MR LUKE’S EDM MODULE BOOKLET

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 1

ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (also known as EDM, dance music, club music,
or simply dance) is a broad range of electronic music genres produced primarily
for dance-based entertainment environments such as nightclubs, raves, and
festivals. The music is largely produced for playback by disc jockeys (DJs) and is
generally used in the context of a live DJ mix where the DJ creates a seamless
selection of tracks by segueing from one recording to the next.

EDM was popularized through the regional nightclub scenes in the 1980s: In
the latter half of the 1970s, the disco music scene began to shift away from its
traditional orchestration (acoustic instruments) on its recordings:

For example, in 1977, Donna Summer sang “I Feel Love”, a disco hit made using
synthesizers and drum machines. It was produced by Giorgio Moroder. This
sound became a feature of many disco records in the late 1970s and into the
1980s.

In the mid-1980s disco’s popularity waned but electronic production

dominated new popular dance music styles, such as electro, Industrial,
freestyle, house and techno. By the mid-1990s, the presence of electronic
dance music in contemporary culture was noted widely, and its role in society
began to be explored in published academic studies. EDM began with Disco:

DISCO
Disco: The term is derived from discotheque, French for "library of phonograph
records".

The disco sound has soaring, often reverberating vocals over a steady "four-on-
the-floor" beat, an eighth note or 16th note hi-hat pattern with an open hi-hat
on the off-beat, and a prominent, syncopated electric bass line sometimes
consisting of octaves. In most disco tracks, strings, brass instruments, electric
pianos, and electric guitars create a lush background sound. Orchestral
instruments such as the flute are often used for solo melodies, and lead guitar
is less frequently used in disco than in rock. Many disco songs employ the use
of electronic instruments such as synthesizers.

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 2

Well-known late 1970s disco performers included ABBA, Donna Summer, The
Bee Gees, KC and the Sunshine Band, The Trammps, and Gloria Gaynor.

Various critics would also claim that Kraftwerk, who were an electronic band
played a large part in pioneering disco as well as the electronic sound that
became a big element of disco.

Films such as Saturday Night Fever contributed to disco's rise in mainstream

popularity. In December 1977, the film Saturday Night Fever was released. The
film was marketed specifically to broaden disco's popularity. It was a huge
success and its soundtrack became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
The idea for the film was sparked by a 1976 New Yorker Magazine article titled:
"Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night".

Disco music was a worldwide phenomenon, but its popularity declined in the
United States in the 1980s. In 1979, an anti-disco protest in Chicago called "Disco
Demolition Night" had shown that an angry backlash against disco and its culture
had emerged in the United States. In the subsequent months and years, many
musical acts associated with disco struggled to get airplay on the radio in the US
although they did not experience such problems in other countries. Disco
became unfashionable in the new decade and was eventually replaced by
"dance music". Strong anti-disco sentiment developed among rock fans and
musicians, particularly in the United States. The slogans "disco sucks" and "death
to disco" became common.

PLEASE NOTE:

1977 is very important date with regards to this module.

And these names:

1. Donna Summer with Giorgio Moroder

2. Kraftwerk
3. Saturday Night Fever

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 3

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 4
Definition of Genre:
A style or category of art, music, or literature.

Synonyms: category, class, classification, categorization.

Definition of Style:
A particular procedure by which something is done; a manner or way.

Synonyms: manner, way, technique, method.

Please use the word genre when referring to the different categories of EDM!

EDM DANCE GENRES AND SUB-GENRES:

TECHNO
ACID
GHETTO
MINIMAL
SCHRANZ

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 5

 HOUSE
DEEP
HARD
ACID
TRIBAL

TRANCE
GOA
ACID
PROGRESSIVE
UPLIFTING

DRUM & BASS

DARKSTEP
HARDSTEP
JAZZSTEP
RAGGA JUNGLE
MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 6
GENRES
Just as rock, jazz and other musical genres have their own set of sub-genres, so
does electronic dance music. Continuing to evolve over the past 30 years dance
music has splintered off into numerous sub-genres often defined by their
varying tempo (BPM), rhythm and instrumentation.

THE 4 MAIN GENRES OF EDM:

Please make sure you know at least 2 facts for each genre!
TECHNO

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, in the United
States during the 1980s. Many styles of techno now exist, but Detroit techno is
seen as the foundation upon which a number of subgenres have been built.

Stylistically, techno is generally repetitive instrumental music, oftentimes

produced for use in a continuous DJ set. The central rhythmic component is most
often in common time (4/4), where time is marked with a bass drum on each
beat, a backbeat played by snare or clap on the second and fourth pulses of the

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 7

bar, and an open hi-hat sounding on the eighth notes. The tempo tends to vary
between approximately 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm), depending on the
style of techno. The creative use of music production technology, such as drum
machines, synthesizers, and digital audio workstations, is viewed as an
important aspect of the music's sound.

HOUSE

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in

the 1980s. It was initially popularized in 1984 in Chicago. Since the early to mid-
1990s, house music has been infused in mainstream pop and dance music
worldwide.

Early house music was generally dance-based music characterized by repetitive

4/4 beats, rhythms mainly provided by drum machines, off-beat hi-hat cymbals,
and synthesized basslines. While house displayed several characteristics similar
to disco music, it was more electronic and minimalistic, and the repetitive
rhythm of house was more important than the song itself.

House music in the 2010s, while keeping several of these core elements, notably
the prominent kick drum on every beat, varies a lot in style and influence,
ranging from the soulful and atmospheric deep house to the more minimalistic
microhouse. House music has also fused with several other genres creating
fusion subgenres, such as euro house, tech house, electro house and jump
house.

TRANCE

Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s in

Germany. It is characterized by a tempo of between 125 to 160 beats per minute
(BPM), repeating melodic phrases, and a musical form that builds up and down
throughout a track. Trance is a genre on its own, but also will include other styles
of electronic music such as techno, house, pop, chill-out, classical music, and
film music.

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 8

A trance refers to a state of hypnotism and heightened consciousness. This
drifting sensation is portrayed in this genre by mixing many layers and rhythms
to create build and release. For example, a characteristic of virtually all trance
songs is the soft mid-song breakdown, beginning with and occurring after the
orchestration is broken down and the rhythm tracks fade out rapidly, leaving
the melody, atmospherics, or both to stand alone for anywhere from a few
seconds to a few minutes.

DRUM & BASS

Drum and bass (also written as drum 'n' bass or drum & bass and commonly
abbreviated to D&B, DnB or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic music also known as
Jungle which emerged in England in the early 1990s. The genre is characterized
by fast breakbeats (typically between 160–180 beats per minute with heavy bass
and sub-bass lines. The "bass line" is usually created with sampled sources or
synthesizers.

Drum and bass subgenres include drumstep, breakcore, Ragga jungle, hardstep,
darkstep, techstep, Neurofunk, Ambient drum 'n' bass, Liquid funk, Deep,
Drumfunk, Funkstep, Sambass and Drill 'n' bass.

Despite its roots in the UK, the style has established itself around the world.
Drum and bass has influenced many other genres like hip hop, big beat, dubstep,
house music, trip hop, ambient music, techno, rock and pop.

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 9

WHAT IS BPM?
BPM – This stands for beats per minute. BPM has to do with the speed or the
tempo of the song or music being played. 60 BPM (meaning 60 beats per minute)
is the speed of the second hand on a watch. Different BPM allocations in music
determine different effects on the listener (i.e. slow music will chill you out fast
music will make you want to get up and go). Dance styles are also categorized
by their BPM.

Categorization of Electronic Dance Music genres based on BPM:

60 - 90 bpm - Hip Hop

90 - 120 bpm - fast Hip Hop and Trip Hop

120 -135 bpm - House

120 -160 bpm - Techno

130 - 160 bpm - Trance

140 bpm - Trap and Dubstep

155 - 180 bpm - Drum & Bass / Jungle

150 - Hardstyle

180 + bpm - Hardcore

PLEASE NOTE:

 Dancing in EDM can generally only occur after 120BPM.

 A good speed for dancing is somewhere between 120bpm and
130bpm.
 Some DJ’s say there is a magic number of 128BPM for dancing.

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 10

DJ TERMINOLOGY

EDM – Electronic Dance Music (The term covers almost all forms of Dance Music
that can be performed by a DJ)

DJ – This stands for disc jockey. A DJ is in charge of supplying the music at a given
event. A good DJ will possess a thorough knowledge of the music they play and
will also have the technical skills and equipment to mix and mash on the spot. A
DJ is responsible for taking the audience on a musical journey and must be well
equipped to do so.

Mixing – Mixing is the art of seamlessly transitioning from one song to another.

Beat Matching – Beat Matching is a disc jockey technique of pitch shifting or

time stretching an upcoming track to match its tempo to that of the currently
playing track — i.e., the kicks and snares in two house records hit at the same
time when both records are played simultaneously, this will result in a smooth
transition between tracks. Beat Matching: this is going to be one of the most
important techniques you can master as a DJ. It consists of setting two or more
songs at the same speed/tempo/pitch so that they sound like just one song.

Remix/Mash-up/Bootleg – These three terms are commonly confused. A remix

is a re-worked version of a track that was officially produced upon request of the
original artist, whereas a bootleg is an unofficial remix. A mash-up denotes
blending two or more tracks together: the typical style of a Mash-up usually
includes the instrumental from one track, and the vocals from another.

Bar – The typical bar in EDM is 4 “beats”.

Bass – Also known as the lows, this is going to be the most important part of a
track when you are “beat matching”

Train Wreck: When two songs in a mix begin to come out of sync and the beats
clash.

Bedroom DJ – DJing in your bedroom for fun or for practice.

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 11

Battle DJ – A DJ who takes part in DJ competitions. These DJ’s are usually flashy
and their DJing focuses on DJ tricks and technique.

Mobile DJ – This is the stage in which you start getting your first gigs as a DJ. You
will start getting paid, and people in the area will get to know you. However, the
material you play will likely be limited to Top 40, or whatever the owner of the
establishment thinks the crowd will want to hear. Upgrade your equipment as
you start making money, but be aware of the fact that the crowds you’re playing
for likely won’t be people who came just for the music and the DJ is a necessary
accessory.

Wedding DJ – At this point, you possess some MCing skills as well, and you know
how to motivate a crowd. You’re DJ booth is the focal point of entertainment at
a wedding, Sweet 16 or Bar mitzvah. You’ll likely get a wide array of requests
because people at these events come from all over the place. However, there is
a decent amount of money involved in this kind of DJing because people are
always going to throw parties for the aforementioned occasions.

Radio DJ – The best part about being a radio DJ is your ability to select what you
want to play. You earned that position because enough people liked the songs
you play night in and night out at various locations, and now is your time to
shine. You’ll start to get loyal listeners and your name will undoubtedly get
exposure if you get a decent time slot. If you’re looking to be the person in front
of a crowd, this obviously isn’t the route for you.

Club DJ – At this point, your name is trusted, and people are coming to certain
clubs just to hear you spin. It’s a great honour. You get the freedom to play what
you want in front of a live audience that is there for your choice of music. Your
role as a DJ has transformed you into a type of Rockstar. Perform well, and you’ll
be obtaining residencies, as well as opening gigs for some of the world’s biggest
DJs when they’re in your area. In other words, if you’ve made it this far, you’ve
made a pretty successful career out of DJing.

CDJ – A CD player that allows analog control of music playing from CDs, usually
based on a recreation of a typical vinyl turntable.

Fader – Increases or decreases volume of a song smoothly.

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 12

Cross-fader – This tool allows you to fade between two songs by simply moving
a toggle to one side or the other.

Cue – This is a tool used when you want to prepare the next song to be played.
On most mixers, the cue button lets you set the point at which a song will start
playing. Once you have set this cue, you keep tapping the cue button until the
beat in your headphones is matched with the beat that’s playing on the
speakers.

Deck – This is the main player, using CDs or vinyls. Sometimes called a turntable.

Loop – Any part of a song that you repeat.

EQ – This is a set of controls that allows you to impose different frequencies on

your songs. The range usually includes highs/treble, mids and lows. Open your
Itunes and experiment with the Equaliser under the View menu.

Other terms associated with EQ:

Highs: The highest part of the frequency spectrum. Isolated highs will have no
bass, just melodic aspects.

Mids: The middle part of the frequency range. The sound can be very hard in
this range.

Lows: The bottom end of the frequency spectrum. This is also known as the
bass.

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 13

TIME LINE OF THE HISTORY OF EDM AS DISCUSSED IN CLASS:

This diagram (below) shows the popularity of the various genres in EDM and
the popularity of Disco.

Try to recall the discussion we had in class…

In the picture above: The size of the bubble shows the popularity of the
genre.

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 14

Look at the picture below:

 This is a CDJ.
 Try to locate the BPM fader…
 Locate the platter…

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 15

Look at the picture:
 This is a mixing desk.
 Locate the cross-fader...
 Locate the EQ knobs…
 Locate the volume faders…
 Locate the channels…

MR LUKE MUSIC MODULE – EDM 16