| Electro | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1980s,[1] Japan (Tokyo), U.S. (New York City,Detroit) |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
| Fusion genres | |
Electro (also known aselectro-funk, and sometimes referred to aselectro-pop)[3][4][5] is a genre ofelectronic dance music that emerged in the early 1980s. It is defined by the prominent use of theRoland TR-808 drum machine,[6][7] and draws direct influence from earlyhip-hop andfunk music.[8]
Electro music is typically characterized by synthetic beats, robotic textures, and minimal or electronically processed vocals—often delivered throughvocoders ortalkboxes. Unlike its boogie predecessor, which emphasized vocal elements, electro focused more on rhythm and machine-generated sound.
The genre arose as the popularity ofdisco waned in the U.S., blendingfunk and earlyhip hop elements with influences from New York's boogie scene and electronic pop from Germany and Japan. Foundational artists in the electro movement includeArthur Baker,Afrika Bambaataa,Warp 9, andHashim. Pioneering tracks like "Planet Rock" (1982) and "Nunk" (1982) established the genre’s signature sound.
Electro reached peak popularity in the early 1980s. However, the genre began to shift by the mid-decade, incorporating harder beats and rock elements, as seen in the work of groups likeRun DMC. After a period of decline, a revival emerged in the late 1990s led by artists such asAnthony Rother and DJs likeDave Clarke.[9] A third wave of interest surfaced around 2007.
Today, electro continues to evolve through numerous subgenres and fusion styles, maintaining its legacy as a foundational pillar of modern electronic dance music.
From its inception, one of the defining characteristics of the electro sound was the use ofdrum machines, particularly theRoland TR-808, as the rhythmic basis of the track. As the genre evolved, computers and sampling replaced drum machines in electronic music, and are now used by the majority of electro producers. It is important to note, that although the electro of the 1980s and contemporary electro (electronic dance music) both grew out of the dissolution of disco, they are now different genres.
Classic (1980s) electro drum patterns tend to be electronic emulations ofbreakbeats with a syncopated kick drum, and usually a snare or clap accenting the backbeat. The difference between electro drumbeats and breakbeats (or breaks) is that electro tends to be more mechanical, while breakbeats tend to have more of a human-like feel, like that of a live drummer. The definition however is somewhat ambiguous in nature due to the various uses of the term.[10]
TheRoland TR-808 drum machine was released in 1980, defining early electro with its immediately recognizable sound. Staccato, percussive drumbeats tended to dominate electro, almost exclusively provided by the TR-808. As an inexpensive way of producing a drum sound, the TR-808 caught on quickly with the producers of early electro because of the ability of itsbass drum to generate extreme low-frequencies.[11] This aspect of the Roland TR-808 was especially appealing to producers who would test drive their tracks in nightclubs (like NYC's Funhouse), where the bass drum sound was essential for a record's success.[12] Its unique percussion sounds like handclaps, open and closed high-hat, clave and cowbell became integral to the electro sound. A number of popular songs in the early 1980s employed the TR-808, including Marvin Gaye's “Sexual Healing,” Cybotron's “Clear,” and Afrika Bambaataa's “Planet Rock.”[13] The Roland TR-808 has attained iconic status, eventually being used on more hits than any other drum machine.[14] Through the use of samples, the Roland TR-808 remains popular in electro and other genres to the present day.
Other electro instrumentation was generally electronic, favoringanalog synthesis, programmed bass lines, sequenced or arpeggiated synthetic riffs, and atonal sound effects all created withsynthesizers. Heavy use of effects such asreverbs,delays,chorus orphasers along with eerie synthetic ensemble strings or pad sounds emphasized thescience fiction orfuturistic themes of classic (1980s) electro, represented in the lyrics and/or music. Electro hip hop groupWarp 9's 1983 single,Light Years Away, produced and written byLotti Golden and Richard Scher, exemplifies theSci-Fi,afrofuturist aspect of electro,[15] reflected in both the lyrics and instrumentation. The imagery of its lyrical refrainspace is the place for the human race pays homage toSun Ra's 1974film of the same name,[16] while its synth lines and sound effects are informed by sci-fi, computer games, and cartoons,"born of a science-fiction revival.".[15]: 148
Most electro is instrumental, but a common element is vocals processed through avocoder. Additionally,speech synthesis may be used to create robotic or mechanical lyrical content, as in the iconicPlanet Rock and the automatous chant in the chorus ofNunk byWarp 9.[17] Although primarily instrumental, early electro utilized rap. Male rap dominated the genre, however female rappers are an integral part of the electro tradition, whether featured in a group as inWarp 9 or as solo performers likeRoxanne Shante. The lyrical style that emerged along with electro became less popular by the 1990s, as rapping continued to evolve, becoming the domain ofhip hop music.
About electro origins:
It was all about stretching the boundaries that had begun to stifle black music, and its influences lay not only with German technopop wizardsKraftwerk, the acknowledged forefathers of pure electro, plus British futurist acts like theHuman League andGary Numan, but also with a number of pioneering black musicians. Major artists likeMiles Davis,Sly Stone,Herbie Hancock,Stevie Wonder, legendary producerNorman Whitfield and, of course,George Clinton and his P Funk brigade, would all play their part in shaping this new sound via their innovative use ofelectronic instruments during the 70s (and as early as the late 60s in Miles Davis’s case).
Gary Numan. Man he was dope. So important to us. When we heard that single, "Are Friends Electric?" it was like the aliens had landed in the Bronx. We were just throwing shapes to this tune, man. More than Kraftwerk. Numan was the inspiration. He's a hero. Without him, there'd be no electro.
— Afrika Bambaataa[18]
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Following the decline ofdisco music in the late 1970s, various funk artists such asZapp began experimenting withtalk boxes and the use of heavier, more distinctive beats.Boogie played a role during the formative years of electro, notably "Feels Good" by Electra (Emergency – EMDS-6527),[19] thepost-disco production "You're the One for Me" byD. Train (Prelude – PRL D 621),[19] and theEric Matthew/Darryl Payne productions "Thanks to You" bySinnamon (Becket – BKD 508),[19] and "On A Journey (I Sing The Funk Electric)" by Electrik Funk (Prelude – PRL D 541).[19] Electro eventually emerged as a fusion of different styles, includingfunk, boogie combined with German and Japanesetechnopop, in addition to influences from thefuturism ofAlvin Toffler,martial arts films, andvideo game music. The genre's immediate forebears includedKraftwerk andYellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).[20]
In 1980, YMO was the first band to utilize the TR-808 programmable drum machine.[21][22] That same year, YMO memberRyuichi Sakamoto released "Riot in Lagos", which is regarded as an early example of electro music,[23][24] and is credited for having anticipated the beats and sounds of electro.[25] The song's influence can be seen in the work of later pioneering electro artists such as Afrika Bambaataa[25] andMantronix.[24]
Electro experienced a watershed year in 1982.Bronx based producerAfrika Bambaataa released the seminal track "Planet Rock", which contained elements of Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" (from thealbum of the same name) and "Numbers" (from Kraftwerk's 1981Computer World album)[4][25][26] combined with the use of distinctive TR-808 beats.[25] "Planet Rock" is widely regarded as a turning point in the electro genre, "like a light being switched on."[15]: 146 [27] Another groundbreaking record released that year,Nunk byWarp 9 utilized "imagery drawn from computer games and hip hop slanguage."[15] Although remaining unreleased, a pre-Def JamRussell Simmons producedBruce Haack's proto hip-hop single "Party Machine" at a studio in Philadelphia. Electro hip hop releases in 1982 include songs by:Planet Patrol,Warp 9,Man Parrish,George Clinton (Computer Games),Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,Tyrone Brunson,The Jonzun Crew andWhodini.[15]
In 1983,Hashim created the influential electro funk tune "Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)" which became Cutting Record's first release in November 1983.[28] At the time Hashim was influenced byMan Parrish's "Hip Hop, Be Bop",Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With Science" and Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock".[29] "Al-Nafyish" was later included inPlaygroup'scompilation albumKings of Electro (2007), alongside other electro classics such as Sakamoto's "Riot in Lagos".[30] Also in 1983,Herbie Hancock, in collaboration withGrand Mixer D.ST, released the hit single "Rockit".
Bambaataa and groups likePlanet Patrol,Jonzun Crew, Mantronix,Newcleus,Warp 9 andJuan Atkins'Detroit-based groupCybotron went on to influence the genres ofDetroit techno,ghettotech,breakbeat,drum and bass andelectroclash. Early producers in the electro genre (notablyArthur Baker,[31]John Robie andShep Pettibone) later featured prominently in theLatin Freestyle (or simply "Freestyle") movement, along withLotti Golden and Richard Scher (the producer/writers ofWarp 9) fusing electro, funk, and hip hop with elements of Latin music.[15]
By the late 1980s, the genre evolved into what is known today asnew school hip hop. The release ofRun DMC'sIt's Like That (1983) marked a stylistic shift, focusing down on the beats in a stark, metal minimalism.[15]: 151 Rock samples replaced synthesizers that had figured so prominently in electro, and rap styles and techniques evolved in tandem, anchoring rap to the changing hip hop culture.[32] Baker, Pettibone, Golden and Scher enjoyed robust careers well into the house era, eluding the "genre trap" to successfully produce mainstream artists.[33]
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Detroit Techno musicians James Stinson andGerald Donald released numerous EPs, singles and albums of conceptual electro music under several different aliases. Their main project,Drexciya is known for exploration ofscience fiction and aquatic themes.
Electro music inspired by the electro revival in theUK during the mid 90's is often cited as neo electro, however it is simply a term and not a genre.[34]
| Electro-soul | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1980s |
| Regional scenes | |
| Other topics | |
| New jack swing,hip hop soul | |
In the early 1980s, Detroit techno DJEddie Fowlkes shaped a related style called electro-soul, which was characterized by a predominant bass line and a chopped up electro breakbeat contrasted withsoulful male vocals.[35]Kurtis Mantronik's electro-soul productions forJoyce Sims presagednew jack swing's combination of hip hop and soul elements.[36] In a 2016 profile on the genre's rise in Denver's music scene, Dylan Owens ofThe Denver Post writes, "As with all fledgling genres, little about electro-soul is defined — even what to call it. (Of the eight artists interviewed for this article, none agreed on any one name.) But what does seem sure is its rise, especially locally. If Denver can be known as the musical torchbearer of any genre, it's electro-soul's half-live, half-produced swirl of hip-hop, soul, funk and jazz."[37]
"No Self Control" byPeter Gabriel, taken from his1980 self-titled album, has been described as electro-soul,[38] fused withart rock.[39]
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Although the early 1980s were electro's heyday in the mainstream, it enjoyed renewed popularity in the late 1990s with artists such asAnthony Rother and DJs such asDave Clarke. The genre made yet another comeback for a third wave of popularity in 2007. The continued interest in electro, though influenced to a great degree by Florida, Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles and New York styles, has primarily taken hold in Florida and Europe with electro club nights becoming commonplace again. The scene still manages to support hundreds of electro labels, from the disco electro of Clone Records, to theold schoolb-boy styles of Breakin’ Records and Dominance Electricity, to the electrofunk of Citinite, and to harder more modern styles of electro of labels like Bass Frequency Productions and Nu Illusion Music.
New branches of electro have risen over the last couple of years. Florida has pioneered the "Electrocore" sound, started in the late 1990s by artists like Jackal and Hyde and Dynamix II and carried on to this day.Skweee is a genre which developed in Nordic countries such asSweden andFinland, hence its first name "Scandinavian Funk". The outlets and artists of Skweee are still mostly limited to the Nordic countries.
Starting in the late 1990s, the term "electro" is also used to refer two other fusion genres of electro, either blended withtechno andnew wave inelectroclash.[40][41] In 2006,Direct Influence, a six-pieceMelbourne based electro/rock/reggae group was formed.[42]
The genre enjoyed a resurgence starting in 2016, with DJs like Helena Hauff and DJ Stingray gaining more popularity and festivals like Dekmantel featuring it prominently on their lineups. Labels like Cultivated Electronics, CPU, Mars Frequency Records, Furatena, brokntoys and Mechatronica are currently pushing a new trove of artists[43][44] which has introduced the genre to a new generation.
Despite its successes (documented in full on Rhino's four-disc Electric Funk set), the style was quickly eclipsed by the mid-'80s rise of hip-hop music built around samples (often from rock records) rather than musical synthesizers.
