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
All 64 topicsThe 12 most-searched of 64 topics. The full index is at the foot of the page.
Articles on Music Genres
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The Best Punk Rock Artists to Know
No filler, no family tree — the punk rock artists worth knowing and why each one earned their place.
Bebop for Newcomers: Where to Start
No theory required. Just five tracks, a sensible order, and permission to not catch every note on your first listen.
House Music for Newcomers: Where to Start
Forget the subgenre charts. Here's the honest, no-faff route into house music: five tracks to start with, names worth knowing, and where to actually listen.
Indie Music Subgenres, Explained
Indie isn't one sound wearing different outfits. Here's each subgenre broken down plainly, with a starting point for each mood.
Progressive Rock Subgenres, Explained
Call something 'prog' and you've barely said anything. Here's how the genre actually splits up, so you know what you're getting before you press play.
The Best Exotica Songs Right Now
Exotica isn't a trend-chasing genre. Here are the defining tracks that have held up for seventy years, and still hold up today.
The History of Reggae Music
A decade-by-decade timeline of how Jamaican music went from mento and ska to reggae, dub and dancehall — and how it ended up everywhere.
The History of Bachata
How a stigmatised barrio music from the Dominican Republic spent thirty years as a punchline before conquering dancefloors worldwide.
A Beginner's Guide to Shoegaze
Distortion, feedback and a pop melody buried somewhere underneath: here's what shoegaze actually is, where its odd name came from, and why it never really went away.
The Best Glitch Songs Right Now
No fake top ten here. Here's why "song" is the wrong word for most of this genre, and the handful of genuine standout pieces worth pressing play on anyway.
The Best Bossa Nova Artists to Know
The names that built bossa nova and the ones who pushed it further — the essential artist list, explained.
The Best Bebop Songs Right Now
Forget the trending playlists. These are the bebop songs that actually built the style's reputation, and they're not going anywhere.
The History of Boogie
One rolling left-hand pattern, a century of borrowing, and a genuinely surprising trail from barrelhouse piano stools to arena stages.
Soul Music Subgenres, Explained
One genre, six genuinely distinct strands — here's a clear map of soul music's regional and stylistic branches.
The Best Fado Artists to Know
Fado lives or dies on the singer. Here's a proper who's who, from the golden-age voices to the contemporary torchbearers.
A Beginner's Guide to Progressive Rock
Long songs and odd time signatures don't have to be intimidating. Here's the honest, no-nonsense way in.
Classic Rock Subgenres, Explained
One umbrella, several very different sounds: the strands that make up classic rock, why they blur into each other, and where to start with each.
The Best Classical Music Songs Right Now
No charts, no release dates: a mood-based guide to the essential classical pieces that keep turning up in films, adverts and concert halls.
A Beginner's Guide to Pop Music
Pop gets dismissed as "just catchy songs" more than any other genre. Here's how it actually works, and why that's not an insult at all.
The Best Glam Rock Artists to Know
The real glam rock artists who built the genre — and why lumping them all together as 'glitter and platforms' does them a disservice.
The Best Soul Music Songs Right Now
Older than most people streaming them, and still defining the sound today — these are the soul songs that never really left.
The Best Grunge Artists to Know
Grunge was never one band or one sound. Here's the honest rundown of who actually shaped it, from the household names to the ones history nearly skipped.
Glitch for Newcomers: Where to Start
A patient, in-order listening path for anyone new to glitch — five records, why each one comes where it does, and what to do if a step doesn't click straight away.
Essential Classic Rock Albums Explained
The albums, not just the singles: six essentials, one pick from every subgenre, and honest advice on how to actually listen to them.
