Speak to some people about ‘electro’ music and they’ll tell you it’s a recent phenomenon that should be consigned to history quicker than it emerged.  However, the real history of electronic music begins in the early 20^th century.

Early Days Electro

While various examples of recording equipment were produced in the late 1800s, the Theremin is widely considered the first electronic instrument, unique for the time in that it didn’t actually require anyone to physically play it to create a sound.

Other instruments would be created throughout the 1920s, as well as early production equipment, including amplifiers.  Electronic recording equipment was also starting to become more sophisticated into the 1930s, prior to the Second World War.

Development through the 40s and 50s

Tape recorders would start to become popular in the 40s, and would lead to the rise of electroacoustic tape music.

The major piece of work conducted during this time came from Paris, the now famous Musique Concrète movement.  This involved composers bringing together a variety of different sounds and recording them onto the same tape, essentially the birth of mixing.

By now, electronic music was becoming popular around the world, with movements across Europe and North Africa, as well as in Japan and the United States, ensuring that early sub-genres of electro were established, particularly as different instruments and techniques were at different stages of knowledge and development in these locations.

60s and Synthesizers

Electronic music would struggle for exposure in the 1960s, owing to the continuing surge in popularity of traditional rock and roll and the emergence of musical giants like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

During this decade, however, the first synthesizers would be invented (although they wouldn’t become popular or widely used until the 1970s), and computer music and live use of electronics in performance would start to become established.

Coming to the Fore

While popular composers throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s would use electronics to create their sound, it was the rise of progressive rock, and the popularity of bands like Pink Floyd, Yes, and Rush that would start to herald the true electronic music era.

Such equipment would eventually start to see instruments phased out of some bands altogether and a greater reliance on electronics to create ‘synth pop’ and ‘pop rock,’ to name but two genres.  Again, some of the most legendary names in music, including Culture Club and Duran Duran, would become famous, and still are, because of these styles.

The Rise of Dance

The late 1980s and the 1990s is the time when dance music was born.  The volume was turned up, and in some cases, tracks had vocals completely removed to literally just feature an electronic beat and sequences.  Continuing advancements of music technology and accessibility meant that dance would continue to grow, and has done so into the 21^st century, too.

In addition, modern electronic production technology has also aided the development of genres such as dubstep, but has had a huge influence on the music industry in general and continues to be heard across various genres from a number of artists.

Image Source: Peter Kirn