quote:

Originally posted by oje_oje electro, short for electromagnetic, is a description of a type sound. people generally use it as a blanket statement that covers several genres.

Not exactly. Electro is the amended form of Electro Funk, which is short for electronic funk, which is what it is, Funk music made with electronic instruments whereas previously it had been made with real instruments. Electro-Funk's heyday was relatively short...I think. At least, most electro funk records by guys like Maurice Starr, Michael Jonzun, Zapp, and all those guys seem to have come out between 1979 and 1982. Anyway, at first electro-funk was pretty much pure funk sounding, and everyone called it funk until a few artists released some genre-creating Electro Funk records in '82. Over time Electro Funk began to depart from its pure funk roots to less of a traditional farty-bass funk music and more of a robotic Kraftwerk-influenced sound which eventually people shortened from "electro funk" to "electro". By 1983 Electro was booming in New York, LA, and Miami, and had a Grammy-Winning MTV hit under its belt. In NY and LA, it was the backdrop to thriving B-Boy cultures. In Miami, the emphasis was on who could make Electro that would best catch your sub's on fire: The Stereo Wars were in full effect. Some of the first Electro artists include Kraftwerk, of course, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Afrika Bambaataa, Egyptian Lover, Mantronix, Maggotron, Twilight 22, Jonzun Crew, World Class Wreckin' Cru, The Unknown DJ, X-Men, Willesden Dodgers, The Furious Five, The Arabian Prince, and Newcleus. A lot of it was Electro-Hop or Electro-Rap, a fusion of Electro and Rap, which was also becoming popular at the time and was closely linked to the Electro/B-Boy scene of the time.

Since then Electro has never "died", it has only gone into a regression. Between the late 80's and mid 90's it went under underground and was only being made in a few places like Miami and Detroit. By the mid and late 90's it had begun spreading across the world again and is now made by many producers all over the world.

As for what Electro actually is, i'll just take a quote from Wikpedia..."Records in the genre are unabashed about their use of electronic and artificial sounds, taking this technological fetish almost into science fiction with many records about space travel and futuristic dystopias."

This is what electro is all about, right here. Kraftwerk-inspired retro-futuristic visions brought about through sounds that...well...would remind one of Robots and Machines. It's vague, true...but what defines Electro is at least 50% vision. The vision of man and machine.

^ I feel that too. That is really the KEY COMPONENT of electro: robots, futurism, and unabashed deification of technology.

Any song released today that does not have that component as its thesis is not true electro.

quote:

Originally posted by stevieboy32808 Really I always thought Cybotron and Hashim were Freestyle and wasn't Soul Sonic Force Old School Hip Hop? The only one I agree with is the Kraftwerk suggestion.

freestyle has an electro sound to it and electro has some elements of freestyle

Freestyle seems to be a genre with more saturated vocals, artists like C bank, pretty poison, Stevie B (probably the most famous) and into the 90's artists like rockell, ceres, Joee.

This is freestyle. Electro is used for the more underground loopy sound. Raw music, with vocals that generally dont talk about lost love lol

quote:

Originally posted by Ishkur ^ I feel that too. That is really the KEY COMPONENT of electro: robots, futurism, and unabashed deification of technology. Any song released today that does not have that component as its thesis is not true electro.

did you say cowbell.. you should have said cowbell

quote:

Originally posted by Nrg2Nfinit Electro is used for the more underground loopy sound.

what the fuck is this jargon.

quote:

Originally posted by AlphaStarred what the fuck is this jargon.

lol what what did i say?

compare cyborton to nice and wild

i dunno, it just looked like a very ludicrous statement to me. I haven't bothered reading the rest of the thread for lack of interest, but electro is not 'underground,' per se.

quote:

Originally posted by AlphaStarred i dunno, it just looked like a very ludicrous statement to me. I haven't bothered reading the rest of the thread for lack of interest, but electro is not 'underground,' per se.

yeah ignore that comment then i take it back.

Freestyle is general catagorized with more vocals though

As an ammend to my previous post, here is an Electro mix, comprised of Electro tracks from 1983-present:

http://listic.dk/insp_scratzh/ELECTROMIX.mp3
1. Dynamix II - 'Ignition'
2. Bass Junkie - 'Program the 808'
3. Middle Men - 'We Cannot be Destroyed'
4. Marco Bailey - 'Calisto'
5. Umwelt - 'P.O.W.'
6. Sbassship - 'Pre-existent Future'
7. Jackal & Hyde - 'Dark Star'
8. Jackal & Hyde - 'Get Down to my Tecnique'
9. Kronos Device - 'Conscious Robots'
10. Kronos Device - 'Obey and Survive'
11. Auxmen - 'We Rock Like This'
12. K-1 - 'Plastic People' (Microthol remix)
13. Uncle Jamm's Army - 'What's your sign'
14. World Class Wreckin' Cru - 'Juice'
15. N.W.A. - 'Panic Zone'
16. World Class Weckin' Cru - 'Mission Possible'
17. Professor X - 'Professor X Saga'
18. Unknown DJ - '808 Beats'
19. Model 500 - 'Bang the Beat'
20. Arabian Prince feat. Dr Dre - 'Innovator Life' (DBS remix)
21. Dynamix II - 'DJ's Go Berzerk'
22. Imatran Voima - 'Quad City' (Bass Junkie remix)
23. Newcleus - 'Space is the Place'

Because to really really understand it, you'd probably have to hear it. And see it in action too

Electro has been around since the 80's

Hardly the latest buzz word

70s!