My action plan; westking music

History of Electronic music; House Music

Before electronic music many composers tried to create different technologies for musical purposes. There were creations such as the 'Telharmonium'(an electromechanical instrument) developed by Thaddeus Cahill in the early years 1898-1912. Another example of an early electronic instrument was the 'Theremin' which was invented by Leon Theremin. Music would have surely gone down another route if these people did not experiment with the electronic sounds using noisemakers etc. Genres such as Synth pop, Techno and House music would have probably not been created.

In the 1940's and 1950's the development of electronic music grew even bigger as Halim El-Dabh was the first known composer to record sounds using a cumbersome wire recorder and then processed the sounds using echo, reverbation and voltage controls etc. At this period of time composers got an understanding of visible waves and the very beginning of synthesisers.
In the 1960's more computers began to create an impact on electronic music. Synthesisers were used to create electronic sounds also new genres appeared such as Acid etc. Also this was the period that pop and rock musicians began using electronic instruments. Developments around these times led to new genres such as synth pop. The main people to use this type of genre was the Eurythmics, Talk Talk and Spandau Ballet etc. The style later did lose popularity in the mid-1980's.

The 1980's was the birth of MIDI and also this is when House music was born. At the very beginning House music was basically known by repetitive 4/4 beats and synthesized basslines. It has similar characteristics to Disco music(which influenced house music) but obviously more electronic and minimalistic. House music now-a-days varies a lot in style and influence as it ranges from soulful to deep house using more electronic instruments. It has fused with many other genres creating fusion subgenres such as Euro house, tech house and electro house. Many more house musical elements included the range being between 118 and 135 bpm it is usually mid-tempo now-a-days but back in the early years house music tended to be slower. The main and common element of house is a prominent kick drum on every beat which is usually generated by a drum machine or sampler. Producers use a various of different sound sources for bass sounds in house on a synthesizer such as Roland SH-101 etc. It wasnt a matter of time before house music started hitting the clubs and charts, It emerged into the UK mainstream pop market in the mid-to-late 80s.

Going back to the early 1980's, Chicago clubs and radio DJs were playing various styles of dance music. The electronic dance song 'On and On' produced in 1984 had element that became staples of the early house sound. 'On and On' is sometimes stated as the 'first house record'. Deep house origins come from jazz and soul music. The early 1990's additionally saw the rise in mainstream US popularity for house music. Madonna's song 'vogue' was known to bringing house mainstream.

In the late 1980's-1990's in Britain the genre got even more bigger in raves and clubs and it continued to grow and change. 'Release the pressure' by Leftfield introduced dub and reggae into the house sound. Towards the end of the 1990s and into the 200s, producers like Daft Punk and Stardust began producing a new sound out of Paris's house scene. They together thought of something which was known as the French House movement combining more soulful elements with the melodies of obscure Funk.

In the 2000's it was proclaimed in 2005 to be 'House Unity Day' in Chicago bringing all the originators of house music together. Today, house music is celebrated and showcased at many venues and can be heard on popular radio stations such Radio 1, bbc 1 extra etc. House music has now become mainstream again with producers like Daft Punk and David guetta etc. You'll hear many DJ's today blending all sub-genres of house. Electro house is still very popular in Australia, Europe and North America, and now this genre has produced acts that are touring the world.

Bibliography

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tape_music#Electronic_music

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_house_music