Electronic Music

Electronic music is made using electronic instruments and computers instead of guitars, drums, and pianos. Synthesizers, drum machines, and computer programs create sounds that no regular instrument can make. Electronic music can be calm and dreamy or fast and exciting. It is heard everywhere, from dance clubs to video games to movie soundtracks. This type of music has grown into one of the most popular styles in the world.

How It Started

Electronic music began in the early 1900s when inventors built the first electronic instruments. The theremin, invented in 1920, was played by waving your hands near it without touching it. In the 1960s and 1970s, synthesizers became popular. Musicians like Kraftwerk from Germany used only electronic instruments to make futuristic-sounding music. Their beats and sounds inspired many later styles of music.

Electronic Music Today

Today, electronic music includes many styles like techno, house, dubstep, and EDM, which stands for electronic dance music. DJs play electronic music at concerts and festivals for huge crowds. Artists use computers and software to create entire songs in their bedrooms. Electronic music is also used in video game soundtracks, movie scores, and phone ringtones. Almost all popular music today uses some electronic sounds.

Fun Facts

• The theremin is played by waving your hands in the air near it. You never actually touch it.
• Kraftwerk, a German band from the 1970s, performed concerts where robots played alongside the musicians.
• Some electronic music festivals attract over 100,000 fans who dance together for days.

Did You Know?

The theremin, one of the first electronic instruments, was invented in 1920 and is played without ever touching it, just by moving your hands through the air!