Expand Your List of Music Genres

There is a wide selection of music genres to listen to and discover. This article will expand your knowledge and understanding of various music genres and offer you a chance to learn about how they originated. 

Disco

For many people, the word “disco” brings to mind images of glitzy discotheques filled with dance-happy crowds, but there’s a lot more to disco than that. In fact, the genre is a vibrant and eclectic one that is still evolving today. Disco encompasses several different styles of music from the 1970s and beyond, including funk, soul, R&B, pop, and rock.

What’s more, there are several subgenres of disco music. Two of the most common ones are known as “Old School” and “New School.” Old School disco was a funk-based style that grew popular in the 1970s. It had a harder sound with strong bass lines and loud beats. New School disco was a bit lighter in tone and was more influenced by soft rock or pop groups.

House 

House music is a genre of electronic dance music created by club DJs and music producers in Chicago in 1984. It was initially popularized in Chicago, circa 1986. House music quickly spread to other American cities such as Detroit, New York City, and Newark—all of which contributed to the mid-to-late 1980s house music boom. It’s characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats, off-beat hi-hat cymbals, and synthesizers.

House music can be categorized into four sub-genres; deep house, soulful house, nu-disco, and jackin’ house. Deep house music is defined by long, dubbed-out intros and soulful vocals. Nu-disco is similar to deep house but has more of a disco influence. Jackin’ house has influences from other forms of electronic dance music such as electro house, techno, dubstep, and breakbeat. Other forms of electronic dance music include trance, progressive, hardstyle, and dubstep.

Folk Music 

Folk music is one of the most popular genres of music and has been for centuries. Folk, also known as traditional music, encompasses many different types of music including country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, jazz, and more. The term “Folk” is used to describe this genre because it originated among the common people.

In some ways, folk songs can be compared to hymns or spirituals because they have religious themes or concepts behind them. In fact, some folk songs were originally spirituals that eventually evolved into secular forms as time progressed. Folk songs also tend to be about everyday life experiences as opposed to love ballads or heartbreak songs that you’ll find in other genres of music. Some themes found in folk songs are about working conditions, social issues, historical events, and nature-based themes such as farming life and landscapes. 

New Age

If you are a music fan, you must have heard of New Age Music. If you are not, then you probably will love this genre once you get familiar with it. New Age music is known for its relaxing sounds and this genre has now become widely popular among people who want to relax. 

New Age music is usually played at spas, yoga studios, meditation centers, and anywhere that is suitable for relaxation. It is believed that New Age Music helps in achieving inner peace and harmony with nature. The genre is associated with meditative background music. It can be considered a subgenre of ambient music, but also may be considered distinct enough to be its own genre.

New Age music has been around since the 1950’s when it was introduced by pianist, harpist, and composer, Paul Horn. But it was not until the 1980’s when the popularity of New Age Music took off after British musician Brian Eno released albums like Apollo: Atmospheres And Soundtracks which contains his version of New Age music. This album became so popular that many other musicians started producing their own versions of this genre of music.