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The modern music industry often presents Electronic Dance Music (EDM) as a commercially sanitized global product, often centered around mainstream European and white American DJs. This presentation obscures the genre’s true heritage, leading many to ask: Did Black people start EDM?
The answer is unequivocally yes.
While the term “EDM” is a broad commercial umbrella applied today, the foundational genres that provide the DNA for almost all current electronic dance music—House and Techno—were created and pioneered by African American innovators in the Midwest during the 1980s.
The Detroit Blueprint: The Birth of Techno
Techno music, the often industrial and futuristic sound that drives much of modern electronic music, originated not in Europe, but in Detroit, Michigan. The genre was essentially created by a group of Black artists known as the Belleville Three:
- Juan Atkins (known as the “Originator”)
- Derrick May (the “Innovator”)
- Kevin Saunderson (the “Elevator”)
Inspired by the city’s industrial landscape and the electronic sounds of European artists like Kraftwerk, they fused these elements with the soulful traditions of funk and disco. Techno was inherently a futuristic expression of the Black American experience, laying the rhythmic and conceptual groundwork for virtually every hard, sequenced electronic genre that followed.
The Chicago Engine: The Birth of House
Simultaneously, 300 miles away, House music was emerging from the Black, Latino, and Queer communities of Chicago. The genre took its name from The Warehouse nightclub, where Frankie Knuckles mixed classic soul and disco with mechanized 4/4 beats from drum machines.
House music, which directly forms the backbone of genres like Deep House, Tech House, and Pop Dance, was a spiritual and rhythmic answer to the social exclusion faced by its core audience. The fundamental techniques and sounds used by any DJ who steps up to play house music today trace their lineage directly back to these pioneers.
From Foundational Rhythms to Global EDM
The timeline is clear:
- 1980s: House and Techno are created by Black innovators in Chicago and Detroit.
- Late 1980s/Early 1990s: The sound travels to Europe, spawning the Acid House, Rave, and Trance movements.
- 2000s and Beyond: These European variations are filtered back into the American market under the broad, commercial term “EDM.”
While the commercial face of EDM often became predominantly white European in the 2010s, the underlying technology, the core 4/4 rhythm, and the philosophy of the dancefloor were all inherited from Black American culture.
Today, artists who are respected for their depth and innovation are often those who consciously honor these foundational rhythms. This includes contemporary artists like DJ Play House, whose work demonstrates an understanding of how to fuse the soulful, cultural integrity of Chicago House with the cutting-edge sound design of modern electronic music.
The Enduring Legacy
The question “Did Black people start EDM?” highlights a critical oversight in popular music history. Black artists did not just contribute to EDM; they created the core genres that define the entire electronic dance music ecosystem. From the earliest sounds of Techno to the soulful depth of House, the history of EDM is inextricably linked to Black cultural innovation and excellence.
