As technology was progressing, and war was the preferred method of conflict resolution, there was a simultaneous growth in music. Computers were being used for a lot more than just planning strike locations. Fingers were typing out the Morse code and tapping out new beats. People were exploring foreign continents and equally foreign styles of music. A sort of resistance movement, if I may put it so boldly. And soon after the first bomb dropped, the beats started dropping – and the snowball hasn’t stopped rolling since then. And while war has become redundant, dance music has only just begun its journey changing lives.

Before I delve too deeply into this subject, I want to define what dance music is. According to Webster “dance music is a set of percussive electronic music genres produced primarily for environments centered in dance based entertainment, such as nightclub settings.” A lot of technical terms that leave one unsatisfied. If I had to define it, I’d probably relate to a feeling. A hum that builds up higher and higher and then in one fell swoop drops and rises all at the same time. Its no wonder it’s created a sort of cult following in the recent years. “Music is a spiritual gift; it unites people who are separated by racial, political, religious, social and sexual barriers. In understanding this gift we can give to others and teach them to love and share music. In this act we are spreading love with music. The role of the DJ in this is simple. Spread the love.” This, in a nutshell, is what dance music is according to Eddie Gordon, the creator of BBC Radio 1‘s Essential Mix.

EDM is like an ocean. It encompasses a wide range of sub genres that add depth to its vastness. In recent years, as the dance scene has exploded, the sub genres have multiplied and jumped and increased manifold. Some we’re familiar with: techno, electro, trance, house, dub step, trap et cetera. And these distinctions are important, I’ll admit because each genre of music has evolved in a certain way through experimentation throughout history. But have you heard of minimal gloomcore techno? Perhaps you have, but in all probability you haven’t. This style could even be too damn specific to exist.

What I’ve noticed about dance music is that genre labels cannot be the defining point of a track. Every single individual interprets music differently. Some could be in favor of removing all the extra sub genres being attached to the parent genre and leave it at that, but then again there are some who will add countless amount of sub genres; disco house, 2 – step garage, illbient (do you know what that is? Because I definitely do not know what that is) etc. They create endless sub style categories, in order to create a label as specific as specific can get – so much so that you’ve forgotten the parent genre by the time you’re done listing the various sub genres a song falls under.

To categorize a song under a specific sub-genre is too limiting. Especially with globalization, walls are breaking down. Genres are flowing into one another that you just cannot neatly fit a song into a category. Armin van Buuren has created numerous electro tracks in the recent past during his podcasts of ‘A State of Trance‘. And the reason this is highly unusual is because we all know him as the God of trance.

Recently, Avicii released ‘Wake Me Up’; a song that starts off sounding strangely like, synthesized country music. Avicii really busted the barriers of genres with that one, and even though it received mixed reviews, you hear it at so many popular clubs and you dance to it. Personally, I’d really like to hear collaboration between Kaskade and Drake. Two completely different genres that could, maybe just work. Sure, that song is probably going to receive its fair share of both positive and negative reviews, but you have to admit, it could potentially become a club classic and even bring two very different genre music lovers together. That’s what dance music is about, transcending boundaries and getting us to get together and get down.

So while artists are disregarding genres, so are major music festivals. When raves first started in the late 1980’s, it was rare to hear more than one style of music played at any given party. Today we have EDC and Tomorrowland (to name just a few) playing everything and anything falling under the large umbrella that is dance music. The festivals are spread over many stages, many days and one can pick and choose what they want to hear. Its almost impossible to hear just one style of music at a festival, especially now that dance music has exploded into the worlds culture and more and more people are getting into the dance music craze.

Agreed, a lot of festivals have one headlining DJ – most often based on the most famous act available – there will also be different stages where different people will spin their own tunes. The barriers falling, the diversity in dance music is almost political. It’s synonymous with the world becoming one global village and you see influences from all over the world trickling into your favorite dance tracks and maybe, just maybe, there’s someone halfway across the world learning more about your culture through a song by their favorite dance music DJ.

There are three things in life that can set you free, the truth, love and music. So there’s no point in segregating music when the very essence of it is to liberate you and flow through. So let’s put all the debates and in – fighting to rest about which genre comes from where and realize that when that song starts to play, you just forget where it came from and only remember how it makes you feel.