"electronic" music in the UK- Dubstep etc Why?

[Cajafiesta]

This website is, unquestionably, the biggest exposure I've ever had to culture in the UK.

 

There seems to be a lot of love for electronic music.  Specifically the Drum and Bass stuff, Jungle, whatever it's technically called.  I just always conceptualize it as "Rave music," but that's probably wrong. 

 

I'm a music dude, but I've never been exposed to or really cared about "electronic" music.  I'm more of a guitar player, rock/blues based music sorta person. 

 

I'm just generally curious about why electronic stuff seems to be so prolific in the UK.  What's the deal with that?  How did it come to be?  Is it a result of a specific era of partying culture or something?

 

 

[MindSoup]

I don't know if electronic music is more popular than other kinds really, maybe at certain times but in general we have a very eclectic/diverse culture. In the summer you could pick just about any weekend and any style of music and there would likely be an entire festival dedicated to it somewhere in the country. 

 

 

[Shaggy1]

I cant give you a history lesson, but off the top of my head I'd say.. Drugs 

 

Suppose its a  cultural thing, the generation before me was the start of the rave scene acid house, trance etc, I was born early 90s and grew up on garage, jungle, dubstep dnb and as a right of passage I was going to illegal raves by 14-15, mid 00s. 

 

Some of it also may just be the British are generally just nutters and we do everything to excess which in turn makes us crazier

 

I've been to a few events in US and lots over here and lived in ibiza for years and know alot of us/Canadians and they seem to prefer edm, trance and commercial house, which makes you jump around abit but it's not in your face, whereas alot of brits like what i call proper rave music, dnb, jungle,  garage, which can cause alot of damage in a rave when tunes come on, then obviously you got the sub genres of each, like snd you got acid, liquid jump up etc 

 

Oh just get me to a rave, immediately 

[Cajafiesta]

the "drugs" thing makes sense.  That's certainly an explanation for it in the US also.  I just typically found myself in circles that guzzled beer and did blow in a bar bathroom while listening to Op Ivy or Hank Williams or Black Flag or Pantera or Church of Misery.

 

Train hoppers is what I'm saying.  I got drunk and did blow with train hoppers. hahaha.  Not a lot of electronic music in that social circle. 

[catweazle1]

We have fads that fade in and out in popularity but they don't go away. There's always a hardcore group still enjoying each genre. It may just be your personal exposure that makes you think that.  I like occasional modern output but I'm basically stuck into 70's and early 80's Rock, Blues and Pop.  I don't mind Trance. I'm 60. When you say 'electronic music', I  think of Tangerine Dream! A Pink Floyd gig is my idea of live musical nirvana

Edited March 12, 2022 by catweazle1

[monkeypig]

@Cajafiesta   you weren't wrong to consider jungle and drum and bass as rave music - BUT, by the time that jungle took hold the original rave scene had already started to fragment itself into more genre specific nights. When I first went to raves the music would have been IMO more eclectic - you would have heard music that covered all styles played together. As the scene grew and grew so did the differing genres.  If you're interested in the differing genres(which IMO it remains quite tricky to pigeonhole certain tunes)  this awesome site may help you to understand the evolution and different branches. It is by no means conclusive and as I said before pigeonholing certain tunes is not always easy.  

 

The late 80s and early 90s were for those living it a hugely exciting time for the youth of the UK as racial barriers were pulled down and everyone partied with the mantra of "peace, love and unity" a sentiment that has escaped our youth for a couple of generations now - evidenced by a much more violent and divisive youth culture and attitude. I honestly believe that the internet has ruined a lot of chances for new exciting youth movements to develop organically by word of mouth as nowadays things can blow up more quickly due to social media. Oh, did I mention ecstacy - lots of ecstacy really helped too

Edited March 12, 2022 by monkeypig

[Cajafiesta]

@catweazle1 Likely the case.  It's a fair assumption that this website, certainly, isn't a thorough poll of the UK's musical tastes.  Maybe more like the likely/common tastes of stoners.  That's surely a contributor. 

 

I'm stuck in the 60s and 70s too, mostly, but I'm 25 years your junior. My preference is a result of playing guitar.  You tend to listen to the stuff that is guitar-centric.  

 

I can get down with a live Floyd gig.  That's an era I missed, but it would have been super cool to see live.  Big fan of David Gilmour.

Edited March 12, 2022 by Cajafiesta

[Cajafiesta]

@monkeypig makes sense.  Thanks for the link. I'll check that out. 

 

So "rave" spawned all this and, as people did the thing that people do, sub genres became more like genres.  This led to genre specific parties. 

 

Makes sense to me.  Interesting. 

[catweazle1]

@Cajafiesta I had an acoustic  guitar made in 2007 just so I could learn Is There Anybody Out There, then I gave it to my nephew. It took me two years to get it down from knowing nothing about playing. Gilmour was my guitar hero as a youngster, also Gary Moore.

[Guest anarchycamp]

I reckon UK music has always had a hand on the electronic side even in the rock genres. 

I miss playing punk so bad

[Cajafiesta]

@catweazle1That's pretty intense dedication haha.  well done. 

 

You guys got a pretty thick crew of notable guitar players over there.  Paul Kossoff has always been a big favorite.  Free were killer. 

 

Gary Moore, too.  Rory Gallagher, Mick Taylor, Jimmy Page, Keef ( ehhhh...meh.), Tony Iommi.

 

Y'all had some heavy hitters from that era, for sure. 

 

E2A: a funny, alleged, story I read about Keef and Mick Taylor.

 

It was some interview in print or something--Keith was talking about the first time he heard Mick play.  Apparently, for whatever reason, it seemed like Keith had never heard Mick play, even after he got the Stones gig.  The quote from Keith was something like " This new guitar player showed up.  They said he was pretty good.  I didn't know he was gonna be a fucking virtuoso!"

 

Of course, it's most probably ol' Keef knew exactly how good Mick was, but was too busy being on The Nod all the time to actually recall any of his life experiences.  

Edited March 12, 2022 by Cajafiesta

[monkeypig]

Not much guitar here @catweazle1   Oh, you meant the one from The Wall? D'oh

 

 

[Boojum]

Music is music.

 

Electronic or acoustic (plenty of blues players back in the day lamented the rise in popularity of the electric guitar), country or rock, folk or metal, prog rock or punk, pop or classical there's always been this divide of genres.

 

But music is music, the only thing that matters is just to like what you like

 

I was a teenage metalhead/punk, that's basically all I listened to, then I got into 'electronic' music - 'rave' if you like because of drugs, to be honest, but then again drugs also made me appreciate other kinds of music too so then I got into other music that I'd never listened to before, drugs opened my eyes to music outside my initial taste and experience

 

Music is music, genre and stuff really don't matter, if it moves you, gets your feet tapping, your hips moving, your head banging or the hairs on the back of your neck stand up then that's all that matters

Edited March 12, 2022 by Boojum

[Cajafiesta]

Just now, monkeypig said:

Not much guitar here @catweazle1   Oh, you meant the one from The Wall? D'oh

 

 

I don't think I "get" it man.  All I hear is early 90s department store music.  This song immediately puts me in some shitty department store, waiting on my mom to pick out some stupid pair of acid washed jeans in 1990. hahahha Different strokes for different folks. It gives me a little bit of "tech support line hold music" feelings, too. 

 

My brain just doesn't comprehend it. 

[monkeypig]

Just now, Cajafiesta said:

All I hear is early 90s department store music.

 

Wow, you must have shopped in some cool department stores is all I can say!