A playlist of the heavenly place where dance and electronic music meets R&B / Soul music, a la Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE. Featuring the best of dance, electronic R&B and electro-soul.
Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE has bringing back our dance and electronic R&B era! We created this playlist back in 2016 so have been on the electronic tip for time. But the ongoing conversation about dance and electronic music calls for a reload. The summary of what this playlist, of R&B / Soul songs with electronic and dance music influences from throughout the past decade, shows is simple. The fusion and experimentation of dance / electronic music in R&B has long been established and continues to thrive in 2024
It’s probably not news to anyone that Electronic music is HUGE. Has been for a couple of years now, particularly the genre popularly referred to as EDM (Electronic Dance Music). EDM producers and artists are some of the biggest (and best paid) in the industry, including David Guetta, Avicii, Calvin Harris and Skrillex, to name a few. Skrillex is, in fact, the producer behind Justin Beiber’s 2015 hit Sorry and an 8-time Grammy award winner in his own right.
But Electronic music isn’t simply big, it’s hugely influential. Its influence on the sound of music today – across several genres – can’t be overstated. It’s influence on pop, may be the most obvious, but Electronic music has found its way into R&B and Soul music. This week’s Mood Playlist shows just that. Most ‘Generation Y’ R&B / Soul singers show some electronic influences, using electronic or synthy beats as a backdrop to more conventional R&B/ Soul singing. Particularly notable examples are Nao and James Blake, but a quick listen of many up-and-comer’s E.Ps would show that list could be pages long. Given the dominance of EDM in some significantly formative years for these singers, this only makes sense.
Electronic music’s influence goes much further than a catchy beat though. EDM and electronic music as a whole have helped create (or perhaps, reinforce) a culture where music is as much about vibe as sound. The rave culture associated with EDM has shaped most millennials’ experiences in some manner and rave culture is all about atmosphere and vibe. All of the artists featured on this playlist emote strong vibes and atmosphere through their music. It’s the reason they stand out among the crowd.
So, without any further ado, in the word’s of DJ Khaled, we bring you ‘Another One’.
