turbine - The Decade in Music Genre Hype

December 23, 2009

(via lollinhawd)

ELECTROCLASH

Hype Cycle: 2001–2003

Key Artists: Peaches, Miss Kittin & the Hacker, Felix Da Housecat

What It Was: Somehow finding the common ground between Fashion Week and college radio, electroclash artists used tinny keyboard blips and hackneyed new wave clichés to help publicize their oversize personalities (and occasionally their music).

Creative Peak: None.

Typically Effusive Praise at the Time: “#1 still sounds fresh, with that same lightning-in-a-bottle feeling that Prodigy’s The Fat of the Land had nearly six years ago … unlike all the empty pop music you hear on mainstream radio today, this is one pop album that gets it right for once.” —PopMatters on Fischerspooner, 2003

What Happened?: Electroclash never really died—it just keeps renaming itself every three years. See the “electropunk” of MU, the “electropop” of the Knife, or the “wonky pop” of La Roux.

BLOG HOUSE

Hype Cycle: 2006–2008

Key Artists: Justice, Simian Mobile Disco, Boys Noize

What It Was: A term allegedly coined on the Hollertronix message board, “blog house” described the nu-electro sounds, mainly from French labels like Ed Banger and Kitsuné, of electronic bands that sounded like rock bands—a/k/a stuff an earnest 19-year-old blogger wouldn’t recognize as the Hackers soundtrack with a Fader co-sign.

Creative Peak: Justice, † [2007]

Typically Effusive Praise at the Time: “A creative tour de force, Justice have unleashed an era-defining album for the children of acid house. Never mind Daft Punk, here’s disco punk.” —The Guardian, 2007

What Happened?: For fuck’s sake, we called it “blog house.” It was the fickle attitudes of dance music fans combined with the even fickler attitudes of Internet users. It’s shocking it lasted as long as it did.