Electronic & Dance Music Quiz

1. Kraftwerk, widely considered the founders of electronic music, are from which country?

1. Germany
2. Japan
3. Sweden
4. USA

2. House music originated in which US city in the early 1980s?

1. Chicago
2. Detroit
3. Los Angeles
4. New York

3. Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' (2013) won Album of the Year at the Grammys. The duo are from which country?

1. France
2. Sweden
3. UK
4. USA

4. What is a 'BPM' in music production and dance music culture?

1. Bars Per Measure — a unit of song structure
2. Bass Per Minute — measure of bass frequency
3. Beats Per Minute — the tempo of a track
4. Breakdown Per Mix — a DJ technique

5. Techno music originated in which US city in the mid-1980s?

1. Atlanta
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. New York

6. The Roland TR-808 drum machine, released in 1980, became foundational to multiple genres. Why was it initially considered a commercial failure?

1. It had too many programming errors
2. It was only compatible with certain synthesisers
3. It was too expensive for most studios
4. Its synthetic drum sounds were considered unrealistic compared to real drums

7. Which Swedish DJ and producer, who rose to global fame with 'Levels' (2011), died in 2018 at age 28?

1. Avicii
2. Deadmau5
3. Swedish House Mafia
4. Zedd

8. What is a 'drop' in EDM (Electronic Dance Music)?

1. A slow, quiet section in the middle of a dance track
2. The moment in a track where the beat and bass re-enter at maximum intensity after a build-up
3. When a DJ accidentally drops their headphones
4. When a producer releases a surprise single without promotion

9. Drum and bass emerged in the UK in the early 1990s, evolving from which genre?

1. Jungle / hardcore rave music
2. Reggae and dub
3. Soul and funk
4. Techno

10. The Prodigy's 'Firestarter' (1996) caused controversy in the UK. Why?

1. It contained offensive lyrics deemed inappropriate for radio
2. It was accused of plagiarising an American band
3. The band refused to perform it on TV shows that required lip-syncing
4. The BBC banned the music video from daytime TV, fearing it would frighten children

11. What is 'beatmatching' — the fundamental skill of DJing?

1. Finding songs with similar chord structures for a playlist
2. Matching the lyrics of one song to the music of another
3. Synchronising the tempo of two tracks so they play in time, allowing a smooth transition between them
4. Timing the exact moment to play a track to match a crowd's energy

12. The 'Summer of Love' in 1988 brought house and acid music to the UK. What was 'acid house'?

1. A sub-genre of house mixing elements of acid jazz
2. House music characterised by squelching, wobbly synth sounds from the Roland TB-303 bass synthesiser
3. House music influenced by the genre of acid rock
4. House music played under the influence of psychedelic drugs

13. Ibiza is famous as a global hub for electronic music. Which two clubs are most historically associated with its DJ culture?

1. All of the above have been central to Ibiza's club scene
2. Amnesia and Pacha
3. DC-10 and Privilege
4. Space and Es Paradis

14. Aphex Twin is considered one of the most influential electronic artists. What is his real name?

1. David Aphex Richards
2. James Richard Davis
3. Richard D. James
4. Robert Jenkins

15. Ambient music as a genre was pioneered by which artist with the 1978 album 'Ambient 1: Music for Airports'?

1. Brian Eno
2. Harold Budd
3. Klaus Schulze
4. Tangerine Dream

16. What is a 'synthesiser' in music production?

1. A device for recording and editing existing sounds
2. A device that combines live instruments digitally
3. An electronic instrument that generates and manipulates sound through analogue circuits or digital processing
4. Software that writes music automatically

17. Calvin Harris has produced more UK #1 singles than any other solo artist. He is from which country?

1. Australia
2. England
3. Scotland
4. USA

18. The Roland TB-303 and TR-808 are legendary electronic instruments. What type of instruments are they?

1. A bass synthesiser (303) and a drum machine (808)
2. A sequencer and a sampler
3. Guitar and bass synthesisers respectively
4. Two different types of drum machine

19. Which annual Dutch electronic music festival has become one of the world's largest, held in Amsterdam?

1. Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE)
2. Mysteryland
3. Tomorrowland
4. Ultra Europe

20. What is 'lo-fi hip-hop' and how did it become a YouTube phenomenon?

1. A relaxed, nostalgic style of hip-hop with intentionally imperfect sound — warm, vinyl-crackling beats used widely as study/chill background music on YouTube livestreams
2. A subgenre from low-income urban areas
3. Hip-hop made without any electronic instruments
4. Hip-hop music recorded with expensive vintage equipment