Intelligent dance music (IDM) is a style of electronic music originating in the early 1990s, defined by idiosyncratic experimentation rather than specific genre constraints. The music often described with the term originally emerged in the early 1990s from the culture and sound palette of styles of electronic dance music such as ambient techno, acid house, Detroit techno and breakbeat; it has been regarded as better suited to home listening than dancing. Prominent artists in the style include Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, μ-Ziq, the Black Dog and the later duo Plaid, as well as earlier acts such as the Future Sound of London and Orbital.
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to refer to electronic music generally.
Kazuyuki Kishino, known by his stage name KK Null, is a Japanese experimental multi-instrumentalist active since the early 1980s. He began as a guitarist but learned how to compose, sing, play drums, and create electronic music. He also studied Butoh dance at Min Tanaka's workshop.
Acid jazz is a music genre that combines elements of funk, soul, and hip hop, as well as jazz and disco. Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1980s with the rare groove movement and spread to the United States, Western Europe, Latin America and Japan. Acts included The Brand New Heavies, Incognito, James Taylor Quartet, Us3, and Jamiroquai from the UK, and Guru, Buckshot LeFonque and Digable Planets from the U.S. The rise of electronic club music in the middle to late 1990s led to a decline in interest, and in the twenty-first century, acid jazz became indistinct as a genre. Many acts that might have been defined as acid jazz are seen as jazz-funk, or nu jazz.
Astralwerks is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music that is now owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in 1993 and, in its early years, featured prominent British acts like The Future Sound of London, Fatboy Slim and The Chemical Brothers. In recent years, its roster has expanded to include acts like Halsey, Marshmello, Porter Robinson, Illenium, Zhu and numerous others. In 2018, Astralwerks' headquarters were moved from its original home of New York City to Los Angeles.
Downtempo is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may be played in relaxation clubs or as "warm-up or cool-down" music during a DJ set. Examples of downtempo subgenres include trip hop, ambient house, chillwave, psybient and lofi hip hop.
New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecstasy rather than trance, or to create a peaceful atmosphere in homes or other environments. It is sometimes associated with environmentalism and New Age spirituality; however, most of its artists have nothing to do with "New Age spirituality," and some even reject the term.
Dom & Roland is the alias of British drum and bass producer Dominic Angas. The addition of "Roland" in the artist name refers to his Roland S760 sampler. In 1996, he was signed to Moving Shadow recordings, releasing three albums and numerous singles on the label. He has released records on other labels including 31 Records, Prototype, and Renegade Hardware, and has collaborated with Kemal, Black Sun Empire, Noisia, Hive, Amon Tobin, Keaton, and Skynet.
Fila Brazillia is an English electronica duo from Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, formed in 1990 by Steve Cobby and David McSherry.
Minus or M-nus is a recording label based in Berlin, Germany and Windsor, Canada. It was created in 1998 by Richie Hawtin when Plus 8, a label previously created by Hawtin, was put on hold. By 2005, M-nus was releasing 2 to 3 CDs and 12 to 14 records per year.
Hearts of Space is an American weekly syndicated public radio show featuring music of a contemplative nature drawn largely from the ambient, new-age and electronic genres, while also including classical, world, Celtic, experimental, and other music selections. For many years, the show's producer and presenter, Stephen Hill, has applied the term "space music" to the music broadcast on the show, irrespective of genre. It is the longest-running radio program of its type in the world. Each episode ends with Hill gently saying, "Safe journeys, space fans ... wherever you are."
Stephen William Mallinder is an English artist and musician who was a founding member of Cabaret Voltaire, and went on to work as Sassi & Loco, the Ku-Ling Bros., Hey, Rube!, Wrangler, and Creep Show.
B.B.E. was a French-based trance music act, originally composed of Italian record producers Bruno Sanchioni and Bruno Quartier, and French producer Emmanuel Top.
Absolut Null Punkt is a Japanese rock band formed by KK Null and Seijiro Murayama in 1984. ANP's music incorporates elements of free jazz, heavy rock, industrial music, and glitch music. Although the group disbanded in 1987, they reformed in 2003 for a series of live performances. Recordings of these performances make up the Live in Japan album, released on the Important Records label. This was followed by Metacompound, the group's first studio recording in 19 years, also released on the Important Records label.
Steel Tiger Records is a record label based in Yorkshire, England. The label was founded in late 2006 by Steve Cobby and Sim Lister.
Steve Cobby is a British producer, musician, composer, and DJ based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire. He is best known for being part of Fila Brazillia.
The Heights of Abraham is an electronica collaboration based in Sheffield and Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire in North-East England. Formed in the mid-1990s by Steve Cobby, Sim Lister and Jake Harries, they play electronica, ambient techno, and chill out.
The Cutler is an electronica collaboration from Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire. Formed by Steve Cobby, formerly half of Fila Brazillia, and David 'Porky' Brennand, founder of Pork Recordings, they play electronica and Dub music.
J*S*T*A*R*S is an electronic musical collaboration formed by Steve Cobby and Sim Lister in 2002, from Kingston upon Hull and Sheffield in Yorkshire.
Hey, Rube! is an electronica collaboration from Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was formed by Stephen Mallinder, a founder of Cabaret Voltaire, and Steve Cobby, of The Cutler, The Heights of Abraham, Chieftain and J*S*T*A*R*S and half of Fila Brazillia. They play electronica and dub.
