【コラム】エレクトロ（Electro）：マシンが刻む未来都市のリズム

Column en 00s 80s 90s Electro

29 Aug 2025

Cyber funk that sounds decadent and sophisticated at the same time

Text: mmr｜Theme: Electronic heartbeat born with breakdance

Introduction

Electro is a trend of electronic music that emerged in the early 1980s.Based on funk and hip-hop rhythms, they have achieved a unique evolution by using the beats of rhythm machines, especially the Roland TR-808, as their core.The futuristic sound of deep bass kicks, dry snares, and synthesizers left a strong influence on later techno, house, electroclash, and even modern bass music.

Origins of electro: resonance with hip-hop

The birth of electro is closely tied to the breakdance culture of the Bronx, New York.

Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force – Planet Rock (1982)

A historical masterpiece that samples Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express” and “Numbers” and fuses them with the rhythm of the TR-808.As a result, electro emerged as “futuristic hip-hop.”

‘Planet Rock’ is widely acclaimed as the signature work of Afrika Bambaataa and The Soulsonic Force, whose innovative sound and pioneering approach hold a significant place in the history of hip-hop and dance music.

Tracklist

A1. Planet Rock (Vocal)

A2. Bonus Beats I

B. Planet Rock (Instrumental)

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Egyptian Lover – Egypt, Egypt

Making full use of synths, she presents a sexual and decadent worldview.A song that symbolizes the West Coast scene.

Electro was not just a music genre, but a culture inseparable from breakdance and street fashion.The silver costumes and cyber-style visuals embodied the sensibility of the era of ``the fusion of machines and humans.’’

Intersection of techno and electro

In the late 1980s and 1990s, Detroit techno and electro were reunited.

Drexciya (a legendary duo from Detroit) is a concept work themed around an undersea civilization, giving a mythical quality to hard electro beats.

Juan Atkins (Model 500) was a pioneer in techno, as well as a prolific producer of electro-inspired tracks, freely straddling the boundaries between the two.

This trend would later lead to IDM and glitch electronica.

2000s revival and electroclash

In the early 2000s, electro came back into the limelight.

Electroclash: Driven by Miss Kittin & The Hacker, Fischerspooner, Adult. and others.Their decadent, art-oriented sound was closely tied to the fashion industry.

Electro House Connection: French/German artists like Justice and Digitalism have taken the club scene by storm by fusing electro-inspired synth riffs with house 4/4.

The debut album by Justice, a French electronic dance band active since 2003, was released in 2007 by the French label Ed Banger Records and was a worldwide success, including a Grammy Award nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album.

Tracklist

1.Genesis
2. Let There Be Light
3. D.A.N.C.E.
4.Newjack
5.Phantom
6. Phantom Pt II
7.Valentine
8. Tthhee Ppaarrttyy
9.DVNO
10. Stress
11. Waters Of Nazareth
12.One Minute To Midnight

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Modern electro

Today’s electro is inherited in its purest form, but is also dispersed into various genres.

As a subgenre of techno/IDM, hard tracks using analog synths and 808s continue to be released.

The rhythmic approach derived from electro is also evident in bass music and trap.

In the Japanese scene, Ken Ishii and Goth-Trad have incorporated electro elements and developed their own unique interpretations.

Notable masterpieces

Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force – Planet Rock (1982)

Egyptian Lover – On the Nile (1984)

Cybotron – Clear (1983)

Drexciya – Neptune’s Lair (1999)

Miss Kittin & The Hacker – First Album (2001)

Justice – Cross (2007

An electric groove that shakes the boundary between machines and humans

Electro is not just a temporary genre, but a cornerstone of the development of electronic music.Its DNA continues to live on in hip-hop, techno, house, electroclash, and even modern electronic dance music. The sound of machines and humans resonating is the core of electro, and the reason why it continues to predict the future of music.