House
House emerged from the nightclubs of post-disco America, especially the predominantly gay, African-American clubs of late '80s Chicago and New York. Soon, however, the music took root in most urban hubs worldwide, from London to L.A., San Francisco to San Paolo, Montreal to Manchester. House is dominated by its telltale, hypnotic "four on the floor" (straight-ahead unsyncopated beats) drum sounds, deep bass loops, and synthetic textures, often also incorporating jazz and world music elements to promote the positive groove. Today, Chicago house is characterized by its deep and tracky sound, New York house by its harder edge and soaring diva vocals, and San Francisco house by its funkier British style.

Techno
Techno was originally spawned in American urban centers, notably Detroit, before being exported to England in the early '90s. The techno scene grew quickly in most of Europe, especially Germany, Belgium, and England, where club kids embraced the hard, driving sounds and rhythms that borrowed from '70s electronic innovators like Kraftwerk, and late '80s electronic pioneers like Meat Beat Manifesto, New Order, and Nitzer Ebb. Early '90s techno artists like Orbital, Cabaret Voltaire, and The Prodigy have enjoyed considerable commercial success, while the likes of Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch, and Steve Stoll lead the new underground revolution. Techno is -- and always will be -- future music.

Drum and B ass
Drum and bass is undeniably one of the most futuristic musical forms in existence. It is the insanely alien, luminescent music of sci-fi movie chase scenes, on fast-forward. Drum and bass producers struggle agonizingly to tweak sounds and samples into test tubes full of bottled lightning. Arcing and hissing with electricity, drum and bass tunes can sound smooth and jazzy or hyperindustrial and jagged, but are usually defined by their characteristic two-step, "Amen" break drum samples. But don't take our word for it, check your local clubs and submit yourself to the sonic bombardment of the full drum and bass experience.

Breakbeat
Breakbeat is -- and always will be -- one of the most dominant forms of dance music. You can trace the movement back to the days when James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and Isaac Hayes ruled, through the electro explosion led by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, up to the present day nu-breaks movement engineered by Adam Freeleand et al. The early '90s rave boom in Europe was built on it, the West Coast is obsessed with it, and drum and bass (to some extent) grew out of it. Breakbeat gained popularity in the U.K. through seminal tracks like "The Phantom" by Renegade Soundwave, "Papua New Guinea" by Future Sound Of London, and later "Bombscare" by 2 Bad Mice. In the late 90's the commercial success of bands like Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, and The Prodigy has both attracted the attention of the major labels and has made the music available to a much wider audience. Many believe that it is this genre that will break electronic music in the U.S.

Abstract
Abstract electronic music embraces experimentation through deconstruction. These days in the electronic dance world, every creation seems to be preceded by an act of destruction. From the ruins of such destructive acts, abstract artists construct elaborate and reverberant soundscapes through the use of sampling and massive amounts of sound processing. Providing a bridge between techno and ambient, abstract is what we call the electronic music that just won't behave in its car seat.

Downtempo
Downtempo is the name used to describe chilled-out beats on a slower, groovier tip. Under this broad genre heading, chunky rhythms based on hip hop beats rule supreme. Downtempo is usually instrumental-based music in the hip hop vein, but can also draw from jazz, film scores, dub and reggae, and world music. Its overall form depends on bass and funk. Like house and drum and bass musicians, downtempo artists create morphed soundscapes that draw from a long history of musical genres. Downtempo is constantly reinventing itself, spawning new and unique variations like the "British sound," "French trip hop," and the hip hop-heavy U.S. approach.

Trance
Trance, along with drum and bass, is one of the newer additions to the dance music family tree. It developed out of early '90s techno, and has since split off into two distinct strains -- psychedelic (or Goa) trance and progressive house. The up-tempo, heavily electronic, swirling sounds of psychedelic trance can be heard booming from sound systems along the coastline of southwestern India, particularly Goa -- hence "Goa trance." Meanwhile, progressive house (a lighter derivative) is the music of choice in the both the burgeoning U.K. indoor club scene and the sun-drenched beaches and clubs of Ibiza. You cannot discuss progressive house without mentioning Sasha, John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, and Nick Warren, all of whom have attained pop-star status in their native England.