Electro

Electro, short for electro funk (also known as robot hip hop and Electro hop) is an electronic style of hip hop directly influenced by Kra

Electro, short for electro funk (also known as robot hip hop and Electro hop) is an electronic style of hip hop directly influenced by Kraftwerk and funk records (unlike earlier rap records which were closer to disco). Records in the genre typically have electronic sounds and some vocals are delivered in a deadpan, mechanical manner often through a vocoder or other electronic distortion.

Electro is an artistic musical form in the wide world of electronic music culture. With few exceptions, the definition of the electro sound is the use of drum machines as the base of a track for broken, syncopated rhythms. Adopted by many electro enthusiasts, the Roland TR-808 is a legendary drum machine created in 1980/81 with a recognizable sound (did you ever hear that unreal cute cowbell?). It is still used and cherished today. The instrumentation is generally all-electronic highly emphased by sound design experimentations with funk-style simulated bass lines, sequenced or arpeggiated synthetic riffs and unheard sound effects, all created with synthesizers. Heavy use of effects such as reverbs, delays, chorus or phasers together with original electronic pads create a rich and simultaneously cold sound that emphasizes the common science fiction theme of the lyrics or instrumental expressions. Not all electro features rapping; vocals processed through a vocoder is a common element and try to imitate cybernetic/robotic locutions or simple speech machine formulations. Also, instrumental tracks are more prominent than in related genres of electronic music and hip hop music.