Music Definitions
Progressive : styles : progressive breaks & progressive
house
Artists include:
Progressive breaks artists include: Digital Witchcraft, Momu,
Hybrid and progressive house artists include Leftfield, BT,
Steve Porter, however the lines between these progressive styles
and progressive trance are less pronounced now than they were
originally.
Origins of progressive house:
Progressive house has its origins in Britain in the early
1990s, with the output of the Guerrilla record label and Leftfield's
first singles (particularly "Song of Life") inspiring,
according to various accounts, either Genesis P-Orridge of
Throbbing Gristle fame or then Mixmag editor Dom Phillips to
coin the term. In 1992, what was to be the first superclub,
Renaissance threw open its doors in the small mining town of
Mansfield, and its DJs - particularly Sasha and the then-unknown
John Digweed - were instrumental in pushing the sound in its
early days. The music itself consisted of the 4-to-floor beat
of house music allied to deeper, dub-influenced basslines and
a more melancholic, emotional edge. Often, the ethereal "swirly" textures
of early trance could be heard in the mix, and various other
elements from across the electronic spectrum. "Song of
Life", for instance, has a trip-hoppy down-pitched breakbeat and a
high-energy 303 riff at various stages.
The centre-of-gravity of the sound, so to speak, has shifted
over the years. After the release of Transeau's debut album "Ima",
for instance, the bulk of the style's records were in a more
ethereal, melodic style. (That record was also an enormous
influence on the nascent progressive trance sound.) Then, as
trance became more and more popular and melodic, prog darkened
and acted as a deliberately underground counterpoint, merging
with tribal house to produce many very minimal percussive tracks
as this decade kicked off. Modern progressive house tracks
have innovative bass lines and strong closed atmospheric sounds.
This particular style made the rise of a new sub genre, 'Dark
House'. (It also marked the return to the sound of Sasha and
Digweed, who had picked up and popularised the progressive
trance sound in the interim.)
New progressive breaks style:
Progressive breaks is a relatively recent phenomenon, essentially
growing out of nu-skool breaks and progressive house. It is
mostly of a trancier feel, with plenty of atmospheric pads.
Most artists working in the genre also work in its immediate
relatives too, with only the likes of Hybrid really sticking
to it consistently. That said, it is one of the more exciting
developments on the progressive scene.
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