Musical Melting Pot

If you have seen the excellent time-travel movie Back To The Future then you know that the young Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) inadvertently sparks the invention of rock-and-roll at a school dance in 1955 by substituting for an injured band member and playing a futuristic guitar solo. I am now writing in 2005 and it’s fifty years since that fateful, if fictional, night, so it seems as good a time as any to explore the family tree of modern popular music.

To understand the phenomenon of modern popular music we need to go back in time to America in the mid 1950s. It is impossible to track the development of any given musical genre to a particular year, so it is mistaken to say that “rock-and-roll started in 1955” but to suggest that something was happening circa 1955 is a much safer bet. The term circa will be utilized and can be taken as saying “plus or minus five years” in this text. But now back to that school dance in 1955...

The United States in the 50s was a musical melting pot. Distinct trends were cross-pollinating in a way that was to change the face of music forever and give global mass society a set of themes and moods to carry them into the Twenty First Century. The fact that the USA is a world power of the modern era is an important one to remember in considering America as the site of this cross-cultural whirlwind. Several factors contributing to its superpower status also allowed for it to become the home of modern popular music.

These factors included a cosmopolitan society in which cultures can interact and affect one another, a democratic polity allowing for free expression of many different and sometimes alternative perspectives, and a powerhouse economy (both domestic and international) allowing for the mass distribution of all manner of cultural product. In addition, technological advances in areas such as amplification, recording, communications and transport cannot be overlooked.

Three separate but related musical genres in particular interacted in this time – they were country and blues and gospel. At front-and-centre of this array of change agents was the blues. The blues began as a rural or small-town form of Afro-American music played by solo artists on acoustic instruments such as harmonica, guitar and piano. In the post-war era many Afro-Americans moved from the Mississippi Delta to metropolises like Chicago and transformed the blues into an urban music played by small bands including a prominent use of the then new electric guitar along with string bass and drum kit. Artists playing this music included Muddy Waters, Etta James, John Lee Hooker, B B King and Fats Domino.

The energy and drive of this music was hugely popular among Afro-Americans and also among young Americans of Anglo-Celtic decent. As it became more popular, and musicians of all backgrounds took to it, the music industry felt it necessary to cater to the strong racist character of 1950s American society (particularly in the south) by distinguishing between black and white artists. They made use of the term rhythm-and-blues to refer to the black urban blues performers. In contrast they adopted the term rock-and-roll (Afro-American slang for sexual intercourse) for the white musicians who had taken to the same music. In practice these musicians played much the same kind of faster-tempo urban blues. They also both drew on other musical forms such as country and gospel according to personal preference or background. Stars of the era like Bill Haley, Little Richard and Elvis Presley can be regarded as performing a kind of music that drew on all three of these genres and more.

The Rock Soul Divide

The distinction between rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues was a confected one driven by industry prejudice. But the distinction between rock and soul is musical rather than cultural and arises from the two genres having somewhat different musical ancestry. We can think of rock and soul as musical half-siblings with the blues as the common parent.

Rock is the child of a combination of the blues with country music. Country is the music of the diffuse society of rural and small-town America and had its own origins in both Anglo-Celtic rural music and rural blues. It had been popularized in the post-war era by artists like Hank Williams. This was combined with the newer urban blues to form rock. Pioneers of this combination included Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. What began as a US phenomenon soon became one practiced on both sides of the Atlantic and many important rock acts have come from the UK.

In one form or another rock has existed from circa 1960 to the present day. In much of that time variations or derivations of rock – genres like metal or hardcore or punk – have been more prominent than rock itself. However standard rock has been an ever-present part of popular music and since the 1990s contemporary rock bands like Coldplay, Placebo and Powderfinger have continued the tradition.

Soul is the child of a combination of the blues with gospel music. Gospel is the music of the Afro-American churches and had its own origins in both Anglo-Celtic church music and rural blues. It had been popularized in the post-war era by artists like Mahalia Jackson. This was combined with the newer urban blues to form soul. Pioneers of this combination included Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. While the originators of soul were Afro-Americans, the genre has been embraced by artists both black and white.

In one form or another soul has existed from circa 1960 to the present day. In much of that time variations or derivations of soul – genres like funk or hip-hop or disco – have been more prominent than soul itself. However standard soul has been an ever-present part of popular music and since the 1990s contemporary soul acts like TLC, Mary J Blige and Macy Gray have continued the tradition.

Over much of the past half-century there has been a distinct division between rock-derived music and soul-derived music. But at the same time there has been a constant cross-pollination between the two strands of blues-derived popular music and both have experienced similar changes over time (which will be explored in the next few pages). A number of artists recognized the kinship between rock and soul and went onto produce and perform music of both genres. Artists therefore contributing to both genres were popular singer-songwriters such as Billy Joel and Elton John. Some have even specialized to the extent that we can identify – say – Lenny Kravitz as more a fan of hard rock and deep soul than of its more polished counterparts. So now onto such variations within the rock and soul tradition.

Soft Rock And Shallow Soul

Both rock and soul represented a challenge to conventional popular music circa 1960 – songs inspired by the musical show-tune tradition and characterized by a sanitary superficiality that offended nobody. In contrast the newer genres were gritty, even bawdy, and attention was diverted away from this morally challenging music with the use of a new breed of teen idols (consider Franky Avalon) who performed the old sanitized music but with just a hint of rock-and-roll sass. In response to this, bone-fide rock and soul artists began playing much sweeter songs that were nonetheless blues-derived. Usually this involved a small change in the way musicians played but sometimes it involved pretensions like the addition of string quartets to recordings.

The Beach Boys and The Beatles were purveyors of soft rock. Meanwhile Motown record company artists like The Supremes and The Temptations did the same thing for what we shall call shallow soul. Between them soft rock and shallow soul converted many millions of tentative fans to blues-derived popular music via these more polished forms. Many artists have continued these traditions such as Bryan Adams, The Bangles and Crowded House for soft rock and Hall And Oats, The Pointer Sisters and Seal for shallow soul.

A Dash Of Folk And Jazz

One could argue that anything of a given vintage will be impacted on by all things of an older vintage. However only some will have sufficient impact on newer things for that impact to be overt. So saying "rock drew on blues and country" or "soul drew on blues and gospel" only recognizes the most significant factors in the development of those genres. Both folk and jazz had also been part of the process of cross-pollination. They are there in the ancestry of rock and soul but very much as an undercurrent. However in the 1960s a number of musicians drew explicitly from these rich musical traditions.

Folk was incorporated into popular blues-derived music in the mid 1960s. Additionally there were some artists who played pure folk but with modern instruments. Artists pioneering electric folk and folk-inflected rock also inspired practitioners of genres like psychedelia and metal. Over time artists like Bob Dylan, The Byrds, The Mamas And The Papas, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Clannad, The Corrs and Flogging Molly have continued the tradition of drawing on folk.

Jazz was incorporated into popular blues-derived music in the mid 1960s. Additionally there were some artists who played pure jazz but with modern instruments. Artists pioneering electric jazz and jazz-inflected soul also inspired practitioners of genres like psychedelia and funk. Over time artists like Miles Davis, Grover Washington Junior, Weather Report, Bob James, Manhattan Transfer, Sade, Harry Connick Junior and Cherry Poppin' Daddies have continued the tradition of drawing on jazz.

Hard Rock And Deep Soul

By the mid 1960s there was a renewed desire among musicians and fans alike to rediscover the grittiness that had made blues-derived music attractive to start with. Performers with a passion for the roots of rock and soul began taking the world by storm with some much more savory music.

Bands like The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks pioneered and popularized hard rock while singers like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and James Brown did the same for deep soul. These new sub-genres were to have a massive and long-term impact on the development of future genres. There have also been plenty of artists to continue producing this music. Thin Lizzy, ACDC, Aerosmith and Guns 'n' Roses have continued the hard rock tradition while Tina Turner, Al Green, Steve Winwood and Sonia Dada have done the same for deep soul.

Psychedelia

In the mid 1960s a number of bands became associated with the hippy counter-culture. These bands started by playing blues but the music was altered by the cultural context in which it was performed. An important factor in mutating blues into psychedelia was indulgence by musicians in consciousness altering substances. Till that time amplification had been employed simply to amplify. Now however they experimented with distorting musical signals as a way of complementing the altered perceptions of acid-users.

Another factor was the affection within the hippy community for religions like Hinduism which for them seemed esoteric. With this came a corresponding interest among psychedelic bands in the droning raga music of India.

The psychedelic bands performed long free-form jams for fans to dance to while affected by drugs. They also produced tracks within more standard song structures that nonetheless were different in that they challenged societal norms and assumptions in the themes they presented.

Many psychedelic bands arose originally in San Fransisco but the movement soon became an international one. Key psychedelic bands in the US included The Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane (named for blues artist Blind Lemon Jefferson), Big Brother And The Holding Company (featuring vocalist Janis Joplin), The Doors and The Santana Blues Band. In the UK prominent psychedelic acts were Pink Floyd (named for obscure blues artists Pink Anderson and Floyd Council) and Small Faces. In Australian we had bands like The Masters Apprentices.

The popularity of psychedelic bands passed in the 1970s but the impact of psychedelia itself has been long-lasting. Many of its most successful acts went onto become progressive supergroups (such as Pink Floyd and the re-named Jefferson Starship). Key characteristics of the music were incorporated into other much more long-lasting genres like metal and funk. There have also been occasional psychedelic revivals as with a small movement of UK bands circa 1990 that included Jesus Jones and The Soup Dragons. And the demand for music one can enjoy while in an altered state of consciousness can be observed today in trance.

But possibly the most important legacy of the psychedelic bands is the way in which they succeeded, as part of the counter culture, in disseminating attitudes that went onto alter modern mores. This can be felt even now in the everyday acceptance of a more relaxed and permissive society.

Metal And Funk

In the late 1960s two musical genres were forming that would both have amazing staying power and command fanatical cult followings. They were metal and funk. These two seemingly disparate forms had a parallel genesis.

Metal formed as a result of inserting the sonic distortion associated with psychedelia into the basic template of hard rock. Distorted or overdriven electric guitars and pounding drums were key elements of the new genre. Bands that pioneered these characteristics included Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Led Zeppelin.

Since those formative days metal has infected many aspects of popular culture and has become associated with everything from extreme sports to monster truck races. A selective list of metal artists from past decades includes Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Heart, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Sepultura and Pantera. Metal has impacted other genres such as hardcore.

Funk formed as a result of inserting that same sonic distortion associated with psychedelia into the basic template of deep soul. Distorted or fuzztone electric bass and complex rhythms were key elements of the new genre. Acts that pioneered these characteristics included Parliament-Funkadelic (drawing on onetime band-mates of James Brown), Sly And The Family Stone, and Stevie Wonder.

Since that time the funk has infected many aspects of popular culture and has become associated with everything from cop shows to porn. A selective list of funk artists from past decades includes Rufus with Chaka Khan, Kool And The Gang, The Commadores, Earth Wind And Fire, Average White Band, Prince, The Time, Supergroove and Jamiroquai. Funk has impacted other genres such as hip-hop.

Given the common psychedelic seed of both metal and funk it is hardly surprising that a number of bands started blending them together explicitly. In circa 1990 these funk-metal bands were among the most exciting of the time and included Living Colour, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Faith No More, Primus and Fishbone.

Of Form And Function

The use of different kinds of instruments has changed over time in the derivations of both rock and soul. However change has been much more limited in rock than in soul (and is even reflected in how frequently names for these genres are changed).

In rock and its sub-genres a band comprising vocals, electric guitars, electric bass, drum kit (with the occasional addition of the descendents of piano or organ) is almost mandatory. In contrast the kind of instruments utilized in soul and its sub-genres has changed markedly over time. In the 1960s a standard soul group may have consisted of electric organ, piano, electric guitar, electric bass, drum kit, tambourine, vocals, backing vocals, reeds and brass. By the 1990s more than half these instruments could be replaced in a soul recording by 'programming' (even if they were still a part of live shows).

The difference seems to be that for rock form is as important as function while in soul only function matters. So in a rock band particular instruments are necessary to produce the desired sound while in soul any instrumentation will do as long as the musical effect is right.

Another related difference is the status of musicians within rock and soul. In a rock band all members are supposedly as important as one another and recognized as contributing to the music. In soul the vocalists are of central importance however many instrumentalists they may have behind them. Hence solo performers and vocal groups are much more common in soul while rock is dominated by the 'guitar band' as the primary unit.

Progressive Supergroups

One of the key elements of psychedelia had been musical and instrumental experimentation. Challenging the parameters of music while still preserving its musicality is a skilful activity (particularly while on mind-altering substances) and it is this characteristic – virtuosity – that came into its own with the progressive supergroups. Many of the participants in this new movement came from the psychedelic scene while others were music college students versed in orchestral classical music. The resulting music was by the modern band rather than orchestras. This musical fusion drew on diverse influences. Key acts within this mould were King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Supertramp, Frank Zappa, Mike Oldfield, Roxy Music, Sky, Queen, Jefferson Starship, Marillion and Sebastian Hardie.

This genre is characterised by long tracks united into concept albums (which by the 70s were competing successfully with singles for consumer patronage). The music was complex as evidenced by frequent changes in tempo and key within a given track. Even more conventional songs tended to be anthemic. The progressive acts drew on a diversity of tools from traditional orchestral instruments like the flute to state-of-the-art keyboard-operated instruments like mellotrons (a kind of magnetic-tape operated sampler) and synthesisers.

It was surprising that music this eccentric became as popular as it did and by the end of the 70s its prominence was on the wane. The progressive legacy however is impressive. Aspects of its virtuosity have been incorporated into some metal and funk. It helped in the development of an acceptance of electronic instrumentation. And some of its veterans survived as pop purveyors of the power ballad (Jefferson Starship became Starship while Phil Collins of Genesis became an solo star act).

Glam To Goth

While glam and goth are superficially different they are very similar in a number of fundamentals. They are both difficult to characterise as distinct forms musically. Rather they are defined by particular themes and moods that can be attached to a variety of musical genres. And while those moods and themes are different they have in common the characteristics of costuming, playacting and gender-bending. They also tend to attract the same sort of fan-base.

The glam identity was adopted in the 70s by artists across many genres including metal (Alice Cooper and Kiss), funk (Parliament and Funkadelic), punk (The New York Dolls) and disco (The Village People). The popular singer-songwriter David Bowie assumed the persona of Ziggy Stardust for his glam phase. And some progressive supergroups (Queen and Roxy Music) took on glam characteristics.

These characteristics included dressing in extravagant costumes with speculative fiction themes and taking on tragi-comic personas with an androgenous bent. The music itself tended to be nostalgic in its emulation of older blues-derived popular music. Key exponents of the glam movement included T-Rex, The Sweet and Sky Hooks. There was even a glam musical in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. For a while it all seemed very new and novel. However glam was an attention-seeking ploy for most artists and as such went the way of all fads (there have however been recent acts such as the Scissor Sisters who hark back to glam).

Goth was different. In the 80s it came to represent a whole way of life. There was always something a bit silly and self-mocking in glam. In contrast goth is very earnest in its melancholic pose. Its feel is taken from gothic horror and an entire sub-culture has formed which seeks to embrace the bittersweet in life. As such goth music is whatever members of the sub-culture happen to listen to. Goth drew in New Wave and other musicians. Such acts included Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Concrete Blonde and Nick Cave. David Bowie got into the act with his Nathan Adler persona.

Members of the sub-culture will listen to much more than these bands and have more than a passing fancy for atmospheric trance (Massive Attack), introspective singer-songwriters (Tori Amos) and angry bands blending hardcore with hip-hop (Korn). Thus the mood of gothic music creeps into other genres from time-to-time.

Punk And Disco

The characteristics of any musical genre are affected by the mood of the times in which it develops. This was definitely the case for developments in popular music by the mid 1970s. The preceding decade from the mid 1960s had been a time of hope in which it seemed that the efforts of the peace and civil rights movements would change the world. They had done so, but only to an extent, and by the mid-70s there was a feeling that the world had lost its way. This feeling was compounded by factors such as economic stagnation coming at the end of the long post-war boom, an energy crisis, and the rise of international terrorism. The sense that one could change the world was supplanted by a grudging acceptance that things were the way they were and the best thing to do was just get on with your own life. In the mid-to-late 70s this disposition was expressed (in rather different ways) by both punk and disco.

Punk evolved from rock music practiced in garages and inspired by acts from The Troggs to MC5. It became a genre characterized by derision towards both the establishment and to those who held any hope of changing the establishment. It had a participatory ethic in that bands played live in very close quarters with audiences and its back-to-basics approach to music meant that a fan one month could become a musician the next. Key punk bands included The Stooges, The New York Dolls, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, X-Ray Spex, Generation X and Dead Kennedys.

By circa 1980 the punk movement was fading but its impact on other genres was significant. It contributed to the development of hardcore. It also had an impact on the music of some major acts in the post-punk era with bands like U2, REM, and Midnight Oil focusing more on the emotional impact of a song than in the technical aspects of its delivery (these bands themselves would have an impact on contemporary rock). There was even a punk revival in the 1990s with bands like Green Day and The Living End.

Disco evolved from soul music crafted in studios and inspired by acts from Marvin Gaye to Isaac Hayes. It became a genre characterized by a wilful dismissal of the problems of the world and a desire to simply immerse oneself in fleeting gratification. It also had a participatory ethic in that the focus of all activity was the dance floor – by dancing well fans became artists in their own right. Key disco acts included The Three Degrees, Gloria Gaynor, Chic, KC And The Sunshine Band, The Bee Gees, The Village People, Boney M and Hot Chocolate.

By circa 1980 the disco craze was fading but its impact on other genres was significant. It contributed to the development of hip-hop. It also had an impact on the music of some major acts in the post-disco era with artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna and George Michael emphasizing danceability in their music (these acts themselves would have an impact on contemporary soul). There was even a disco revival in the 1990s with artists like Kym Mazelle and Stars On 54.

There was some animosity between the fans of punk and disco but both genres were a product of the same era. In responding to a difficult world punk was nihilistic while disco was hedonistic. Both rejected the elaborate and esoteric manner of progressive supergroups. Both began as grassroots movements rather than corporate products. Both were populated by members of marginalized groups whether defined by class, race or sexuality. And both became successful for a time. In circa 1980 some acts started to blend elements of both punk and disco together. The name given by the music industry to this trend was New Wave.

New Wave acts blended the attitude of punk with the infectiousness of disco. This combination proved successful and acts of this kind included Blondie, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, The Divinyls, The Police, Elvis Costello, Devo, The B52s, and Power Station. They produced popular music that was nevertheless quirky and even subversive. They could poke fun at the world while still having fun themselves. This fad was rather short-lived but many New Wave acts went onto populate the ranks of other genres like pop. One could also argue that some bands since the 1990s have characteristics in common with New Wave acts (consider Garbage and No Doubt).

Ska To Reggae

The music of the wider Americas has always had an affect on popular culture and particularly on dance. However the impact of Latin music in the US and UK has been limited by the linguistic divide separating English from Spanish and Portuguese. In Jamaica, however, English is the major language and this allowed Jamaicans to fully assimilate blues transmitting from US radio stations in the 50s. They blended blues with the calypso-like mento (also partly of African origin) and this resulted in a number of variations with ska and reggae as the most prominent. Both genres are very similar and the most apparent difference between them is one of tempo – ska is frenetic while reggae is relaxed.

Ska became something of a novelty in the US and UK in the 60s and then came into its own during two later ska revivals. In the 80s some UK bands such as The Specials and Madness popularized ska. Then in the 90s some US bands like No Doubt and The Mighty Mighty Bostones did the same thing for a younger audience. In both eras however long-term popularity has been limited to cult followings.

In contrast reggae has had a much bigger impact on popular music. It was promoted in the 70s by artists like Bob Marley, Lee Perry and Peter Tosh to such an extent that artists associated with other genres all had reggae-tinged hits (including Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Supertramp, The Clash, Boney M, The Police and Culture Club). Some characteristics of its look or feel have been incorporated into other genres since from hardcore to hip-hop. And the practice of dance remixes so prominent in much techno had its origins in studio experimentation of the dub variation of reggae.

Pop

The term pop is merely an abbreviation of 'popular' and thus can refer to any music that is just that. Yet for many the term refers to a particular kind of music that developed and become most prominent from the 1980s onwards. It is this specific form that we refer to here as pop.

Pop combined the energy of the New Wave with the musical craft of popular singer-songwriters and the novelty of electronic music. In much new pop older instruments were replaced by electronic ones which helped define the sound of an era. However conventional song structures (verse-chorus-verse) were preserved. The music itself was superficially cheerful but this frequently masked some rather melancholy themes. Key pop artists included The Eurythmics, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Pet Shop Boys, Icehouse, Tears for Fears and Spandau Ballet.

And while all this pop was very much an 80s phenomenon it had been foreshadowed in the 70s by one Scandinavian group in particular – ABBA. Till the 1960s government controlled radio in much of Europe was restricted to classical music and it seems that groups like ABBA were making up for lost time by rushing to emulate any and all forms of popular music enjoyed by US and UK audiences till that time. The result was 'Europop' acts that have won international fame since then including A-ha, Roxette and Aqua.

Much pop – such as that pedalled in reality TV shows – is puerile stuff designed to be popular only in the here-and-now and owing more to the teen idol tradition. But pop can still be worthwhile – even classic - and is produced today by acts like Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue.

Hardcore

The term hardcore has been used in the US as another word for punk. In the context of this discussion however it will refer to a form of music that blends elements of punk with metal. In hardcore the simplistic formats of punk were eschewed for more diverse song structures and playing techniques. The 'downtuning' of guitars and processing of signals were experimented with giving the music a more metallic feel. Production tended to be lo-fi to emulate live performances. Subject matter of songs can be dismal or aggressive and sometimes even political.

Bands that were to develop hardcore started forming in the late 70s (particularly in New York) and proliferated in the 80s. It was only in the 90s however that this music made the transition from local scenes and underground followings to worldwide acceptance and the spawning of a massive grunger fanbase. Key bands to contribute to the development or promotion of hardcore include Black Flag, Husker Du, Bad Brains, Bad Religion, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, The Offspring, Smashing Pumpkins, Live, Hole, Foo Fighters and Silverchair. Hardcore has had an impact on contemporary rock and industrial.

Hip-Hop

Inner-urban ghettos in the US have acted as the incubator for a number of musical developments including hip-hop. Afro-American and Latin youths in these areas developed a form of performance free of the need to own expensive musical instruments. At neighbourhood disco dances record players or decks were utilized by DJs to play backing music (mostly disco and funk) over which MCs would rap (funky spoken word vocals). These were also turned into a kind of percussive instrument by DJs 'cutting and scratching'. Sampling of old records made newer recordings lo-fi. Subject matter of raps was anything from personal self-aggrandising to political protest at the conditions of ghetto life.

Recording of hip-hop started in the late 70s (beginning in New York) and proliferated in the 80s. Finally by the 90s hip-hop was a world-wide phenomenon embraced by youth of many cultures. Key acts to contribute to the development or promotion of hip-hop include The Sugar Hill Gang, Grand Master Flash, Public Enemy, Ice-T, LL Cool-J, De La Soul, Salt N Peppa, Cyprus Hill, The Fugees, Wu Tang Clan, 2-Pac, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 1200 Techniques. Hip-Hop has had an impact on contemporary soul and house.

Electronic Music

There are many different terms for electronic music. One term - techno - refers to a particular variation but for many acts as a coverall term for much of electronic music. There are those who argue that techno is entirely separate from the family of blues-derived popular music and that its origins can be traced to classical music via the avant-garde. This may make sense if all one looked at were experimenters like Kraftwerk or Jean-Michelle Jarre. However this overlooks the context in which techno has grown and dismisses the content of many of its sub-genres.

The progressive supergroups in the 70s and pop acts in the 80s popularized the use of electronic instruments and thus paved the way for mass acceptance of techno into the 90s. In addition many of its sub-genres draw specifically on blues-derived genres. Trance is inspired by psychedelia. Industrial draws on hardcore and post-punk music. House draws on hip-hop and post-disco music. These sub-genres bleed into one another making it difficult to identify particular artists with particular variations.

A selective list of electronic acts includes Tangerine Dream, Yello, The Orb, Endorphin, Severed Heads, Enigma, Underworld, Ministry, Massive Attack, Nine Inch Nails, Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Moby, The Prodigy, Portished and Propellerheads.

With modern technology the waveform of any instrument in existence can be captured and incorporated into techno. Everything from 'tribal' percussion to cinematic incidental music graces techno tracks. Elements can be combined and modified with mathematical precision. As a result techno is eminently versatile and can be crafted for any purpose from frenetic dance raves to relaxation massages.

Recent Developments

The history of the last half-century of music seems to be one of new variations arising from the combining of older forms. Every decade brings new sounds. That process of blending the old to form the new has persisted into the twenty first century.

One of the most prominent of such developments has been the flurry of alternative acts that have drawn inspiration from funk-metal bands to blend hardcore and hip-hop elements. Acts involved in this development include Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and Evanescence (the last two having had the same programmer in DJ Lethal). Submit the master tapes of such acts to the attentions of a techno remix artist and you have music that potentially draws together the disparate strands of popular blues-derived music to date.

At the same time, many older genres continue to thrive into the present day and interest among the young in music of past decades is robust. And just as newer forms draw on older forms, so too older forms can draw on the newer forms with which they coexist. As economics and technology make the world ever more integrated, the popular blues-derived music which has essentially been a Trans-Atlantic phenomenon becomes ever more dominant globally. But at the same time the traditional music of many nations and cultures is incorporated into that globally dominant musical form.

Nobody can say for sure what future developments will be or even give names to some of the current developments. What we can say is that change is a given and there will always be something new around the corner. However we can also say that once it comes we will recognize something familiar in it – even an aging Marty McFly would agree.

References

The Blues Collection (1900-1990) Poster – T Russell (London 1990)

A Century Of Dance – I Driver (London 2000)

Dancing In The Streets – R Palmer (BBC TV 1996)

The Encyclopedia Of Albums – P DuNoyer (Bath 1998)

Rapcore: The Nu-Metal Rap Fusion – D Porter (London 2003)

The Rock Handbook – M Clifford (London 1988)

Rock & Roll: The Music, Musicians And The Mania
- T Greenwald (New York 1992)

WordIQ (Reference Website)

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Copyright © 2005 D Berk. Direct any comments here.