Music Sound

Electro
Stylistic origins:	Synth pop, disco, funk and Old school hip hop
Cultural origins:	early 1980s Detroit, Bronx
Typical instruments:	Synthesizer, Drum machine, Vocoder, Sampler
Mainstream popularity:	Mid- to late 1980s with a revival in the late 1990s.
Derivative forms:	Electroclash
Subgenres
Detroit techno - Freestyle music - Miami bass
Fusion genres
Ghettotech

Electro, short for electro funk (also known as robot hip hop) is an electronic style of hip hop directly influenced by Kraftwerk and funk records (unlike earlier rap records which were closer to disco). Records in the genre typically have all-electronic sounds and vocals are delivered in a deadpan, mechanical manner often through a vocoder or other electronic distorsion.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 History 3 Artists 4 See also 5 Links

Characteristics

With few exceptions, the definition of the electro sound is the use of drum machines as the base of a track. A legendary drum machine with a recognizable sound still used today is the Roland TR-808. The instrumentation is generally all-electronic with a funk-style synthesizer bass line. Heavy use of effects such as reverb and echo together with electronic pads create a rich and simultaneously cold sound that emphasizes the common science fiction theme of the lyrics. Not all electro features rapping; vocals processed through a Vocoder is a common element and instrumental tracks are more prominent than in related genres of electronic and hip hop music. In recent years it has become common for electro artists to perform using only laptop computers, this way emphasizing the technological theme of the music.

Concept albums are common in electro with Kraftwerk pioneering entire albums in technological or futuristic themes such as robots, computers or nuclear science. Many artists are entirely devoted to sci-fi subjects of this kind.

History

Bronx, NY based artist Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock (1982) is one of the first electro records, using elements of Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express and Numbers. Bambaataa and artists like Juan Atkins' group Cybotron, Planet Patrol, Jonzun Crew, and Newcleus went on to influence the genres of detroit techno, ghettotech, drum and bass and electroclash.

Los Angeles artists Egyptian Lover and Arabian Prince gave birth to electro hop, a less funky, more bass-heavy West Coast sound, similar to 2 Live Crew and the Miami Bass scene. Detroit also has a unique style sometimes called "techno bass" which is a fusion of Detroit Techno and Ghetto house with the vocal element of Miami Bass. On the East Coast and especially in Miami, electro spawned freestyle, a soulful, Latin-centric variant.

Although the early 1980s were electro's heyday in the mainstream it enjoyed a popularity increase in the late 1990s with artists such as DMX Krew, Mr Velcro Fastener and Fannypack. Some current making artists making music in this style have embraced the pseudonyms of Detroit techno pioneers. The renewed interest in electro, though influenced to a great degree by Detroit and New York music, is primarily taking hold elsewhere with a variety of cities featuring electro club nights.

Artists

4ORCE aDt [1] ADULT. Afrika Bambaataa Anthony Rother Arpanet Aux88 Bass Junkie Bass Kittens BSOD Chromeo Computor Rockers Cyberian Knights Cybrid Cybotron Dark Vektor

Dmx Krew Dopplereffekt Drexciya Dynamix II Ectomorph Egyptian Lover Electron Industries Elektroids Exzakt Fannypack Fevertech Hashim Imatran Voima Industrial Bass Machine i-f Jackal & Hyde

Jad Spyder Soundwave Japanese Telecom Jon Baz Jonzun Crew Knightz of Bass Kompleksi Le Syndicate Electronique Little Computer People Limbertimbre Mandroid Man Parrish Maxx Klaxon Michael Jonzun Mr Velcro Fastener Morphogenetic Music Instructor

Novamen Nukubus Pal Secam Kidz Pametex Phatso Brown Planet Patrol Polytron Resident Alien Sbles3plex Scape One Silicon Scally SovietElectro [2] Syncom Data Track 72 Volsoc Xerodefx

See also

• Detroit techno
• Electro hop
• Electroclash
• Electropop
• Freestyle music
• Miami bass

Links

• electroretro, featuring sections on acid house, old skool and electro
• DJ Forums Various Electronic Music resources and an online community.
• 100 Greatest Electro Songs
• Electro Empire - Home of ELECTRO FUNK
• 100 Greatest Miami Bass Songs
• Party Radio - Internet radio station which streams Electro music.

Hip hop/Rap

DJing (Turntablism) - History (Roots - Timeline)

Genres

African - American (East - West - South)

Abstract - Alternative - Chopped & Screwed - Christian - Country-rap - Crunk - Electro - Electro hop - Freestyle music - Gangsta - G-funk - Ghettotech - Golden age - Hardcore - Hip hop soul - Hip house - Horrorcore - Hyphy - Instrumental - Jazz rap - Latin rap - Miami bass - Mobb - Neo soul - Nerdcore - New jack swing - Old school - Pop rap - Rapcore - Ragga - Reggaeton - Snap music - Urban Pasifika

Electronic music | Genres Ambient | Breakbeat | Drum and bass | Electronica | Electronic art music | Hard dance | Hardcore | House | Techno | Trance | Industrial | Synthpop