Music has evolved since the beginning of man, changing throughout the years and molding into different styles, which eventually become music genres of their own. Today there are an abundance of music genres that help reflect a person’s personality, the emotion he/she is feeling, or what his/her interests are. With the help of students on campus, a poll has been taken to find out what the student body this year’s music tastes are.
- Classical
While some students might hate to admit it, the classics will always be the greats in music history and can be relaxing. Instruments in classical music are a mixture of different instrument families of brass, string, woodwind, and percussion. However, not all classical music is orchestral; some of it is focused on a singular instrument like the piano or violin. Some traditional artists are: “Mozart,” “Bach,” “Beethoven,” and “Vivaldi.”
- Reggae
Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s, illegal drug use was a major issue, the war in Vietnam was being fought by the US, and racial controversy was still lingering. Out of all this hate and war a new genre was originated around Jamaica, it became known as Reggae. With its calypso (Afro-Carribean) music and background in the Rasta movement, this genre of music involved the use of drums, electric guitars, bass, and sometimes keyboards. Reggae music is based around marijuana use, racial issues, peace and love, and has become a major hit in America and the Caribbean. Some Reggae bands to check out are: “Bob Marley and the Wailers,” “Dennis Brown,” “Peter Tosh,” and “Gregory Isaacs.”
- Psychedelic Rock
This subgenre of Rock was created to coincide with the effects of drug use in the mid 1960’s. While this music was created for psychedelic drug trips, the songs created from it are still fascinating to listen to drug free. The music is technologically changed so that the sounds give off an effect that makes the music wavy or as some say, “trippy.” Most songs in this genre are based around drugs, but some bands focused more on world issues, love, and racial issues back in that decade. While the genre hasn’t gained too many new bands, the old ones have stayed around for decades. Some psychedelic band favorites are: “Pink Floyd,” “The Beatles,” “The Doors,” and “The Jimi Hendrix Experience.”
- House
House music is normally played at a club to get people dancing. DJ’s use synthesizers and beat machines with technological influences mixed in, the outcome being very futuristic music. With little to no lyrics, House music is more focused on smooth and catchy repetitive beats and have a mixture of electric techno soundtracks. Some dancing favorite house artists are: “Daft Punk,” “Deadmau5,” “David Guetta,” and “Porter Robinson.”
- Heavy Metal
Turning the volume all the way up, heavy metal bands make everything they perform loud and powerful to the listener. Metal bands generally consist of a drummer, bassist, rhythm and lead guitars, and singer. These bands use heavy bass and drums, a galloping rhythm guitar, and screeching electric guitars and lyrics. The lyrics are generally focused around world issues, war, sex, drugs, and sometimes folklore. Singers of these bands have to have vocals loud enough to scream over the loud instruments. Some Heavy Metal favorites of this subgenre are: “Metallica,” “Black Sabbath,” “Five Finger Death Punch,” and “Iron Maiden.”
- Pop
The term “Pop” is actually short for “popular,” due to the accessibility of the music, and how it is radio friendly. “Pop” has beats that have elements of both dance and funk music. Many Pop artists today are singers that use electric beats, but in the past, a multitude of Pop singers used instruments in the background or sometimes even played one themselves. The lyrics in songs from this genre are normally about romance, breakups, or world issues. Some pop artists to give a listen too are: “Michael Jackson,” “Taylor Swift,” “Rhianna,” and “Beyonce.”
- Dubstep
Also from the 1990’s, this genre of music didn’t become popular until recently when artists in the genre made their music marketable and widely heard. Now Dubstep has made its way into some other genres like hip-hop and even rock, and it’s gaining new artists every year. With harsh beats, little to no lyrics, and a loud bass line that will wobble off and on, which inspired the phrase normally shouted at a Dubstep DJ, “Drop the bass.” This music is found mostly in clubs and isn’t on regular radio stations, though on XM radio there are a couple of stations. Some popular remixing artists of this genre include: “Skrillex,” “Modestep,” “Flux Pavilion,” and “Zomboy.”
- Grunge
This subgenre of Rock became a major fascination in the early years of the 1990’s. With angst-filled lyrics based around the teenage rebellion, drugs, social separation and depression, this music has become a powerful wave a music for teenagers and college students. With the normal instruments of a rock band, being electric guitars, drums, bass’, and keyboards, grunge bands highly distort the music and create scratchy feedback. Some memorable bands in this subgenre are: “Nirvana,” “Pearl Jam,” “Soundgarden,” and “Alice in Chains.”
- Hip-Hop/Rap
While many people interchange “Hip-Hop” with “Rap” music, rap is actually a type of style of Hip Hop. With strong beats and quick rhymes, the lyrics from the songs of this genre normally focus around world, gang, drug, and sexual issues or pleasures. However, there are some hip-hop singers who focus more on other topics and have more singers join in. While music from this genre today has technologically made beats in the background, some artists use instruments such as trumpets, guitars, and keyboards. Some of the most famous artists from this genre include: “Eminem,” “Snoop Dogg,” “Wu Tang Clan,” and “Jay-Z.”
- Alternative Rock
With the genre of rock being large, it’s no wonder that one of the subgenres has made it too number one. Most Alternative Rock, or “Alt Rock,” is mainstream rock that can be heard on the radio, but some is more underground and explicit. Lyrics of these songs are normally defiant or rebellious, but not as abrasive as Punk Rock. Distorted electric guitars, drums, keyboards, and basses are normally the instruments played in the bands from this genre. Some fan favorite alternative bands are: “Linkin Park,” “MUSE,” “Green Day,” and “Gorillaz.”
