EDM
A mainstream 2010s umbrella term for festival dance music with big drops and pop hooks.
History
EDM stands for electronic dance music, but in the 2010s the short form EDM came to mean a specific mainstream festival sound s1. It grew in the United States from about 2009, when dance music entered the pop charts and large festivals s1. The tracks are built for big crowds, with long build-ups, loud drops and simple, catchy hooks s1. Avicii's 'Levels' (2011) used a famous melodic hook and became a worldwide hit s1. Swedish House Mafia's 'Don't You Worry Child' (2012) and Calvin Harris's 'Feel So Close' (2011) were also huge s1s2. DJs such as David Guetta and Tiësto moved from clubs to stadiums and pop collaborations s2. The style was heavily criticised by some people in the underground scene, who said the name EDM did not describe real electronic music culture s1. The peak passed around 2016, but the sound still shapes pop and festivals s2. Some producers used ghost producers, who made tracks without getting credit s1.
Sound
- A long build-up and a loud drop
- Simple, catchy synth hooks
- Pop-style vocals and songwriting
- A hard, steady festival beat
- A very large, clean production
Key figures
- Avicii — Swedish producer of 'Levels'
- Swedish House Mafia — Swedish trio of festival headliners
- Calvin Harris — Scottish producer and pop hitmaker
- David Guetta — French DJ who moved into mainstream pop
Labels
- Universal Music Sweden — Stockholm , 1972
- Columbia Records — New York City , 1888
- Spinnin' Records — Hilversum , 1999
Defining tracks
Connections
Came from: Big Room House , Electro House , Dutch House
Sources
- Electronic dance music — Wikipedia
- 2010s: Reverberations of EDM — Pitchfork (2019)