Progressive music

Progressive music is a term that is currently used in electronic dance music, but also applies to the older style of Progressive rock. In electronic dance music, the basic philosophy is to take one particular sound, then, using synthesizers and sequencers, make slight changes to that sound. When applied to a particular style, the finished product is a stylised sound that appears to progress from one state to another.

Progressive dance music is favoured by Djs that like to beatmatch their records, as it allows them to mix two tunes together with an almost seamless sound to it.

In rock, the word usually descibes music that expands traditional musical structures. Progressive rock artists often string together the songs so that the entire album will become an uninterrupted musical "journey". Each track can be divided into separate movements, all with its own place in the overarching theme of the song. Each movement occasionally has its own name, as in the title track from Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother[?]. Progressive rock tends to be very melodic.

Progressive rock's popularity peaked in the mid 1970s with bands like Yes, Genesis and Emerson Lake and Palmer. See the main entry at Progressive rock.

Progressive metal emerged in the 1980s with Metallica, who combined the styles of heavy metal music and progressive rock.

Two dictionary meanings of the word progressive:

1. Moving forward; advancing. 2. Proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments: progressive change.

These definitions describe progressive music perfectly.

As a whole, progressive records tend to be less stock-standard, and much more unconventional, than other styles of electronic music and rock, and therefore more original.

As well as this, the changes and progressions in progressive dance music are relatively subtle. Unlike the obviousness of Hard House[?] or NRG[?], the peaks and troughs in a track tend to be less obvious. Layering different sound on top of each other and slowly bringing them in and out of the mix seems to be the idea behind the progressive movement.

Progressive electronic Styles include

• Progressive Techno[?]
• Progressive House[?]
• Progressive Trance[?]
• Tribal[?]

Djs who play progressive sounds include -

• John Digweed
• Sasha[?]
• Jimmy Van M[?]
• Danny Tenaglia[?]
• Deep Dish

Progressive Sounding Producers

• Timo Mass[?]
• Source of Gravity[?]
• POB[?]
• Humate[?]
• Moby
• Jondi & Spesh[?]

Progressive Record Labels

• Bedrock Records
• Dorigen[?]
• Fire Recordings[?]

Pioneering artists in the field of Progressive Rock are:

• King Crimson
• Marillion
• Fish
• Genesis
• Frank Zappa
• Yes