Found these passages and they make interesting reading 
Takes you through some of the genres of dance music...
HOUSE MUSIC
House emerged from the nightclubs of post-disco America, especially the predominantly gay, African-American clubs of late '80s Chicago and New York. Soon, however, the music took root in most urban hubs worldwide, from London to L.A., San Francisco to San Paolo, Montreal to Manchester. House is dominated by its telltale, hypnotic "four on the floor" (straight-ahead unsyncopated beats) drum sounds, deep bass loops, and synthetic textures, often also incorporating jazz and world music elements to promote the positive groove. Today, Chicago house is characterized by its deep and tracky sound, New York house by its harder edge and soaring diva vocals, and San Francisco house by its funkier British style.
TECHNO
Techno was originally spawned in American urban centers, notably Detroit, before being exported to England in the early '90s. The techno scene grew quickly in most of Europe, especially Germany, Belgium, and England, where club kids embraced the hard, driving sounds and rhythms that borrowed from '70s electronic innovators like Kraftwerk, and late '80s electronic pioneers like Meat Beat Manifesto, New Order, and Nitzer Ebb. Early '90s techno artists like Orbital, Cabaret Voltaire, and The Prodigy have enjoyed considerable commercial success, while the likes of Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch, and Steve Stoll lead the new underground revolution. Techno is -- and always will be -- future music.
BREAKBEAT
Breakbeat is -- and always will be -- one of the most dominant forms of dance music. You can trace the movement back to the days when James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and Isaac Hayes ruled, through the electro explosion led by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, up to the present day nu-breaks movement engineered by Adam Freeleand et al. The early '90s rave boom in Europe was built on it, the West Coast is obsessed with it, and drum and bass (to some extent) grew out of it. Breakbeat gained popularity in the U.K. through seminal tracks like "The Phantom" by Renegade Soundwave, "Papua New Guinea" by Future Sound Of London, and later "Bombscare" by 2 Bad Mice. In the late 90's the commercial success of bands like Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, and The Prodigy has both attracted the attention of the major labels and has made the music available to a much wider audience. Many believe that it is this genre that will break electronic music in the U.S.
DRUM & BASS
Drum and bass is undeniably one of the most futuristic musical forms in existence. It is the insanely alien, luminescent music of sci-fi movie chase scenes, on fast-forward. Drum and bass producers struggle agonizingly to tweak sounds and samples into test tubes full of bottled lightning. Arcing and hissing with electricity, drum and bass tunes can sound smooth and jazzy or hyperindustrial and jagged, but are usually defined by their characteristic two-step, "Amen" break drum samples. But don't take our word for it, check your local clubs and submit yourself to the sonic bombardment of the full drum and bass experience.
ABSTRACT
Abstract electronic music embraces experimentation through deconstruction. These days in the electronic dance world, every creation seems to be preceded by an act of destruction. From the ruins of such destructive acts, abstract artists construct elaborate and reverberant soundscapes through the use of sampling and massive amounts of sound processing. Providing a bridge between techno and ambient, abstract is what we call the electronic music that just won't behave in its car seat.
AMBIENT
Ambient music can exist pleasantly in the background or powerfully in the foreground. Brian Eno coined the term "ambient music" in the 1970s when he released a series of wildly experimental, seminal albums that included Discrete Music and Music for Airports. These albums contained music meant to exist in the background -- music that could be forgotten about but was nonetheless present, continuing to impact on the listener.
Years later, when electronic music dance music began to spread across the globe, ambient music flourished as a soothing counterpart to the hyperactivity of the dance floor. Ambient music became popularly known as a form of electronic music that had been stripped of most (if not all) of its beats and vocals, leaving only the soothing electronic sounds and melodies.
But ambient music has always been about much more than the chill-out room at the party or dance club. It is music that opens us to the sounds of the world around us. Ambient music might be a field recording from Indonesia, a quiet improvised guitar piece, or warm electronic sounds that slowly ebb and flow. As always, the best way to understand is simply to listen.
DOWNTEMPO
Downtempo is the name used to describe chilled-out beats on a slower, groovier tip. Under this broad genre heading, chunky rhythms based on hip hop beats rule supreme. Downtempo is usually instrumental-based music in the hip hop vein, but can also draw from jazz, film scores, dub and reggae, and world music. Its overall form depends on bass and funk. Like house and drum and bass musicians, downtempo artists create morphed soundscapes that draw from a long history of musical genres. Downtempo is constantly reinventing itself, spawning new and unique variations like the "British sound," "French trip hop," and the hip hop-heavy U.S. approach.
TRANCE
Trance, along with drum and bass, is one of the newer additions to the dance music family tree. It developed out of early '90s techno, and has since split off into two distinct strains -- psychedelic (or Goa) trance and progressive house. The up-tempo, heavily electronic, swirling sounds of psychedelic trance can be heard booming from sound systems along the coastline of southwestern India, particularly Goa -- hence "Goa trance." Meanwhile, progressive house (a lighter derivative) is the music of choice in the both the burgeoning U.K. indoor club scene and the sun-drenched beaches and clubs of Ibiza. You cannot discuss progressive house without mentioning Sasha, John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, and Nick Warren, all of whom have attained pop-star status in their native England.
Hope it made an interesting read......
ZenZen
Takes you through some of the genres of dance music...
HOUSE MUSIC
House emerged from the nightclubs of post-disco America, especially the predominantly gay, African-American clubs of late '80s Chicago and New York. Soon, however, the music took root in most urban hubs worldwide, from London to L.A., San Francisco to San Paolo, Montreal to Manchester. House is dominated by its telltale, hypnotic "four on the floor" (straight-ahead unsyncopated beats) drum sounds, deep bass loops, and synthetic textures, often also incorporating jazz and world music elements to promote the positive groove. Today, Chicago house is characterized by its deep and tracky sound, New York house by its harder edge and soaring diva vocals, and San Francisco house by its funkier British style.
TECHNO
Techno was originally spawned in American urban centers, notably Detroit, before being exported to England in the early '90s. The techno scene grew quickly in most of Europe, especially Germany, Belgium, and England, where club kids embraced the hard, driving sounds and rhythms that borrowed from '70s electronic innovators like Kraftwerk, and late '80s electronic pioneers like Meat Beat Manifesto, New Order, and Nitzer Ebb. Early '90s techno artists like Orbital, Cabaret Voltaire, and The Prodigy have enjoyed considerable commercial success, while the likes of Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch, and Steve Stoll lead the new underground revolution. Techno is -- and always will be -- future music.
BREAKBEAT
Breakbeat is -- and always will be -- one of the most dominant forms of dance music. You can trace the movement back to the days when James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and Isaac Hayes ruled, through the electro explosion led by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, up to the present day nu-breaks movement engineered by Adam Freeleand et al. The early '90s rave boom in Europe was built on it, the West Coast is obsessed with it, and drum and bass (to some extent) grew out of it. Breakbeat gained popularity in the U.K. through seminal tracks like "The Phantom" by Renegade Soundwave, "Papua New Guinea" by Future Sound Of London, and later "Bombscare" by 2 Bad Mice. In the late 90's the commercial success of bands like Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, and The Prodigy has both attracted the attention of the major labels and has made the music available to a much wider audience. Many believe that it is this genre that will break electronic music in the U.S.
DRUM & BASS
Drum and bass is undeniably one of the most futuristic musical forms in existence. It is the insanely alien, luminescent music of sci-fi movie chase scenes, on fast-forward. Drum and bass producers struggle agonizingly to tweak sounds and samples into test tubes full of bottled lightning. Arcing and hissing with electricity, drum and bass tunes can sound smooth and jazzy or hyperindustrial and jagged, but are usually defined by their characteristic two-step, "Amen" break drum samples. But don't take our word for it, check your local clubs and submit yourself to the sonic bombardment of the full drum and bass experience.
ABSTRACT
Abstract electronic music embraces experimentation through deconstruction. These days in the electronic dance world, every creation seems to be preceded by an act of destruction. From the ruins of such destructive acts, abstract artists construct elaborate and reverberant soundscapes through the use of sampling and massive amounts of sound processing. Providing a bridge between techno and ambient, abstract is what we call the electronic music that just won't behave in its car seat.
AMBIENT
Ambient music can exist pleasantly in the background or powerfully in the foreground. Brian Eno coined the term "ambient music" in the 1970s when he released a series of wildly experimental, seminal albums that included Discrete Music and Music for Airports. These albums contained music meant to exist in the background -- music that could be forgotten about but was nonetheless present, continuing to impact on the listener.
Years later, when electronic music dance music began to spread across the globe, ambient music flourished as a soothing counterpart to the hyperactivity of the dance floor. Ambient music became popularly known as a form of electronic music that had been stripped of most (if not all) of its beats and vocals, leaving only the soothing electronic sounds and melodies.
But ambient music has always been about much more than the chill-out room at the party or dance club. It is music that opens us to the sounds of the world around us. Ambient music might be a field recording from Indonesia, a quiet improvised guitar piece, or warm electronic sounds that slowly ebb and flow. As always, the best way to understand is simply to listen.
DOWNTEMPO
Downtempo is the name used to describe chilled-out beats on a slower, groovier tip. Under this broad genre heading, chunky rhythms based on hip hop beats rule supreme. Downtempo is usually instrumental-based music in the hip hop vein, but can also draw from jazz, film scores, dub and reggae, and world music. Its overall form depends on bass and funk. Like house and drum and bass musicians, downtempo artists create morphed soundscapes that draw from a long history of musical genres. Downtempo is constantly reinventing itself, spawning new and unique variations like the "British sound," "French trip hop," and the hip hop-heavy U.S. approach.
TRANCE
Trance, along with drum and bass, is one of the newer additions to the dance music family tree. It developed out of early '90s techno, and has since split off into two distinct strains -- psychedelic (or Goa) trance and progressive house. The up-tempo, heavily electronic, swirling sounds of psychedelic trance can be heard booming from sound systems along the coastline of southwestern India, particularly Goa -- hence "Goa trance." Meanwhile, progressive house (a lighter derivative) is the music of choice in the both the burgeoning U.K. indoor club scene and the sun-drenched beaches and clubs of Ibiza. You cannot discuss progressive house without mentioning Sasha, John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, and Nick Warren, all of whom have attained pop-star status in their native England.
Hope it made an interesting read......
ZenZen
