EDM IN 2022?

If you were to ask me in 2015 where I saw Dance music going, I would have told you that I expected to see EDM right alongside hiphop as a dominating force on the charts. Looking back, I was obviously very wrong about that prediction, but you can’t exactly blame me. I mean the signs were all there, electronic music producers had been largely celebrated for the past decade, and at the time, were absolutely running the charts, these days though, they’re nowhere to be found. I bring the subject up because lately, it seems like dance music’s been making a real comeback in a pretty strange way. Thanks to Drake’s “Honestly, Nevermind,” and Beyonce’s “Renaissance,” House music, and some of the lesser known EDM subgenres like Jersey Club are getting a taste of mainstream success in 2022. From the perspective of day one electronic music fans it’s a little bittersweet, because, on the one hand, we’re getting worldwide acceptance from mainstream audiences, as well from the most relevant musicians, while on the other hand, it never really feels authentic enough. To some fans, the attempts at merging these genres come off as rather forced, and while I don’t completely agree, I do see their point. Take for example Drake’s project, “Honestly Nevermind,” which featured production by Black Coffee, and Carnage, both of who are regarded as legends in the EDM community, but somehow their work seems to miss the mark for general audiences. To this day I couldn’t tell you exactly how we got here, maybe it’s due to an over-saturation of the genre, but these days it seems like audiences don’t mind electronic music, however, refuse to accept anything inauthentic feeling. What do you think the future of EDM music looks like? Is it dead in the water, or just now finding its second wind?