Electro (music)

Electro (or electro-funk)[3][4] is a genre of electronic music and early hip hop directly influenced by the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machines[5][6] and funk.[7][8] Records in the genre typically feature heavy electronic sounds, usually without vocals; if vocals are present, they are delivered in a deadpan manner, often through electronic distortion such as vocoding and talkboxing. It palpably deviates from its predecessor boogie by being less vocal-oriented and more focused on electronic beats produced by drum machines.

Following the decline of disco music in the United States, electro emerged as a fusion of funk[9] and early hip-hop with principal influences from New York boogie, German and Japanese electronic pop music. The genre emerged with musicians Arthur Baker, Afrika Bambaataa, Warp 9, and Hashim. Seminal electro tracks included "Planet Rock" (1982) and "Nunk" (1982), both featuring its characteristic TR-808 drum beats.

The early 1980s were electro's mainstream peak. By the mid 1980s, the genre moved away from its electronic and funk influences, using harder edged beats and rock samples, exemplified by Run DMC. Electro became popular again in the late 1990s with artists such as Anthony Rother and DJs such as Dave Clarke.[10] A third wave of popularity occurred in 2007. Electro has branched out into subgenres, including electrocore and skweee.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference wire_1996 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Vincent, Rickey (November 4, 2014). Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One. St. Martin's Publishing. ISBN 9781466884526.
  3. ^ "Electro-Funk: What did it all mean?". Greg Wilson on electrofunkroots.co.uk. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
  4. ^ Rap meets Techno, with a short history of Electro. Globaldarkness.com. Retrieved on July 18, 2011.
  5. ^ Gavin Weale (2001) The Future Sound Of Electro. ElectroEmpire.com
  6. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2013). Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture. Soft Skull Press. The dominant style at Hard Summer, provided by artists like Zedd, Erol Alkan and Bloody Beetroots, is what's been tagged 'electro house', although to my ears it has little relationship with either house or electro (in the original eighties 808-bass-bumping sense).
  7. ^ Electro itself is a musical style blending "funk & synthesizers with elements of hip-hop", according to Dent, Susie (2003). The Language Report. Oxford University Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-19-860860-8.
  8. ^ Sean 'P-Ski' P (1995) Electro – What Does It Mean?. ElectroEmpire.com
  9. ^ "Electro". Allmusic. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  10. ^ Ishkur (2005). "Ishkur's guide to Electronic Music". Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2014.

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