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This Issue 10/22/2009

• Penn Talks to Penn
• No Ugging Way
• Two Fat Als Keep It Frugal

Let’s be real: your knowledge of dance music is likely quite limited. You’ve surely rocked out to “World, Hold On” at a downtown and maybe even have a Benny Benassi track on your workout playlist. Or maybe not. Don't worry, we’ve assembled a comprehensive guide to a few of our favorite dance music genres.

House

History: House developed in the underground club scene of 1980s Chicago and at the end of the same decade in the UK.
Influences: Disco, soul and pop.
The Sound: House is often hard to distinguish from other genres, but its unifying feature is a kickdrum on every beat. It also frequently features live instruments, like the horns on the Josh Guru Project’s “Infinity.” Like “Infinity,” many house songs also prominently feature vocals. The overall effect is part synthetic, part live — pretty much what you could make in your basement with a drum machine and a mic (though we don’t advise this).
Key Tracks: For a blast from the past, check out “It’s House” by Chip E. This is widely considered one of the earliest house songs, though it sounds very little like the popular house tracks of today. To see how far the genre’s come, listen to “I Remember” by Deadmau5 and Kasade.

Techno

History: Surprisingly, techno didn’t grow out of the European club scene; it hails from mid-'80s Detroit. Four high school kids started making music that deliberately rejected the Motown music they had grown up with. Seriously. Years later, the Belleville Three and Eddie Fowlkes are considered the founding fathers of techno music.
Influences: Funk and early house.
The Sound: Whereas house strives to sound at least partially live, techno is as synthesized as could be. It’s very percussive — you’d know the pounding basslines anywhere — and occasionally features vocals.
Key Tracks: One of the earliest popular techno songs was “Clear” by Cybotron. You might recognize the beat from Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control,” in which it was prominently sampled. “Coloured City” by Laurent Garnier is a modern track that is sure to guarantee a fist-pumpingly good time.

Electro

History: Electro also grew out of house music, albeit a bit differently from techno; artists started experimenting with talk boxes (think early Auto-Tune) and harder-hitting beats.
Influences: House, pop and hip hop.
The Sound: Early electro employed drum machines and both vocal and instrumental sampling to make beats. The genre of modern electro is itself a bit of a mash-up; songs often use pop song structures, feature rapping and employ the aggressively synthesized melodies of techno.