House is a genre of electronic dance music with a repetitive, 4/4 beat, usually with 120-130 beats per minute. It was created by disc jockeys and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in the early and mid 1980s, as DJs from the subculture began altering disco dance tracks to give them a more mechanical beat and deeper basslines. As well, these DJs began to mix synth pop, rap, Latin music, and even jazz into their tracks.
Intelligent dance music is a style of electronic music originating in the early 1990s, regarded as "cerebral" and better suited to home listening than dancing. Emerging from electronic and rave music styles such as techno, acid house, ambient music, and breakbeat, IDM tended to rely upon individualistic experimentation rather than adhering to characteristics associated with specific genres. Prominent artists associated with the genre include Aphex Twin, μ-Ziq, the Black Dog, the Orb, the Future Sound of London, Autechre, Luke Vibert, Squarepusher, Venetian Snares and Boards of Canada.
Lords of Acid is a Belgian/ American electronic music group, led by musician Praga Khan. They debuted with the new beat single "I Sit on Acid" in 1988. Created by Praga Khan, Olivier Adams, and Jade 4U; their debut album, 1991's Lust, were critically acclaimed within the electronic music and dance music communities for their outrageously sexual lyrics and sound samples. Their second album was Voodoo-U (1994), which featured a more industrial sound. This was followed by Our Little Secret (1997), Heaven Is an Orgasm (1998) and Expand Your Head (1999). In 2000 they released a more rock-influenced album titled Farstucker and in 2003, after being in the business for fifteen years, released a greatest hits album called Greatest T*ts.
Nu jazz, also known as jazztronica, is a genre of jazz and electronic music. The term was coined in the late 1990s to refer to music that blends jazz elements with other musical styles, such as funk, soul, electronic music, and free improvisation.
Altern-8 is a British rave duo, featuring Mark Archer and Chris Peat. Best known in the early 1990s, their trademark was loud electronic tracks with a heavy bass line. On stage and in music videos, such as that for "Evapor-8", Altern-8's members wore facemasks and chemical warfare suits. The band was signed to Network Records based in Stratford House, Birmingham, England.
Gerald Simpson, better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British DJ, record producer and musician. He was an early member of 808 State, and later achieved success as a solo artist. He is best known for his early work in the Manchester acid house scene in the late 1980s and the track "Voodoo Ray". His style developed during the early 1990s, and his 1995 album Black Secret Technology would become a "much-touted candidate for 'best jungle album ever.'
Combichrist is an American aggrotech/industrial metal band formed in 2003 by Norwegian vocalist Andy LaPlegua, who also founded the bands Icon of Coil, Panzer AG, Scandinavian Cock and Scandy. Combichrist is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The band consists of only LaPlegua in the studio, with a changing lineup of live performing members. Releases by the band have been very successful in terms of sales and charted in top positions for dance and alternative charts worldwide.
Power noise is a form of industrial music and a fusion of noise music and various styles of electronic dance music. It should not be confused with "power electronics", which is not influenced by electronic dance music and is closer to harsh noise. Its origins are predominantly European.
Decoded Feedback is a Canadian musical project which incorporates styles of electro-industrial and aggrotech. The duo currently releases music on the North American distributor Metropolis Records, and the European record label Out of Line.
Robert Swire-Thompson is an Australian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ, best known as the founder and vocalist of the Australian drum and bass and electronic rock band Pendulum, as well as DJ and co-founder of electro house duo Knife Party formed of Swire and Gareth McGrillen. Originally from Perth, Western Australia, he relocated to the United Kingdom in 2003 with fellow Pendulum co-founders Gareth McGrillen and Paul "El Hornet" Harding. Swire has since fulfilled a broad spectrum of roles as a member of Pendulum, ranging from songwriting to singing while performing live with an unusual guitar-like MIDI controller – Starr Labs' Ztar Z6S-XPA. Swire also plays guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, and other instruments. He is sometimes referred to by the stage name Anscenic.
John Creamer & Stephane K are international DJs, and as a duo, a New York City-based electronic music and house music production team. They are perhaps best known for creating original dance singles as well as dance remixes for artists such as iiO, Moby, New Order, Rosko and Sinéad O'Connor.
Italo dance, also known as nu Italo disco, nu-Italo or just Italo, is an offshoot of the Eurodance music genre, which was especially popular in Europe in the late 1990s to the early 2000s.
Fuck the Facts is a Juno-nominated, Canadian grindcore band from Ottawa, Ontario, formed in 1998. They began in the late nineties as a solo recording project constructed by musician Topon Das. After many early recordings, including split tapes with groups from around the world, Fuck the Facts began developing a name in the underground with fans of grind. In 2001, the first full-length CD-R, Discoing the Dead, was recorded. The same year, Das would assemble a full band to continue with the project. The band has since coined the terms "bastardized grindcore" and "mullet-core" to describe their sound.
Richard David James, best known by the stage name Aphex Twin, is an English musician. He is best known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno and ambient music in the 1990s, and has also been associated with the electronic subgenre known as intelligent dance music. In 2001, Guardian journalist Paul Lester called James "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music".
Robert Babicz is a Polish music producer, mastering engineer and live performer living in Cologne, Germany. With a career spanning nearly two decades covering genres from techno to acid house to minimal, Robert has also been known under the pseudonyms Rob Acid, Acid Warrior, Department of Dance and Sontec amongst many others. He has released a number of very well respected records on labels such as Kompakt, Treibstoff, Bedrock, Intec Digital and Steve Bug's Audiomatique, as well his own labels, Junkfood and Babiczstyle. He is well known as a live performer, never a DJ, as he uses synths and live equipment and improvises in every set he plays.
MC Xander is a British musician and music producer, known for creating his music using only his voice and a loopstation, which layers up his vocal sounds. His music references dancehall, reggae, dubstep, drum and bass and hip hop but more broadly fits into the IDM genres. In 2010 he described his sound as 'progressive dancehall'. At his shows all the songs, including the bass, beat, backing vocals, lyrics and all sounds, are created live using his voice. In recent years he has started using an effects box which processes his voice and increases the variety of textures and sounds he can add to his tracks. He introduced the combination of using a Kaoss pad and a loopstation with all vocal performances, inspiring other beatbox artists such as Beardyman to experiment with this technology.
Rocco Rampino, better known as Congorock, is an Italian producer and DJ. He is best known for his song "Babylon" in 2010.
David Haberfeld is an Australian electronic dance music producer, performer, DJ and educator. Best known for his productions and live performances as Honeysmack, he is a proponent of acid house and techno music styles.
Galantis is a Swedish electronic dance music production, songwriting and DJ duo consisting of Christian Karlsson and Linus Eklöw. Karlsson is also known as Bloodshy as part of two other musical groups, a duo and a trio. Eklöw is known as Style of Eye.
Kyle Hagberg, better known by his stage name Kompany, is a Los Angeles-based dubstep producer. He is known for his releases on the British record label Never Say Die, including his Revolt, New Reign, and Metropolis extended plays and his various collaborations with other Never Say Die artists.