Is EDM Dying?
For several years, electronic dance music was all over the radio. This ranged from genres including variations of house, trap and others. House was an extremely popular genre (and still is) with an abundance of subgenres. Remember ‘Party Rock Anthem’? That’s house. ‘Turn Down for What’ is trap. Every pop track can be linked to an electronic genre. That is, until someone creates a new genre altogether.
Many musicians have noticed the trend shifting back towards live performances and the use of real instruments, rather than tracks with an electronic focus. This is the result of too many similar and unoriginal electronic compositions over the years. EDM isn’t dying, it’s just evolving.
This progressing shift is currently known as "Post-EDM", though Spotify calls it “Indietronic”. The success of people like Porter Robinson proves this change is happening. This isn’t to say that an EDM artist can’t succeed; however, producers must always strive for originality, and the use of real instruments and vocals can help. This new era has yet to make its way onto mainstream radio.
One vocalist and songwriter, Laura Brehm, expressed that regardless of genre, young producers should create music that they are passionate about. “You aren’t required to follow trends, you know?” she says.
At the end of the day, you can expect to hear more genre hybrids and genre-less songs. If you’re looking for something to listen to, try Melancholy by REZZ & Laura Brehm. It is an amazing example of the change, and may be the type of song you’ll end up singing along to in the near future.