Electronic dance music can trace its roots back to the first electronic instruments, and its past includes the electronic music of the 1940s, the first electronic scores and space-age sounds of the 1950s and Jamaican dub innovations in the 1960s.
The invention of the Mini Moog in 1970 heralded a new age for electronic music, which began to filter more into the mainstream. The albums Kraftwerk released in the mid- and late '70s are considered extremely influential by electronic dance music fans and producers.
The invention in 1980 of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) was a great step toward making it possible for fewer musicians to make more sounds, as was the proliferation of sampling, computers and portable, affordable synthesizers throughout the decade.
Subgenres of '80s inventions such as hip-hop and techno seemed to multiply in the 1990s. Electronic dance music acts and festivals were as high profile and popular as traditional, acoustic acts and events, and dance music DJs became celebrities.
In the first 10 years of the 21st century, technology made it easier for more people than ever to enjoy, create and share electronic dance music. The ubiquity of electronic dance music in every facet of modern life makes a convincing case for it being the de facto sound of life in the 21st century.