UNDERGRADUATE
Home > Undergraduate > Course Offering 2026/27 > Courses
MUSI2089 Electronic Dance Music Culture
Course Type: disciplinary elective for music majors/minors, free elective for others
Prerequisite: NIL
Instructors: Dr. Li Meng DE BAKKER
Semester: First Semester 2026/27
Time: 10:00am –11:50am, Wednesday
Venue: CPD-LG1.22 Rehearsal Room
In the past four decades, electronic dance music (EDM) has risen from subcultural roots to become a dominant force in global popular music. This course introduces students to the diverse world of EDM through critically surveying its key cultural practices, shining a light on the roles of DJs, producers, genre, technology, visual culture, commerce and more. In the process, students will journey through important episodes within EDM history and gain insight into how the EDM industry and its myriad scenes operate and are perpetuated.
‍
Course Learning Outcomes
Assessment Methods
Topics
Text & Resource Materials
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
  • Engage in critical discussion of key cultural values and beliefs held by electronic dance music practitioners and within the electronic dance music industry and its diverse scenes;
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the historical, social, and environmental factors that gave rise to key values, beliefs, and practices associated with electronic dance music culture.
Fieldwork Report 15%
Journal 10%
Mid-term Test 25%
Final Test 35%
Participation 15%

  • From the “Mainstream” to the “Underground”: The Contemporary Landscape of EDM
  • Curator, Shaman, Educator, Star…: Views on the Role of the DJ
  • Digging and Sampling: Archival, Production, and Performance Practices
  • Turntablism vs. Controllerism and Attitudes on Changing DJ Technologie
  • From Free Party to Festival: Event Categories in EDM
  • Rave Culture: Drugs, “Disappearance”, and the Legacy of Acid House
  • Nightlife as Interdisciplinary Practice
  • Futurism in EDM
  • Visual Culture and Design in EDMC
  • Soundsystem Culture: Enduring Performance and Production Practices from the African Diaspora
  • Aesthetics of Darkness in UK Bass Music
  • The Role of Media in Perpetuating EDMC & The Impact of Online Platforms, Digital Technologies, and AI on the Industry
    Selected readings and listening/viewing materials are either available on Moodle or on reserve at the Main Library.