At any given time, countless people listen to electronic music. It's hard to believe that just ten years ago techno was considered an underground movement. In the early 1980s, a trio of Detroit pioneers began fusing the sounds of synthpop and Italo-disco with funk. Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson were high school friends who went to dance parties where the music ranged from Kraftwerk to Parliament. They listened to an influential radio DJ, The Electrifying Mojo, who played European imports alongside Prince and the B-52s. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In 1981 Atkins and Richard Davies, aka 3070, began releasing records as Cybotron. Techno was born. Around the same time, the fledgling hip-hop community took elements of Kraftwerk's music, thanks to DJs like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, and created electronica. The electronics relied heavily on synthesized rhythms and computerized vocoder voices. In 1982, Afrika Bambaataa took the melody of Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express", combined it with the distinctive rhythm of Kraftwerk's "Numbers" and composed the anthem "Planet Rock". Electro spawned the idea of ​​the funky computer. MCs rapped over his beats and breakdancers formed a new culture in cities where electronic reigned. In Chicago and New York, house music was taking a similar path. Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy and other DJs were spinning synthesizer-driven dance music and creating their own edits and mixes. Before long, Chicago radio caught on with Hot Mix 5 on WBMX, and locals began making their own tracks to play. Techno, electro and house were made possible by new, inexpensive technology. The Roland TR-808, a programmable drum machine released in the late 1980s, was the signature sound of the entire electronic genre and was used on countless techno and house tracks. The 1981 Roland TB-303 mini-keyboard was used to create squelchy bass lines people discovered the strange sounds they made by turning a small knob. Samplers and sequencers also became common. Something strange happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Techno and house, which had failed to achieve mainstream success in the United States, became a huge phenomenon in Europe, especially in Great Britain. In fact, the term techno was popularized by the seminal British compilation Techno! Detroit's new dance sound. Around 1990 raves began to appear near London. Most of the organizers of these large illegal parties made money by circumventing British licensing laws. Sometimes the location was secret until the night of the event and elaborate telephone trees and meeting points were used. Hundreds of ravers descended at once, making the parties harder to break up. For a short time in the UK, rave music became pop. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom Essay In 1996, The Prodigy reached No. 1 on the pop charts with two different singles, and for a while the record industry tried to push electronic music. At the same time, Warp Records built a roster of musicians who preferred to explore more experimental fare. Autechre (Sean Booth and Rob Brown), Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) and Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson), created alien atmospheres that pushed the boundaries of musical conventions. They were partially inspired by a second wave of Detroit artists, including Carl Craig, Jeff Mills and Underground Resistance. Where is the.