Disco, a repetitive dance music, and rap music are direct descendants. It generally consists of chanted, often improvised, street poetry usually accompanied by disco or funk music. The 1990s saw the birth of alternative music or grunge. Techno, a style of dance music that gained popularity in the 1990s, combines computer-generated, discolike rhythms with digital samples. In contemporary music, there is a strong crossover phenomenon.
Cultural influences are much more readily available.
The trend is not towards one big homogeneous style, but rather an interesting meeting of different influences in projects here and there. Musicians have become much more globally aware of other kinds of music. It includes any ethnic music that isn't big enough to have its own category. Abridged from U.S. State Deparment IIP publications and other U.S. government materials. Any reference obtained from this server to a specific commercial product, process, or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the United States Government of the product, process, or service, or its producer or provider.