New Zealand Music

Pop music is defined by its focus on melodic accessibility, catchy hooks, and a verse-chorus structure. It utilizes polished production techniques to create radio-friendly, high-energy tracks that resonate with a mass audience, blending elements from rock, dance, and electronic music.

Rhythm and Blues (R&B) originated in African American communities, blending gospel, blues, and jazz. Defined by soulful vocals, groovy rhythms, emotional depth, and smooth melodies, it evolved from 1940s jump blues to contemporary fusions with hip-hop, pop, and trap, delivering intimate urban storytelling.

A foundational American music genre originating in African American communities of the Deep South, characterized by soulful, emotive vocals expressing themes of hardship, love, and resilience. It employs the classic 12-bar chord progression, blue notes for poignant emotional depth, call-and-response structures, and improvisation, profoundly influencing genres like rock, jazz, and soul.

High-energy 1970s dance music originating from New York City clubs, defined by four-on-the-floor beats, funky basslines, lush orchestral strings, punchy brass, and shimmering hi-hats, evoking glamour, joy, and euphoric dancefloor escapism.

New Wave is a post-punk genre blending synth-pop, punk, and rock, characterized by quirky rhythms, witty ironic lyrics, angular guitars, synthesizers, and danceable energy. Originating in the late 1970s UK and US, it peaked during the 1980s MTV era, influencing indie, synthpop, and synthwave.

Electronic microgenre featuring slowed-down, reverb-drenched samples from 1980s-1990s media, ads, and pop music, evoking ironic nostalgia for consumerism, obsolete tech, and a surreal, hazy past.

Screamo is an aggressive, emotionally charged subgenre of emo and hardcore punk. It is defined by high-pitched, strained screamed vocals, lyrics exploring deep personal turmoil, stark dynamic shifts between melodic passages and chaotic outbursts, and high-energy, dissonant instrumentation.

Industrial music is an experimental genre characterized by harsh, mechanical sounds, abrasive noise, heavy distortion, and pounding aggressive rhythms. It explores provocative themes of dystopia, alienation, and societal critique, blending electronic, found-sound elements, and unconventional instrumentation for a raw, anti-establishment edge.

Noise music is an avant-garde genre that prioritizes dissonance, feedback, and unstructured sonic chaos over conventional melody, harmony, or rhythm, creating immersive, often abrasive soundscapes through experimental sound manipulation.

A highly commercialized, upbeat pop subgenre characterized by simple, sugary melodies, infectious hooks, and a youthful, innocent aesthetic designed for mass appeal.

Christian Rock is a subgenre of rock music that fuses energetic rock instrumentation with lyrics centered on faith, worship, redemption, and spiritual growth. It delivers uplifting messages of hope and divine love through powerful guitars, driving rhythms, and anthemic vocals.

Future Bass is an energetic EDM subgenre defined by bright, lush supersaw synth chords, pitched-up and chopped vocal samples creating ethereal hooks, wobbly modulated sub-basslines, and massive euphoric drops that fuse trap hi-hats, progressive builds, and dubstep wubs for anthemic festival vibes.

Jazz is a genre of music that originated in African American communities of New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is characterized by swing and blue notes, call-and-response vocals, polyrhythms, and improvisation. Jazz has roots in European harmony and African rhythmic rituals, evolving into a complex art form that values individual expression and instrumental virtuosity.

Grime is a high-energy electronic genre originating from East London, characterized by syncopated, off-kilter beats at 140 BPM, deep sub-bass, and sparse, minimalist production. It features aggressive, rapid-fire MCing with dense, street-smart lyricism delivered in British English slang.

Afrobeat is a high-energy Nigerian genre pioneered by Fela Kuti in the late 1960s, fusing jazz, funk, highlife, and West African rhythms. It features intricate polyrhythms, call-and-response vocals, bold brass sections, pulsating basslines, and extended improvisational jams, often addressing social justice, politics, and African empowerment.

Shoegaze is a subgenre of alternative rock originating in the late 1980s UK, defined by dreamy, ethereal soundscapes created through heavy guitar distortion, reverb, feedback, and 'wall of sound' production. Vocals are often buried in dense textures, evoking introspection, haze, and emotional depth.

Post-punk is an avant-garde rock genre emerging in the late 1970s, building on punk's raw energy with eclectic influences from dub, funk, krautrock, disco, and art rock. Characterized by jagged angular rhythms, repetitive basslines, atmospheric production featuring heavy reverb, echo, and delay, and lyrics delving into alienation, politics, existential dread, societal critique, and urban isolation.

Hyperpop is an experimental electronic pop subgenre emerging in the late 2010s, blending exaggerated pop hooks with glitchy, distorted digital sounds, heavy auto-tune, pitch-shifted vocals, and hyper-energetic, overproduced beats inspired by internet culture and PC Music.

Phonk is a subgenre of hip-hop and trap that draws heavy inspiration from 1990s Memphis rap, characterized by lo-fi aesthetics, distorted 808 bass, and chopped-and-screwed vocal samples. It often features prominent cowbell melodies and a dark, atmospheric, and nostalgic soundscape, frequently associated with drift culture and late-night urban driving.

A hard-edged hip-hop subgenre originating in Chicago, characterized by ominous trap beats, gliding 808 basslines, rapid rolling hi-hats, and raw, confrontational lyrics focusing on street life, gang culture, and urban violence. It features sparse, minimalist production that emphasizes vocal intensity.

Experimental music subverts traditional conventions through innovative sound design, unconventional noise, found objects, and abstract forms. It prioritizes sonic exploration, sensory disruption, and intellectual challenge over established musical structures.

Upbeat West African dance genre originating in Ghana, characterized by syncopated guitar riffs, vibrant brass horn sections, and complex polyrhythmic percussion. It features lively call-and-response vocals that evoke communal joy and celebration.

Traditional Moroccan Gnawa music is a spiritual genre rooted in sub-Saharan African traditions, preserved by the Gnawa people. It features hypnotic guembri basslines, metallic qraqeb castanets, and tbel drums. The music is central to the lila ritual, using call-and-response chants to induce trance states for healing and spiritual connection with saints and spirits.

Raï is a vibrant Algerian music genre originating from 1920s Oran, fusing Bedouin folk traditions with Western pop, rock, and electronic elements. It features poetic lyrics in Algerian Arabic (Darija) addressing love, social issues, and rebellion, with emotive improvisational vocals, derbouka rhythms, and gasba flutes.