The Evolution of Electronica

© Flickr / Hryck

Before we were all going to megafests like Ultra, electronica seeped into the culture at large by way of rock and hip hop. Now a force to be reckoned with all its own, electronica is as ubiquitous as music itself. Just take a spin through your playlist. Chances are you have to go back pretty far to find a purely analogue sound. And that's OK by us.

On the heels of the 25th Anniversary of Winter Music Conference and after the first-ever sold-out Ultra Fest, we thought we'd take a look at the genre that moves our bodies like nothing else to ask, in the words of Talking Head David Byrne, "Well...how did I get here?"

The Past

In the American mainstream, electro was first introduced through rock music. No surprise here, considering many of today's dirtiest DJs credit the music of Pink Floyd as a staple of experimental sound that made them first start manipulating synths in the first place.

The rest of the '70s electro bill hosts bands like Genesis, who recently got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (take a listen to "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight," off Invisible Touch to get that extended taste of inaugural electro) David Bowie, while the '80s made way for Depeche Mode (who headlined last year's Lollapalooza in Chicago) and Devo (you know you like it).

Freedom with a Side of Beats

© Flickr / James at UniWhat was slowly transitioning into music’s biggest phenomenon was more in depth than poppy dance chart-toppers by Technotronic and Robin S. In London, the rave scene was booming with both legal club parties and underground, all-night warehouse gigs. It was EDM (Electronic Dance Music) that spun a scene of MDMA-eating dance heads that appealed to a sea of individuals looking for a common ground. It was music, drugs and acceptance that brought freedom with a side of beats. The rave culture was viral, attracting thousands of hypnotized dancers to parties in Scotland and Germany, where now veteran acts like Paul van Dyk and Sasha and Digweed were first catching on.

The new addition to pop culture, or rather the anti-pop culture, as it seemed in the early ‘90s, the rave movement headed from a jet in the UK straight to NY, where an overwhelming population of nocturnal American hipsters finally found a worthy nighttime activity.

© Tracy Block / RumBum.comThe Disco Biscuits at Ultra Fest 2010.DJs like Moby, Josh Wink, Keoki, and Frankie Bones are credited with throwing these inaugural raves. The underground culture tried its hardest to flourish, as drugs continued to affect the legality of raves and those (rarely sober) in attendance. In Florida, warehouse parties were taking over the weekends around 1995 from Tampa to Orlando. Slowly, the practice trickled down to Miami, where The Edge (the longest running late night during that entire decade) brought the heat.

DJ Icey, Dynamix II, and Rabbit in the Moon made their way on the map in the South. “The rave scene was full of happy, smiley, huggable candy kids dressed in rainbow colors, much the same of what we see today at electro fests like Ultra, but it was not a fashion statement, it was a culture,” Miami-based VJ Psyberpixie says. “Many people experimented with MDMA and psychedelics, which enhanced the bonding to electronic music. Going to a rave, you knew you would make lifelong friends by the end of the night, every show would be a reunion of people from all different countries and cities. The music is what brought them all together.”

Electro Dash

While raves and DJs were taking over the nocturnal underground, other genres were experimenting with electronic tools. Soon, everyone and their mother was experimenting with electronica. In 1993, Billy Idol released the iffy Cyber Punk, and in 1997 David Bowie released the wonderful Earthing. All over the musical map, new genres were being born. There was electro-pop, electro-funk, jamtronica, and whatever you want to call what Thievery Corporation does.

Most notable is the contribution of Phish, who began spiking their jam with bits of electronica as far back as the 80s. The Disco Biscuits (aka Phish for a new generation) have taken this fusion to a whole new level. Each member of The Disco Biscuits infuses his own electronic element (MIDIs, synths, drum pads) to add depth to the entire live experience.

The Omnipresence of Electonica

Today, electronica is everywhere. Some bands use it a little (Radiohead), some use it a lot (Phoenix) but very few bands are electro virgins (Fleet Foxes).

© Tracy Block / RumBum.comThe Bloody Beet Roots at Ultra Fest 2010.In the true, hardcore electronic scene, the sounds are multi-dimensional – clad in robotic effects that sometimes make you feel like you’re wearing liquid bullets as earplugs. Artists like Pretty Lights and The Glitch Mob use equipment that makes mixing a set look as simple as pressing a multi-colored sampler pad at all the right times. You’ve got DJs like Deadmau5 – a solidifier of progressive house and MSTRKRFT, a duo that lures followers with morbid metal riffs and futuristic vocoders. Bob Rifo’s Bloody Beetroots takeover has transitioned from dark deck work to a mesmerizing live set. Still, there’s A-Trak (Toronto), Craze (Miami) and Klever (Atlanta), who all hail from different cultural backgrounds but are able to tag-team and mash-up a world-recognized catalogue of dance music.

The Future

In the words of Oscar Wilde, “Expect the unexpected.” For now, you can ride this train until your body gives out. Livetronica is the new genre taking hold of original dance cats, dubstep the latest bass offering. As long as there are people to dance and DJs (or robots) to conquer the ones and twos, electro isn’t going anywhere. We’re not condoning mood enhancers of any sort. Trust us, you’ll get lifted on the music alone. Close your eyes, open your ears and let the true beauty of electro world domination take hold.