Intelligent dance music (commonly IDM) is an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre was originally influenced by developments in electronic dance music (EDM) such as Detroit Techno and various breakbeat styles that were emerging in the UK at that time. Stylistically, IDM tended to rely upon individualistic experimentation rather than adhering to musical characteristics associated with specific styles of EDM. The range of post-techno styles to emerge in the early 1990s were described variously as art techno, ambient techno, intelligent techno, and electronica. In the United States, the latter term is now used by the music industry as a catchall to describe EDM and its many derivatives.
The term IDM is said to have originated in the United States in 1993 with the formation of the IDM list, an electronic mailing list originally chartered for the discussion of music by (but not limited to) a number of prominent English artists, especially those appearing on a 1992 Warp Records compilation called Artificial Intelligence.
Usage of the term "Intelligent Dance Music" has been criticised by electronic musicians such as Aphex Twin and is seen by artists such as Mike Paradinas as being peculiar to the U.S.
Famous quotes containing the words dance music, intelligent, dance and/or music:
“The author’s conviction on this day of New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music; but this must not be taken as implying that all good music is dance music or all poetry lyric. Bach and Mozart are never too far from physical movement.”
—Ezra Pound (1885–1972)
“I come more and more to the conclusion that one must take the side of the minority which is always the more intelligent one.”
—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749–1832)
“Rejoice with a Mustang for it will dance down the highway and bump no one.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“The band waked me with a serenade. How they improve! A fine band and what a life in a regiment! Their music is better than food and clothing to give spirit to the men.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)