Everything Viyolens publishes on Music Genres — reviews, buying guides and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
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- 239 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
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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.
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 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.
The Best Classic Rock Artists to Know
No fifty-deep countdown — just the classic rock artists worth your time, grouped by strand, with one record apiece to start with.
The Best Drum and Bass Artists to Know
From Goldie to Andy C, here's a practical map of the drum and bass artists behind every corner of the genre, grouped by what they actually do.
Afrobeats for Newcomers: Where to Start
A short, deliberately gentle playlist and a proper listening order. No homework, no lyric sheet, just five tracks worth hearing properly.
Amapiano Subgenres, Explained
Stop treating this genre as one interchangeable sound. It isn't. Here's the honest map of the different camps sitting underneath the log drum and piano loops.
Essential Highlife Albums Explained
Highlife's golden age ran on singles, not albums. Here's how to build an essential highlife albums collection that's actually honest about that.
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.
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.
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.
