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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A Beginner's Guide to Amapiano
A warm, jazzy piano loop over a deep, breathing bass note that seems to wobble rather than just thump — here's a gentle introduction to amapiano.
The Best Progressive Rock Songs Right Now
A lot of what still matters was recorded fifty years ago, and it's still what a new listener hears first. Here's why that's not a bad thing.
A Beginner's Guide to Afrobeats
Afrobeats and Afrobeat aren't the same thing. Here's the fast, no-nonsense guide to what the genre actually is, how it sounds, and where to go next.
The Best House Music Songs Right Now
Forget rankings. These are the house music tracks that genuinely defined a moment, from Chicago's earliest 12-inches to Disclosure's modern crossover.
Essential Progressive Rock Albums Explained
These are the records worth sitting with, start to finish, the way they were actually written to be heard.
The Best Reggaeton Songs Right Now
Forget the weekly chart — these are the reggaeton songs with genuine staying power, from the genre's dancehall roots to its current global hits.
The History of Jazz Music
Jazz reinvented its own rules roughly once a decade for the best part of a century. Here's how it actually moved from dance halls to the avant-garde.
Essential Nu Metal Albums Explained
Cut through the nostalgia and the backlash: here are the records that actually matter, and how to judge them properly rather than dismissing them on reputation alone.
A Beginner's Guide to Emo
Emo isn't a haircut — it's rock music that puts honest emotion right at the front. Where it came from, how it changed, and the albums to start with.
A Beginner's Guide to Bebop
Bebop can sound intimidating from the outside. This guide breaks down what it actually is, how it sounds, who built it, and exactly where to start listening.
A Beginner's Guide to Highlife
Never heard of highlife before? Here's the friendly, no-pressure introduction to West Africa's great guitar-and-horns tradition.
The Best Exotica Artists to Know
Four names cover almost everything you need to know about who built exotica. Here's who they are and what makes each one essential.
Soca Subgenres, Explained
"Soca" covers more ground than it first appears. Here's a clear map of the soca subgenres underneath the umbrella term, and how to actually tell them apart.
Essential Pop Music Albums Explained
Singles get you a hit; albums prove an artist can sustain an idea for forty minutes. Here are the pop albums genuinely worth hearing in full.
The History of Fado
Fado wasn't born in one night from one broken heart. Here's the tangled, multicultural, decades-long story of how it actually came together.
Bossa Nova Subgenres, Explained
How a small, quiet Rio de Janeiro sound branched into samba-jazz, bossa jazz, MPB and a lounge revival decades later.
A Beginner's Guide to House Music
House music can feel like a wall of subgenres and jargon from the outside. Here's the sound, the story and the gear explained simply, with a clear route to where to go next.
A Beginner's Guide to Exotica
Exotica is one of the friendliest genres to start with. Here's a calm, encouraging way in, with your first three records mapped out.
Boogie Subgenres, Explained
One word, four genuinely different genres — here's a clear map of how boogie splits, and why it keeps causing mix-ups.
A Beginner's Guide to Dubstep
What dubstep actually is, how it works, and where to start listening — the plain-English guide for anyone new to the genre.
A Beginner's Guide to Boogie
One pattern, one form, four weeks — here's the reassuring, no-nonsense route into playing boogie for the very first time.
A Beginner's Guide to Ska Music
Faster than reggae, older than punk's version of it, and horn-led from the start. Here's what this genre actually is and where its revivals came from.
The History of Grime
Grime didn't arrive fully formed. Here's how it moved from pirate-radio frequencies in east London to a Mercury Prize, a quiet decade, and a full-blown revival.
Essential Drum and Bass Albums Explained
Drum and bass was built for the 12-inch single, which makes the albums that broke that mould genuinely worth understanding on their own terms.
