When I was in college I knew a guy named Truckin’. I have absolutely no idea how he got that name. As awesome as it was though it didn’t really fit. He didn’t look like a trucker, didn’t wear flannel or suspenders like you might expect, and wasn’t particularly big and burly- although during junior year he did grow a respectable beard.
Truckin’ was extremely…interesting. You could call him either unique or weird, depending on your perspective. He was incredibly intelligent, had traveled all over the world, and was always full of surprises.
One Monday morning Truckin’ came into class and sat down next to me. “How was your weekend?” I asked.
“Great!” he responded. “I wrote a techno song a while back and it just broke into the top ten on the electronic charts in Brazil!
I hadn’t even known that he made electronic music. It turned out that he collaborated with a few people from around the world and they made music together online.
Truckin’ was always a fairly strange guy so I have no idea how true this was, but the story still highlights one of my favorite things about electronic music, and that is how international it is.
Take any style of music: Rock, Pop, Rap, Jazz, you name it. That style might be really popular here in America but not very well-liked in Asia. Another style might dominate the airwaves in Europe but be almost unheard of in Africa. One thing I’ve found though is that electronic music is the opposite: it’s incredibly international. I’ve traveled to 27 countries and EDM is the one style that you can find in absolutely every single place. It might not be the most popular style in any given country, but if you go out at night or search the radio dial you’ll undoubtedly find it.
It’s like the soccer of music. It transcends borders and it’s an easy way to connect with people from other cultures. Also like soccer, it’s been slow to catch on here in the United States but is quickly building momentum.
That’s one of the reasons why I suggest people get into electronic music. If you want a way to plug into an international community, if you want to be able to travel to other countries and easily find people who share a common passion, or if you just love feeling like part of something that transcends nationality, EDM is for you. It’s really exciting when you’re constantly interacting with musicians from around the world.
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