View source for Electro (music)

{{Short description|Genre of electronic music}}
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Electropop]].}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Electro
| other_names       = 
* Electro-funk
* electro-boogie
* electro-pop
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Electronic music|Electronic]]|[[synth-pop]]|[[funk]]|[[Boogie (genre)|boogie]]|[[Hip hop music|hip hop]]|[[chiptune]]}}
| cultural_origins  = Early 1980s,<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Sherburne | first=Philip | title=Digital Discipline: Minimalism in House and Techno | magazine=The Wire | issue=152 | date=June 1996 }}</ref> Japan ([[Tokyo]]), U.S. ([[New York City]], [[Detroit]])
| derivatives       = {{hlist|[[Miami bass]]|[[funk carioca]]|[[Freestyle music|freestyle]]|[[House music|house]]<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tb-FBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA289 | title=Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One| isbn=9781466884526| last1=Vincent| first1=Rickey| date=November 4, 2014| publisher=St. Martin's Publishing}}</ref>|[[techno]]|[[breakbeat]]}}
| subgenres         = {{hlist|[[Electrocore]]|[[skweee]]}}
| fusiongenres      = {{hlist|[[Electroclash]]|[[electro house]]|[[electro swing]]|[[electro hop]]|[[electro rock]]|[[Gqom#Gqomtech|gqom tech]]|[[electrotech]]}}
| image             =
| caption           = ''The Face'' magazine, cover of May 1984 issue
}}

'''Electro''' (also known as '''electro-funk''', and sometimes referred to as '''electro-pop''')<ref name=ElectroHistoryRoots>{{cite web|url=http://www.electrofunkroots.co.uk/articles/what.html|title=Electro-Funk: What did it all mean?|publisher=Greg Wilson on electrofunkroots.co.uk|access-date=December 23, 2009}}</ref><ref name="globaldarkness.com">[http://www.globaldarkness.com/articles/history%20of%20electro%20funk.htm Rap meets Techno, with a short history of Electro]. Globaldarkness.com. Retrieved on July 18, 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-22 |title=What Exactly is "Electro" and Why Does It Matter? |url=https://grayarea.co/magazine/what-exactly-is-electro-and-why-does-it-matter |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=Gray Area |language=en|url-status=live|archive-date=6 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206004944/https://grayarea.co/magazine/what-exactly-is-electro-and-why-does-it-matter}}</ref> is a genre of [[electronic dance music]] that emerged in the early 1980s. It is defined by the prominent use of the [[Roland TR-808]] drum machine,<ref>Gavin Weale (2001) [https://web.archive.org/web/20061106212643/http://www.electroempire.com/cgi-bin/articles/index.cgi?action=details&ID=50 The Future Sound Of Electro]. ElectroEmpire.com</ref><ref name="softskull">{{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |title=Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture |year=2013 |publisher=Soft Skull Press}}</ref> and draws direct influence from early [[hip-hop]] and [[funk]] music.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Language Report |url=https://archive.org/details/languagereport00dent |last=Dent |first=Susie |page=43 |year=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-860860-8}}</ref>

Electro music is typically characterized by synthetic beats, robotic textures, and minimal or electronically processed vocals—often delivered through [[vocoder]]s or [[talkbox]]es. Unlike its boogie predecessor, which emphasized vocal elements, electro focused more on rhythm and machine-generated sound.

The genre arose as the popularity of [[disco]] waned in the U.S., blending [[funk]] and early [[hip hop]] elements with influences from New York's boogie scene and electronic pop from Germany and Japan. Foundational artists in the electro movement include [[Arthur Baker (musician)|Arthur Baker]], [[Afrika Bambaataa]], [[Warp 9]], and [[Hashim Music|Hashim]]. Pioneering tracks like "[[Planet Rock (song)|Planet Rock]]" (1982) and "[[Nunk (song)|Nunk]]" (1982) established the genre’s signature sound.

Electro reached peak popularity in the early 1980s. However, the genre began to shift by the mid-decade, incorporating harder beats and rock elements, as seen in the work of groups like [[Run DMC]]. After a period of decline, a revival emerged in the late 1990s led by artists such as [[Anthony Rother]] and DJs like [[Dave Clarke (DJ)|Dave Clarke]].<ref name="ishkurOnElectro">{{Cite web |author=Ishkur |url=http://techno.org/electronic-music-guide/electro.swf |title=Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music |date=2005 |access-date=June 1, 2014 |archive-date=April 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407095918/http://techno.org/electronic-music-guide/electro.swf |url-status=dead}}</ref> A third wave of interest surfaced around 2007.

Today, electro continues to evolve through numerous subgenres and fusion styles, maintaining its legacy as a foundational pillar of modern electronic dance music.

==Definition and characteristics==
{{Listen
|pos = right
|filename = 808Chunk - Breaking Energy.ogg
|title = An electro track example
|description = The beat like that of a Roland TR-808 Synthesizer at 0:04 and the electronically processed vocals at 0:22 are the characteristics of the genre.
}}

From its inception, one of the defining characteristics of the electro sound was the use of [[drum machine]]s, particularly the [[Roland TR-808]], as the rhythmic basis of the track. As the genre evolved,  computers and sampling replaced drum machines in electronic music, and are now used by the majority of electro producers. It is important to note, that although the electro of the 1980s and contemporary electro ([[electronic dance music]]) both grew out of the dissolution of disco, they are now different genres.

Classic (1980s) electro drum patterns tend to be electronic emulations of [[breakbeat]]s with a syncopated kick drum, and usually a snare or clap accenting the backbeat. The difference between electro drumbeats and breakbeats (or breaks) is that electro tends to be more mechanical, while breakbeats tend to have more of a human-like feel, like that of a live drummer.  The definition however is somewhat ambiguous in nature due to the various uses of the term.<ref>[http://www.electrofunkroots.co.uk/articles/what.html Electro-Funk : What Did It All Mean?]. Electrofunkroots.co.uk. Retrieved on July 18, 2011.</ref>

The [[Roland TR-808]] drum machine was released in 1980, defining early electro with its immediately recognizable sound. Staccato, percussive drumbeats tended to dominate electro, almost exclusively provided by the TR-808. As an inexpensive way of producing a drum sound, the TR-808 caught on quickly with the producers of early electro because of the ability of its [[bass drum]] to generate extreme low-frequencies.<ref name=Anysound>{{cite magazine |title= Anysound |magazine=Keyboard |volume=14 |issue=11 |page=34 |year=1988}}; as cited in {{cite book |author=Théberge, Paul |title=Any sound you can imagine: making music/consuming all counts of technology |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |location=Middletown, Conn |year=1997 |pages= [https://books.google.com/books?id=asBnYmKKz6kC&pg=PA197 197] |isbn=978-0-8195-6309-5 }}</ref> This aspect of the Roland TR-808 was especially appealing to producers who would test drive their tracks in nightclubs (like NYC's Funhouse), where the bass drum sound was essential for a record's success.<ref>Harvey, Steven "The Perfect Beat" The Face Magazine, October 1983</ref> Its unique percussion sounds like handclaps, open and closed high-hat, clave and cowbell became integral to the electro sound.  A number of popular songs in the early 1980s employed the TR-808, including Marvin Gaye's “Sexual Healing,” Cybotron's “Clear,” and Afrika Bambaataa's “Planet Rock.”<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Grove Dictionary of American Music|last=Dayal|first=Geeta|publisher=Oxford Music Online|year=2013|pages=Roland TR–808}}</ref> The Roland TR-808 has attained iconic status, eventually being used on more hits than any other drum machine.<ref>{{citation|title=A Beginner's Guide to Digital Video|author=Peter Wells|publisher=AVA Books|year=2004|isbn=978-2-88479-037-6|page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stvOCfhc_igC&pg=PA18 |access-date=May 20, 2011}}</ref> Through the use of samples, the Roland TR-808 remains popular in electro and other genres to the present day.

Other electro instrumentation was generally electronic, favoring [[analog synthesizer|analog synthesis]], programmed bass lines, sequenced or arpeggiated synthetic riffs, and atonal sound effects all created with [[synthesizers]]. Heavy use of effects such as [[reverb]]s, [[Delay (audio effect)|delays]], [[Chorus effect|chorus]] or [[Phaser (effect)|phasers]] along with eerie synthetic ensemble strings or pad sounds emphasized the [[science fiction]] or [[futuristic]] themes of classic (1980s) electro, represented in the lyrics and/or music. Electro hip hop group [[Warp 9]]'s 1983 single, [[Light Years Away (Warp 9 song)|Light Years Away]], produced and written by [[Lotti Golden]] and Richard Scher, exemplifies the [[Sci-Fi]], [[afrofuturist]] aspect of electro,<ref name=Toop-2000 /> reflected in both the lyrics and instrumentation. The imagery of its lyrical refrain ''space is the place for the human race'' pays homage to [[Sun Ra]]'s 1974 [[Space Is the Place|film of the same name]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072195/|title=Space Is the Place|website=IMDb.com}}</ref> while its synth lines and sound effects are informed by sci-fi, computer games, and cartoons,"born of a science-fiction revival.".<ref name=Toop-2000 />{{rp|148}}

Most electro is instrumental, but a common element is vocals processed through a [[vocoder#Musical applications|vocoder]]. Additionally, [[speech synthesis]] may be used to create robotic or mechanical lyrical content, as in the iconic [[Planet Rock (song)|Planet Rock]] and the automatous chant in the chorus of [[Nunk (song)|Nunk]] by [[Warp 9]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qXTuAAAAMAAJ&q=Warp+9+music+group|title=Newsweek|first1=Raymond|last1=Moley|first2=Joseph Becker|last2=Phillips|first3=Malcolm|last3=Muir|first4=Rex|last4=Smith|first5=Samuel Thurston|last5=Williamson|date=November 20, 1983|publisher=Newsweek, Incorporated|via=Google Books}}</ref> Although primarily instrumental, early electro utilized rap. Male rap dominated the genre, however female rappers are an integral part of the electro tradition, whether featured in a group as in [[Warp 9]] or as solo performers like [[Roxanne Shante]]. The lyrical style that emerged along with electro became less popular by the 1990s, as rapping continued to evolve, becoming the domain of [[hip hop music]].

About electro origins:
{{Cquote|It was all about stretching the boundaries that had begun to stifle black music, and its influences lay not only with German technopop wizards [[Kraftwerk]], the acknowledged forefathers of pure electro, plus British futurist acts like the [[Human League]] and [[Gary Numan]], but also with a number of pioneering black musicians. Major artists like [[Miles Davis]], [[Sly Stone]], [[Herbie Hancock]], [[Stevie Wonder]], legendary producer [[Norman Whitfield]] and, of course, [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] and his P Funk brigade, would all play their part in shaping this new sound via their innovative use of [[electronic instruments]] during the 70s (and as early as the late 60s in Miles Davis’s case).|||[[Greg Wilson (DJ)|Greg Wilson]]}}
{{cquote|Gary Numan. Man he was dope. So important to us. When we heard that single, "Are Friends Electric?" it was like the aliens had landed in the Bronx. We were just throwing shapes to this tune, man. More than Kraftwerk. Numan was the inspiration. He's a hero. Without him, there'd be no electro.||| Afrika Bambaataa<ref name=blackfuture>Butler, Mark J. "Electronica, Dance and Club Music" (2017). [https://books.google.com/books?id=OkQrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA456 page 456], Routledge. {{ISBN|9781351568548}}.</ref>}}

==History==
[[File:Afrika Bambaataa and DJ Yutaka (2004).jpg|thumb|upright=1.182|[[Afrika Bambaataa]] (left) in 2004]]
Following the decline of [[disco]] music in the late 1970s, various funk artists such as [[Zapp (band)|Zapp]] began experimenting with [[talk box]]es and the use of heavier, more distinctive beats. [[Boogie (genre)|Boogie]] played a role during the formative years of electro, notably "Feels Good" by Electra ([[Emergency Records|Emergency]] – EMDS-6527),<ref name=Kraftinwork/> the [[post-disco]] production "[[You're the One for Me (D. Train song)|You're the One for Me]]" by [[D Train (music group)|D. Train]] (Prelude – PRL D 621),<ref name=Kraftinwork>{{Cite book|last=David Pattie|first=Sean Albiez|year=2011 |title=Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop|publisher=A&C Black, 2011|page=728 |isbn=9781441191366}}</ref>  and the [[Eric Matthew]]/[[Darryl Payne]] productions "[[Thanks to You]]" by [[Sinnamon]] (Becket – BKD 508),<ref name=Kraftinwork/> and "On A Journey (I Sing The Funk Electric)"  by Electrik Funk (Prelude – PRL D 541).<ref name=Kraftinwork/> Electro eventually emerged as a fusion of different styles, including [[funk]], boogie combined with German and Japanese [[technopop]], in addition to influences from the [[futurism]] of [[Alvin Toffler]], [[martial arts film]]s, and [[video game music]]. The genre's immediate forebears included [[Kraftwerk]] and [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]] (YMO).<ref name="Electro">{{cite web|title=Electro|website=[[Allmusic]]|url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/electro-ma0000002571|access-date=June 20, 2012}}</ref>

In 1980, YMO was the first band to utilize the TR-808 programmable drum machine.<ref>{{citation|title=Icons of hip hop: an encyclopedia of the movement, music, and culture, Volume 1|author=Mickey Hess|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |year=2007|isbn=978-0-313-33903-5|page=75|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LldOLnIQ66cC&pg=PA69|access-date=May 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Slaves to the rhythm: Kanye West is the latest to pay tribute to a classic drum machine|date=November 28, 2008|author=Jason Anderson |publisher=[[CBC News]]|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/slaves-to-the-rhythm-1.771508 |access-date=May 29, 2011}}</ref> That same year, YMO member [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] released "[[B-2 Unit|Riot in Lagos]]", which is regarded as an early example of electro music,<ref>{{cite book|last=Broughton|first=Frank |title=La historia del DJ / The DJ's Story, Volume 2|year=2007 |publisher=Ediciones Robinbook|isbn=978-84-96222-79-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1GMxP6mpRdgC&pg=PA121|access-date=May 25, 2011|page=121}}</ref><ref name="mantronik_interview"/> and is credited for having anticipated the beats and sounds of electro.<ref name="wire_1996">{{citation|title=A-Z Of Electro|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]] |issue=145|date=March 1996|author=David Toop|url=http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/210/|access-date=May 29, 2011}}</ref> The song's influence can be seen in the work of later pioneering electro artists such as Afrika Bambaataa<ref name="wire_1996" /> and [[Mantronix]].<ref name="mantronik_interview">{{citation|title=Kurtis Mantronik Interview |work=Hip Hop Storage |date=July 2002 |url=http://www.cheebadesign.com/legends/articleX.html |access-date=May 25, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524234641/http://www.cheebadesign.com/legends/articleX.html |archive-date=May 24, 2011}}</ref>

Electro experienced a watershed year in 1982. [[Bronx]] based producer [[Afrika Bambaataa]] released the seminal track "[[Planet Rock (song)|Planet Rock]]", which contained elements of Kraftwerk's "[[Trans-Europe Express (song)|Trans-Europe Express]]" (from the [[Trans-Europe Express (album)|album of the same name]]) and "Numbers" (from Kraftwerk's 1981 ''[[Computer World]]'' album)<ref name="globaldarkness.com"/><ref name="wire_1996" /><ref name="perkins_1996">{{citation|title=Droppin' science: critical essays on rap music and hip hop culture|author=William Eric Perkins|publisher=[[Temple University Press]]|year=1996|isbn=978-1-56639-362-1|page=12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zGC_ZNOrKDwC&pg=PA12|access-date=May 26, 2011}}</ref> combined with the use of distinctive TR-808 beats.<ref name="wire_1996" /> "Planet Rock" is widely regarded as a turning point in the electro genre, "like a light being switched on."<ref name=Toop-2000 />{{rp|146}}<ref>Sicko, D., ''Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk'', Billboard Books, 1999 ({{ISBN|978-0823084289}}), p. 73.</ref> Another groundbreaking record released that year, [[Nunk (song)|Nunk]] by [[Warp 9]] utilized "imagery drawn from computer games and hip hop slanguage."<ref name="Toop-2000" /> Although remaining unreleased, a pre-[[Def Jam]] [[Russell Simmons]] produced [[Bruce Haack]]'s proto hip-hop single "Party Machine" at a studio in Philadelphia. Electro hip hop releases in 1982 include songs by: [[Planet Patrol]], [[Warp 9]], [[Man Parrish]], [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] (''[[Computer Games (album)|Computer Games]]''), [[Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five]], [[Tyrone Brunson (musician)|Tyrone Brunson]], [[The Jonzun Crew]] and [[Whodini]].<ref name="Toop-2000" />

In 1983, [[Hashim Music|Hashim]] created the influential electro funk tune "[[Jerry Calliste Jr|Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)]]" which became Cutting Record's first release in November 1983.<ref>Kellman, A. (2007). ''Hashim Biography''. All Media Guide. Retrieved September 6, 2007, from [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p84977|pure_url=yes}}]</ref> At the time Hashim was influenced by [[Man Parrish]]'s "[[Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop)|Hip Hop, Be Bop]]", [[Thomas Dolby]]'s "[[She Blinded Me With Science]]" and Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock".<ref>{{cite interview |interviewer=Rascal |subject=Hashim |date=2000 |title=Hashim interview |work=ElectroEmpire.com |access-date=September 5, 2007 |url=http://www.electroempire.com/cgi-bin/articles/index.cgi?action=details&ID=31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605054506/http://www.electroempire.com/cgi-bin/articles/index.cgi?action=details&ID=31 |archive-date=June 5, 2008}}</ref> "Al-Nafyish" was later included in [[Playgroup (band)|Playgroup]]'s [[compilation album]] ''Kings of Electro'' (2007), alongside other electro classics such as Sakamoto's "Riot in Lagos".<ref>{{allMusic|album|r2003688|Kings of Electro}}</ref> Also in 1983, [[Herbie Hancock]], in collaboration with [[Grand Mixer D.ST]], released the hit single "[[Rockit (song)|Rockit]]".

Bambaataa and groups like [[Planet Patrol]], [[Jonzun Crew]], Mantronix, [[Newcleus]], [[Warp 9]] and [[Juan Atkins]]' [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]-based group [[Cybotron (American band)|Cybotron]] went on to influence the genres of [[Detroit techno]], [[ghettotech]], [[breakbeat]], [[drum and bass]] and [[electroclash]]. Early producers in the electro genre (notably [[Arthur Baker (musician)|Arthur Baker]],<ref>[http://www.electrofunkroots.co.uk/articles/when_the_planet_rocked.html When The Planet Rocked]. Electrofunkroots.co.uk. Retrieved on July 18, 2011.</ref> [[John Robie]] and [[Shep Pettibone]]) later featured prominently in the [[Freestyle music|Latin Freestyle]] (or simply "Freestyle") movement, along with [[Lotti Golden]] and Richard Scher (the producer/writers of [[Warp 9]]) fusing electro, funk, and hip hop with elements of Latin music.<ref name=Toop-2000>Toop, David (2000). Rap Attack 3: African Rap To Global Hip Hop. (Expanded Third Edition) Serpent's Tail, London N4 2BT p.148 {{ISBN|1-85242-627-6}}.</ref>

By the late 1980s, the genre evolved into what is known today as [[new school hip hop]]. The release of [[Run DMC]]'s [[It's Like That (Run–D.M.C. song)|It's Like That]] (1983) marked a stylistic shift, focusing down on the beats in a stark, metal minimalism.<ref name=Toop-2000 />{{rp|151}} Rock samples replaced synthesizers that had figured so prominently in electro, and rap styles and techniques evolved in tandem, anchoring rap to the changing hip hop culture.<ref name="allmusic">{{Cite web
|url = http://www.allmusic.com/style/electro-ma0000002571
|title =  Electro
|website = [[AllMusic]]
|access-date = October 4, 2014
|quote = Despite its successes (documented in full on Rhino's four-disc Electric Funk set), the style was quickly eclipsed by the mid-'80s rise of hip-hop music built around samples (often from rock records) rather than musical synthesizers.
}}</ref> 
Baker, Pettibone, Golden and Scher enjoyed robust careers well into the house era, eluding the "genre trap" to successfully produce mainstream artists.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081006231201/http://www.electroempire.com/miami.htm Miami Gets Put On the Musical Map]. ElectroEmpire.com</ref>

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Detroit Techno musicians James Stinson and [[Gerald Donald]] released numerous EPs, singles and albums of conceptual electro music under several different aliases. Their main project, [[Drexciya]] is known for exploration of [[science fiction]] and aquatic themes.

Electro music inspired by the electro revival in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] during the mid 90's is often cited as neo electro, however it is simply a term and not a genre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neo-Electro Music Style Overview |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/neo-electro-ma0000011910 |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref>

== Electro-soul ==
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Electro-soul
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|Electro|[[Soul music|soul]]|[[hip hop]]|[[funk]]|[[jazz]]}}
| cultural_origins  = Early 1980s
| derivatives       = 
| subgenres         = 
| fusiongenres      = 
| regional_scenes   = {{hlist|[[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]|[[Denver, Colorado|Denver]]}}
| local_scenes      = 
| other_topics      = [[New jack swing]], [[hip hop soul]]
| image             = 
| caption           = 
}}

In the early 1980s, Detroit techno DJ [[Eddie Fowlkes]] shaped a related style called electro-soul, which was characterized by a predominant bass line and a chopped up electro breakbeat contrasted with [[soul music|soul]]ful male vocals.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Fader|last=King|first=SB|page=188|magazine=[[The Fader]]|issue=16–17|year=2003}}</ref> [[Kurtis Mantronik]]'s electro-soul productions for [[Joyce Sims]] presaged [[new jack swing]]'s combination of hip hop and soul elements.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shapiro|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Shapiro (journalist)|title=The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop|edition=2nd|publisher=[[Rough Guides]]|year=2005|page=2005|isbn=978-1843532637}}</ref> In a 2016 profile on the genre's rise in Denver's music scene, Dylan Owens of ''[[The Denver Post]]'' writes, "As with all fledgling genres, little about electro-soul is defined — even what to call it. (Of the eight artists interviewed for this article, none agreed on any one name.) But what does seem sure is its rise, especially locally. If Denver can be known as the musical torchbearer of any genre, it's electro-soul's half-live, half-produced swirl of hip-hop, soul, funk and jazz."<ref>{{cite news|last=Owens|first=Dylan|date=December 29, 2016|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2016/12/29/electro-soul-music-denver-pretty-lights/|title=How electro-soul found its home in Denver's 'middle of nowhere' music scene|newspaper=[[The Denver Post]]|access-date=November 10, 2022}}</ref>

"[[No Self Control (Peter Gabriel song)|No Self Control]]" by [[Peter Gabriel]], taken from his [[Peter Gabriel (1980 album)|1980 self-titled album]], has been described as electro-soul,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/peter-gabriel-the-first-four-solo-albums-remastered-71496/|title=Peter Gabriel - the first four solo albums remastered|first=Graeme|last=Thomson|date=October 30, 2015}}</ref> fused with [[art rock]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/05078-a-face-melting-record-peter-gabriel-iii-30-years-on|title=The Quietus &#124; Features &#124; Anniversary &#124; Peter Gabriel 3: Melt 40 Years On By Chris Roberts|website=The Quietus}}</ref>

==Contemporary electro==
{{see also|Electroclash|Electro house|Skweee}}
{{Redirect|Electrocore|the company|ElectroCore|the fusion genre of [[metalcore]] and/or [[post-hardcore]] with elements of various [[electronic music]] genres|Electronicore}}
{{more citations needed section|date=November 2009}}
Although the early 1980s were electro's heyday in the mainstream, it enjoyed renewed popularity in the late 1990s with artists such as [[Anthony Rother]] and DJs such as [[Dave Clarke (techno DJ)|Dave Clarke]]. The genre made yet another comeback for a third wave of popularity in 2007. The continued interest in electro, though influenced to a great degree by Florida, Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles and New York styles, has primarily taken hold in Florida and Europe with electro club nights becoming commonplace again. The scene still manages to support hundreds of electro labels, from the disco electro of Clone Records, to the [[old school hip hop|old school]] [[b-boy]] styles of Breakin’ Records and Dominance Electricity, to the electrofunk of Citinite, and to harder more modern styles of electro of labels like Bass Frequency Productions and Nu Illusion Music.

New branches of electro have risen over the last couple of years.  Florida has pioneered the "Electrocore" sound, started in the late 1990s by artists like Jackal and Hyde and Dynamix II and carried on to this day. [[Skweee]] is a genre which developed in Nordic countries such as [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]], hence its first name "Scandinavian Funk". The outlets and artists of Skweee are still mostly limited to the Nordic countries.

Starting in the late 1990s, the term "electro" is also used to refer two other fusion genres of electro, either blended with [[techno]] and [[new wave music|new wave]] in [[electroclash]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dorian Lynskey |title=Out with the old, in with the older |work=The Guardian |date=March 22, 2002 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/mar/22/shopping.artsfeatures2?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,448998,00.html|title=The Electroclash Mix by Larry Tee|website=Ew.com|accessdate=February 25, 2021|archive-date=September 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930181935/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,448998,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2006, [[Direct Influence]], a six-piece [[Melbourne]] based electro/rock/reggae group was formed.<ref name="Rhythm & Vines">{{cite web |url=http://www.rhythmandvines.co.nz/2010/index2.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=421 |title=Direct Influence |access-date=2011-03-01 |author=Rhythm & Vines |publisher=Rhythm & Vines |date=November 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202002022/http://www.rhythmandvines.co.nz/2010/index2.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=421 |archivedate=2 December 2010}}</ref>

The genre enjoyed a resurgence starting in 2016, with DJs like Helena Hauff and DJ Stingray gaining more popularity and festivals like Dekmantel featuring it prominently on their lineups. Labels like Cultivated Electronics, CPU, Mars Frequency Records, Furatena, brokntoys and Mechatronica are currently pushing a new trove of artists <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://djmag.com/content/return-electro|title=The return of electro |date=August 25, 2017|website=Djmag.com |accessdate=February 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://mixmag.net/feature/the-rise-and-rise-of-electro|title=The rise and rise of electro |website=Mixmag.net|accessdate=February 25, 2021}}</ref> which has introduced the genre to a new generation.

==See also==
* [[Glitch (music)]]

==References==
 {{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|electro}}
* [http://www.electrofunkroots.co.uk/articles/what.html Electro Funk: What Did It All Mean?]

{{Hip hop}}
{{Funk}}
{{Boogierock}}
{{Electronica}}

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[[Category:Electro (music)| ]]
[[Category:African-American music]]
[[Category:Hip-hop genres]]
[[Category:Electronic dance music genres]]