Everything Viyolens publishes on Music Genres — reviews, buying guides and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
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The Best Phonk Artists to Know
Behind the cowbells and distorted bass are real people who built this scene. Here are the phonk artists worth knowing, and where each one fits in.
The Best Bebop Artists to Know
A handful of musicians effectively wrote bebop's vocabulary. Here's what each of these essential bebop artists actually contributed, and why it still matters.
Bossa Nova for Newcomers: Where to Start
No jazz theory, no rigid guitar patterns — just three albums, in order, and what to actually listen for once you press play.
The History of Glitch
From a Japanese sound artist's damaged CDs to a German label's compilation series — the real, contested, occasionally accidental story of how glitch got its name.
The History of Nu Metal
A handful of early-1990s bands lay the groundwork, one 1994 debut pulls it into focus, and a five-year commercial explosion changes mainstream radio. Here's how nu metal actually unfolded.
Glitch Subgenres, Explained
What began as one strange 1990s studio habit has spread into half a dozen recognisably different styles. Here's how each branch actually connects back to the trunk.
House Music Subgenres, Explained
House music's subgenres blur into each other constantly. Here's a straight, no-nonsense breakdown of what separates them and who to hear first.
The History of Bebop
Bebop wasn't invented overnight by one genius. Here's the real story of how it was built, tune by tune, in Harlem's after-hours jam sessions.
Reggae Music Subgenres, Explained
Reggae was never one sound. Here's how roots, dub, lovers rock and dancehall actually differ, and where each one came from.
A Beginner's Guide to Bossa Nova
What bossa nova actually is, in plain English — the sound, the story and the handful of names worth knowing before you dive in.
Essential Sea Shanty Albums Explained
A work-song tradition was never built for records — which is exactly what makes the handful of genuinely essential sea shanty albums worth explaining.
The History of Flamenco
From private Andalusian gatherings to UNESCO heritage status: the history of flamenco, told through the people and venues that shaped it.
The Best House Music Artists to Know
House music was built by DJs and producers solving a practical problem: how to keep a room dancing until sunrise. These are the names behind that graft.
A Beginner's Guide to Americana
Americana blends country, folk, blues, bluegrass and rock into something else entirely. Here's a friendly, no-jargon way in for first-time listeners.
Bebop Subgenres, Explained
Bebop didn't fracture into rival camps. It fanned out into five genuine offshoots, each reacting to a different part of the original sound.
A Beginner's Guide to Reggae Music
The bass carries the tune, the guitar skips the beat, and the whole thing still somehow feels relaxed. Here's what reggae is and where it came from, in plain terms.
Nu Metal Subgenres, Explained
Say "nu metal" and most people picture one interchangeable sound. Spend an afternoon actually listening and you'll find several genuinely distinct camps.
Americana Subgenres, Explained
Americana isn't one sound - it's several older traditions sharing a roof. Here's every subgenre named plainly, with no jargon left unexplained.
The History of Classical Music
From plainchant to Stravinsky: a chronological walk through classical music history, era by era, and why the order still matters.
The History of Soundtrack
A French composer, a Disney album and a synthesiser that out-argued a full orchestra — the story of how film music actually got here.
Essential Bachata Albums Explained
The bachata albums that actually moved the genre forward, and why each one mattered at the time it landed.
The History of Pop Music
Pop's tidy origin story hides a messier, more interesting one. Here's how the genre really took shape, era by era.
Classic Rock for Newcomers: Where to Start
A genuinely gentle way into classic rock, built for absolute beginners: six songs to start with and no test at the end of it.
The History of Rocksteady
Two years, two rival studios and one massive shift in Jamaican music. Here's the no-nonsense history of how rocksteady took ska's crown and handed it straight to reggae.
