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Techno music is the sampling of natural and machine-made sounds, filtered through various computer programs to produce compositions for, mainly, the dance floor. Today, the 'antiquated' term techno, all it's subgenres and related electronic music reside under the term 'Electronica.'

Acid House
This dates back to the 1980's, a style that was played at the club "The Warehouse" in Chicago. This is where the characteristic synthetic plip-plop sound you often hear in dance music comes from. The sound popped out when DJ Ron Hardy played around with a small synthesizer called "Roland TB-303 Bass Line." This eventually turned the club scene on it's head: snob clubs were out and Rave parties were in. What we call Acid today is harder than the original.
Examples: Phuture's "Acid Trax," Josh Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness," Fatboy Slim's "Everybody Needs a 303"

Acid Jazz
This is misleading name. There is nothing "acid or hardcore" about acid jazz. It is actually a fusion of old and new classic jazz riffs and scat vocals with funky hip hop beats and modern technology. During a true acid jazz set, a DJ may spin the latest Mo' Wax releases, funky, hip-hop, rap interspersed with Ella Fitzgerald or Harvey Mason. The key word here is fusion. Attributes: hip-hop or house rhythms live instrumentation, silky smooth arrangements, and an easy, flowing soulful energy. 80 to 126 BPM.
Examples: US3, Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, Digable Planets, anything on the Blue Note, Talkin' Loud, Acid Jazz or Mo' Wax Labels...

Ambient
Easy listening for the mature enthusiast; also called Chill-Out. A very discreet rhythm, or none at all. Lots of "beating of waves" and dreamy sound-scapes. Brian Eno is reckoned to be the godfather of this style. Ambient is the perfect music to listen to when you need to relax or just chill out.
Example: KLF "Chill Out," Aphex Twin's "Ambient Works," Brian Eno

Big Beat
Big Beat is a late ‘90s phenomenon combining Hip Hop and breakbeats with rock vocals and guitars, all within a techno aesthetic. The Chemical Brothers and Fat Boy Slim are successful purveyors of this popular music.
Examples: fatboy slim, chemical brothers

Breaks
(Nu skool breaks, breakbeat at 135 bpm)
Dirty, sleazy, gritty, driving, scary music that would frighten small children and send pensioners to an early grave
Examples: Adam Freeland, DJ Icey, Rennie Pilgrim, Hybrid, Plump DJ's

Break Beat
Breakbeat evolved from late '80's rave by combining hip-hop rhythms and mixing tricks with techno-rave keyboarding and sampling techniques. This style was revamped in 1998 by groups like Music Instructor, Solid Force, Sybtronic and others. Attributes: Funky rhythm tracks, lots of samples and choppy mixes, sped-up "chipmunk" vocal loops, frenetic explosive energy. 135 to 170 BPM. Examples of groups originally recording in this style are as following: Smart E's, Loop Da Loop Era, Q-Bass, Pascal Device, RMB, DJ Hooligan, Raver's Nature, Music Instructor and everything on Suburban Bass, Production House or Moving Shadow. Cirrus and Omar Santana are fairly big names in this genre dominated by anonymous DJs.

Club
Club music is House music.

Deep House
Same speed as Disco backing up its 4/4 sound with layer upon layer of synths and samples. Came as a reaction to the hysterical party house music. Friendly music, often with Jazz-like subtones that stays away from the poppiness of some mainstream House music.
Examples: Various Artists "Planet Jazz 1 & 2," "Head Phone House"

Detroit Techno
Detroit is the birthplace of modern Techno. In the early ‘80s a large underground dance scene developed there, producing minimalist, very DIY, very soulful Kraftwerk meets MFSB Techno tracks. Pioneers included Juan Atkins (Cybortron, Model 500), Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson (Inner City). Later Detroit Techno has grown more sophisticated (with newly affordable MIDI technology) but has sought to maintain the soulful, minimalist vibe. Carl Craig (Paperclip People, Innerzone Orchestra |Planet E) is a modern Detroit Techno legend.

Dhol n Bass
Started in the UK in the 1960's when Punjabi immigrants spun 45s of bhangra tunes from the east, soon mixing in whatever was flavourful at the time. The tradition continues to enormous fame in large cities all over the planet such as the UK and NYC. Typical beefed-up bhangra includes hip-hop beats and extensive sampling of Bollywood, Pop and Classical Indo-Pak hits.
Examples: Panjabi MC, DJ Harry nyc

Digital Hardcore
DHC or Gabber, is, primarily, Hardcore Punk/Noise made digitally. This stuff is very noisy and aggressive, yet vaguely catchy.
Examples: EC8OR, Atari Teenage Riot

Disco House
This music never strayed too far from its Disco roots. House’s 4/4 electro-beat is backed by familiar and funky Disco sounds.

Downbeat
Downbeat electronica uses electronic instrumentation and samples but puts them behind slower, often Hip Hop influenced, beats. It is an umbrella term encompassing anything slower than House including Trip Hop, Leftwing, Chillout etc...

Dream House
Simple House which is meant to give the dancing people peace in mind. Swelling piano arrangements... Best known is Robert Miles, the Richard Clayderman of House music. DREAM HOUSE originally evolved from TRANCE. Usually down-beat, with soft melodic sounds (piano is characteristic and perhaps mandatory), and a sharp pounding drum beat. It also can have a heavenly female or choir voice (e.g. Zhi-vago, DJ Dado etc). The cover-sleeves normally shows virtual landscapes, or relating to the cosmos. Frequently the dream can be fused with elements of techno or progressive music, resulting more fast with a vibrating bassline straight and running (e.g. B.B.E). This "mutated" style also got the name Dream House (e.g. PROGRESSIVE MEDITERRANEAN). Other variant of Dream is called COSMIC-DREAM: more deep and reflexive (e.g. Brothers Of The Coast).

Drum 'n Bass
The further developed and accepted variant of Jungle. It's an open and naked sound picture which focuses on drums and bass. The rhythms are like Jungle, but the spice comes from Jazz and Soul more than Reggae. Also written as 'DnB' or 'D&B.'
Examples: Goldie, Alex Reece, Roni Size

Dub
Essentially Reggae in the raw. This cultish, perennially popular form strips out the majority of the music's melody at the mixing desk leaving behind the rhythm section ('drum & bass' music in reggae parlance) and the residue of other instruments... often with massive layers of echo.
Examples: Gigi: Illuminated Audio

Dub Techno
Dub takes its name and its aesthetic from ‘70s Jamaican Dub-Reggae pioneers like King Tubby, Lee Perry and others. Dub is downtempo, thick and echo-drenched techno, but it does not necessarily contain the signature reggae "One-drop."

Electro
A drum machine called "Roland 808" arrived. Its distinctive, synthetic, yet pounding sounds became the most important rhythmic basis for the offshoot of Techno Dance or Hip Hop called Electro - a purer, more electronic, more instrumental, and more experimental form.
Example: Afrika Bambaataa "Planet Rock"

Electro Funk
Combining ‘70s Funk with the synths and beats emerging in the fledgling Hip Hop culture, this stuff can sound dated now but was ridiculously influential on Hip Hop, bass music, techno R&B and everything in between. Afrika Bambataa and Mantronix made great Electro Funk as did Herbie Hancock and Bill Laswell on their surprise hit "Rocket." Electro Funk is what the kid in "Beat Street" was trying to make when he made that silly water-drop crap in his bedroom.

Ethno House
House based music with ethnic sounds such as chants or basically just about anything from that country. Meaning old sounds mixed with the modern house music.

Eurodance
The most popular dance format in Europe. Happy synth-tones, female vocals, a memorable refrain, and short parts of crap-rap in between. This sub-genre predominates every chart and dance floor in the European Union. Buttloads of this music spews out of Belgium, Germany and Sweden. Eurodance can be also classified as Techno Dance or Trance Dance.
Examples: 2Unlimited, Alexia, 2 Brothers on the 4th floor, E-Rotic

Gabber
Extremely fast, almost like extreme metal of the prejudiced kind. Actually played at soccer matches - considered hooligan music. The American variant is called Hardcore and is popular among the average youth in Milwaukee.
Example: Various Artists "Thunderdome," "Sucking Blood," Dj Eniac

Garage
Garage is sped-up Deep House music. The name comes from the Paradise Garage club in New York where the sound was pioneered. Garage was an important step in the development of Drum 'n' Bass. Its characteristics are lots of bass, vocals, keyboards and sometimes even violins. These days Garage is popular in the UK and is slowly infecting the European continent.

Goa
Goa trance was born in the Indian state of Goa. Goa is known for peace, love, sun and ecstasy. Trance was played on a lot of beach parties in Goa and because of the hot climate the vinyl would melt. Thus, the music was put on DAT and wasn’t mixed, and that’s why the tracks have an intro, climax, and an outro. Goa trance is played all over the world and the public seems to enjoy it more because it's a more 'relaxing' and 'easy-listening' style than other types of Trance. A lot of various "branches" have been born with experimental mixing such as Voodoo Trance and Astral Trance.
Examples: Man with no name, The Best of Goa Trance Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III, Astral Projections.

Happy Hardcore
Happy Hardcore, also known as 4-Beat, grafts the high speeds of Garage on to bubblegum pop records by the likes of Cyndi Lauper. It's very fast, very bouncy and extremely high-energy. It's origins date back to the early 1990s in the UK to what is now know as Old School Hardcore (circa 1992). This Hardcore split into different forms, one of which is Jungle. Typical characteristics of happy hardcore music are: a driving 4/4 kick (hence the name 4-beat), usually (but not always) lots of piano and female vocals (making the music 'happy'). Happy Hardcore also features lots of break beats, although they are being dropped in favour of more techno sounds and stompy Dutch-inspired kicks. Happy Hardcore runs at 160-180 bpm and 99% of the music originates from the United Kingdom where it's popularity is gaining even over Jungle.
Examples: Dune

House
House is a further development of Disco and is the musical core of today's dance music. Emerging from clubs in Chicago and New York in the mid 1980s, it can be recognized by the 130 electric bpm, big bass lines and hard drum loops. In other words, House is a rather wide expression, played at strip bars mostly.

High Energy (Hi-NRG)
Very fast. A real mix between the Breakbeat rhythm and German Techno sound. The music is heaped with female vocals and piano chords. Considered the light version of Gabba.
Examples: Miguel Brown, Hazell Dean, Pamela Stanely

IDM (Intelligent Dance Music)
Borne of the Aphex Twin asthetic and perhaps the driving force behind most Asian Massive musicians producing music, IDM works best in a domestic environment. It is intended more for one's living room than one's local club and is not hardcore or commercial.
Examples: Autechre, Aphex Twin, Mouse on Mars

Industrial
Industrial is harsh, pessimistic electro-rock with a sonic palette of abrasive, mechanical sounds. The genre takes its name from Industrial Records, the label that hosted Industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle. Nine Inch Nails’ “Pretty Hate Machine” is a masterpiece of the genre..
Ministry, Coil, Einstürzende Neubauten, Front 242, Skinny Puppy.

Jungle
Jungle is quite chaotic and has a breakbeat of 160BPM with the bassdrum on half speed. If your not used to it, it’s hard to predict when there is a beat and/or bass. Jungle’s origins are from England and it is named after the big concrete, metallic 'jungle' city. Different mixes with reggae and hardcore are divided into three categories: Drum ‘n’ Bass, Hardstep, and Intelligent Jungle. Intelligent Jungle can also be called 'Artcore,' which has a slight Trance 'flavor' to it.
Examples: LTJ Bukem, early Karsh Kale, Jamie Myerson, Goldie

Lounge
Often sporting a retro-aesthetic restyled for the contemporary using computers to add that 21st Century Modern flava, Lounge music also crosses over to the Chill sub-category. Very jazz-influenced, Lounge can also get very ethnic with acts such as Bebel Gilberto and dZiahn & Kamien.
Examples: Groove Armada, anything on the HeadCandy label

Organic House
Organic House uses layers of live "organic" instrumentation and percussion to augment the patented 4/4 Electro House beat.
Afro-Mystik

Progressive House
Refers to dance music with unusual sound-sections and new rhythms. Often tied to DJs and artists with high credibility. This is music that is too progressive to fit the general house definition but not as dark or hard as Trance or Techno-House. Attributes: styled keyboard and synth-lines, house vocal loops and samples with driving, electronic mid-tempo house rhythms. 120 to 130 BPM.
Examples: Underworld, Fluke, Leftfield, BT, Rhythm Invention and most releases on the Limbo or Wrap labels.

Techno
Techno, arguably (along with House) the most prominent and recognizable form of Electronica, grew out of German experimental synth music (Kraftwerk) and early Hip Hop and Electro Funk. Its earliest incarnation was in Detroit with soulful pioneers like Juan Atkins and later Carl Craig. It has gone international, sprouting a huge number of different subgenres. There is some conjecture if techno predated electronica as a used term to define compositions pushed thru a CPU. The accepted umbrella term is electronica.

Trance
Trance evolved from German Techno, using the rolling bass and sizzling keyboards of techno to give the music a hypnotic flowing effect, yet retaining all the driving, pulsating energy of its true techno roots. Attributes: synth/sample-driving, pounding basslines, complex cyber-sounding keyboards, usually instrumental. 128 to 150 BPM.
Examples: Paul Oakenfold, Aphex Twin (can also be Acid Techno), HardTrance Acsperience, Cosmo, Raver's Nature, Marusha and anything on the Harthouse, D-Jax, Rough Trade, or EX labels

Trip-Hop
Not hip-hop, not trippy, a useless name for another useless subset of loungey electronica. Usually melancholic in nature, the mainstays of Trip-Hop are R&B vocals woman vocals over smooth Hip Hop beats/scratching layered with Rock and Jazz.
Examples: Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, Portishead.

Rave
Heavy basslines with fast rolling drum sounds and fast synths. Not much in the vocals department, just a few words being repeated over and over. Great for people who loved to get blunted.