Source: Music is a Universal language by Miloš Drobnjaković _ Flickr
Music is beautiful. It is an ever-evolving art which has seen many genres and artists come and go over the years. Many of these get overshadowed by mainstream trends and are lost to us.
These lesser-known genres and musicians are just as important as the mainstream trends and contribute a lot to the musical landscape, offering unique sounds and trends that captivate their listeners. From genres like vaporwave to Shoegaze, these music forms have huge fan followings but unfortunately, don’t make it to the big scene. Their complexity and, many times, experimental nature keeps them from enjoying mainstream success. But this doesn’t mean these genres are any less captivating.
Shoegaze
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Shoegaze was born way back in the late 1980s and has been cultivating its fan following ever since. This genre has its roots in the UK and Irish indie scenes and was created when musicians started experimenting with guitar reverb and heavy distortion. This name was given to the lesser-known genre as a reference to the musicians staring at their feet while playing the instruments because of their whole attention being on the music alone.
Many bands like Ride, My Bloody Valentine, and Slowdive became the pioneers of Shoegaze and their shows were mixes of intense and ethereal sounds with layers of guitar sounds and vocals. The lyrics were introspective in nature and the performance style was anything but mainstream. If you are new to Shoegaze and want to start listening to the genre, you can start with the song “Only Shallow” by the band My Bloody Valentine, which perfectly captures the essence of Shoegaze.
For many listeners of Shoegaze, the genre isn’t just music but a way of life through which they are able to introspect and focus on the sensibilities of their lives.
Zydeco
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Zydeco music is full of musical instruments. Once you hear this type of music, you will be able to make out the accordions, frottoirs, washboards, triangles, and fiddles very easily. This genre was created by the Creole people who used to sing in Creole French and their music was what evolved into Zydeco in the 1860s. It consisted of three types of music styles – Cajun music, Rhythms, and Blues. It also included elements, which were added by the Haitian immigrants who had come to Louisiana.
One of the most well-known Zydeco musicians was Clifton Chenier, who was also called the “King of Zydeco.” He was able to promote the spread of Zydeco throughout the United States because of his great singing and accordion skills. Other musicians you can try listening to are Buckwheat Zydeco, BooZoo Chavis, Terrance Simien, and Dwayne Dopsie.
Tuvan Throat Singing
Source: https://routesnomades.fr/en/artists/tserendavaa-tsogtgerel
Tuvan Throat Singing is an ancient tradition which belongs to the remote region of Tuva, located in Siberia. Tuvan Throat singers are able to sing in multiple pitches at the same time!
The songs from this genre have some very particular sounds of nature which creates a connection between nature and music. This is such an interesting feat that many music enthusiasts and ethnomusicologists are interested in knowing more about how this happens. Lots of research has been done on the topic in order to find out how exactly this happens.
You can start listening to artists like Huun-Huur-Tu who have taken this ancient tradition to the international stage by blending Tuvan sounds with modern music instruments. Their music is a testament to the fact that human abilities are incredibly diverse and versatile.
Dungeon Synth
This genre is even lesser-known than the other forgotten genres in this list and has evolved from the 1990s black metal scene. This music is often used in settings of medieval castles, forgotten crypts, and ancient myths because of its ability to transport its listeners to imaginary worlds.
This music is mostly known and has flourished on online platforms and communities like Bandcamp. Mortiis is a pioneering artist of this genre and has been creating music of this type since forever. There are many new artists like Thangorodim who also create music which are very good at helping their fans resonate with fantasy and supernatural games.
Vaporwave
Vaporwave came into the spotlight in the 2010s as a result of the online meme community who made the genre popular. It combined smooth jazz with 1980s elevator music to create nice, slowed-down samples which target consumerism and corporate culture. The whole aesthetic of the genre revolves around this type of old, retro music which has a futuristic appeal to it as well.
Macintosh Plus and Oneohtrix Point Never are the go-to artists you need to listen to for getting into this type of music. They create hauntingly nostalgic tracks that comment on our day-to-day life and heavily influence internal culture.
Resources
Shoegaze
- Edwards, B. (2023, May 18). A beginner’s guide to shoegaze in five essential albums. Louder; Louder. https://www.loudersound.com/features/shoegaze-essential-albums
- The. (2023, September 12). Firebird. Firebird. https://firebirdmagazine.com/music-history/shoegaze
Zydeco
- 11 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Zydeco Bands. (2023, March 5). Hello Music Theory | Learn to Read Music. https://hellomusictheory.com/learn/famous-zydeco-bands/
- What Is Zydeco? (2013, November 5). Wonderopolis.org. https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-zydeco
Tuvan Throat Singing
- margaret. (2020, March 11). Researchers solve mystery of Tuvan throat singing – Faculty of Science. Faculty of Science. https://www.yorku.ca/science/2020/03/10/researchers-solve-mystery-of-tuvan-throat-singing/
Dungeon Synth
- Dungeon Synth: A Guide. (2024). Dungeon-Synth.com. https://www.dungeon-synth.com/
- Inside Dungeon Synth: A Transportive, Atmospheric & Bracingly Earnest Realm | GRAMMY.com. (2022). Grammy.com. https://www.grammy.com/news/dungeon-synth-scene-report-mortiis-fen-walker-siege-malfet-black-metal
Vaporwave
- Malavika Pradeep. (2024, January 14). What is vaporwave? Here’s everything you need to know about the viral music genre. SCREENSHOT Media; SCREENSHOT Media. https://screenshot-media.com/culture/internet-culture/what-is-vaporwave/
- https://rateyourmusic.com/~AlexMelisz. (2020). A Beginner’s Guide to Vaporwave – RYM/Sonemic. Rate Your Music. https://rateyourmusic.com/list/AlexMelisz/a-beginners-guide-to-vaporwave/
