Since I was very young I have been a big fan of music. If I’m correct I bought my first 7″ single in 1980 (Irene Cara’s: Fame) and have been collecting music ever since. Besides collecting I love listening music at home or in the car. And while clubbing I have heard my portion of music too. While along this 365 day list journey I will provide you with many lists about my musical favorites. But today let’s start with my favorite (sub)genres. I will add some Youtube links for your listening pleasure.
10. 90’s music
As a kid born in the 70’s I started going out in the early 90’s. First to local bars, later to clubs and festivals. It was the start of the house music evolution and rise of some great Eurodance acts. Besides that pop music was huge as well with acts like Oasis, Nirvana and Madonna.
9. 80’s music
Like mentioned at number 10, I was born in the 70’s, so my biggest musical steps were in the 80’s. Who does not remember great hits like Duran Duran’s The Relex and Talk Talk’s Such a shame. In the 80’s also the very famous Dutch radioshow Curry & Van Inkel started. Another big influence to mention is the start of the annual Grandmixes by Dutch mastermixer Ben Liebrand.
8. Triphop
Would not have expected to add this one as a favorite genre. But according to Discogs one of my all time favorite albums (Kruder & Dorfmeisters K&D sessions) is actually a triphop album. Besides them I am also a big fan of acts like Massive Attack and Portishead.
7. Hard Dance
Had a lot of discussion about this genre in the past. For me Hard Dance is a mix of hardhouse and hardtrance. It has absolutely nothing to do with hardcore and hardstyle. In 2001 I went to the famous Impulz Festival to see The Orb. After their show I ended up in the hardhouse tent and a new favorite was found. Untill 2004 I only went to the bigger parties in the Netherlands. From 2004 I almost never missed a hardhouse/hardtrance party in The Netherlands or in the UK. Had lots of fun, and a whole lot of people I met in those days are still my friends.
6. House Classics
House music started at the end of the 80’s and early 90’s. Besides events all over the country there were 3 important clubs in The Netherlands. Luckily for me one of those clubs was really close to my home. So in 1991 I took my first steps in the wonderful world of house music. Still love those tracks from back in the days.
5. Pop/Rock
Besides all the electronic music, I still have some pop/rock favorites as well. Some albums from Pink Floyd and Dire Straits have been on heavy rotation. I still love an occasional play of Madonna, and on the harder side we also like a bit of Muse every now and then.
4. Progressive
And by progressive I mean progressive trance, not progressive rock. Not sure how to desribe, but I guess progressive trance is a slower version of trance, a bit dreamier and with more time to built up to something. I used to love (and collect) the cd’s from the Global Underground series with mixes from DJ’s like Sasha, John Digweed and Deep Dish. More recently Orkidea’s Pure Progressive cd from 2020 is still on heavy rotation.
3. Dub
Actually I have no idea how to describe Dub music besides that is a sort of electronical spin-off of reggea music. For a full explanation, please check out Wikipedia. One of the most famous dub artists was Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. One of my current favorites is Gaudi. Two years ago I discovered a great album from 1997. Bob Marleys’ Ambient Translations in Dub.
2. Ambient
In 1991 I heard KLF’s Chill Out for the first time. After that I read in a Dutch Magazine that The Orb was involved in this too. Ever sice then I am a great fan of the Ambient genre. Still love and collecting The Orb. Also like other ambient stuff from people like Si Matthews and Sven Kossler and occasionally also like older stuff from people like Phillip Glass, Brian Eno etc.
1. Trance
After the intensive party period with hard dance I slightly moved to trance. Not very strange since some of the best trance is provided by Dutch DJ’s over the years. I still love the early 90’s trance from her heroes like Judge Jules and Paul Oakenfold. For the past few years I almost never missed a Pure Trance radioshow from my absolute hero Solarstone.