Everything Viyolens publishes on Music Genres — reviews, buying guides and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
- 64 topics
- 378 articles
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
All news
Black Metal for Newcomers: Where to Start
You don't need to know the lore to start. Here's exactly where to begin listening to black metal, in the order that actually works.
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.
Essential Dubstep Albums Explained
Singles and dubplates built dubstep's reputation, but a handful of full albums proved the sound could sustain an entire listen. Here are the ones worth your time.
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 Best Concerto Songs Right Now
This repertoire doesn't have songs in the pop sense — but it has movements so beloved they've effectively become the equivalent.
Essential Trance Music Albums Explained
Singles built trance's reputation on the dancefloor, but the albums are where you hear an artist's full range. Here's a starting shelf worth your time.
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.
Grime Subgenres, Explained
Where does grime end and its neighbouring genres begin? Here's an honest map of Eskibeat, UK garage, dubstep, UK drill and the mainstream crossover.
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.
The Best Folk Music Artists to Know
A Kentucky bluegrass picker and a hushed English singer-songwriter share little in arrangement, but everything in putting the song first. Here's who to know.
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 History of Prog Rock
From Pet Sounds to progressive metal: how prog rock actually developed, and why the genre never really had just one sound.
