Electronic rock
{{short description|Music genre}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name = Electronic rock
| other_names = Electro rock, synth rock
| stylistic_origins = * Rock
- electronic
- musique concrète
- tape music
- avant-garde
- pop{{cite book|url=https://www.peterlang.com/view/9783653979206/14_Chapter07.html|title=Electronic Rock : On the History of Rock Music|date=10 September 2014 |isbn=9783653979206|access-date=24 November 2017}}
- art rock
| cultural_origins = Late 1960s
| instruments = * Synthesizer
| derivatives =
| subgenres = * Indietronica
- alternative dance
- dance-punk
- electroclash
- grebo
- industrial rock
- krautrock
- madchester
- new rave
- Nintendocore
- electropunk
| fusiongenres =
| other_topics = * Electronics in rock music
}}
Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrumentation into their music. Electronic rock acts usually fuse elements from other music styles, including punk rock, industrial rock, hip hop, techno and synth-pop, which has helped spur subgenres such as indietronica, dance-punk and electroclash.
Overview
Being a fusion of rock and electronic, electronic rock features instruments found in both genres, such as synthesizers, mellotrons, tape music techniques, electric guitars and drums. Some electronic rock artists, however, often eschew guitar in favor of using technology to emulate a rock sound. Vocals are typically mellow or upbeat,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jxrtek_vttEC&q=electronic+rock+rock&pg=PT172|title=Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture|first=Edward|last=Macan|date=24 November 1997|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195098877|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books}} but instrumentals are also common in the genre.{{cite web|url=https://sonicscoop.com/2013/11/19/the-abcs-ofelectronic-rock-in-the-studio-the-doors-to-depeche-mode-lcd-soundsystem/|title=The ABC's of…Electronic Rock in the Studio: The Doors to Depeche Mode & LCD Soundsystem |website=SonicScoop|date= 19 November 2013|access-date=24 November 2017}}
A trend of rock bands that incorporated electronic sounds began during the late 1960s. According to critic Simon Reynolds, examples included the United States of America, White Noise and Gong.{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=King of the Cosmos |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/apr/22/features.musicmonthly7 |website=The Observer |date=21 April 2007 |access-date=4 January 2020}} Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco, authors of the 2004 book Analog Days, credit the Beach Boys' 1966 hit "Good Vibrations" with having "popularly connected far-out, electronic sounds with rock 'n' roll."{{cite book|last1=Pinch|first1=T. J|last2=Trocco|first2=Frank|title=Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoUs2SSvG4EC|year=2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-04216-2}}
Other early acts to blend synthesizers and musique concrète's tape music techniques with rock instrumentation included Silver Apples, Fifty Foot Hose, Syrinx, Lothar and the Hand People, Beaver & Krause and Tonto's Expanding Head Band.{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=Synthedelia: Psychedelic Electronic Music in the 1960s |url=https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/05/synthedelia |website=Red Bull Music Academy |access-date=5 January 2020}} Many such 1960s acts blended psychedelic rock with avant-garde academic or underground influences.
In the 1970s, German krautrock bands such as Neu!, Kraftwerk, Can and Amon Düül challenged rock boundaries by incorporating electronic instrumentation.{{cite web |last1=Demby |first1=Eric |title=OLD NEU! Albums Finally Coming Stateside |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1441197/old-neu-albums-finally-coming-stateside/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123020724/http://www.mtv.com/news/1441197/old-neu-albums-finally-coming-stateside/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 January 2015 |website=MTV News |access-date=25 January 2020}} In 2004, Uncut described Kraftwerk's "incalculable" impact on electronic rock as being felt on major records like David Bowie's Low (1977) and Radiohead's Kid A (2000).{{cite journal |last1=Dalton |first1=Stephen |title=Kraftwerk: OK Computer |journal=Uncut |date=April 2004 |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/kraftwerk-ok-computer |access-date=6 November 2023}} Since the late 2000s, electronic rock has become increasingly popular.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w24sDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Electronic+rock+rock%22&pg=PT144|title=Gender and Rock|first=Mary Celeste|last=Kearney|date=13 July 2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190297695|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books}}
Subgenres and other terms<!--'Electropunk' and 'Synthpunk' redirects here-->
The term "progressive rock" (or "prog rock") was originally coined in the 1960s for music that would otherwise be described as "electronic rock," but the definition of "prog" later narrowed into a specific set of musical conventions as opposed to a sensibility involving forward-thinking or experimental approaches.{{cite book|page=117|last=Robinson|first=Emily|title=The Language of Progressive Politics in Modern Britain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LAYbDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA223|year=2017|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|isbn=978-1-137-50664-1}}
Electronic rock is also associated with industrial rock, synth-pop, dance-punk, indietronica, and new wave, with electroclash, new rave, post-punk revival, post-rock, considered as subgenres. Sometimes, certain other electronic subgenres are fused with rock, such as trance and techno, leading to the use of the terms trance rock and techno rock, respectively.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fie47qSuTsoC&q=%22Trance+rock+rock%22&pg=PA1780|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|first=Peter|last=Buckley|date=24 November 2017|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=9781858284576|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9-n6keDGDMC&q=%22Techno+rock+rock%22&pg=PA333|title=Year of Prophecy|first1=Elizabeth Clare|last1=Prophet|date=24 November 1989|publisher=Summit University Press|isbn=9780916766962|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books}}
=Synth-punk=
{{distinguish|dance-punk}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name = Synth-punk
| other_names = Electropunk, techno-punkLos Angeles Times, 27 Feb 1978
"L.A. PUNK ROCKERS - Six New Wave Bands Showcased"
| stylistic_origins = * Punk rock
| cultural_origins = Late 1970s
| instruments = * Synthesizer
| derivatives =
| subgenres = * Electronic body musicHillegonda C Rietveld (1998) This Is Our House: House Music, Cultural Spaces and Technologies Aldershot: Ashgate. {{ISBN|978-1-85742-242-9}}
| fusiongenres =
| other_topics = * Industrial rock
}}
Punk rock has been mixed with electronic music as well, creating subgenres like synth-punk (also known as electropunk) and dance-punk.{{cite book|last=Felix|first=Stanford|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide Music Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJ_Ql1fOCuwC&pg=PT257|year=2010|publisher=DK Publishing|isbn=978-1-101-19809-4|page=257}}Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978–1984. Simon Reynolds. Faber and Faber Ltd, April 2005, {{ISBN|0-571-21569-6}} (U.S. Edition: Penguin, February 2006, {{ISBN|0-14-303672-6}})
Suicide, formed in 1970, is known as one of the most influential artists in the genre.{{cite web | url=https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/07/18/24357413/alan-vega-agitational-vocalist-for-synth-punk-innovators-suicide-1938-2016 | title=Alan Vega, Agitational Vocalist for Synth-Punk Innovators Suicide, 1938-2016 }} Their sound over their five studio albums mixed punk rock with various electronic-based genres such as electronic rock,{{cite book |last1=DK |title=Music: The Definitive Visual History |date=2013 |publisher=Penguin |page=337 |isbn=9781465421265 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cUfyAAAAQBAJ&q=suicide+%22electronic+rock%22}} synth-pop, and disco. Their first album is widely regarded for setting the stage for subsequent post-punk, synth-pop and industrial rock acts.{{cite web | url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/suicide-first-album-mw0000690243 | title=Suicide - Suicide Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic | website=AllMusic }}
The Screamers were labeled "techno-punk" by the Los Angeles Times in 1978.Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb 1978
"L.A. PUNK ROCKERS - Six New Wave Bands Showcased" Rather than the usual electric guitars, the band's instrumentation included a heavily distorted Fender Rhodes electric piano and an ARP Odyssey synthesizer.
Devo, whilst better known for their 1980 synth-pop song "Whip It", also had an electronic sound rooted in punk rock.
The term synth-punk (or electropunk) was coined in 1999 by Damien Ramsey.{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJ_Ql1fOCuwC&pg=PT257|isbn=9781101198094|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide Music Dictionary: Music Explained in the Simplest Terms|date=6 July 2010|publisher=Penguin|quote=The term was invented in 1999 by Damien Ramsey to retroactively name a small subgenre of punk in which the musicians used synthesizers instead of guitars.}}
In the early 1980s, synth-punk fused with various electronic genres to create electronic body music, which would influence a number of subsequent industrial dance, industrial rock and industrial metal acts. It also influenced the hardcore punk inspired digital hardcore, which combines hardcore punk with electronic music, noise and heavy metal.{{Cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/theater/.premium-1.592188|title=Neo-Nazi Fighting Digital Hardcore Musician Comes to Israel|last=Kutner|first=Moshe|date=22 May 2014|work=Haaretz|access-date=9 July 2017|language=en}}Interview with J. Amaretto of DHR, WAX Magazine, issue 5, 1995. Included in liner notes of Digital Hardcore Recordings, Harder Than the Rest!!! compilation CD. It typically features fast tempos and aggressive sound samples.
In addition, pop punk fused itself with synth-punk to create a genre known as neon pop.
Later revival instances include electronic body music,Hillegonda C Rietveld (1998) This Is Our House: House Music, Cultural Spaces and Technologies Aldershot: Ashgate. {{ISBN|978-1-85742-242-9}} dance punk,{{cite book|last=Felix|first=Dr. Stanford|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide Music Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJ_Ql1fOCuwC&pg=PT257|year=2010|publisher=DK Publishing|isbn=978-1-101-19809-4|page=257}}Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978–1984. Simon Reynolds. Faber and Faber Ltd, April 2005, {{ISBN|0-571-21569-6}} (U.S. Edition: Penguin, February 2006, {{ISBN|0-14-303672-6}}) and electroclash. Other artists, like Chicago's Big Black, put guitars back in, and helped to spawn a new wave of math rock, industrial rock, and noise rock.
=Synth-metal=
{{Infobox music genre
| name = Synth-metal
| other_names =
| stylistic_origins = * Heavy metal
| cultural_origins = Early 1980s
| instruments = * Synthesizer
| derivatives =
| subgenres =
| fusiongenres =
| other_topics = * Industrial metal
}}
Synth-metal is the fusion of heavy metal and electronic music. It was pioneered in the 1980s with Iron Maiden's album Somewhere in Time and Judas Priest's album Turbo, both of which notably incorporate guitar synthesizers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/canberra-gigs-british-1980s-pop-stars-bananarama-to-play-southern-cross-club-20160201-gmid5c.html|title=Canberra gigs: British 1980s pop stars Bananarama to play Southern Cross Club|first=Dan|last=Bigna|date=4 February 2016|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=23 February 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Schafer |first=Joseph |date=14 April 2016 |title=Judas Priest's 'Turbo' Turns 30 |url=https://www.invisibleoranges.com/judas-priests-turbo-turns-30/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421124243/https://www.invisibleoranges.com/judas-priests-turbo-turns-30/ |archive-date=21 April 2016 |access-date=23 February 2022 |website=Invisible Oranges}} They were both released in 1986.
Besides synth-metal, electronicore, electrogrind, coldwave and dungeon synth, heavy metal is also sometimes mixed with other electronic genres and their subgenres, inspiring terms such as electronic metal, electronic dance metal, trance metal, techno metal, and cyber metal.{{cite web|url=http://www.metalinjection.net/lists/10-current-artists-who-effortlessly-blend-metal-with-other-genres/2|title=10 Current Artists That Effortlessly Blend Metal With Other Genres - Page 2 of 2 |website=Metalinjection.net|date=2 November 2016|access-date=24 November 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/09/19/is-electronic-dance-metal-the-next-big-thing/|title=IS ELECTRONIC DANCE METAL THE NEXT BIG THING??? |website=Metalsucks.net|date=19 September 2012|access-date=24 November 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mensxp.com/special-features/today/12012-30-second-guide-to-trance-metal.html|title=30 Second guide to: Trance Metal|website=Mensxp.com|date=14 December 2012|access-date=24 November 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=78347|title=Unearthing The Electronic Metal Underground|website=Metalunderground.com|access-date=24 November 2017}}[http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/fear-factory-to-release-genexus-album-in-august/ BlabberMouth]{{text-source inline|date=December 2017}}