Intelligent dance music IDM, short for intelligent dance music or intellectual dance music, is an electronic music genre which began as a style of techno in the early 1990s and moved on to include the textures and sound manipulation methods of Musique concrete and early,"true" industrial bands such as Coil %28band%29 and Nurse With Wound, albeit with software replacing tape loops and vacuum tubes. As compared to the driving, pounding sound of techno aimed at the dancefloor, IDM aims for the head, usually being quite a bit slower, more melodic, less aggressive, and more artistic, quirky and improvisational. It is sometimes informally called intelligent techno, listening techno, art techno,experimental techno, or braindance. The genre was also known for a while as electronica ,though that term now encompasses many forms of electronic music from big beat to acid house. Overview According to its proponents, IDM represents a forward-thinking, experimental arm of techno, taking electronic music in various new directions, not just merging affectations of more "highbrow", established forms of music with dance rhythms, although culling influences from other genres does not necessarily preclude a track from being IDM; the influence of jazz, for example, on the work of B12, Kirk DeGiorgio, and others is at times strongly evident. The initials IDM appeared in music magazines during the genre's first wave in 1992-1993, but didn't really stick until the formation of the IDM mailing list, an email forum, on the Internet in August 1993. At that time, the list's focus was on the progressive electronic music of Richard D. James, Autechre, and other artists featured on the influential Warp label's Artificial Intelligence compilations. Among these artists were Black Dog Productions (members of which became Plaid) and B12/Redcell. Lesser-known, but equally influential and highly regarded today, are the artists that were on Kirk Degiorgio's A.R.T. and Op-Art labels, and the Likemind label, including Degiorgio himself under various names (As One, Future/Past, Esoterik), Steve Pickton (Stasis), and Nurmad Jusat (Nuron). Although all of the above artists hail from England, the progressive techno / ambient / IDM duo Sun Electric from Berlin are also early pioneers of the genre. While mainly British based during the early-to-middle 1990s, IDM spread somewhat in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with a diverse array of styles being combined in new ways by a growing stable of artists across the globe. Criticisms of the name The term "intelligent dance music" is often criticized for not being an actual description of the music genre. Whether or not intelligence or dancing are involved in particular, the name was apparently more memorable than other competing phrases (see: memetic replicator). This is probably due in large part to the high volume of the aforementioned IDM mailing list. Later, Otto Von Schirach aided the replication of the "IDM" meme by mockingly shouting "IDM" repeatedly on the first track of the EP compilation album "Chopped Zombie Fungus". Detractors of the phrase have occasionally used the term "dolphin music" as a disparaging alternative to "intelligent". Spread of IDM In the late 1990s and early 2000s IDM greatly increased in the United States. One of the more notable areas was Miami, Florida with labels like Schematic, Merck, and The Beta Bodega Coalition sprouting up and releasing artists such as Phoenecia, Dino Felipe, Machine Drum, and Proem. A second would be the Chicago/Milwaukee area with labels such as Addict, Chocolate Industries, Hefty, and Zod releasing artists like Doormouse and Emotional Joystick. The influence of Chicago's adventurous and experimental Wax Trax label and the use of rhythms drawn from Detroit electro are also obvious in ealier,more linear IDM such as Autechre's "Bass Cadet" (released stateside on Wax Trax) or more recently in their Gescom releases. Sound production in IDM IDM is primarily produced on computers, especially with advanced sequencing programs such as Cubase and advanced synthesis programs such as Reaktor and Max/MSP. This is in contrast with other forms of techno music, which for a time were produced entirely with hardware drum machines and rackmounted equipment, possibly all sequenced by MIDI. Many IDM live performances are played entirely on a laptop or with a groove box such as the Roland MC-909, although the actual amount of "performing" as opposed to "playing back a pre-arranged sequence" varies from artist to artist. The effects processors included with the most popular sound programs cause many IDM groups to use them, unwillingly creating some common features in the genre. One such example is the use of the "sonic decimator" effect, an effect where the sampling rate of a sample can be adjusted in real time, creating a "low fi" effect. Notable IDM artists 2 Lone Swordsmen Atom Heart Aphex Twin Autechre Black Dog / Balil Boards Of Canada Bogdan Raczynski Casino Versus Japan Cex Crunch Forss Funckarma Funkstörung Kid 606 Kettel Layer_13 Leftfield Matmos Mouse on Mars µ-ziq Nico Demonte Otto Von Schirach Plaid Proem rRGB Squarepusher Telefon Tel Aviv To Rococo Rot Ulrich Schnauss Venetian Snares See also glitch External links IDM Warp Zone - a portal IDM-L - the IDM mailing list Schematic Records Merck Records Record Label Records The Beta Bodega Coaltion Planet Mu Records Rephlex Records Warp Records Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. 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