7 Subgenres of EDM That You Should Know and the Women Making Waves in Them
By Elena Lanza, Label & Artist Relations Manager at Vydia.
Growing up in the 80s and 90s I was heavily engulfed in the melody and beat driven worlds of Freestyle and House music baked with influences of Classic Soul and Disco. But over the years “EDM” became “distilled”. Less passionate, less complex and more, well, I don’t know – the best way to describe it is by referencing the SNL skit from about 10 years back, where Andy Samberg plays a DJ at a festival where the crowd is only interested in “waiting for the bass to drop”. When it finally comes after an overly monotonous beat sample, heads explode.
That is until recently…
With a resurgence and modernization of classic sounds, as well as some brand new hidden gems, you can easily find yourself going down rabbit holes of ear candy for hours on end (guilty as charged). Not only did I want to highlight some of the more noteworthy, and completely distinct, subgenres, but on the heels of both Women’s History Month and Miami Music Week, I wanted to showcase some of the talent, namely female, making waves in the space.
So without further adieu, let’s dive in and enjoy.
Nu-Disco and its cousin Funky House
These two genres have been around for a while (the latter’s origins are often credited to 90’s Daft Punk), but both have been making heavier waves in the mainstream over the past few years (we hear you, “Future Nostalgia”). Although they differ (Nu-disco emphasizes melody with slower strong vocals and classic disco elements, while Funky House emphasizes rhythm with funk-inspired basslines, house beats and a strong soul influence), both genres share a common ground in their roots of disco and funk, which is why they are often grouped and played together.
Women Making Waves in Nu-Disco & Funky House:
Mia Moretti – Sweet JuJu (Edit)
Anane – Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Dimitri From Paris Short Edit)
Jersey Club
No, I’m not talking about what you hear Snookie and cohorts dancing to on a shore bar at 1am.
Jersey Club is a blend of house meets hiphop (with signature sounds such as bed squeaks) that originated out of, you guessed it, NJ (Newark to be exact). Thanks in major part to social media platforms such as TikTok and its notorious dance challenges; the choppy vocals, heavy bass and fast tempo (as high as 150 BPM) have gained a huge international following. In fact, a recent report from Splice mentions that the genre has gained so much success in Berlin that it became the city’s fastest-growing genre in 2024 with a staggering 452.2% increase in downloads on their storefront. Check out the report here.
Women Making Moves in Jersey Club:
DJ Diamond Kuts – Gucci On Me – this one is a little older but DJ Diamond Kuts tracks are so much fun that they have to be mentioned.
Amapiano
Amapiano has been everywhere over the past few years, with a slew of international producers and artists collaborating on original tracks and remixes. Born in South Africa, it’s characterized by continuous piano melodies (“Amapiano” translates to “the pianos” in Zulu) meshed with deep house, smooth jazz and afrobeat elements plus the notable amapiano log drum. The genre is said to have nearly tripled in growth year after year since 2019 (reference here) and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Women Making Moves in Amapiano:
Zee Nxumalo & TBO – Ngisakuthanda
Babalwa M – Aluta Continua Feat Kelvin Momo
Neoperreo
Neoperreo is a derivative of the more known Reggaeton and Dembow genres, emerging from the underground Latin American scene but with a more modern aesthetic that combines futuristic elements such as synth and auto-tune. The name is said to have been coined by Chilean rapper, Tomasa del Real and often broaches subjects of bold female-empowerment.
Women Making Moves in Neoperreo:
MJ Nebreda, Safety Trance – Tu Me Das
Piano House
Although I’m a huge fan of piano house, I wasn’t originally going to include it in this list, fearing that it was too similar to a few of the others. However, the more I went down the research hole, I couldn’t help but incorporate it. Another subgenre of house music, Piano is known for its tranquility, melodic elements and emphasis on the piano.
Women Making Waves in Piano House:
LP Giobbi – Galt – for those of you who aren’t familiar with the immensely talented multi-instrumentalist/producer, Giobbi also co-founded and runs the non-profit FEMME HOUSE which aims to promote inclusion and equity in dance music.
And finally….
Dance-Pop
I cannot tell you how happy I am to be able to say that my forever, not-so-guilty, pleasure is back in a strong way. Known for uptempo, catchy yet danceable hooks and spotless production (this is the genre where the producer really shines); we are seeing more “mainstream” artists embrace their dance roots and vice versa.
Women Making Moves in Dance-Pop:
Sophie and the Giants – Red Light
Alok & Kylie Minogue – Last Night I Dreamt I Fell in Love
About the Author: Elena Lanza has spent the last 20+ (cough cough) years in the music industry focusing on label & artist development, promotion and operations for both Indie and major labels, as well as, distribution. She’s a total geek for “American Music Industry History” and once had a blog called “Vino/Stereo” pairing wine with music. Outside of work she lives in NJ with her husband, 3 kids and dog, loves being a sports mom in her spare time and hopes that eventually she will see the Knicks win a championship in her lifetime.