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Welcome to another special edition of Euphor!a!
But before we begin, let's take a look at a story of King David. In 2 Sam 6, we are told the story of the Ark of the Covenant being brought to Jerusalem. And when it finally reaches, David danced before the Lord "with all his might" (v14). When his wife, Michal, criticised him for being undignified, David told her that "it was before the Lord" (v21) that he was worshipping as such.
What this story tells us is that our worship is ultimately for God, and not for the consumption of the people around us. So let's put everything we have into worshipping Him, because surely He is worthy of everything we have to give.
Maybe that means you'll get up and dance like David. Or maybe you'll lift your hands and kneel. Or, as a musician, that might mean that you always try to hone your craft and make music with a spirit of excellence.
It is with these thoughts that I launch you into The Neon Edition: an issue about the phenomenon known as electronic music. So don't sit tight! – get out of your seats and dance along.
– alvin(:
If you've ever had qualms about electronic music as worship, this article from 1987(!) trying to justify the benefits of worshipping using a synthesizer(!) should remind you that every type of music has been "contemporary" once and thus shunned by traditionalists.
In contrast, this equally relevant article from 2016 should also tell you that worship shouldn't be predicated on the music. It's a tough one to read, but I do think that there are some particularly lucid points made by the author. Perhaps these two articles should be taken together to form a more holistic picture of music as a component of our worship.
So Not All Electronic Music is Techno?
– a directory for electronic Christian music
– a directory for electronic Christian music
Even though the electronic music scene is rising, most people still kinda just lump all electronic music under the heading "electro" or "techno" or even "EDM". But electronic music is actually a very diverse group of genres with individual traits and styles. Here is a brief overview on some of those genres, and hopefully you'll get to know them a little better.
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AMBIENT
Kingslynn – Young Bride
Ambient music places an emphasis on tone and atmosphere, and typically has an ethereal quality to it. It makes extensive use of synth pads as well as vocal effects to achieve this, making for a sort of "otherworldly" sound. It's a sound that is typical of Kingslynn, whose signature tone involves many layered pads and thin vocals to add to its atmospheric effect.
More ambient music: Kye Kye – People, Lovelite – Every Breath Is a Chance
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CHILL
Bright City – Colour
Chill music, or chillout, is a downtempo style that you might describe as having "feel-good vibes". It doesn't have the intensity and noisiness of most electronic music, and yet still has a clear beat to groove to, making it easily digestible. Bright City achieves this in "Colour" by pairing sharp beats with a stripped down harmonic structure, to make for an effective song that doesn't need to rely on big drops or builds.
More chill music: GAWVI – Something in the Water, Chris Howland – All Things
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DUBSTEP
Rapture Ruckus – Tidal Wave (Matthew Parker Dubstep Remix)
Dubstep should be quire a familiar genre to most, with its characteristic aggressive sound and syncopated percussion. Particularly distinctive is the wobble bass, which involves a single bass note being altered via various parameters, producing the familiar "wub" sound. Matthew Parker puts a dubstep spin on this Rapture Ruckus breakbeat song, and it is full of tasteful distortion to add even more grit to the sound.
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DRUM 'N' BASS
L&W feat. Aneym – Flames of Love
Drum 'n' bass (DnB) music involves fast and intricate breakbeats along with deep bass lines, often making extensive use of sub-bass. This gives it an intense sound even if there aren't many other instruments or sounds added to the mix. This track by L&W has a particular drum syncopation pattern called the Amen break, which is among the most common patterns used in DnB music.
More drum 'n' bass music: Hannah Barnett – Nails (The Waiting Game Remix), Kings Kaleidoscope – Felix Culpa (Sub Station Remix)
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ELECTROPOP
Capital Kings – Ready for Home
Electropop takes everything "pop" about pop music – catchy melodies, solid grooves, and strong vocals – and throws in more synthesized sounds into the mix. This makes it a very popular genre even in mainstream music. Capital Kings, who produce many different genres of electronic music, pull off electropop on their track "Ready for Home", which uses synth leads on top of a simple rock beat.
More electropop music: Ryan Ellis – I Know I Need You, ARISE – Hey Oh
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GOSPEL
Mary Mary – Walking (Pirahnahead Remix)
Wait, what is gospel doing in a guide to electronic music? Well, gospel house and gospel trance are actual genres: lay a four-on-the-floor beat over soulful voices and tight harmonies and you get gospel electronic music. Pirahnahead does exactly that for this gospel track by Mary Mary, creating a track that doesn't lose its gospel vibe but also has a new spin on its sound.
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HOUSE
Twelve24 feat. Deronda K. Lewis – Higher
House is probably the genre of electronic music that most people are familiar with: the drum machine's four-on-the-floor beats and off-beat hi-hat sounds are combined with synth leads and pads to make for perhaps one of the most popular genres of electronic music. Twelve24 lead us along with their dance beats in "Higher", which uses drops, vocals, and rap to make for a head-boppable house song.
More house music: Verses – Your Love, Switchfoot – Afterlife (Reyer Remix)
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TECHNO
DJ Tony Foxx feat. Martin Luther King – Promised Land
Techno is generally repetitive music with an emphasis on the rhythmic elements. The drum beats are typically produced on a drum machine such as the TR-808, and there are usually clear downbeats and backbeats. Because of this rhythmic nature, it doesn't lend itself very well to vocal music, but there are instances where it can be used effectively, such as in this track by DJ Tony Foxx.
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TRANCE
Matthew Parker – What He Said (DJ Jireh Remix)
Trance music is perhaps one of the genres of electronic music that places the greatest emphasis on the melodic structure of the music. In terms of form, it incorporates the gradual building of tension that reaches a climax and is followed by a drop that typically dispenses with the percussion altogether and has the melody stand alone or with minimal accompaniment, as in this remix by DJ Jireh.
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TRAP
GAWVI – Vaina
Trap music is a genre that is greatly influenced by hip-hop in its breakbeats, and can be identified with its distinctive highly subdivided hi-hat hits and rolls, as well as its typically detuned kick drum sound. The percussive nature of trap music is captured by GAWVI in his track "Vaina", which also makes use of vocal samples and effects to add to the grimy vibe of the track.
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Hopefully you've learnt something or another about electronic music and how it can also be used to worship God, and perhaps you now have some fresh tunes to listen to as we head into the new year.
Before we go, I'd just like to share with you this three-part series of articles by David Thulin ("Jesus, Parties and Bass Drops" – parts 1, 2, and 3), an electronic music producer, who shares about how he reconciles his desire to produce relevant music with his worship to God. I hope this inspires you to make excellent music in your worship as well.
Over and out!
EUPHOR!A // ISSUE 12 // NOV–DEC 2016