History of Electronic Music: From the 1970s to

Today
May 6, 2014 by Nick Gibson

From dubstep to disco, electronic music is a broad

category of modern music that includes a wide variety of styles. While most people think of
electronic music as a product of the 21st century, the reality is that electronic music has been around
for almost 50 years.
From the famous Moog synthesizers of progressive rock to the driving anthems of Kraftwerk and
Giorgio Moroder, read on and learn the history of electronic music, from the early 1970s to the
dubstep, trance, and house superstars of today.
Are you new to electronic music? Learn the fundamentals of trance, house, techno, and more by
enrolling in our Introduction to Electronic Music course. From MIDI to loops, this in-depth course
covers the basics of how electronic music is produced.

The Origins of Electronic Music

Think of early electronic music and youll probably picture the disco anthems of the late 1970s and
early 1980s. Although electronic music didnt become popular until the mid 1970s, artists were
using electronic instruments as early as the 1960s.
Progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd made the iconic Moog synthesizer one of the most
important aspects of their sound. Pop rock bands like The Beatles also began to incorporate
keyboards and synthesizers into some of their experimental songs.
At the same time, composers were using new instruments like the Theremin in their work,
particularly in the film industry. The commercial Moog synthesizer, released in the mid-1960s, is
regarded as the first iconic instrument of electronic music.

Synthpop and Disco: The 1970s

Although electronic instruments were being used in

the 1960s, it wasnt until the 1970s when electronic music entered the mainstream. Bands like
Kraftwerk an iconic West German band introduced the electronic sound to a wider audience.
Formed in 1980s, Kraftwerk paired the driving rhythms of bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep
Purple with the futuristic sounds of the Moog synthesizer and vocoder. In the 1970s, their
interesting new sound influenced a wide variety of musicians and created the foundations for the
electronic music scene.
Once Kraftwerk had introduced electronic music into the 1970s music scene, other artists soon
followed. Giorgio Moroder, now famous for his involvement with Daft Punk, used electronic
instruments to capitalize on the growing disco music trend.
Moroder collaborated with mainstream artists to bring electronic music to a new audience,
producing tracks for Donna Summer, David Bowie, and more. His use of synthesizers introduced
the electronic sound to the musical mainstream.
Although electronic music was growing in popularity throughout the 1970s, most electronic tracks
still used the structure of pop or rock and roll. It wasnt until the 1980s when synthpop, dance, and
other genres would emerge on their own.
Would you like to learn the fundamentals of musical composition? Enroll in our Basic Concepts of
Music course to learn the musical theory skills that made early electronic music innovators like
Giorgio Moroder so talented and influential.
Perhaps the most notable example of 1970s electronic music is the theme to the movie Midnight
Express, scored by Giorgio Moroder. The track, known as Chase, became one of the first electronic
tracks to reach #33 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Synth Era: The 1980s

Think of synthpop and youll probably think of the

1980s. The era of glitz, glamor, and excess was a great time for electronic music, with new styles
such as synthpop and house, as well as new technology like MIDI emerging.
Many of todays most popular electronic music styles, such as house and trance, are the product of
1980s synth music. The 1980s club scene made new wave, post-disco, and synthpop well-known
styles and brought electronic music into the mainstream.
Bands like A-ha, Pet Shop Boys, and Depeche Mode combined the structure of rock music with the
new sounds made possible by MIDI. Even hard rock bands like The Sisters of Mercy embraced
electronic music, using MIDI effects and drum machines to create new forms of music like dark
wave and alternative dance.
Towards the end of the 1980s, band like Orbital created the foundations for dance music genres like
trance and techno. The rising popularity of home computers like the Atari ST introduced MIDI
technology to a wide audience of producers.
Do you want to compose classic electronic dance music using the same techniques as iconic 1980s
and 1990s artists? Mastering Synth/Electro Pop Music has excellent tutorials on how to combine
analog sounds with digital composition to create memorable electro pop music.

Dance Music: The 1990s

The 1970s marked the beginning of modern dance

music and the 1980s marked its commercial breakthrough, but it wasnt until the 1990s that
electronic music grew into the massive genre it is today.
During the 1990s, distinct genres of electronic music emerged, from hard house and techno to

ambient and experimental. The early 1990s also marked the emergence of well-known electronic
music genres like trance and drum and bass.
Influential electronic hits from the time include Halcyon + on + on, a famous ambient trance track
from English band Orbital. At the same time, techno developed from an underground form of music
into a mainstream style in Germany and the UK.
The 1990s was also the first decade in which electronic music composition became something
anyone could do. The massive popularity of PCs resulted in the creation of new software like Fruity
Loops (now FL Studio) aimed at home users.
Do you want to learn how to make your own electronic music? Join over 800 other students in our
course, The Practical Way: Learn Electronic Music Production, and learn how to produce your own
electronic tracks using FL Studio.

The EDM Era: 2000 to Today

Since 2000, electronic dance music (EDM) has

grown from a popular genre into an influential part of all mainstream music. Today, iconic
electronic artists like Tisto and David Guetta have worked with mainstream artists and reached the
top of the most important album and singles charts.
At the same time, genres like dubstep and trance have influenced the structure of mainstream pop
music. From Taylor Swift to Justin Bieber, many of todays most popular pop artists have
implemented aspects of dubstep, house, and trance into their singles.
Although electronic music is more popular than ever, it remains a genre that exists both in and out
of the mainstream. While dubstep and electro entered the world of pop music, many of the
electronic worlds most iconic artists continue to produce music aimed not at the mainstream but at
smaller, underground audiences.
Learn more about the new genres of electronic music that have emerged over the past 20 years with
our blog post on electronic music genres.

The Internet and Electronic Music

Part of the huge growth of electronic music can be attributed to the Internet. The popularity of
social websites like YouTube and SoundCloud has made finding new music easier than ever before,
spreading electronic music to new listeners.

Its also made promoting music easy. New artists that would have had to find their own distributors
or sign record deals decades ago can share their music via social networks and distribute it using
outlets like Beatport and iTunes.
Learn the fundamentals of digital music distribution by enrolling in our Effortless Music Promotion
course. From Facebook Pages to YouTube, learn how you can get more fans, more coverage, and
more sales on stores like iTunes.
The Internet has also made producing electronic music easier than ever before. The availability of
applications like FL Studio, Ableton Live, and Logic Pro gives anyone the ability to become an
electronic music producer if theyd like to.
Do you want to learn how to produce electronic music? Enroll in our Introduction to Electronic
Music Production with Ableton course to learn the basics of creating your own house, trance,
dubstep, and drum and bass tracks using Ableton Live.

The Future of Electronic Music

Over the last 40 years, electronic music has grown from an underground niche into one of the
biggest genres in the world. Every day, it continues to grow more, fueled by the popularity of
websites like SoundCloud, Beatport, and YouTube.
Do you want to get started as a DJ or producer and make your mark on the future of electronic
music? Read our blog post on beginner DJ equipment and start remixing, spinning, and producing
your way to electronic music success.