How to Explore
Welcome to PulseRoots! This guide helps you navigate the vast world of electronic music using our interactive tools.
On desktop, you'll find an immersive treemap that visually maps out the connections between genres. On mobile, the genres are organized into a clear and accessible accordion list.
Styles and Substyles
Both views start with broad "Families" (like Techno or House) and branch down into specific styles and substyles. Click or tap on any genre to open a panel with a detailed description and a sample track to help you understand its unique sound.
Music History Timeline
Click the Timeline button to explore 107 key milestones in electronic music history, from 1897 to the present day. Hover over any dot to read the story.
Key Artists
For each genre, we've included a "Key Artists" section featuring pioneers and standout musicians who have significantly shaped its sound.
Accessibility
PulseRoots is keyboard-accessible. Press Tab to reach the genre tree, then use the arrow keys to move between genres and press Enter or Space to open the details panel for the selected genre.
Note on Classification
This visualization represents one interpretation of how electronic music genres are categorized. Music is fluid, and other classifications might group styles differently based on cultural, historical, or sonic perspectives.
Inspirations
PulseRoots is inspired by the incredible work of other music exploration projects. Special thanks to Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music, Musicmap, and Every Noise at Once for paving the way.
Listening to Tracks
To listen to the example tracks, a Spotify account may be required. The embedded player provides a 30-second preview for all users. Logging into Spotify may unlock the full track, depending on your subscription.
Contact
Thank you for visiting, and I hope you enjoy exploring the world of electronic music.
If you have any suggestions, improvement proposals, if you've found any errors, or just want to say 'Hi!', feel free to write to me through our contact page.
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Browse by family
Families are the starting point of the tree. Each one groups the styles and substyles that share an origin, era or sound.
- Experimental 39 styles Experimental electronic music is a genre that explores unconventional sounds, structures, and…
- Techno 33 styles Techno is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Detroit, Michigan, during the…
- Electro 11 styles Electro, short for electro-funk, is a genre of electronic music that emerged in the early…
- House 42 styles House music is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from the underground club scene…
- Trance 22 styles Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1990s, characterized by…
- Ambient 17 styles Ambient music is an electronic genre that focuses on creating immersive, atmospheric…
- Bass Music 48 styles Bass music is a broad genre of electronic music that emphasizes heavy, prominent basslines and…
- Breakbeat 16 styles Breakbeat is a genre of electronic music that features syncopated drum patterns, typically…
- Chill-out 17 styles Chill-out is an umbrella term for a variety of mellow, downtempo electronic music styles that…
- Global Club 19 styles Global Club (also known as Global Bass or World Club) refers to a diverse movement of…
- Disco 9 styles Disco is a genre of dance music that emerged in the 1970s, characterized by its upbeat,…
- Funk and Soul Fusion 8 styles Funk and Soul Fusion represents the evolution of traditional African American rhythm and blues…
- Industrial and Post-Industrial 8 styles A genre rooted in harsh, mechanical sounds and dystopian themes, often blending elements of…
- Pop and Rock Fusion 18 styles Pop and Rock Fusion within the electronic realm represents the bridge between traditional…
What this electronic music map shows
PulseRoots is a genre tree, not an alphabetical list. Every style is placed where it came from: Detroit Techno under Techno, Acid House under Chicago House, Dungeon Synth under Dark Ambient. Following a branch shows how a sound travelled from one scene to another and which styles share the same roots.
Each genre page adds context to the tree: a description of the sound and its history, the key artists who shaped it, an example track you can play, its parent style, its substyles and the styles that share artists with it. Pages are linked in both directions, so you can move from a broad family down to a micro-genre and back.
The site is curated by hand and reviewed periodically. Descriptions use encyclopaedic sources as a starting point, while artist lists and tracks are chosen to represent the style rather than to rank popularity.
Frequently asked questions
What is PulseRoots?
PulseRoots is a free, interactive map of electronic music. It organises more than 300 styles into families, showing how each genre descends from another, with a short description, key artists and an example track for every entry.
How many electronic music genres are there?
There is no official number, because genres overlap and new scenes appear every year. PulseRoots documents more than 300 styles and substyles, from early experimental and tape music to contemporary hyperpop, phonk and amapiano.
How is the PulseRoots genre tree organised?
Each genre sits inside a family and under a parent style. For example, Detroit Techno is inside Techno, and Ghettotech is inside Detroit Techno. Every page links up to its parent and down to its subgenres, so you can move between broad families and micro-genres in both directions.
Can I listen to an example of each genre?
Yes. Every genre page includes an example track linked to Spotify, so you can hear the sound being described. A Spotify account may be required for full playback; previews are available to everyone.