What's the difference?

[Charon]

Can anyone explain to me the difference between techno, electronica, trance, industrial, house and any other styles labeled as "techno". My techno-loving friends are annoyed when I don't use the right term when describing something. If you can provide an iTMS link to further your definition, that would be great.

[blue&whiteman]

best thing to do is just listen to what you like and not conform to what name the industry gives anything. its all music, listen with your heart and mind, not just your mind.

[medea]

Techno had its roots in the electronic house music made in Detroit in the mid-'80s. Where house still had explicit connection to disco even when it was entirely mechanical, techno was strictly electronic music, designed for a small, specific audience. In the United States, techno was strictly an underground phenomenon, but in England, it broke into the mainstream in the late '80s. In the early '90s, techno began to fragment into a number of subgenres, including hardcore, ambient, and jungle. In hardcore techno, the beats-per-minute on each record were sped up to ridiculous, undanceable levels -- it was designed to alienate a broad audience. Ambient took the opposite direction, slowing the beats down and relying on watery electronic textures -- it was used as come-down music, when ravers and club-goers needed a break from acid house and hardcore techno. Jungle was nearly as aggressive as hardcore, combining driving techno beats with breakbeats and dancehall reggae -- essentially. All subgenres of techno were initially designed to be played in clubs, where they would be mixed by DJs.

allmusic.com is a good reference for music.

[vollspacken]

Originally Posted by Charon

Can anyone explain to me the difference between techno, electronica, trance, industrial, house and any other styles labeled as "techno". My techno-loving friends are annoyed when I don't use the right term when describing something. If you can provide an iTMS link to further your definition, that would be great.

I try to give a short definition (which is very hard to do... ), and name one or two current artist (I will avoid cheesy stuff...):

Techno - harder and more dirty than house, most of the time 4-on-the-floor based, strictly electronic music (Heiko Laux, Luke Slater, Justin Berkovi, Thomas Schumacher a.k.a Elektrochemie LK, Dopplereffekt, Johannes Heil, Chris Liebing...)
House - less hard, more funky and more sample-based due to it's disco roots, unlike techno it might include a full vocal track (Metro Area, Daft Punk, Motorbass, David Morales, Alex Gopher, Agoria, Silicone Soul...)
- BUT the line can be very blurry (a.k.a Tech-House: Takkyu Ishino, Ken Ishii...)

Trance - commercial variant of techno that relies very much on pads and a very "clean" production, most people consider this style cheesy (including me...)

Industrial - one of the first styles of electronic music, originated in the 1960s with very atonal sounds (Throbbing Gristle...) and evolved into cold EBM (electronic body music) during the '80s (Front 242, Skinny Puppy...) - a current incarnation may be industrial hip-hop (Mark Stewart, Funkstörung, Cylob...)

Electronica - for some people (media, record stores, parents...), this sums up all kinds of styles of electronic music.
if you go more into detail, it might sum up artists like Underworld, Groove Armada, The Streets, Jazzanova, Alexander Kowalski, Orbital, Massive Attack... all of which do a broad crossover between a lot of styles, not only electronic. I prefer the second definition.

other styles worth mentioning:

Drum'n'Bass/Jungle - based on the nortorious "Amen Break" sample (Amen Brother by The Winstons) and dropping the 4-to-the-floor bassdrum in favor of breakbeats (Altern8, early 4Hero, Baby D,808 State, FSOL). evolved from Techno through '90s Hardcore. relying on a comination of Techno sounds, Hip-Hop samples and reagge basslines, very agressive but can also be very jazzy and laid back (Dillinja, Future Cut, Bad Company, Omni Trio, Decoder & Substance, TGM, London Elektricity, 4Hero, Roni Size Reprazent, TeeBee, Marcus Intalex, XRS Land, Nookie, Ray Keith, Total Science, Technical Itch ...) - Jungle is more simplistic and the dominant vocals are similar to dancehall "toasting/MCing"
...again, the line is VERY blurry (MC Conrad, M-Beat feat General Levy, Shy FX...)

Electro - not to be mistaken for Electronica... Electro is the forefather of modern electronic music and hip-hop and still around today. based on very juicy analogue beats and sounds (Kraftwerk, Man Parish, Andrea Parker, Anthony Rother...)

Ambient -

Originally Posted by medea

Ambient took the opposite direction, slowing the beats down and relying on watery electronic textures -- it was used as come-down music, when ravers and club-goers needed a break from acid house and hardcore techno.

very good definition Medea (The Orb, Brian Eno, Michael Woods...)


Beeps'n'Cuts'n'Clicks - the name says it all (Rechenzentrum, Gescom, Aphex Twin, current Plastikman, Dj Spooky...)

but in the end, it's not about the names or labels that your friends use for the different styles... its about the music. if you like what you hear but don't know how to call it, who cares..?!

nevertheless, I hope this helps a bit
vSpacken

[medea]

Originally Posted by vollspacken

Beeps'n'Cuts'n'Clicks - the name says it all (Rechenzentrum, Gescom, Aphex Twin, current Plastikman, Dj Spooky...)

Actually what vollspacken calls Beeps'n'Cuts'n'Clicks should actually be refered to as IDM or Intelligent Dance Music, though some have attempted to rename the genre (braindance, electronic listening music) IDM has stuck. Glitch is also another term used with IDM.

[blue&whiteman]

what is wrong with all of you? don't you think its wrong to segregate music like that? it takes away the creative essence of it all because you're being so informed about what the industry calls it that you lose the whole creative meaning.

just listen and enjoy rather than worry about what genre or sub genre the music falls under.

sorry to say but from an artistic point of view you guys are really lame.