Examples of 'cutting edge' dance/electronic music?

[Davias]

The examples were very interesting to hear, but it is not dance yet... so who made the proto-idm, the early electronic glitch music (with beats or rhythms) then ?

perhaps coil?
or oval?

I always like pulling this one out during such conversations. It's a bit of a stretch to call it dance music because it wasn't really made in any sort of dance music context (and probably not made for dancing at all), but I still think there are very few contemporary minimal dancefloors it wouldn't wreck.

First, I think you have really good taste in music. Second, so I like that, it's quite interesting, but virtually no-one has heard it, so it cannot really be viewed as influential to everyone. We each borrow from what is available to us and take what works and leave the rest. I've had this record since I was a kid, given to me by someone at some point, don't ask me who or when, it's far older than your example, early 60s I believe.





There are parts of the album that have proto-elements of glitch. Notice the evolution to some extent, your example is a nice little beat driven piece. My example is almost purely academic. One had to be serious about writing electronic music. The only access to equipment at that time was through the university.

So once we have James Brown, Giorgio Morroder, Kraftwerk, and maybe one or two other people, it's all over. Everything house has been invented!

Of course that's not true and these people built on their influences as well. You can't just argue that technology did all the work, both of these works were highly influenced by the available technology. It's not just a thing, it's about using the thing to create music. A piano is just technology, only a lazy musician doesn't hammer the strings directly with his knuckles.

Yeah, this is the kicker. We can pull out examples of glitch/rhythm based stuff and retrofit them into what we're hearing today quite easily, but the fact remains that this stuff had no cultural penetration at all. Dance music was always and still is culture driven, so asking who made whatever sound first is a bit of a nothing. The real question is when did people first start dancing to it.

When they put strong beats on top ?

Thanks for all the music posted here, hearing really interesting things too ^^

[Davias]

The more I listen to the examples posted in this thread the more I realize just how limited the dance genre is when it comes to harmony.

Anybody got some examples of a dance track that explores things like going through several different keys in a single short track? I mean, Bach did this already 400 years ago.. surely it's time to explore melody and harmony a bit more, no? Or are we so stuck with the beat and keeping things simple?

I'm a real ass when it comes to melody and harmony, but maybe this (quite melodic) psy full on goa whatever trance track could fit the description ? I would like to hear your though about it

[ghettosynth]

Yeah, I know what you are saying, however its the influence together with technology. Just shoving a dance 909 beat and some hi hats on music is just a thing.

No, it's the influence, the technology, and the skill brought by the new artist to weave those things together. Moreover, that's all the examples that you posted were, some technology, some musical ideas, and some skill. You can't so easily dismiss a 909 beat.

I finished my last post and then saw this, I think what you are saying is that somehow the people who did things like Delia Derbyshire/electronic workshop were not greater than what is around today.

As I predicted, you seem to have a need to elevate your heros above other musicians. I never asserted that there was an ordering, I simply said that your input was insufficient to infer that one exists.

The thing is these people had to build their equipment not buy it from some store.

Dude, for real? So what? Why are you moving the goalposts? First we're comparing EDM artists to influences, now we're limiting the discussion to those who build gear?

If you want to put down the real influences then look at the creators, all others are imitators.

We're talking about what's on the cutting edge of EDM, by definition, that's a topic about current artists, not the past. If you don't respect current EDM artists as creators why would you engage in this thread in the first place?

[ghettosynth]

The more I listen to the examples posted in this thread the more I realize just how limited the dance genre is when it comes to harmony.

Yeah, there's good reason for that.

Anybody got some examples of a dance track that explores things like going through several different keys in a single short track? I mean, Bach did this already 400 years ago.. surely it's time to explore melody and harmony a bit more, no? Or are we so stuck with the beat and keeping things simple?

IDM, trance, and a lot of club music use melody and song structure more exensively. Deep house and techno does not and you aren't likely to make any headway there because there are very good reasons why melody doesn't work well in those genres.

Perhaps the next new thing could be less about the actual sounds themselves and even less emphasis on 4 on the floor but instead explore new realms when it comes to harmonic progression? I've composed a few piano pieces where I go through many keys and it becomes quite convoluted. The listener can't in the end of the track say what the main key of the song was! Perhaps this could be explored more?

With all due respect, this comes off as exceedingly naive. There are lots of deep and structurally rich IDM pieces that aren't really dance music. So it's not really "new" to suggest that you could throw more melody at things.

.. and I'm not talking about random chords making no sense but rather a natural progression from one key to another, skipping a few music theory rules to create odd situations that still feel like they make sense. Will have to explore if this can be done in a dance music wrapper.

There's another thread about melody in dance music. You should at least look through it.

[SODDI]

I'm not sure that the concepts of cutting edge electronic music and dance music belong together in the same sentence.

[ZenPunkHippy]

.. and I'm not talking about random chords making no sense but rather a natural progression from one key to another, skipping a few music theory rules to create odd situations that still feel like they make sense. Will have to explore if this can be done in a dance music wrapper.

There's another thread about melody in dance music. You should at least look through it.

Here it is ...

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=379212

Having just spent the best part of 3 days dancing to "cutting edge dance music", and with no thanks to the above thread being forced to wonder what it all means, and then discussing it with some friends, this is what we came away with:

1. Rhythm is king
- loud, throbbing bass and chest thumping kick drums move my body

2. It must be new and fresh
- I haven't heard it before, otherwise I'm distracted by the past

3. It must fit the genre
- don't play psy trance at a house party

Simple.

Peace,
Andy.

[Davias]

I always found that pitched down psytrance is making good groudshaking electro-house tracks

[andyf53]

Likewise, when I was in my early clubbing days, pitched down hard house made for very sinister sounding stuff - we used to call it lazy stomp

[Davias]

I wonder if there is still an active hardhouse scene today, I liked it a lot at the time, more than techno (but less than trance ^^ )

[Eauson]

As I predicted, you seem to have a need to elevate your heros.


First we're comparing EDM artists to influences


We're talking about what's on the cutting edge of EDM, by definition

First off, I didn't realise you were a mystic, predicting stuff, so really you should know all about the cutting edge.
The title is dance/electronic, so edm is not the only discussion here.
Also I was not elevating my hero's, I was pointing to the past, stating that a lot has been done previously, thats all.
You seem to take my whole post, break it down into bites, dismissing the context.

Tbh I don't need to respect current artists as this thread has summarised the lack of quality already

Now all I have to do is get my shot glass and tequila

[Davias]

Tbh I don't need to respect current artists as this thread has summarised the lack of quality already

I've heard interesting things, where is the lack of quality ?

[andyf53]

Davias - I think there is (still hard house), some of my friends frequent free parties, and I believe it still gets played in that sphere.
Toward the club scene, there are still Tidy Weekenders and similar, but I think these are largely nostalgic events, rather than displaying new stuff - I could be very wrong here of course, my apologies if so.

I dropped interest in it when tech trance first came over from Holland - some great stuff back then...

For those that wanted melody:

Nothing too cutting edge of course. It seems like there could be two "types" of cutting edge dance music one could talk about - stuff that's genuinely forward thinking, and stuff that is new "good" music.

[Eauson]

Tbh I don't need to respect current artists as this thread has summarised the lack of quality already

I've heard interesting things, where is the lack of quality ?

Sorry Davias, it all seems like rehashed material, instrumental hip hop jdilla was doing yrs ago or Dorian concept from 2007.
Which ones do you think are interesting?

[Davias]

Davias - I think there is (still hard house), some of my friends frequent free parties, and I believe it still gets played in that sphere.
Toward the club scene, there are still Tidy Weekenders and similar, but I think these are largely nostalgic events, rather than displaying new stuff - I could be very wrong here of course, my apologies if so.

I dropped interest in it when tech trance first came over from Holland - some great stuff back then...

For those that wanted melody:

Nothing too cutting edge of course. It seems like there could be two "types" of cutting edge dance music one could talk about - stuff that's genuinely forward thinking, and stuff that is new "good" music.

Thanks for the info ! Maybe it is a good time to ressurect hardhouse back from the dead then ^^

Interesting tracks that you've posted, I like the 2nd one most.

This makes me think about a track a friend made me listen not long before, usually not my stuff but I think it is a great piece.

[Davias]

Tbh I don't need to respect current artists as this thread has summarised the lack of quality already

I've heard interesting things, where is the lack of quality ?

Sorry Davias, it all seems like rehashed material, instrumental hip hop jdilla was doing yrs ago or Dorian concept from 2007.
Which ones do you think are interesting?

My own posts of course !!



More seriously there was many good music posted, I didn't heard lacks of quality too much, but as for cutting edge, I agree that it was most hard to find some "never heard" before...