Every decade seems to leave behind a soundtrack- a compilation of songs that describe the social atmosphere of the youth living in that time period. Gen Y has struggled to identify our genre, that soundtrack we’re able to claim as ours. That is until electronic music went from an underground subculture to a sound accepted and embraced by mainstream audiences. Electronic music was born in the early 90’s a time when boy bands and pop stars were at the height of their popularity. The youth longed for something alternative to their parents’ music collection, or what they heard on the radio. There was a need for something fresh, something that reflected the change in times and with the explosion of technological advances in the 90’s why not use that same technology to develop the sound of a new generation?
Fast Forward 20 years, electronic music has birthed dozens of sub genres including but not limited to: Jungle, Trance, Drum & Bass, and Dubstep. And the funny thing is that the genre that started as an alternative to pop music can be heard all over top 40 radio stations today; for example on the latest Britney Spears album a lot of her tracks were produced by Rusko. Also the recent collaboration for Korn’s new album with Dubstep’s very own Skrillex is a sort of metal/dubstep crossover. Even Jay Z & Kanye West sampled Flux Pavilion’s I Can’t Stop for their highly anticipated album Watch the Throne proving that electronic music had reached the masses as Watch the Throne was one of the top albums of 2011
EDM is not just about sound, it went from an underground community to an inclusive scene in which everyone is welcome. And something about that scene seems to be very relatable to the kids of Gen Y. The EDM scene combines all the best aspects of previous eras—from the peace and love declaration of the 60’s, to head banging and moshing in the age of metal, along with the narcissism of the disco era. Because lets face it, who doesn’t like to see a professional club picture of themselves the next day on the internet? A DJ is no longer someone who works weddings or hosts a morning radio show. A DJ is now an iconic figure representing an entire genre, and playing sold out shows all across the globe. DJ’s are the new pop stars with the perks of high paying salaries and endorsement deals. Take Diplo for an example—one of the highest paid DJ/Producers out there and he can now also add Blackberry spokesperson to his resume. Even the corporations have caught on that EDM sells. Let’s just hope that like most things mainstream it does not become over-commercialized & fade into obscurity. I love the scene that was born out of electronic music and my only wish is that as it continues to grow the values that allowed it to thrive don’t evolve into something
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