The UK is a musical powerhouse in general, but perhaps its dominance in popular music can be attributed to the global dominance of the English language. And maybe the UK’s similar strength in largely instrumental genres of electronic music can be explained as a consequence of its strong Pop/Rock industry. But what’s harder to explain is why the UK is such a wellspring of electronic genres – Rave, Trip-Hop, IDM, Drum and Bass, Happy Hardcore, Grime, Dubstep, Hyperpop etc. Aside from the US (which has been the cultural capital of the post-WW2 world), the only country that ever came close to this was Germany in the 1970’s.
What’s perhaps most surprising is that it seems to be easier for other European countries to produce successful English-language acts than to generate new genres (especially Sweden). So how much does language even play a role here?
My hypothesis is that the special ingredient in British music is Afro-Caribbean immigrants and other Black British people. Reggae and Dub have been a major influence on more than half of the genres I listed above, and their influence is felt through a lot of other British music. Cultural cross-pollination between Black and White people has also been the engine of musical innovation in the US and Brazil. The question that remains is why this specific type of multiculturalism leads to the creation of more internationally-widespread genres than others.
About The Author
