The Most Underappreciated EDM Genres

Drum & Bass (and jungle) is still one of the most progressive sounds out there. Just the meticulous look at sound design alone has made some of the best in drum & bass easily transfer into new genres (think Noisia, Chase & Status, Knife Party, 12th Planet, Bro Safari, Kill the Noise, and others). Drum & Bass can be a tight-knit, inclusive community, but it's always hilarious when people assume that bigger drum & bass tunes not being championed means that they don't exist. Far from it. The dnb scene thrives on its own, and even if it never breaks big, it'll continue to ride on.

We can understand why grime isn't given it's full value, and part of it is because of the way the scene sets itself up. While the War Dubs showed that there's a ton of talent out there, there was never a real follow-through. We're talking about things like "Wooo!" or the mighty "Spartan." Where are the tunes that are getting the wide appreciation? Darq E Freaker was on Danny Brown's Old, and we're hearing a LOT of turn up in these rap tracks. With many grime producers edging into trap territory, you'd figure there would be more cross-pollenation. Maybe it's just that grime insulates itself so much that it's hard for outsiders to decipher what's going down underground.

Before you get on your high horse and start pointing fingers while saying "Disclosure" a lot. One act paying homage to the UKG sound does not make the actualy UKG scene gain any more appreciation. Especially when artists like DJ Q and Wookie are still about, making refreshing beats in that vein in 2014. For as integral to the beginnings of the dubstep scene that UK garage was, you find few dance music fans actually digging back into those sounds. Sure, "it's a UK ting," but if you're trying to call yourself a proper student ot this thing, you should represent all of its forms.

Footwork's another genre we can totally see not getting it's just due, but it deserves it. Sure, the complex, repetitive rhythms aren't for everyone, and the way some of these vocals and samples can be chopped and thrown against the tracks aren't always easy on the ears, but there aren't too many genres that are as distinctive and forward-thinking than footwork. 2013 was a big year for the sound to be thrust into the more eclectic circles of musical taste, and DJ Rashad's name rang off a LOT... but how soon before we see a DJ Earl or Traxman getting booked at some of these bigger festivals?

You know what's funny? Like most genres, people don't give a crap about them until Diplo brings them to light. Once Trippy Turtle hit Diplo & Friends with a guest mix, suddenly every blog that covers EDM wanted to speak on the scene... as if the likes of Tim Dolla, DJ Sliink, and Nadus hadn't already been in existence. We're seeing an upswing in looks towards the Jersey club scene, and it feels like it could be replacing the Bmore club scene in terms of what people could be flocking to, but it's hard to put a pin in the idea that people actually want to check out Jersey club or if they just want to be down because producers like Cashmere Cat throw elements of the sound into their productions. With Sliink working on an LP and Nadus sorting out an EP for Pelican Fly, we'll see how things will turn around for this genre.

For as many people who champion Annie Nightingale as the "queen of the breaks," it's rare that you actually hear DJs dropping tracks in this vein. It's interesting considering how huge the "big beat" craze was during the electronica era; Fatboy Slim, the Chemical Brothers, and the Crystal Method made their mint off of that breakbeat-heavy sound back in the day. With producers like Aquasky, Krafty Kuts, and others still kicking out tracks, the scene can never truly "die," but for as much as breaks did for the popularity of dance music in the '90s, it's crazy to see how little the scene gets brought up.

If you were old enough to go to raves during the 1990s, you'd remember the chillout rooms that were ALWAYS present. Whether they were to help aid people who were too far gone or just a spot to cool down outside of the main rooms, the sounds of ambient music ran throughout those areas. Artists like The Orb, Aphex Twin, and the Irresistible Force were churning out captivating soundscapes, and while we get that big room house and the entire EDM mentality leaves little room for tracks without drums, we're hoping that - at the very least - today's dance music fan is taking some time to truly study albums like Selected Ambient Works 85-92.