Unlocking the Groove: Rhythm, Meter, and Musical Design in Electronic Dance Music

by Mark J. Butler

Unlocking the Groove is a groundbreaking, award-winning, music-driven analysis of electronic dance music (EDM). Author Mark Butler interweaves traditional and non-traditional musical analysis with consideration of the genre’s history and social significance, deconstructing several typical examples of electronic dance music and focusing on the interaction of beat and rhythmic structure in creating an overall musical design. Interviews with DJs, listeners, and producers flesh out the book, providing insight into the perceptions and performance world of EDM, and making a vivid case for the musical artistry of EDM disc jockeys. The CD included with the book illustrates the analysis with multiple musical examples, both in excerpts and full songs. Butler’s work propels the study of popular music in exciting new directions, and will impact the range from popular music studies, music theory, ethnomusicology, and musicology.

Genres: Music

360 pages, Paperback

Published March 20, 2006

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is amazing. It covers the culture of the entire genre, where the various tropes came from, and why we like them. Any book with serious musical analysis of 808 State's "Cubik" has got to be worth a read.