Free Essay

Electric Music

In: English and Literature

Submitted By JLD1990
Words 1184
Pages 5
Electric Music
The flashing lights, the bang of the bass, and the sweat pouring down my arms. The smell of the sketchy club that will be the stomping ground for the night and the huge amount of people within my view, moving similarly to an uneasy sea. I’ve lost all track of time; my legs have been in constant motion along with my fellow ravers for what feels like days. Techno is the one thing that draws everyone here, as if we were bees being drawn to a flower, the music is the nectar of our ears. We are drawn techno, a type of music that is very misunderstood. Techno is music created using synthesizers and other electronic instruments. Techno- electric music and raves; when many hear these words they most likely think of an underground club that is filled with drugs and drunk kids. This perception has been hanging over this scene for some time now. It seems that has all started to change. This once frowned upon practice referred to as raving and the music that accompanies this event, called techno, is now generally accepted. Now not only young people enjoy this music, a lot of middle- aged people do as well. Today it appears that this once dark practice is now coming to light.
This once dark practice has been growing in popularity among the young people for a little over fifteen years. With this rise in popularity comes more than just acceptance. The rave scene needs two things; a DJ and a location. Generally a traditional DJ would take a request for a song, or throw their own spin on them. But now DJ’s do much more then that. Most DJs have gone into the science of music to obtain their goal. This requires equipment that once was very limited, making it hard to acquire. Now it has become something you can purchase at Best Buy or find sites specializing in the equipment required to mix. The old school basic turn tables have now become replaced by lab tops and mixing programs. That makes it very easy to mix music for just about anyone. But with only a DJ a rave can become difficult because a venue is also needed. This is key to any rave. Raves which were once thought of as being held in abandoned tunnels or old buildings (though I still feel the best ones are still held in those venues) now are found all over the place. Clubs, schools, and parks are also common venues now, frequently used. With the growing popularity pushing this, it will not be long until sporting stadiums are holding these events for 50,000 plus people, soon becoming the crazy hit it is in Europe.
The allowance of being able to put full songs together with just a laptop and a music program has changed the music scene dramatically. The need to buy instruments and then learn these said instruments is almost irrelevant. With a program, you can pile any sound or instrument under tone that you wish. This has really leveled the playing field. Not needing any producers or studio has opened the door for many aspiring artist. This is another big appeal to techno and the rave scene, making it very simple for anyone to jump into the business. With the simplicity of the programs and videos online, now a day it is very simple to learn. Many are taking advantage of their resources and optimizing them, which could lead to the possibility of making a name for them selves within the industry.
Like many “hip” things in any generation, they tend to start in colleges. A lot of the new music, merchandise and even dances are targeted towards students. The simple fact of it is, we are the next generation set to hit the real world, and we enjoy what ever is being offered towards us now. There is a good chance when we hit the real world and begin to make money that we will want to try those same products again. The same goes for techno- electric music. Once related to punks, it is now being featured on campuses around America. Since starting in Europe, it has taken a little while to hit in the states. But now clearly it has become a huge success. According to the author Gordon Colin, “Evidence of the rising popularity and diversity of electronic music can be found in the latest Britney Spears song, "Hold It Against Me." Halfway through the song it drops into dubstep. Say what? A Britney Spears song that veers off the mainstream, popular culture track? How could this be? Well folks, even the queen of pop is pushing the electronic scene into mainstream. Whether this is a good or bad thing still remains to be seen. The fact that electro is still "underground" is a big turn on for most people.”
Once hidden in the dark, this form of music has fully exploded. With many DJ’s being well known, not just by fans, but by the main stream also. Names like Skrillex and Deadmau5 are very well known now within the mainstream music. The speed and way we share music today has made it extremely quick and easy for artist to make and mix music. Then they can easily share it with others in a few minutes and get almost simultaneous feedback. They create new music genres that fall between what many call normal. The real pioneer many would say is DJ Tiesto, who is the reason techno-electric has taken off so well in the states. He is a Dutch DJ whose unique mixes and keen sense of beats and sounds became a huge influence on these now very well know artist.
Some may say its still all about the drugs and random hook ups. Since the music has become so much more than a simple jumble of created sounds, it now has a face behind it with a real artist that is selling out venues and leading the way into a new era of music. Just as hip-hop was solely considered to be just about, drugs, sex and gang banging but now the perception has changed. Those artists made it more than that, creating a meaning behind the words they put from mind to paper, then from paper to spoken word. Techno-electric music has the same road to move down and almost the same negative reputations to squash. As trends grow and die, they tend to come back but in different forms. Give the sounds of this music a chance and you too could come to enjoy them.

Works Cited
Gordon, Colin . "Electronic music has revolutionized music into a rave culture." The Griffin. Cabisius College, 17 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. <www.thegriffincanisius.com/life-arts/electronic-music-has-revolutionized-music-into-a-rave-culture-1.2111416#.UGsr_0J5lFI>.

"What is Techno Music?." wiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-techno-music.htm>.

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