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The Telharmonium was the first ever piece of electronic music. -
Leon Theremin created the Theremin in 1920, before it was patented in 1928. It is played by using your hands to change the pitch of the sounds. -
The Ondes Martenot was created the year the Theremin was patented. It makes a very similar sound to the theremin, but played by using a keyboard. -
The Hammond Organ is very similar to a regular organ, but created an electronic sound. The well-known physical models stopped being produced in the 80s.
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The first mention of the Les Paul guitar was in the 40s, but were not produced until the 50s. It is one of the most popular guitars of all time. It is still used to this day. -
Illiac Suite was the first music ever composed by a computer, but not the first played by a computer.
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The first music fully sung by a computer, Daisy Bell, was released. Originally written in the late 1800s, it was the first played by a computer. -
The Moog Synthesizer was the first major synthesizer made, and the first actually useable synthesizer.
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The Beatles (John Lennon and Paul McCartney) released their most popular electronic song, Tomorrow Never Knows. This kicked off the electronic music scene. -
The introduction of Turntablism created the modern idea of electronic music. Roughly began in the 70s. -
In the early 80s, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) was introduced.
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The first album released by Bambaataa created the stepping stones for the rest of the career, and the expansion of electronic hip-hop -
EDM (Electronic Dance Music) began its growth in the early 90s. It put a more upbeat theme to the already exciting genre of electronic music. -
PLOrk (Princeton Laptop Orchestra) was a collection of computer music with a group of students from Princeton. -
Electronic music has since transformed into EDM, where it is one of the most popular genres of music in 2024. Notable artists include David Guetta, Marshmello, Calvin Harris, and Avicii.