Everything Viyolens publishes on Music Genres — reviews, buying guides and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
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Inside Music Genres
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Articles on Music Genres
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Essential Flamenco Albums Explained
Three landmark flamenco albums, explained plainly, plus how to build your own collection out from them by palo rather than by name.
A Beginner's Guide to Drum and Bass
Fast, bass-heavy and built on chopped breakbeats — here's what drum and bass actually is, and how the pieces fit together.
The Best Grunge Songs Right Now
The songs that mattered at the time and the ones that still stop you mid-sentence today — the essential grunge tracks, explained.
The History of Drum and Bass
From warehouse raves to a Mercury Prize win, here's how drum and bass actually took shape, era by era.
The History of Sea Shanty
This is the real sea shanty history — working people's music, borrowed rhythms, and a genre that outlived the ships that ever needed it.
Sea Shanty for Newcomers: Where to Start
You don't need a trained voice or a history lesson to join in — just three songs, one chorus, and the nerve to sing louder than feels comfortable.
Grunge for Newcomers: Where to Start
A step-by-step listening path for anyone new to grunge — seven records, in the right order, and why each one comes where it does.
The Best Rocksteady Artists to Know
From Alton Ellis to the too-often-overlooked Phyllis Dillon, here are the rocksteady artists whose Kingston studio sessions genuinely built the bridge from ska to reggae.
Essential Classical Music Albums Explained
The essential classical music albums worth knowing, era by era, and a practical guide to choosing between the many recordings of each.
Highlife for Newcomers: Where to Start
Not sure where to start with highlife? Follow this five-stop listening path, built specifically for beginners, in order.
Everything You Need to Know About Steel Band Drums
From a battered oil drum to a chromatic orchestral instrument — here's how steel band drums are built, tuned and played, and where the whole tradition began.
The History of Phonk
A raw, unglamorous Memphis sound that nearly disappeared, then came back louder than ever. Here is phonk's history, told properly, era by era.
Reggaeton Subgenres, Explained
Reggaeton isn't one sound. Here's a clear guide to its main subgenres, from underground and perreo to reggaeton romántico and beyond.
The History of House Music
A converted warehouse, two rival DJs and a handful of homemade records changed dance music forever. Here's the story of how house music actually happened.
Bachata for Newcomers: Where to Start
No overthinking required: three songs, seven simple steps, and where to actually go and dance it for the first time.
Top Hot 100 Billboard: What You Need to Know
The Billboard Hot 100 gets namechecked constantly, but few people know how it's actually built. Here's the recipe behind the chart — and why its current No. 1 is rewriting the record books.
Melodica Explained: Features, Types and Tips
The melodica looks like a toy, but there's more going on inside it than most people realise. Here's what it is, how it works, and how its types differ.
The Ultimate Guide to Claves
Two wooden sticks that organise a whole family of music: how to hold and strike claves, the difference between son and rumba clave, and what 3–2 and 2–3 really mean.
Reggae Music for Newcomers: Where to Start
No scales, no history lesson required. Just three records, three things to notice, and a straightforward way into reggae for anyone starting from zero.
The Best Reggae Music Artists to Know
No filler, no forced obscurities — the reggae artists, producers and session players who actually built the genre, and what to listen for from each.
The Best Bossa Nova Songs Right Now
The songs that built the genre's songbook, in the order they're worth hearing, from the obvious hit to the deeper cuts.
The Best Melodicas for the Money
There's no single best melodica — only the best one for your category. Here's how the field breaks down by classroom, studio, tone and skill level.
Soundtrack for Newcomers: Where to Start
You don't need homework to get into soundtrack music. You need four different listens and about an hour of your evening. Here's the order.
The History of Shoegaze
A sound built from at least four earlier traditions, named as an insult, and granted barely half a decade in the spotlight before quietly outliving everything that displaced it.
