Christian electronic dance music

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Christian electronic dance music, also known as CEDM, Christian EDM, Christian dance music, CDM, or Christian electronic music is a genre of electronic dance music and Christian music. Its musical styles closely mirror non-Christian EDM; however, the CEDM culture's lack of drug use and emphasis on positive lyrics (often focused on Christianity-based principles) distinguish it from non-religious counterparts. EDM.com wrote "the [CEDM] culture can feel quite welcoming." [1] Many live concerts and events have been held in Christian churches [2] [3] in addition to traditional venues such as Lumination, [4] Creation Festival and LifeLight Music Festival. [5] CEDM has also been incorporated into some Christian worship routines. [6] [7] [8]

Contents

CEDM band G-Powered performing live in 2010. G-powered.JPG
CEDM band G-Powered performing live in 2010.

During the late 2000s and early 2010s several Christian electronic artists rose to prominence in Christian music and general popular music, those include G-Powered, Owl City, Kye Kye, & David Pataconi. [9] [10] Other mainstay artists in the genre include Capital Kings, LZ7, DJ Flubbel, [11] Gawvi, [12] Hillsong Young & Free, [13] Andy Hunter [14] LE37, [15] NONAH, [16] Ocean Avenue, [17] Oiwolf, [18] Matthew Parker, Bryson Price, [19] Re5a, [18] Red Letter Hymnal, [20] Reyer, [21] Tony Foxx, [22] and Transform DJs. [23]

CEDM also includes other subgenres included in EDM, such as dubstep, techno, deep house and trance. [24] There also is a perception of genre-blending between CEDM and Contemporary Christian music. [25] [26] [27] A significant number of artists from this genre tend not to reference themselves as solely Christian music due the crossover with other genres,. [9] [10] There also is a perception of genre-blending between CEDM and Contemporary Christian music, such as Christian hip-hop musicians Andy Mineo, Lecrae, and Kanye West. [25] [26] [28]

Reception

In September 2014, Hallels.com conducted an interview with CEDM artist Matthew Parker, and claimed that some in the Christian community deem dance music as, "music of the devil", to which Parker replied, "I don't believe any rhythms, melodies, chords, or harmonies are inherently evil and belong to the devil. Frankly, I think that's stupid." [29]

Zurich Lewis of the Biola University Chimes wrote an article aimed at Christians distinguishing the harmful elements of the EDM culture (such as drug use) from the musical style of the genre itself. [30]

In 2014, Matt Shea of Noisey wrote a tongue-in-cheek blog post, saying "Nay, the Lord has spoken, and he has done so through womps...Hallelujah!" [31]

Radio

Usually broadcast on Christian radio broadcasts- such as the Effect Radio Network, additionally, there is one Major FM Radio Station, Victory 91.5 FM in Atlanta, and a slew of smallerinternet radio stations that specifically broadcast CEDM, such as Radio U Fusion: EDM, [32] [33] NRT Radio Remix, [34] God's DJs, [35] URLive, and GLOW. [36] [37] [38] [ better source needed ] NRT Radio and David Thulin partnered to create a CEDM radio show, The Reconstruction, which seeks to promote Christian EDM. [39]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drop (music)</span> Sudden change of rhythm or bass line

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Electronic dance music (EDM) is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create seamless selections of tracks, called a DJ mix, by segueing from one recording to another. EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA. Since its inception EDM has expanded to include a wide range of subgenres.

Club Glow is the longest running electronic music event promoter on the East Coast and venue owner based in Washington, DC. Established in 1999, they currently operate venues Echostage and Soundcheck and host numerous large-scale events and music festivals at the DC Armory and RFK Stadium, including Project GLOW and Moonrise Music Festival. Club Glow regularly brings top international talent to Echostage, and in 2021 the venue obtained the first place in the world by DJ Magazine’s "Top 100 Clubs," and has been voted as "the best electronic music venue in North America" since 2017. Club Glow became a subsidiary of Insomniac Events in 2020 and the creative partnership has helped the company expand throughout the East Coast and beyond.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Lions</span> Musical artist

Jeff Montalvo, known professionally as Seven Lions, is an American DJ, record producer, instrumentalist and remixer from Santa Barbara, California. Active musically since 2010, his music combines styles as diverse as trance, melodic dubstep, drum and bass, glitch hop, and electro house. He has released eight EPs, multiple singles, and official remixes for record labels such as Casablanca Records, Owsla, Viper Recordings, Anjunabeats, Republic Records and Monstercat.

Insomniac is an American electronic music event promoter and music distributor. Founded by Pasquale Rotella, it is the organizer of various music festivals, including its flagship electronic music festival Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Las Vegas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual Riot</span> German DJ and electronic music producer

Christian Valentin Brunn, better known by his stage name Virtual Riot, is a German DJ and electronic music producer. He has released seventeen extended plays and two studio albums, most notably his 2016 extended play Chemistry, which peaked at 20 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums charts and his 2018 extended play German Engineering, which peaked on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart at the No. 11 position. He was signed to the independent music label Disciple Recordings in 2014. On 16 April 2019, he announced a publishing deal with Skrillex's OWSLA.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gawvi</span> American rapper

Gabriel Alberto Azucena, who goes by the stage name GAWVI, is an American Christian hip hop artist and music producer, formerly for Reach Records. Born in the Bronx, New York, he has released three extended plays, five albums, and twenty-three singles including his songs; "In the Water" and "Late Nights."

Sam Dobkin, known by his stage name Trivecta, is an electronic dance music artist and DJ from Tampa, Florida. He has worked with record labels such as Monstercat, Thrive Music, and Ophelia Records.

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EDM trap is a fusion genre of hip hop, rave music and EDM, that originated in the early 2010s on peaking popularity of big room house and trap music genres. It blends elements of trap, which is an offshoot of Southern hip hop, with elements of electronic dance music like build-ups, drops, sound designs, productions and breakdowns. As it was popularized, it increasingly began incorporating more pop elements.

Riddim is a subgenre of dubstep known for its heavy use of repetitive and minimalist sub-bass and triplet percussion arrangements. It shares the same name as the Jamaican genre that influenced both it and dubstep, which originally derived from dub, reggae, and dancehall. Originating in the United Kingdom, specifically Croydon, in the early 2010s as a resurgence of the style used by early dubstep works, riddim started to gain mainstream presence in the electronic music scene around 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subtronics</span> Musical artist

Jesse Kardon, better known by his alias Subtronics, is an American dubstep DJ and producer from Philadelphia, United States. He is best known for his song "Griztronics", a collaboration with Michigan-based electronic music artist GRiZ that peaked on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs at the No. 9 position in late 2019. Kardon peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart in September 2019. Kardon is married to fellow producer and Dubstep DJ, Sonya Broner, also known by her alias Level Up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Au5</span> American electronic musician (born 1992)

Austin Collins, better known as Au5, is an American electronic musician from New Jersey. Au5's music encompasses a range of electronic genres such as dubstep, house, trance, drum and bass, drumstep and ambient, and he is known for fusing the characteristics of trance and dubstep in his music. Au5 is best known for his releases on Canadian label Monstercat, some of which have received millions of views on YouTube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Must Die!</span> American electronic musician

Lee Austin Bates, better known by his alias Must Die, is an American electronic musician, DJ, and producer. Born in Houston, Bates is associated primarily for his music in the dubstep genre. Bates is known for the track "VIPs", a collaboration with American musician Skrillex, released on the label Owsla. Bates has collaborated with artists such as Skream, Eptic, Zomboy, and Boyinaband, and has produced remixes for Svdden Death, Seven Lions, Excision, and Slander, among others.

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