Dance music

Dance music
Dance music
	People dancing to aclub DJ'smusic
Stylistic origins	Folk;
Cultural origins	Ancient, worldwide
Derivative forms	Disco;
Subgenres
	Electronic dance music;

Dance musicismusiccomposed specifically to facilitate or accompanydancing.It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories arelivedance music and recorded dance music. While there exist attestations of the combination of dance and music inancient history(for exampleAncient Greek vasessometimes show dancers accompanied by musicians), the earliest Western dance music that we can still reproduce with a degree of certainty are old-fashioned dances. In theBaroqueperiod, the major dance styles werenoble courtdances (seeBaroque dance). In theclassical music era,theminuetwas frequently used as a thirdmovement,although in this context it would not accompany any dancing. Thewaltzalso arose later in the classical era. Both remained part of theromantic musicperiod, which also saw the rise of various other nationalistic dance forms like thebarcarolle,mazurka,ecossaise,balladeandpolonaise.

Modern popular dance music initially emerged from late 19th century's Westernballroomandsocial dancemusic. During the early 20th century, ballroom dancing gained popularity among theworking classwho attended publicdance halls.Dance music became enormously popular during the 1920s. In the 1930s, known as the Swing era,Swing musicwas the popular dance music in America. In the 1950s,rock and rollbecame the popular dance music. The late 1960s saw the rise ofsoulandR&Bmusic. Dominican and Cuban New Yorkers created the popularsalsa dancein the late 1960s which stemmed from the Latin music genre ofsalsa.The rise ofdiscoin the early 1970s led to dance music becoming popular with the public. By the late 1970s,electronic dance musicwas developing. This music, made using electronics, is a style ofpopular musiccommonly played innightclubs,radio stations,showsandraves.Manysubgenres of electronic dance musichave evolved.

Origins

Dancing to rhythmic music has long been a cherished tradition in both Western and Eastern African civilizations, where dynamic movements synchronized with percussion instruments such as drums, bells, and rattles serve as integral expressions of cultural identity, social cohesion, and spiritual significance.

Folk dance music is music accompanyingtraditional danceand may be contrasted with historical/classical, and popular/commercial dance music. An example of folk dance music in the United States is theold-time musicplayed atsquare dancesandcontra dances.

Historical dance music

While there exist attestations of the combination of dance and music in ancient times (for exampleAncient Greek vasessometimes show dancers accompanied by musicians), the earliest Western dance music that we can still reproduce with a degree of certainty are the survivingmedieval dancessuch ascarolsand theEstampie.The earliest of these surviving dances are almost as old as Western staff-basedmusic notation.

By period

TheRenaissance dancemusic was written for instruments such as thelute,viol,tabor,pipe,and thesackbut.

In theBaroqueperiod, the major dance styles werenoble courtdances (seeBaroque dance). Examples of dances include theFrench courante,sarabande,minuetandgigue.Collections of dances were often collected together asdance suites.

In theclassical music era,the minuet was frequently used as a thirdmovementin four-movement non-vocal works such assonatas,string quartets,andsymphonies,although in this context it would not accompany any dancing. Thewaltzalso arose later in the classical era, as the minuet evolved into thescherzo(literally, "joke"; a faster-paced minuet).

Both remained part of theromantic musicperiod, which also saw the rise of various other nationalistic dance forms like thebarcarolle,mazurkaandpolonaise.Also in the romantic music era, the growth and development ofballetextended the composition of dance music to a new height. Frequently, dance music was a part ofopera.

Popular dance music

Modern popular dance music initially emerged from late 19th century's Westernballroomandsocial dancemusic.

By genre

Dance music works often bear the name of the corresponding dance, e.g.waltzes,thetango,thebolero,thecan-can,minuets,salsa,various kinds ofjigsand thebreakdown.Other dance forms includecontradance,themerengue(Dominican Republic), and thecha-cha-cha.Often it is difficult to know whether the name of the music came first or the name of the dance.

Balladsare commonly chosen forslow-danceroutines. However ballads have been commonly deemed the opposite of dance music in terms of their tempo.^{[citation needed]}Originally, the ballad was a type of dance as well (hence the name "ballad", from the same root as "ballroom"and"ballet"). Ballads are still danced on theFaeroe Islands.

Dansband

"Dansband" ( "Dance band" ) is a term inSwedishfor bands who play a kind ofpopular music,"dansbandsmusik" ( "Dance band music" ), topartner danceto. These terms came into use around 1970, and before that, many of the bands were classified as "pop groups".This type of music is mostly popular in theNordic countries.

Disco

Disco is a genre of dance music containing elements offunk,soul,pop,andsalsa.It was most popular during the mid to late 1970s, though it has had brief resurgences afterwards. The first notable fully synthesized disco hit was "I Feel Love"byDonna Summer.^[1]Looping,It inspired theelectronic dance musicgenre.

Electronic

Dance party in Kazantip Festival, Crimea. Electronic dance music.

By 1981, a new form of dance music was developing. This music, made using electronics, is a style ofpopular musiccommonly played in dance musicnightclubs,radio stations,showsandraves.During its gradual decline in the late 1970s,discobecame influenced by electronic musical instruments such as synthesizers.samplingandsegueingas found in disco continued to be used as creative techniques withintrance music,techno musicand especiallyhouse music.

Electronic dance music experienced a boom in the late 1980s. In the UK, this manifested itself in the dance element ofTony Wilson'sHaçiendascene (in Manchester) and London clubs like Delirium, The Trip, and Shoom. The scene rapidly expanded to the Summer Of Love inIbiza,which became the European capital of house and trance. In 2018, the release ofFisher's "Losing It,"a significant tech-house crossover by the Australian EDM producer, marked a notable shift in trends within the dance music landscape.

Many music genres that made use of electronic instruments developed into contemporary styles mainly due to theMIDIprotocol, which enabled computers, synthesizers,sound cards,samplers, and drum machines to interact with each other and achieve the full synchronization of sounds. Electronic dance music is typically composed usingsynthesizersandcomputers,and rarely has any physicalinstruments.Instead, this is replaced byanalogueanddigital electronicsounds, with a 4/4 beat. Many producers of this kind of music however, such asDarren TateandMJ Cole,were trained in classical music before they moved into the electronic medium.

Associated with dance music are usually commercial tracks that may not easily be categorized, such as "The Power"bySnap!,"No Limit"by2 Unlimited,"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"byC+C Music Factory,and theBeatmasters' "Rok da House"but the term" dance music "is applied to many forms ofelectronic music,both commercial and non-commercial.

Some of the most popular upbeat genres includehouse,techno,gqom,drum & bass,jungle,hardcore,electronica,industrial,breakbeat,trance,psychedelic trance,UK garageandelectro.There are also much slower styles, such asdowntempo,chilloutandnu jazz.

Many subgenres of electronic dance music have evolved. Subgenres ofhouseincludeacid house,kwaito,electro house,hard house,funky house,deep house,afro house,tribal house,hip house,tech houseandUS garage.Subgenres ofdrum & bassincludetechstep,hardstep,jump-up,intelligent D&B/atmospheric D&B,liquid funk,sambass,drumfunk,neurofunkandragga jungle.Subgenres of other styles includeprogressive breaks,booty bass,Goa trance,hard trance,hardstyle,minimal techno,gabber techno,breakcore,broken beat,trip hop,folktronicaandglitch.Speed garage,breakstep,2-step,bassline,grime,UK funky,future garageand thereggae-inspireddubstepare all subgenres ofUK garage.

By decade

1900s–1910s

During the early 20th century,ballroom dancinggained popularity among theworking classwho attended publicdance halls.

1920s

Dance music became enormously popular during the 1920s. Nightclubs were frequented by large numbers of people at which a form ofjazz,which was characterized by fancyorchestraswith strings instruments and complex arrangements, became the standard music at clubs. A particularly popular dance was thefox-trot.At the time this music was simply called jazz, although today people refer to it as "white jazz" orbig band.Marabievolved inSouth Africain the 1920s, rooted in South African folk music,ragtime,jazzandblues.People were able to dance endlessly without having to have been familiar with the songs being played, before.^[2]^[3]

1930s–1940s

Genres:Swing music,mbube,Congolese rumba,Western swing.Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller gainedswing jazzhits.

1950s

Genres:Rock and roll,kwela

In 1952, the television showed thatAmerican Bandstandswitched to a format where teenagers dance along as records are played.American Bandstandcontinued to be shown until 1989. Since the late 1950s,disc jockeys(commonly known as DJs) played recorded music at nightclubs.

1960s

Genres:Rock and roll,R&B,funk,mbaqanga

In 1960,Chubby Checkerreleased his song "The Twist"setting off a dance craze. The late 1960s saw the rise ofsoulandR&Bmusic which used lavish orchestral arrangements.

1970s

Genres:Disco,funk,R&B,hip hop

In 1970, the television showSoul Trainpremiered featuring famous soul artists who would play or lipsync their hits while the audience danced along. In the early '70s, Kool and the Gang,Ohio Players,and B.T. Express were popular funk bands. By the mid-1970s,discohad become one of the main genres featured. In 1974,Billboardadded a Disco Action chart of top hits to its other charts (seeList ofBillboardnumber one dance club songs).Donna Summer,the Bee Gees, the Village People and Gloria Gaynor gained pop hits.^[4]Disco was characterized by the use of real orchestral instruments, such as strings, which had largely been abandoned during the 1950s because of rock music. In contrast to the 1920s, however, the use of live orchestras in night clubs was extremely rare due to its expense. The disco craze reached its peak in the late 1970s when the word "disco" became synonymous with "dance music" and nightclubs were referred to as "discos".

Radio formats

TheDance/Mix Show Airplaychart tracks the most popular tracks played by radio stations using a "dance music"format.Modern dance music is typically a core component of therhythmic adult contemporaryandrhythmic contemporaryformats, and an occasional component of thecontemporary hit radioformat in the case of dance songs which chart.

Mixshows are radio programmes which feature a sequence of dance music tracks where each track's outro is mixed into the intro of the next.

References

^"Donna Summer 'I Feel Love' | Classic Tracks".Archivedfrom the original on 2013-09-09.Retrieved2013-09-01.
^"The development of Music in South Africa timeline 1600-2004".South African History Online.26 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 19 June 2023.Retrieved6 April2024.
^Stone, Ruth (1998).The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Vol. 1: Africa.New York: Routledge (published 7 October 1997).ISBN 9780824060350.
^Disco All MusicRetrieved 15 December 2021
^Jenkins, Jake."Groove Me! Re-creating New Jack Swing in the Box".inSync.Sweetwater Sound.Retrieved26 January2024.

[1] "Donna Summer 'I Feel Love' | Classic Tracks".Archivedfrom the original on 2013-09-09.Retrieved2013-09-01.

[2] "The development of Music in South Africa timeline 1600-2004".South African History Online.26 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 19 June 2023.Retrieved6 April2024.

[Garland_Encyclopedia_of_Music-3] Stone, Ruth (1998).The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Vol. 1: Africa.New York: Routledge (published 7 October 1997).ISBN 9780824060350.

[4] Disco All MusicRetrieved 15 December 2021

[5] Jenkins, Jake."Groove Me! Re-creating New Jack Swing in the Box".inSync.Sweetwater Sound.Retrieved26 January2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]