What defines a genre? - TranceAddict Forums

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-- What defines a genre?

Posted by SoulSupply on Mar-09-2003 13:29:

What defines a genre?

I feel compelled to start this topic after reading Muff2ks post on techno cheese. there was some abuse hurled at a certain memeber of the forum which although harsh, was somewhat justified due to her thinking darude and dj sammy were techno. now, i dunno how things get labeled in the states, but if they label darude etc as techno theres something very wrong with the system. i'm suggesting here we say what features qualify a song to a certain genre. for example:
prog trance: generally around 130 bpm, bass heavy, little melody, no big breakdown etc.
i'll leave it to other members of the board to fill in what the genres have, i'm not that great with describing!

Posted by Tiger777 on Mar-09-2003 13:39:

I usually feel the genre... it's hard to explain why a song is trance of why a song is techno. Usually, trance comes to a climax, with an uplifting sound where there is mostly no beats (or, well, not much beats, max 50bpm). Techno songs can have a climax, but they mostly have much more bpm's...
But, i think that's about all you can say about classing in genres...

Posted by dj_mdma on Mar-09-2003 14:00:

I posted this earlier in the year in reply to a similar question...

Here is the idiot proof guide to different Genre's! (as long as u know dance music!)

If we use trance as a base point...

Trance = 4/4 electronic music, with a structure of 32 bars per sequence, that is based around a melody and contains a sense of emotion.

Techno = Unmelodic trance. I find it to sound a little harder than trance as such, but isn't as hard as say, hard house.
Hard House = Less melodic, less emotion, fast "trance".
House = Slow, (120-130bpm) Instrumental "trance" (What i mean by instrumental, is that real instrument sounds are used like guitars and stuff)
Jungle = Drum and Bass = Fast breakbeat electronic music and has a melody.
Ambient = Slow, chilled, trance.
Breaks = Trancey, with a breakbeat tempo.
UK Garage = SHIT

Posted by Tiger777 on Mar-09-2003 14:01:

There, I can agree with that

Posted by Mister_Michel on Mar-09-2003 14:03:

You can't exactly define a genre, you learn them by listening alot to songs, everybody has a different interpretation.

For example I would define Darude as commercial dance, while that guy you talk about defines it as techno. Talk about different interpretations... I would define prodigy as Big Beats, while I know alot of people who would define it as Drumm'NBass, there are hundreds of examples like this

Posted by Tiger777 on Mar-09-2003 14:04:

That's true, but the definitions of mdma do come close to the truth...

Posted by dj_mdma on Mar-09-2003 14:10:

more here,

progressive = slow trance with no melody or breakdown (as mentioned before) could be sorta described as slow, chilled-ish techno.
Big beat (is that Fatboy slim sorta stuff, if so...) = Breakbeat house.
Give me a "genre" and i'll describe it in idiot-proof terms

Posted by robstar on Mar-09-2003 15:04:

Sounds n Tempo.

Posted by Christopher B on Mar-09-2003 16:48:

Any big DJ will tell you genre's are silly. Just listen for tunes you like. Generally you will gravitate largely to one genre, but to limit yourself is stupid.

Also, the insight on all the statements that progressive is slow, unmelodic trance/techno with no build-ups is questionable.

Posted by dj_mdma on Mar-09-2003 16:53:

prog does have build ups, but they are not comparable to build ups that u would find, in say a Fire and Ice tune.Prog is more downtempo than trance, although it may only be by about 5 bpm. Of course all music has a melody, but whether it is "true" melody is something that only you 7337 progheads can hear

j/k

Posted by Christopher B on Mar-09-2003 17:00:

I wouldn't call progressive build-ups any less immense, they are just different. If you hear a prog-master at work live, you'll see what I mean. Admittedly, progressively melodies are much mroe subtle and not nearly as catchy, but usually it's not the melody that makes people dance in a large club with ultra-heavy bass anyway.

I think too many people use Tiesto's recent sound to define progressive music. It's a shame, because now that he's the progressive figurehead to all tranceaddicts, everyone listens to him and assumes that all progressive music sounds like Tiesto, who has been doing very poorly as of late. If Tiesto is a "prog DJ", he has to be one of the least talented ones around.

Posted by Mister_Michel on Mar-09-2003 18:38:

quote:
[i][b]If Tiesto is a "prog DJ", he has to be one of the least talented ones around.

That's true, but I never considered tiesto to be a prog dj, he hasn't really made any good tunes since 2002 imo, neither prog or uplifting. And It's true that there are much better prog dj out there, but maybe al the people who thinks tiesto spins prog, will at the end discover those dj and get addicted to real prog.

Not that I really care, cuz I'm uplifting al the way (well maybe some prog can tickle my ears )

Posted by SoulSupply on Mar-09-2003 18:51:

quote:
Any big DJ will tell you genre's are silly. Just listen for tunes you like. Generally you will gravitate largely to one genre, but to limit yourself is stupid.

the aim of this post isnt to try and get people to pigeon hole themselves into saying i only like prog, or i only listen to hard house, its to try and educate people a litle if they're not sure wot they're listening too, and avoid nasty confrontations like the techno = cheese post. most of us no dj sammy isnt techno, but some dont, this is just to help people a litle.
by the way, can someone tell me the difference between tech house and tech trance?

Posted by torontotrance on Mar-09-2003 19:18:

see some tracks today cross genres and some are almost in new territory.

Posted by dj_mdma on Mar-09-2003 19:23:

like Trance 'n' Bass...

Someone give me some well known examples of Tech house and Tech Trance, and I'll do my best for the "idiots" out there

but surely, 99.9% of people here must know that we mostly discuss "Trance" and that even the cheesy stuff we hate is an offshoot of Trance!! Isn't that why they are here?!

Posted by dJohn on Mar-09-2003 19:31:

I know I'm guilty of clarifying up genres when there are genre posts, but I'm beginning to understand big DJs' points of view:
WHO GIVES A FUCK
Just listen and enjoy what you got.

Posted by SoulSupply on Mar-09-2003 21:32:

hmmmm, obviously people arent reading posts before posting
let me clarify again, im trying to give people GUIDELINES as to wots wot, and of course splitting things into genres is importent, imagine walking into a record shop and asking for the latest deep house and them saying "sorry, we dont believe in genres, u'll have to spend the next 4 hours searching through our entire selection." big djs say genres arent importent with regards to wot they play every night, but i bet if u asked pvd if he preferred trance or house he wouldnt say genres mean nothing to me, he'd say trance. and also, in this wonderful genreless world, how do u choose who u go and see?
Whos playing tonight?
Tiesto?
cool, wot style does he play?
ammmmm, i dunno, just take a chance and pay �30 for a ticket on the off chance u might like him.
pleez can we come down off the stage for a minute and try and help people still may be a litle confused as to wots wot?

Posted by torontotrance on Mar-09-2003 21:37:

but some songs like certain stuff that sander k plays live....cross the line between progressive and some even go into ambient, trance. You can't really say...ok...this is tech house....and anything else is not tech house. Some songs might have tech house elements in them. I learned the difference between genres by experience and just listening to music. After a while, it eventually becomes clear but saying....this is an example of tech house and the rest is not....goes nowhere. Genres have become difficult because so many artists and producers use different elements in their songs.

Posted by SoulSupply on Mar-09-2003 21:48:

quote:
but some songs like certain stuff that sander k plays live....cross the line between progressive and some even go into ambient, trance. You can't really say...ok...this is tech house....and anything else is not tech house. Some songs might have tech house elements in them. I learned the difference between genres by experience and just listening to music. After a while, it eventually becomes clear but saying....this is an example of tech house and the rest is not....goes nowhere. Genres have become difficult because so many artists and producers use different elements in their songs.

i totally see ur point, but saying to a clerk in a record store that u like tech house, he might say, oh then check this out its not quite tech house, its got a deeper edge, but give it a go. genres a blueprint for wot kind of dj or producer or listener u are, u cant play everything in the same set for instance, its just not possible, u have to keep within certain limits,

Posted by torontotrance on Mar-09-2003 21:51:

Then again, certain producers don't keep the same blueprint. Certain producers do a lot of different genres and sometimes it's tough to keep up with it. Derrick Carter for instance does deep prog, deep house, funky house, house and disco. That's why you are given a ton of things to listen to in record shops. Normally if you say a genre to a record store clerk, they know what to give to you. Sometimes it's hard to specify a genre because producers keep evolving music and sometimes a genre is more confusing.