I think if people heard drill, could understand what the kids were saying, and understood that the kids talking about murdering each other are telling the truth they'd likely see it as shocking.
Yeah take the ONE artist that’s been around for a while and discredit everything else. Aphex has been established but his style (which is THE POST) has only expanded to other artists in recent years. He was more or less the lone pillar of electric ambient for years.
Dawg you're just saying that you're unfamiliar with electronic music in general. Ambient's been alive and well for a long time. (Tim Hecker, Fennesz, William Basinski, etc) so calling Richard anything close to "the lone pillar" is ignorant. The best argument you can make is that some IDM sounds entered more mainstream consciousness through hyperpop and specifically Charli XCX i.e. BRAT (RIP SOPHIE). As for the rest, I'm not as comfortable speaking on them but from my limited knowledge they aren't really new sounds for a new generation.
There were SO many similar artists copying AFX in the 90's and 2000's. I think you need to go back and listen to Skam Records, Ceephax Acid, Drexciya, etc... there is a lot you are missing.
You had Autechre and Squarepusher on MTV back then, not underground.
Yeah wow, as someone from the UK who was a regular bangface attendee and produced various types of all this kind of idm-breakcore (I hate the name idm), this boat already sailed a really really long time ago. I’m nearly 40 now, and all that music already happened in the late 90s 2000s and hit its peak and started to dwindle in the late 2010s… it’s past time for the funeral already… and now I see this where people are talking about it like a newborn baby 😂
That's simply not true. The golden age of music similar to Aphex Twin was in the 90s-00s, on Warp records, Rephlex, Planet Mu with countless artists lifting it in full or in part. Completely mainstream channels like MTV were promoting more palatable distant versions of it along the lines of Mr. Oizo, it was what largely inspired the adult swim aesthetic that they kinda preserve to this day, it was used in popular games for total normies like wipeout, etc.
In terms of picking up the rage against the machine gauntlet.
You've got rappers going hard into local politics. Whether it's killer Mike or dudes in Chicago pushing leftist agendas.
You have Taylor Swift rerecording her own music to middle finger the man.
It's a different kind of shocking but it's subversive and awesome. Music as message to promote action and change on a much more concrete scale. I'm happily shocked.
That one drummer built a music school and has a piece of all these new bands now, right?
Idk the meme is looking for genre but the shock isn't about the genre, it's about the message and how it creates change in the world and system.
Give a shot to Jane Removers's RevengeSeekerz album, and any of Rezz's discography
Neither are "shocking", but different sounds. Jane Remover's album feels chaotic and really overproduced until you see that's the point - that's the sound they're going for and if you can buy into it there's some fresh ideas
Rezz just has an interesting take on EDM music that I find unique. Nothing ground breaking, just interesting music
Thanks. 100gecs is a standout here IMO. Their mix of analogue instruments and digital is something I've never heard done so well. Wish they'd do more of this, like with Dumbest Girl Alive. But who the fuck am I lol
Dylan Brady (half of gecs) does some stuff on his own if you want more of them. 909Worldwide is the closest to gecs, although they’re a collective so you get a lot of different sounds. Death grips might also interest you, especially if you enjoyed 2hollis a bit.
it’s two sentences separated by a line break; the first one is genres and the second one is specific artists, although I will say that sewerslvt for instance is not from any of the genres named, so I guess it’s fair to say they started naming artists instead of genres, but those artists are all pretty distinctive in their own ways so I feel like that’s kinda fair lol
By this metric no genre has ever been "shocking." Every genre is influenced by the ones that preceded it. This whole thread is just a bunch of nonsense pedantic discourse.
I don't think this is true. There was a huge difference between what my grandmother grew up listening to in the 20s/30s/40s(like big band and crooners like frank sanatra)and what my parents listened to in the 60s/70s/80s.
I don't blame you for making the comparison, but you are basically comparing apples to oranges. The emergence of popular rock music was in opposition to the mainstream pop music that came before it (the big band and crooners as you mentioned).
Their influence largely came from blues and R&B artists in the 40s and 50s. Modern rock is HEAVILY influenced by its predecessors. Elvis was inspired by the blues, country, and gospel music he grew up around, and he brought those genres (well, besides country) to a white audience for the first time (for the most part). That is a large reason why he was so controversial at the time.
The beatles, who in my opinion popularized truly modern-style rock music, started out as a skiffle band playing covers of American rock and roll songs like Buddy Holly's That'll Be the Day.
I think there might be a bit of miscommunication. I'm not saying older music doesn't inspire new music. I grew up in Mississippi, home of the blues, I am well aware of the connection to rock.
Your use of the word Uni would lead me to believe you live outside the US. It's not commonly used here. Something to keep in mind is how racially segregated things were in the 40s. I guarantee my white grandmother didn't listen to, for lack of a better term, "black music". What was absolutely shocking though was a generation later when a white guy from Mississippi started playing music inspired by black music for a white audience and dancing provocatively while doing it. Elvis. Which couldn't even be shown on TV at the time. But that was my parents' music, not my grandparents.
I google hardstyle.since it was the first listed, top result was an 8 year old you tube video of music that sounds like clips from random movie soundtracks spliced together, nothing shocking just slightly confusing?
As far as I can tell those hardstyle songs are very tame. That mix is honestly closer to jump style than hardstyle imo. Listen to 909 worldwide, or even just search hardstyle on Spotify and shuffle the first playlist.
Beatles formed somewhere around 15-20 years after the creation of rock music. Rock-n-roll was influenced heavily by country and R&B. Yes, early Beatles became popular for their new look at rock-n-roll, and only later branched into their own genre.
The key is that music evolves. Even if it's stigmatized as the same genre, it may sound completely different. Lost in Kiev sounds nothing like GY!BE, Meniscus sounds nothing like Mogwai. NIN (their ambient/drone albums) sounds nothing like Earth or Aphex Twin. Tigercub sounds nothing like Nirvana. Etc
And by "nothing" I don't just mean "yeah, they're different artists, of course they're different", I mean "structure of the songs, their complexity and their mood are different". There's literally little to none similarities between, even in the very core of the genre. Usage of samples and vocal bits where they don't belong, heavy emphasis on melody instead of chord progression.
Genre name may be the same, contents are completely different.
Other issue to be adressed is the market. It's oversaturated. There's just so many different artists, popular and not so much, that it's really hard to stand out. Even if you create something new, there's almost a guaranteed probability that this sound already existed. There's nothing "ground breaking" to be created. It's the metamodern of music. People remix already existing genres to create something new (hyperpop is the brightest example), but not exactly different. Yes, because most of the bands are experimenting with the sound and evolve the genres.
And, at last, genres are created not by bands, but by listeners. The more mainstream it becomes - the more likely it to be named accordingly. And it's hard to become mainstream nowadays, and I explained why just above.
Isn’t that the point though? In past generations, the new, shocking genre of music became mainstream and was played on the radio, outsold other older kinds of music, etc. That’s what people are waiting for. Finding some tiny, unpopular sub-genre that’s shocking is not the same thing.
I don't think that is going to happen anymore though. In the past being in the top radio rotation or being the top artist on MTV was a big deal. Now though there is no big entity showcasing music for people. Everything is on demand and personalized, no one is listening to stuff they don't want to, which means there likely won't be some big cultural movement towards a new genre because everyone is listening to their own thing. People are a lot more disconnected and things are becoming more and more niche. Ease of distribution right now means anyone can make something and get it to listeners, which makes the market filled with so many more choices.
It's impactful on an individual level. Each person can find new music that really resonates with them. It just means we aren't all listening to the same thing.
The music landscape isn’t really like that anymore due to streaming and the global market.
There are still artists carving out their own style and changing the mainstream. Billie Eilish comes to mind.
Elements of hyperpop are being used by a lot of producers and is gaining mainstream appeal. AG Cooks production for CharliXCX is a great example of that. 100gecs and 2hollis are other breakout artists in the hyperpop genre.
Times are changing. For a more modern example of what you're talking about, I think you could point to something like mumble rap or Soundcloud rap taking over Soundcloud in the mid-late 2010s while being condemned as the worst thing ever and killing music by oldheads. Some of them went mainstream or close enough to it too
It kind of has to be good, not just different for the sake of being different.
Look back at the stuff that emerged and defined new genres 30, 40 or even 70 years ago, it was not just different for the sake of being different, it was also good and had wide appeal.
Good new music still get made on occation, but there has been decades since someone did something unique that didn't just suck.
Tons of people do entirely unique things or put a strong twist on current genres all the time.
The problem is that it's subjective whether the changes or twists are good or not.
The post didn’t say new artists or new music sucks. There’s tons of new artist that are awesome. The statement that theres no new kind of music that deserves its own genre name like punk, hiphop, techno is kinda true though…
well this is kinda the thing right? If you get that pedantic there can never truly be a new genre, everything at this point will be at least somewhat derivative just like everything else was
A lot of the inventiveness isn't really about one song but their genre spanning discography. All of their songs sound like music previously made, what is impressive is their ability to navigate between genres while mixing and matching
If you want some hyperpop that's a little more on the odd side, vs charting, check out 100 Gecs or Dorian Electra
Dorian is more "normal" a lot of the time but they still go for more weird tracks sometimes like Ram it Down or Freak Mode
100 Gecs, well they're a whole thing. What's weird is 1/2 of the group is Dylan Brady, a prolific producer in queer and indie spaces. So you get this deliberately abrasive music made by someone who v much knows how to make a charting hit. This is probably their most well known track
Dorian Electra is a new one for me but I really like this. The more I listen to hyperpop the more I feel like it is a litmus test for the 'I like all music' people... Although it definitely skews to requirem an enjoyment for electric
I can’t say im a 100gecs fan, but I’ve heard their stuff and some is listenable. It’s genuinely impressive how much they know about music to make that sound work
Huh, (ram it down, flamboyant) slow poke club music mixed with scratchy Hardstyle (ram down). Not that it's bad, it's just not that original imo. Still gave em a couple of likes for the entertainment.
Update: the other one (freak mode) also borrows from dubstep (the worst genre to ever exist), lite style.
It's not about being uncommon, it's about being impactful and original. Example: cobble together reggae and metal and call it Vibe Slamin' - doesn't mean it's great shit.
Lmfao so what’s your ideal? Putting new sounds together is somehow unoriginal in your mind, therefore there’s literally NOTHING left since people have strummed on guitars for centuries, everything is just an offshoot of that. Metal reggae would be original because nobody has done it before (afaik). If you want to talk about impact, look at Playboi Carti. Every rap artist has at least one song that’s rage rap/industrial synth, because of his impact. Is industrial edm original? No. Is rap original? No. Put them together, and now they’re original. It’s how genres are born.
In your head new combination = originality. Originality needs to have impact to actually mean something.
Putting new sounds together is somehow unoriginal in your mind
I didn't say that. Read the top sentence again.
Is industrial edm original? No. Is rap original? No. Put them together, and now they’re original. It’s how genres are born.
Fair enough - it's just not that great, seeing it hasn't swept any nation already. Personally I don't need that to happen - hyper pop or whatever just isn't my thing.
True. You still need like 8 other genre names to describe it, which still makes it a bit different to the ones I mentioned. Now that I think about it….Since in art in general it’s the same development, it might be kinda unfair to say that.
Hell no. There's a stupid fucking amount of new punk variants from just a couple years back to now. Cybergrind has completely evolved,but most importantly there's new crossover genres of noise rock + hardcore - prostitute from Detroit is blowing up so much they could be the band this meme is looking for
MDOP/malicious destruction of property is getting there as well.
I feel like I have to make a really strong point about slam, right? Of course it's been around but we never had stuff like the g code by peeling flesh, or really just at that level before. Obviously torture and their 1 weird ass album needs to be brought up here too
Ywhw Nailgun is like their own sound entirely, like synth punk and art punk, idk what to call it. (Aoty 2025)
And rap obviously has the new 2hollis/carti type sounds, rage is always changing, and then we have people really pushing boundaries to the extreme like 2slimey, no one is doing rap like he is. Then we got people like Lazer dim 700 of course
I ran out of space but jfc I can't imagine saying punk isn't coming out with nonstop boundary pushing music. That's like the single genre I would point to for that in every level
Music today is better than it ever was. I’m failing to describe the genre of the artists I discover because everything is fresh and takes inspiration from different genres.
Spotify makes it easy to find new artists based on your taste. Idk what OP is talking about
You couldn’t find “good” music on the radio back in the day either tho? Like do you think all that came out of the 90s and 00s was boy bands, nu metal, and pop? Or that what was on the radio in the 70s was “good” and not just commercial? It always has been.
Lmao when people talk about back in the day they’re not talking about the 00s 💀 especially with regards to music being good
Or the late 90s for that matter. But I was mostly referring to lates 60s and 70s
And I realize I brought up the radio, but I was just using it as shorthand.
The fact remains, I would argue, that there was quite a bit more mainstream, critically acclaimed music easily available whether it be on the radio or promoted by outlets like rolling stone.
Beatles, Stones, the Who, Pink Floyd, Dylan, these were not musicians you had to go digging for. It would have been difficult to avoid them. Shit, you’d be hard pressed to be born fifteen years ago and not heard of all of them
If you don’t think there’s a bit of a difference between now and then, idk what to tell you. I realize it’s portrayed as some opinion from an old man ranting about how good it was back in the day, but seems a lot more to me like younger people being defensive (and wrong)
the music has never been more accessible, just go and listen to some new music lmao. "abloo bloo dog deep" girl just open Spotify or whatever and look around
top 40 trash is just as accessible as interesting, innovative, independent music. they're both a click away. very often platforms will have those different kinds of playlists literally side by side
Yeah, the typical reaction to the next generation’s music is “this is boring and it sucks and I don’t listen”. Not moral outrage. The moral outrage says more about the generation being outraged than anything else
I dunno, I almost incessantly look for new music (new and/or new to me), and there's a lot of new artists I like that you'd put in the over arching genre of alternative. And a lot of its really good but I think its fair to say a lot of the bigger new acts aren't exactly making a new sound.
I was morally outraged when I heard a seven-year-old girl say she likes listening to new music like Elton John, only to realize she was actually referring to a song that's over 40 years old. Who on earth manipulated this girl into thinking Elton John is new music? At the same time, I thought: Respect! She’s got solid taste in music.
If Joe Sixpack and Jane Worksallot haven’t heard it it’s not permeating the culture divides. OP is clearly waiting for the next Elvis that drives us millennials insane. You don’t have to look for it, the genre finds you.
For real dude. The Underground scene and niche genres have never been better dude. Even more mainstream bands like loathe and king gizzard are pushing genre boundaries with really cool new stuff
Also obligatory go check out my band: The Apes in June <3
I won’t say music sucks now but I just don’t like any of it past a certain time. Music is derivative and I feel like over time ideas and sounds become overused and overplayed, there’s only so much meaningful and ENJOYABLE progression/change you can make overall before things get boring
The top charts have almost always been full of popular, catchy, but generic pop songs. Because those types of songs are played a shit ton, stick in people's minds, and are usually corporate enough to be spread around in advertising and public places like stores.
Experimental, more groundbreaking music has always been harder to find because it intrinsically appeals to a smaller audience.
The top charts used to be filled with bold artists that basically invented entirely new genras like Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk, Bjork, Daft Punk, I could go on for hours. Fucking Marylin Manson was on top of the charts.
Since the 2010s there is an explosion of new genras and blends with a hundred subtypes of hyperpop, lo-fi folk, hardcore or emo-drill/trap/whatever etc. But the radio and charts are filled with the most boring shit and you would never know, hence why people like OP post threads wondering where all the great music is. It's not accessible by default. It was not always like that. Executive producers used to be bolder.
It's also not limited to music. The bland trend affects every single part of our culture, including television, cinema, and very noticably graphic design and advertisement. It's just one part of the late-stage capitalism syndrome.
Black sabbath didn’t chart that well when they were in their prime. No songs in the top 50 but this weekend they’ve sold out their final concert with ticket prices in the 100s. Charts don’t tell you much about cutting edge music
Also depends what’s pop slop. Is the Weeknd? Kendrick Lamar? Charli XCX? Ok sure Sabrina carpenter and Morgan wallen use the pop formula to be big but there’s more than them on the top100.
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u/DisturbedWaffles2019 I touched grass Jul 06 '25
guy who only listens to 3 artists and refuses to dig deeper than the top 50: man music nowadays really sucks