In partnership Bose's Sounds of Summer, we take a look at how musical subgenres spread beyond geographical borders in our Seeds & Stems series. Here we take a look at how Electronica went from UK niche to one of Australia's most favoured subgenres.The term electronica emerged in the late 1990s as a vague descriptor for a broad range of electronic music styles, encompassing all manner of styles that didn't fit into readily established labels such as house. As what was known as electronica made massive inroads to the mainstream, thanks to artists such as Moby with the all-conquering Play, plus experiments by pop superstars such as Madonna, a gulf was carved underneath what electronica represented. With such a wide scope of subgenres represented, the term electronica was dissipated somewhat on a global scale, replaced by the even more meaningless label EDM (electronic dance music) – with subgenres gaining their own solidified set of labels. IDM (intelligent dance music) surfaced as a counterpoint term to EDM, sticking in some circles to describe more abstract compositions that may shy away from finding a home on club dancefloors.
The UK became fertile grounds for such acts, with the label 'electronica' again finding favour to describe more intricate productions created by such vanguard acts as Autechre and Boards Of Canada. Established in the UK in the late 1980s, record label Warp gained due reputation as a trusted bastion of electronica artists, its imprint still a stamp of quality to this day.
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Seeds & Stems: How Electronica Made Its Way To Sydney
From Severed Heads to Seekae, a look at one of Australia's most favoured subgenres.