Everything Viyolens publishes on Music Genres (General) — reviews, buying guides and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
- 97 topics
- 52 articles
- Music Genres
Inside Music Genres (General)
All 97 topicsThe 12 most-searched of 97 topics. The full index is at the foot of the page.
Articles on Music Genres (General)
All news
Essential Classical Music Albums Explained
The essential classical music albums worth knowing, era by era, and a practical guide to choosing between the many recordings of each.
The History of Phonk
A raw, unglamorous Memphis sound that nearly disappeared, then came back louder than ever. Here is phonk's history, told properly, era by era.
Reggaeton Subgenres, Explained
Reggaeton isn't one sound. Here's a clear guide to its main subgenres, from underground and perreo to reggaeton romántico and beyond.
The Ultimate Guide to Claves
Two wooden sticks that organise a whole family of music: how to hold and strike claves, the difference between son and rumba clave, and what 3–2 and 2–3 really mean.
The Best Bossa Nova Songs Right Now
The songs that built the genre's songbook, in the order they're worth hearing, from the obvious hit to the deeper cuts.
Soundtrack for Newcomers: Where to Start
You don't need homework to get into soundtrack music. You need four different listens and about an hour of your evening. Here's the order.
Essential Soundtrack Albums Explained
The best soundtrack albums do two jobs at once — serve the film, and stand up perfectly well without it. Here's the honest shortlist.
A Beginner's Guide to Sea Shanty
Never sung a sea shanty in your life? Start here — a clear, patient walk through what the songs are, how they work, and where they came from, with nothing assumed.
Essential Bossa Nova Albums Explained
No filler, just the records that actually built bossa nova and why each one earns its place on the list.
Classical Music Subgenres, Explained
From Baroque to minimalism: a map of the main classical styles, sorted by era, by performing forces, and by twentieth-century departures.
Essential Glitch Albums Explained
Ranked on substance, not novelty: the glitch albums that actually changed what the genre could sound like, from the contested "first" record to the coldest, most precise extreme.
A Beginner's Guide to Classical Music
Classical music explained from the ground up: what the term really means, the periods and forms worth knowing, and six things to listen for in any piece.
A Beginner's Guide to Rocksteady
Slow bass, offbeat chords and close harmony singing: here's what rocksteady actually is, broken down step by step for anyone hearing the word for the first time.
Essential Americana Albums Explained
Not a chart, just the records that keep getting handed down between fans and musicians because they still hold up on a tenth listen.
The Best Glitch Artists to Know
No padding, no filler names. Here's the honest rundown of who actually built glitch, from the pioneer nobody credits enough to the ones still pushing it forward.
The Best Classical Music Artists to Know
A working shortlist of essential classical composers, from Baroque trailblazers to modern figures and names standard lists too often leave out.
The Best Americana Artists to Know
The fastest way into Americana is through the people who write and sing it. Here are the essential names, grouped by era, with where to start listening.
The Best Soundtrack Songs Right Now
A shark fin, a rainy Manchester street, a boxer on the steps — the soundtrack tracks so fused to their scenes they never really left.
The Best Americana Songs Right Now
Forget the news cycle - these are the Americana songs that keep turning up on other people's playlists and still land on the first listen.
The Best Soundtrack Artists to Know
No padding, no guesswork — just the composers who genuinely built this genre, from the old Hollywood guard to today's hybrid hitmakers.
The Ultimate Guide to Banjo
The banjo's true history, the difference between five-string and tenor, open-back and resonator, and how to choose your first instrument by the music you want to play.
The History of Bossa Nova
The real story behind bossa nova — a contested first recording, two very different geniuses, and the album that took it worldwide.
The Best Phonk Songs Right Now
Ten listeners, ten different lists, but these are the phonk tracks that keep earning their place. A listening guide, not a chart.
Essential Phonk Albums Explained
A short, scrappy shelf of records carried a Memphis underground sound into a global genre. Here are the essential phonk albums, explained one by one.
