The 2000s music genre invention list March 26, 2012 8:18 PMSubscribe
Music genre history question: What music genres (popular or otherwise) were invented in the 2000s? A friend claims none but that can't be right, can it? posted by storybored to media & arts (27 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
Dubstep seems like the most prominent one lately posted by motorcycles are jets at 8:20 PM on March 26, 2012
There are probably dozens of sub-genres of northern European death metal that have been invented in the past few years. posted by roboton666 at 8:45 PM on March 26, 2012
Dubstep was invented somewhere around the very late 90s and early 2000s... posted by empath at 9:02 PM on March 26, 2012
witch house? posted by jeudi at 9:21 PM on March 26, 2012
It might be skewed to look for specific genres that have been created recently, since it can take a while for a genre to be identified, defined, and labeled — and also for its importance to be recognized. When the Velvet Underground, the Pixies, or Sonic Youth started putting out albums, the general public didn't immediately take notice and say: "Aha, this is a hugely important new kind of music and it's called _____." It's been this way throughout music history — people today are a lot more aware of how significant composers like Gesualdo, Scarlatti, and Schubert are than most people who were around at the time. posted by John Cohen at 9:34 PM on March 26, 2012 [3 favorites]
Nerdcore and mumblecore? posted by pickypicky at 10:27 PM on March 26, 2012
Hauntology is a genre that some of my friends have been very excited about for the last couple of years. It comes out of the UK, but it's spread around enough for me to hear of it independently from people in Iceland and the US. One of my friends wrote a good blogpost on it two years ago when it was new and fresh but it has spread to mainstream publications, even making an appearance in Wired last year. posted by Kattullus at 7:00 AM on March 27, 2012
I think it depends on how broad or narrow your definition of genre is. I don't think death-metal or any variation thereof is a new genre but a new sub-genre of metal which is itself a sub-genre of hard-rock/rock.
Someone else might think that death-metal is sufficiently different from regular metal that it belongs in it's own genre. It would take more expertise is music composition than I have to objectively say that they're wrong. posted by VTX at 7:44 AM on March 27, 2012
You've got a lot of people mentioning chillwave (Ariel Pink, Washed Out) and witch house (Salem) up thread, I'd say those are definitely unique enough count.
Also, maybe grime.
And John Cohen mentioned the Dirty Projects above. I don't know if there is a connection here but I could see their thing and maybe stuff like tUnE-yArDs getting grouped together as something unique.
There are also plenty of genres that existed before the turn of the century but became a recognized thing in the 00's like post-rock(Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor), chiptune(Anamanaguchi), emo/screamo, grime, or mashups(Girl Talk).
I don't follow electronic stuff as closely but from my point of view it seemingly spits out a new sub-genre each year. You've got the whole american dubstep thing happening right now, which is totally different from the dubstep the brits invented and is definitely unique.
Also, genres don't always get recognized until after they happen. It's easier to come up with genres invented in the 90s not because more music came out of that era but because enough time has passed for the mainstream media to taxonomically recognize the genres.
If you are really looking to get some schooling on what happened in music that decade maybe study this. posted by cirrostratus at 12:16 PM on March 27, 2012
Balkan Beats = Eastern european music + electronic beats, individual producers were making this since the 90s but really came together as a scene and a style in 2006 with the Atlantic Jaxx compilation Gypsy Beats & Balkan Bangers
Cumbia Villera = Argentinian hipster version of cumbia + electronic beats, poor people`s music ironically embraced by the middle class as a reaction to the 00s crisis. Empacho Digital, a good compilation.
eai is considered by some to be a new "genre" as distinct from other forms of freeimprovisation. Its seeds were planted in the late 90's, but it definitely cohered after 2000. posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:38 PM on March 27, 2012
posted by motorcycles are jets at 8:20 PM on March 26, 2012