What is Electro Music Today?

As described by someone who’s been involved with the genre for over 20 years, Electro producer Kalson (Vladan Cvetković)

The opus of styles and the differences and influence on the approach of electro production is enormous. It's too complex to point to one specific location, artist, or band.

After 20+ years of exploring the genre, I've concluded that Electro is a form of music that hasn't evolved into a specific or unified form. The diversity of artists shaped the genre in many different ways; however, no matter the variety, the basis of electro music is still at its source.

No matter what some of the written histories say, and from a producer's standpoint, I can say that the fathers of that basis are Kraftwerk. 

There were many bands and individual musicians in the era of the 60s and 70s who invented and innovated music crafted with electronic equipment and synthesizers.

From a musician's standpoint, synthesizers were considered more like machines than musical instruments in the scene where mostly Funk and Rock were accepted. However, with the introduction of the Moog synthesizer in 1964, the picture of this musical "machine" started to shift since the Moog had two VCOs and a VCA, which could create effects such as vibrato and tremolo. 

This certainly gave playability to the synthesizer, and once weird machines with oscillators that produce sound tones started to be accepted by a greater number of musicians.

The interest for sound synthesis was evident from the beginning, and the usage of the synthesizer for the creation of sound effects used mainly in a "living picture" was something fresh since the tone produced by the synthesizer could be crafted to sound otherworldly, catchy, and unique.

Many synth pioneers were responsible for the evolution of electronic instruments, all the way from the 60s when Moog's most prominent rival was Buchla. But Buchla had a different architecture and didn't have the playability of the Moog. Later, at the beginning of the 1970s, more companies worldwide presented their synthesizers with other preferences, sounds, and possibilities.

Bands and musicians had different approaches to electronic music. There were more drones, atmospheres, and soundscapes involved in the 60's and early 70's era. Generally, synth usage at the time was kinda "shy"? It was mainly in the background. Only some of the big bands of the 60s and 70s used a synthesizer as an instrument and mixed it to stand out.

So why is Kraftwerk considered the father source of Electro music?

There are several important facts about their music from the early works "Ruckzuck," released in 1970 to Autobahn, Man Machine, and Numbers.

• The instrument arrangements they were replicating were influenced by Rock and Funk music.

• The selection of sounds and how they were sculpting them focused on replicating organic sound and its frequencies and tonal properties.

• The themes of their songs (even early works) are about technological and social progress and criticism of various political/social subjects. This form of criticism is vital for Hip Hop.

• The usage of the synthesizer and Vocoder were significantly different from the Disco pioneers; the form was more open-minded than Disco music of the time. It had a more "Electronic" feel to it...

• If you listen to Autobahn and analyze it, you will hear a Rock jam with 100% synthesizers and this track from 1974 somehow gave the initial formula for Electro music.

To clarify, Electro is a form of music that dives deeper into the exploration of sound synthesis. It is sculpted by the equipment of the time, and through its, let's say, 45 years of existence, it evolved a lot. Many names created, sculpted, and influenced Old School Electro (70's, 80's) and New School Electro (90's, 00's, and beyond).

I could start naming the producers; however, most of the old school has been covered previously, so I will try to make a bridge to New School Electro.

At the end of the '80s and the beginning of the '90s, Electro was almost lost as a genre. But, names like James Stinson, Damon Baxter, Dynamix II, Aux 88, Underground Resistance, Anthony Rother, Dagobert, I-F, Aphex Twin, Dopplereffekt, Legowelt, Aural Float, Dave Clarke, DJ Hell, Egyptian Lover, Juan Atkins, and many others revived the lost genre. They sculpted it into forms of Electro that exist today.

From Hashim came the sound of Damon Baxter and Dagobert. It also partially influenced Aux 88 and so on. There are bridges between the artists, but what's important, no matter what equipment they were working on, the primary form was deeply engraved.

The most basic explanation nowadays you have for Electro is

- Numbers

- Robots

- Autobahn

- Trans Europa Express

- Computer World

- Electric Cafe

So, where is Afrika Bambaataa here?

Generally, for me, Bambaataa is the spark that launched this still "experimental" form of music to the commercial grounds. However, the Electro fused Rap scene in the US was already heating up, a social phenomenon that wasn't even in creation in Europe.

The legendary TR808 wouldn't be that legendary if it didn't sound mind-blowing live, and trust me, TR 808 raw, without any compression or effects, absolutely blasts on the live PA.

If you are rapping, this is what you need a drum machine with great preamps.

You could say that Planet Rock is the marriage of Trans Europa Express, Numbers, and the 808. A sample of the strings and the same beat pattern tells us that Bambaataa and Arthur Baker were really into Kraftwerk and, at the same time, influenced by their sound.

So yeah, Planet Rock is probably the genre's most important song that pushed it in the commercial grounds of the time, not just Electro but Electronic music in general.

Someone would say it's more of a Hip Hop tune, but that's not the case since, from Planet Rock, many subgenres of Electro evolved, and it gave the finishing touch to the genre in general. It brought Electro to the club, which was primarily performed in a "theatre" in Europe.

There are many more names, synths, and other facts to be mentioned so that the complete picture can be presented, but hopefully, in time, we will come to the point to define what Electro is. :) 

5 minutes on the history of electro funk

Before the creation of Electro music, Disco and Funk ruled the charts. The segregated undertones in the music industry in the 60s birthed something like a lovefest of music in the 70s, where what we see now as pop and R&B styles were somewhat fused and brought everyone on the dance floor with them. Dance music was immense. Studio 54 and other clubs were all the rage. However, as this era started to fade, people's love for dance and party music did not. It seemed the love just grew and transcended even.

Gary Numan Creates Music For The Future, inspiring the birth of electro funk.

Gary Numan, an English musician and early pioneer of electronic music, was part of the lead singer and songwriter of Tubeway Army. The group experimented with synthesized equipment to create a new sound. They were influenced by the electronic sensation Kraftwerks release of Trans-Europe Express.

Tubeway Army released the project Are Friends Electric? in 1979. The song was the first time Numan had used a synthesizer called a Minimoog. Numan transformed all of the group's songs from their punk rock originals to an electronic collection of tracks. The group was furious. They couldn't change the songs back because of their lack of budget.

Electronic music is Numan's vision of music for the future. Numan is quoted in an article for The Guardian saying the song is about a robotic prostitute in a futuristic London. "All my early songs were about being alone or misunderstood," Numan says in the article. His music was always his interpretation of how he saw the world. He didn't think he would change music forever.

The fresh electro funk sound from these early days of electronic music set it apart from other genres. Drum machines like the Roland TR-808 allowed music producers to take their sound creation to a new level. Before its design, which was through the 60s and up until the late 70s, popular music was heavily reliant on bands. Every artist had a live band with whom they recorded and performed. If someone was sick and couldn't make it or was having an off day, it might show up in the music.

Electro is by in large less vocal focused than other genres of music. Because of this, vocoding has become somewhat of a staple in electro funk. Vocoding is the use of a machine to make the human voice sound robotic or computerized. Often the "lyrics" would consist of one repetitive phrase or sentence, allowing listeners to focus on the art of sound.

This new music technology, however, allowed producers to have almost perfect sound every time. Many producers were skeptical in theory, but after using it, they realized just how valuable this sound technology could be. And with the use of synthesizers, they could create pitches that were considered too high or low were now able to be played, rhythms could play faster than a human plus, producers could make a sound with almost perfection. Combine that with the bass power of the 808, and you can see how music change was on the rise. These technologies were first experimented with by German and Japanese musicians who influenced its use in America.

Roland TR -808

The Roland TR-808 was the production technology that revolutionized production and created the path for Electro funk. It was designed to compete with its more expensive counterpart, the Linn LM-1. The TR-808 was the first drum machine and commonly referred to as the 808. This machine was revolutionary because producers could program their rhythms instead of being confined to the preset beats and samples that came on other devices. The TR-808 was a cornerstone of emerging music at the time.

It made quality imitations of drums and instruments like the snare, tom, conga, claves, cymbals, handclaps, bass, hi-hat, maraca, and cowbells. Making music became much more manageable as producers could produce song-length patterns and set the tempo and time measure, a hands-off approach compared to the way music production started.

With such a significant role in music, it's ironic the 808 was a commercial failure. That and Roland made it from reject transistors causing its production to stop early on and further resulting in a massive price drop and its popularity.

Afrika Bambaataa, TR-808, and Electro funk

Electro funk is often referred to as an early hip hop. The 808 drum machine garnered a lot of attention from Hip Hop artists. Throughout the late 70s and early 80s, around the same time, this excellent music technology was being created, block parties in the Bronx were on their way to creating what would be known as Hip Hop. In their own right, many of the Hip Hop forefathers were at this time experimenting with their sound technology, which led to beatboxing, record scratching, double turntable systems, and more. However, as Electro sounds and music began to develop, even Hip Hop was under its spell.

Afrika Bambaataa was among the rap musicians to take an interest in the TR-808. Bambaataa was a Caribbean-American reformed gangster that turned to HipHop, music, and dance. He used these same elements to help keep youths off the streets and out of trouble by forming the Zulu Nation. Many credit Afrika Bambaataa with creating the Electro funk genre with the release of his song Planet Rock. Bambaataa started his musical career as a Hip Hop artist who was heavily influenced by groups using synthesized sounds such as Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and Gary Numan. In the 80s, he started experimenting with a different style that emphasized the Electro sound. Once Bambaataa got his hands on a TR-808, he was virtually unstoppable.

Planet Rock featured Samples from Kraftwerk's Numbers and Trans-Europe Express. The song became an instant hit. Afrika Bambaataa is known and revered as a Hip Hop artist, but his involvement as a legend in the Electro era is often overlooked and just as noteworthy. Planet Rock opened the flood gates for Electro funk musicians and characteristics like The Beastie Boys, Massive Attack, and the electronic music genre as a whole. Electro music became its own culture with its dance style, much like Hip Hop.

Since the early 80s, Electro funk has mostly fizzled out and transformed into other genres. The 808 is still a revered piece of studio equipment. Its role in Kanye West's album 808s & Heartbreak, 808 State's music, southern hip hop, Latin Freestyle, and Electro Funk’s predecessor Miam Bass. are just some of the artists that still use it. Music is a universal language. Electro funk is no different. Its creation essentially influenced musicians from other regions worldwide who fell in love with that deep, futuristic, Electro sound. Its party vibe and irresistible dance beats brought many together and helped a positive organization as The Universal Zulu Nation grow.