Ever since Lady Gaga broke through to the mainstream in a big way 2 years ago Electronic Dance music has been growing increasingly popular and (over)used in mainstrem media oulets & I reckon since about last year or so it's 'the industry' has been pushing this to extract as much money from this burgeoning market as it can, over rap music and it's gradually lower sales. Of couse I can't be entirely certain of it's staying power, it might be a fad i some ways like Disco but the fact that many mainstream pop musicians and rappers are embracing the form indicates to me otherwise. What do you think?

you'll notice that rap and r&b have been incorporating a lot of house/club elements into them in the last several years, even prior to Gaga

"EDM" eh? Pop/Dance music in the 80s was also very "electronic".

Yes, synthy dance shit has been ruling the airwaves the last few years, and rap is dying.

No. I don't believe it will ever happen in the States. Dance music is actually quite huge all over the world. That's why pop "stars" in the US keep grabbing those guys to produce tracks for them. However, I've been listening to electronic music of all types since 1991. During that time it's made several surges into the mainstream, always to recede back to the underground until a new trend comes along and some top 40 artist steals the sound for their new "hit". Then they'll be another surge, followed by another retreat. Most of the crap that pop artists do is a pale reflection of the real stuff, anyway. It's total cheese.

There's a good 100 BANDS right now in the US alone that are doing great stuff right under the surface of the mainstream. They'll start breaking through and there will be another return to instrument based pop music.

[Edited 9/12/10 19:31pm]

Cerebus said:

No. I don't believe it will ever happen in the States. Dance music is actually quite huge all over the world. That's why pop "stars" in the US keep grabbing those guys to produce tracks for them. However, I've been listening to electronic music of all types since 1991. During that time it's made several surges into the mainstream, always to recede back to the underground until a new trend comes along and some top 40 artist steals the sound for their new "hit". Then they'll be another surge, followed by another retreat. Most of the crap that pop artists do is a pale reflection of the real stuff, anyway. It's total cheese.

There's a good 100 BANDS right now in the US alone that are doing great stuff right under the surface of the mainstream. They'll start breaking through and they'll be another return to instrument based pop music.

That's SO often been true. I'd venture to say that hip-hop, more likely than being a victim of a superior pop flavor....is dying of it's own WELL DESERVED accord.

Watching the VMA's further showed me how much pure pop "music" is ruling right now.

Here's a theory... I have a friend who has completely different musical taste when he is on cocaine. He wants to hear nothing below 125 beats per minute. My thought is that as long as cocaine is both glorified and prohibited - and - as long as music industry people use it - that fast bpm shit will continue to be pushed.

Now - will it be as "poppy" as it is right now? I sure hope not.

Among my many issues with "EDM" is that the majority of the really popular songs are just too sugary for me. The Katy Perry, California Girls, song is catchy but I would never ever play it. Ditto for Tik-Tock, and even Usher's songs in that style.

I enjoy some of Kaskade's stuff, and Ben Watt is in there too. But the mainstream pop dance stuff - I think is primed for a huge backlash. How much more happy pop GLEEish watered down hooks can the world take?

I don't know what is next but I hope it is something anti sugar-coated pop.

bobsteezy said:

Watching the VMA's further showed me how much pure pop "music" is ruling right now.

Here's a theory... I have a friend who has completely different musical taste when he is on cocaine. He wants to hear nothing below 125 beats per minute. My thought is that as long as cocaine is both glorified and prohibited - and - as long as music industry people use it - that fast bpm shit will continue to be pushed.

Now - will it be as "poppy" as it is right now? I sure hope not.

Among my many issues with "EDM" is that the majority of the really popular songs are just too sugary for me. The Katy Perry, California Girls, song is catchy but I would never ever play it. Ditto for Tik-Tock, and even Usher's songs in that style.

I enjoy some of Kaskade's stuff, and Ben Watt is in there too. But the mainstream pop dance stuff - I think is primed for a huge backlash. How much more happy pop GLEEish watered down hooks can the world take?

I don't know what is next but I hope it is something anti sugar-coated pop.

Agree to some extent. I don't think it's the tempo that's the problem for me but rather the arrangements or stylistic choices. I love what I've heard of Detroit techno and some house, and I wish there was more funkiness & overall just more diversity in the electronic styles of pop music I hear on the radio. Everything just sounds like Euro synthesized pop & what not.

Cinnie said:

"EDM" eh? Pop/Dance music in the 80s was also very "electronic".

Yes, synthy dance shit has been ruling the airwaves the last few years, and rap is dying.

Its only a revival of 80s music until the next movement emerges. It was the same thing with folk in 90s and 70s so-called neo soul peak in the early 00s.

Harlepolis said:

Cinnie said:

"EDM" eh? Pop/Dance music in the 80s was also very "electronic".

Yes, synthy dance shit has been ruling the airwaves the last few years, and rap is dying.

Its only a revival of 80s music until the next movement emerges. It was the same thing with folk in 90s and 70s so-called neo soul peak in the early 00s.

I don't think kids hear it the same way. The producers certainly don't make 'em like they used to either.

Sandino said:

bobsteezy said:

Watching the VMA's further showed me how much pure pop "music" is ruling right now.

Here's a theory... I have a friend who has completely different musical taste when he is on cocaine. He wants to hear nothing below 125 beats per minute. My thought is that as long as cocaine is both glorified and prohibited - and - as long as music industry people use it - that fast bpm shit will continue to be pushed.

Now - will it be as "poppy" as it is right now? I sure hope not.

Among my many issues with "EDM" is that the majority of the really popular songs are just too sugary for me. The Katy Perry, California Girls, song is catchy but I would never ever play it. Ditto for Tik-Tock, and even Usher's songs in that style.

I enjoy some of Kaskade's stuff, and Ben Watt is in there too. But the mainstream pop dance stuff - I think is primed for a huge backlash. How much more happy pop GLEEish watered down hooks can the world take?

I don't know what is next but I hope it is something anti sugar-coated pop.

Agree to some extent. I don't think it's the tempo that's the problem for me but rather the arrangements or stylistic choices. I love what I've heard of Detroit techno and some house, and I wish there was more funkiness & overall just more diversity in the electronic styles of pop music I hear on the radio. Everything just sounds like Euro synthesized pop & what not.

Exactly! It's about time the tempo was speeded up because the shit hoppers are slower than a damn Lawrence Welk album and have been for almost two decades now. The problem with today's "dance" music now is, like you said, it all has that Euro trance feel to it and none of the "black" funkiness that house had. I want dance music that you can shake ass to, not hop around like rabbits on speed.

In the UK and Europe, "EDM" has been mainstream for about a decade now. We got all that Max Martin stuff in the late 90's and ibiza lite remixes, but since around Kylie's "Can't ger you out of my head" from 2001, "EDM" became alot more mainstream. It seems the US version is more vacuous and trashy (Lada Gaga, Katy Perry, Kesha, Rihanna) and generally less imaginative then say "Can't get you out of my head" or something by the Sugarbabes or even Girls Aloud, but to me, it's roughly the same sort of genre. The US is now just finally catching up.

Personally, Iam sick of this early 80'sesuqe electro pop. It's stale and often badly mixed/produced thanks to the whole MP3 compression idea of making records.

JamFanHot said:

Cerebus said:

No. I don't believe it will ever happen in the States. Dance music is actually quite huge all over the world. That's why pop "stars" in the US keep grabbing those guys to produce tracks for them. However, I've been listening to electronic music of all types since 1991. During that time it's made several surges into the mainstream, always to recede back to the underground until a new trend comes along and some top 40 artist steals the sound for their new "hit". Then they'll be another surge, followed by another retreat. Most of the crap that pop artists do is a pale reflection of the real stuff, anyway. It's total cheese.

There's a good 100 BANDS right now in the US alone that are doing great stuff right under the surface of the mainstream. They'll start breaking through and they'll be another return to instrument based pop music.

That's SO often been true. I'd venture to say that hip-hop, more likely than being a victim of a superior pop flavor....is dying of it's own WELL DESERVED accord.

Hip-Hop is not the genre of music that sells anymore and it has nothing to do with Lady Gaga.

People simply have no rhythm or taste and electronic crap was going to take over sooner or later.

I would suggest all those who want some rock or some funk get a I-POD or XM radio.