gateway artists for each musical genre (1 Viewer)

[mr. furley]

you have a friend who listens exclusively to rock music but they tend to lean towards jam band type rock and you think they may like jazz... who do you recommend as the gateway to jazz?

conversely, your friend loves jazz but loves free jazz and you think that might map to EDM.. who do you recommend as the gateway to EDM?

etc., etc.

what is the act/group/musician in your favored genre that you recommend to people as the entry point?

 

[fatness]

Americana --- The Band. First 2 albums in particular.
Great storytelling, great music.

Music From Big Pink
The Band

If you only want to suggest 1 album, suggest the second one.

 

[rockaction]

Post-rock - Mogwai if moody or European; Explosions In The Sky if sunnier personalities or American

Post-hardcore - Thursday

Punk - Flipper from San Francisco wants nothing to do with you, Eephus

 

[Leroy Hoard]

you have a friend who listens exclusively to rock music but they tend to lean towards jam band type rock and you think they may like jazz... who do you recommend as the gateway to jazz?

It's going back a bit but fusion bands like Return To Forever and the "Wired" era of Jeff Beck made me more interested in jazz. Stanley Clarke, Jean- Luc Ponty, and Al DeMiola are other solo artists that come to mind. And if all else fails play them the Aja album from Steely Dan.

 

[Eephus]

Punk - Flipper from San Francisco wants nothing to do with you, Eephus

That's like the realtor starting the tour in the latrine

 

[Eephus]

you have a friend who listens exclusively to rock music but they tend to lean towards jam band type rock and you think they may like jazz... who do you recommend as the gateway to jazz?

Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow album. Short songs including Beatles and Stevie covers and a less dated keyboard sound than most 70s fusion acts. It's essentially rock because Beck isn't improvising but the rhythm section swings like jazz cats.

 

[Eephus]

Americana --- The Band. First 2 albums in particular.
Great storytelling, great music.

Music From Big Pink
The Band

If you only want to suggest 1 album, suggest the second one.

Two minutes for too many Canadians on the ice

 

[Eephus]

conversely, your friend loves jazz but loves free jazz and you think that might map to EDM.. who do you recommend as the gateway to EDM?

I'm no EDM expert but Carl Craig uses jazzier rhythms than the typical 4 on the floor EDM beats

Desire: The Carl Craig Story - Album by Carl Craig | Spotify

Carl Craig · album · 2025 · 17 songs

open.spotify.com

 

[mr. furley]

really looking for "this is the intro band/artist" to (your) favorite music genre

 

[-OZ-]

“Progressive bluegrass”

The Gourds

https://pandora.app.link/esX0QLRryYb

 

[zamboni]

In honor of the just deceased Jimmy Cliff:

Reggae: The Harder They Come soundtrack

Bob Marley’s Exodus would be another one

 

[Jaysus]

Harley Poe is the intro band/artist to the horror folk punk music genre.

 

[nirad3]

EDM - Paul van Dyk, Tiesto, John Digweed and Armin van Buuren

 

[mr. furley]

Harley Poe is the intro band/artist to the horror folk punk music genre.

finally, the answer i've been looking for

 

[Ilov80s]

you have a friend who listens exclusively to rock music but they tend to lean towards jam band type rock and you think they may like jazz... who do you recommend as the gateway to jazz?

Maybe Spanish Key off Bitches Brew by Miles Davis. It jams, jazzes and rocks. John McLaughlin's got some great guitar work on it.

Spanish Key (feat. Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, Dave Holland & Harvey Brooks)

Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, Dave Holland, Harvey Brooks · Bitches Brew · Song · 1970

open.spotify.com

I would also reccomend Breezin by Masayoshi Takanaka

BREEZIN'

Masayoshi Takanaka · オン・ギター · Song · 1994

open.spotify.com

Re Run Home by Kamasi Washington

Re Run Home

Kamasi Washington · The Epic · Song · 2015

open.spotify.com

Summon the Fire by The Comet is Coming

Summon The Fire

The Comet Is Coming · Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery · Song · 2019

open.spotify.com

 

[nirad3]

EDM - Paul van Dyk, Tiesto, John Digweed and Armin van Buuren

@urbanhack - perhaps I need to be a bit more specific and say house/trance? Not just EDM? Or am I missing something? I very well could be lol

 

[urbanhack]

EDM - Paul van Dyk, Tiesto, John Digweed and Armin van Buuren

@urbanhack - perhaps I need to be a bit more specific and say house/trance? Not just EDM? Or am I missing something? I very well could be lol

Well I have a lot of thoughts on this. I would pick like Moby, or some old school house music or Massive Attack if anyone had no clue or had never listened to electronic music.

then I would have a whole host of artists for each genre within EDM like Sasha or Digweed for Trance (or Oakenfold).

 

[limey]

How about trying a slightly different approach? I get an increasing amount of my music from Bandcamp (seems to pay artists fairly and there's a wide variety available). Bandcamp's editorial team publish a series of The Best [insert genre here] Music on Bandcamp, monthly. Last month's Electronic music is here but they also cover Jazz, Dance 12", Metal, Experimental, Ambient and various others. The writing's pretty good and often includes the "if you like that, you might like this" kind of thing. It might not be a gateway artist, but it might be a gateway into electronic music?

 

[dutch]

For me it was Hank Williams Sr Greatest Hits for country and Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs by Marty Robbins for western. That led to an appreciation for Buck Owens, Waylon, Willy, Kris and Cash. Throw in some Patsy Cline and Loretta and top it off with Gretchen Wilson and boy howdy what a discovery!

 

[Mister CIA]

I say the gateway song into jazz is Moanin' by Art Blakey. Instantly recognizable and universally loved, it's easily one of the greatest songs ever.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[squistion]

For an intro for Shoegaze, I would start someone with the Cocteau Twins.

 

[Mister CIA]

And Eddie "Cleanhead" Vincent if you like your blues and jazz mixed 50/50:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[dutch]

For an intro for Shoegaze, I would start someone with the Cocteau Twins.

I have never in my life heard this term before, will check out Cocteau Twins and see if it's for me.

 

[Northern Voice]

Low hanging fruit but...

Emo Gateway - Sunny Day Real Estate
Mainstream Emo Gateway - Jimmy Eat World

 

[squistion]

For an intro for Shoegaze, I would start someone with the Cocteau Twins.

I have never in my life heard this term before, will check out Cocteau Twins and see if it's for me.

The definition of what is Shoegaze is not universally agreed upon and often in the ear of the beholder.

That said, here is pretty good description from Wiki:

Shoegaze - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Shoegaze combines ethereal, swirling vocals with layers of distorted, bent, or flanged guitars to create a wash of sound where no instrument is distinguishable from the other.

The sound of the genre is typically characterised by overwhelming volume, long, droning riffs, heavy use of distortion and feedback, and subdued vocal delivery, with melodies often fading into the mix.

 

[Northern Voice]

And if anyone ever wanted to try to really get into Pop-Punk, forget everything you've ever heard by Green Day, Blink, My Chemical Romance etc.. (no shade on those bands, MCR in particular I love) and listen to The Greatest Generation by The Wonder Years front to back. Then go backwards to Suburbia or forwards to No Closer to Heaven.

 

[Mister CIA]

I'm gazing at my shoes right now.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[Mister CIA]

Shoegaze punk:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com