rhythm pattern
drum and bass · jungle · trance · psytrance · dubstep · house · techno · minimal
Music mixer performer
- dancefloorSurface for rhythmic movement
- raveEnthusiastic praise or nightlong dance
- nightclubEvening entertainment venue
- festivalOrganized public celebration
bass · mixer · turntable · beat · groove · lights · strobe · laser
Electronic tone generator
- beatRhythmic pulse or strike
- basslineLow-register musical foundation
- pulseArterial blood throb
- droneUnmanned flying machine
texture · layering · pad · sweep · build · drop · glitch · noise
Electronic sound-generating instrument
- samplerSelection for trying
- sequencerOrders signals chronologically
- drum machineElectronic percussion simulator
- MIDIElectronic music data standard
DAW · Ableton · loop · filter · oscillator · waveform · arpeggiator · vocoder
Suggestive of times ahead
- cyberpunkDystopian tech-noir fiction
- neonInert illuminating element
- retroEvoking recent past
- minimalistOne favoring bare essentials
sleek · digital · dystopian · sci-fi · robotic · synthetic · otherworldly · chrome
German electronic music pioneers
- Daft PunkMasked French electronic duo
- Chemical BrothersEnglish electronic music duo
- UnderworldRealm of the dead
- MobyElectronic music pioneer
Prodigy · Massive Attack · Portishead · Fatboy Slim · Deadmau5 · Skrillex · Caribou
ambient
Of the surroundings
- downtempoSlow, atmospheric electronic music
- trip-hopAtmospheric, slow electronic music
- glitchMinor system fault
breakbeat · drum and bass · jungle · trance · psytrance · dubstep · house · techno · minimal · electro
DJ
Music mixer performer
- dancefloorSurface for rhythmic movement
- raveEnthusiastic praise or nightlong dance
- nightclubEvening entertainment venue
festival · bass · mixer · turntable · beat · groove · lights · strobe · laser · neon
synth
Electronic tone generator
drone · texture · layering · pad · sweep · build · drop · glitch · noise · distortion
synthesizer
Electronic sound-generating instrument
- samplerSelection for trying
- sequencerOrders signals chronologically
- drum machineElectronic percussion simulator
MIDI · DAW · Ableton · loop · filter · oscillator · waveform · arpeggiator · vocoder · compression
futuristic
Suggestive of times ahead
minimalist · sleek · digital · dystopian · sci-fi · robotic · synthetic · otherworldly · chrome · grid
Kraftwerk
German electronic music pioneers
- Daft PunkMasked French electronic duo
- Chemical BrothersEnglish electronic music duo
- UnderworldRealm of the dead
Moby · Prodigy · Massive Attack · Portishead · Fatboy Slim · Deadmau5 · Skrillex · Caribou
- music genresblues, pop, jazz, rock, classical
- 90s MusicNirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Green Day, Radiohead
- dance musicEDM, disco, techno, house, trance
- specialty musicworld music, new age, ambient, folk, bluegrass
- electronic musictechno, house, synthesizer, drum machine, EDM
- hybrid genresjazz fusion, rock opera, blues rock, folk rock, country rock
electronicaacoustic music
Sound without amplification
unplugged · orchestral music · a cappella · chamber music · vocal music
electronicatraditional music
Culturally inherited sonic art
roots music · world music · folk music · folk · bluegrass
electronicalive band
Musicians performing in person
coffeehouse music · acoustic set · jam band · campfire songs · singer-songwriter
- Japanese electronicsTech from Japan
- electronic devicesCircuit-based machines
- electronic musicSynthesizer-based musical genre
- consumer electronicsDevices for everyday use
- electronics technicianRepairs and maintains circuits
- electronic dance musicSynthesizer-based club genre