Electronic Dance (Club Dance)

MATTHEW WRIGLEY

Instrumentation
Electronic Dance pieces have: Vocals Drum Machines Drum/Percussion Samples Synthesisers Samplers Turntables

Performance and Arrangement

House, Trance and Techno. 120-140bpm. Designed for

clubbing, and played by DJs/Programmers. Four-to-the-floor bass drum, and hi-hat emphasis on the off-beat quavers. Synth stabs or staccato stabs on piano. Bass line Synths. Synth riffs and pad chords. Samples taken from lots of different places. Epic feel to songs, featuring breakdowns. Structure built on building and breaking down textures. D&B uses frantic syncopated drums.

Technology and Production

Use of sequencers.

Cheap computer systems made music production

more accessible. Drum machines or sampled drums. Wide use of synthesisers. Extensive use of samples. Effects used in a wide variety of different ways.

Main Artists
MARRS Coldcut Bomb the Bass S-Express Aphex Twin The Orb The KLF Basement Jaxx Red Alert (1999) Paul Oakenfold Fatboy Slim The Rockafeller Skank (1998) Moby

The Prodigy Smack My

Bitch Up (1997) The Chemical Brothers Galvanize (2005) Orbital Roni Size Goldie Groove Armada Daft Punk Leftfield St. Germain Trentmller

Influences
Electronic Dance/Club Dance was influenced by: Disco Hip Hop Reggae and Dub Synth Pop Soul Funk Jazz

Key Facts and Terminology

Mid 80s, Chicago house part scene used disused

warehouses for all-night dance events. Gained popularity during the late 80s in Europe. Most artists are club DJs as well as producers. Late 80s, many mainstream pop singles were released as dance mixes. House scene in UK is tied closely to the indie scene. Clubs in Ibiza were important venues.

FIN.