Musique concrete: Music created by used prerecorded sounds.
Ambient music: Atmospheric music which emphasizes texture over rhythm: a kind of electronica.
Audio CD: An information storage medium in which lasers read digital data stored on a disc.
Break dancing: A vigorous dance form associated with hip-hop music and culture.
Deconstruction: Construction of a song out of several components, which can be digitally modified, added to, and otherwise manipulated to create other versions of the song.
EDM (Electronic Dance Music): a range of percussive, electronic music genres produced primarily for dance-based entertainment.
Electronica: The umbrella term for a large and varied family of musical styles: house, techno, trance, ambient, jungle, drum & bass, industrial dance, and many more.
Gangsta rap: A form of rap which emerged in the late 80s and expressed the violence of inner-city life.
Hip-hop: A term used to describe the African American culture from which rap emerged. Its early artistic expressions included not only rap but also break dancing and graffiti.
House music: An early techno style based originally in Chicago; it was a low-budget continuation of disco.
Loop: A short sound file that can be repeated or combined with other loops to create a background for a song.
Medley: A group of songs connected by musical interludes.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface): A protocol that enables digital devices such as instruments and computers to communicate.
Mix: A series of songs or dance tracks seamlessly connected by a disc jockey.
Rap: A musical style of the 1980s and ‘90s characterized by a rhymed text spoken in a heightened voice over a repetitive, mostly rhythmic accompaniment.
Rave: A huge dance party conducted in a large space: outdoors, an abandoned warehouse, or even a large club. Ecstasy and other “designer” drugs were very much part of the scene; they suppressed the need to eat or sleep.
Sample: A small sound file. There are two basic kinds of samples in common use. One is the recorded sound of a voice or group of voices, an instrument (such as a grand piano) or group of instruments (a violin section), or some other sound. This sound can then be activated through another device. The other main kind of sampling involves lifting short excerpts from existing recordings to use in a new recording, much like a visual artist will use found objects to create a collage or assemblage. It has been a staple of rap background tracks since the technology became available in the mideighties.
Sequencer: A device that enables a person to assemble a sound file track by track. Using a sequencer that can store eight tracks, a person can re-create the sound of a band: one track for the bass, another for the rhythm guitar, and so on.
Set: A group of songs performed by a band or presented by a disc jockey. Popular and jazz musicians play a set of songs, then take an extended break. A DJ may mix songs into a set that provides continuous music for a half hour or more.
Sound collage: A compositional technique created by Grandmaster Flash in which sound clips of recorded material are cut and pasted together.
Techno: Post-disco dance music in which most or all of the sounds are electronically generated.