Check out this interactive scatter plot of 1387 music genresScreen Shot 2016 03 24 At 10.54.39 AM

Check out this interactive scatter plot of 1387 music genres

If there’s one thing dance music fans love, it’s inventing new genres. And as journalists, we’re just as guilty of it (if not more). In fact, we’ve been classifying and re-classifying music for decades, spawning hundreds of subgenres in the process. Now, however, the brilliant minds at The Echo Nest have created the definitive map of genres, showcasing the entire web of our ever-expanding musical tree.

The algorithmically-generated scatter plot features 1387 genres, organized by larger parallels. “Down is more organic, up is more mechanical and electric; left is denser and more atmospheric, right is spikier and bouncier,” the description reads.

Check out this interactive scatter plot of 1387 music genresScreen Shot 2016 03 24 At 10.54.39 AM

 

Clicking on any genre yields an auditory example powered by Spotify (who purchased The Echo Nest in 2014). From jumpstyle, to fidget house, to more obscure genres like aggrotech and bubble trance, the electronic section runs deep — even for the most pedantic dance music fanatics. Some of the genre names are a bit questionable, like “deep deep tech house” and “deep neo-synthpop.” At some point, these modifiers become a bit superfluous.

Regardless, one can’t help but get lost in the intricacies of the scatter plot, exploring all the weird nuances of the vast network. Pro tip: hover over any genre to see what song is cued up.

Check out The Echo Nest’s map of 1387 genres here.

Categories: