Every sound in dance music goes through the same cycle: emergence from a specific underground scene, growth as more producers and DJs adopt the aesthetic, peak commercial visibility, overexposure, and then either a slow fade or a revival when a new generation rediscovers it. Big Beat peaked in 1997 and was culturally exhausted by 2000. Hard techno went from Berlin basement to TikTok trend in under three years. The cycle is predictable. The timing is not.
The trend analysis posts in this section document those cycles for the major sounds of the last five decades, with evidence: sales data, streaming numbers, press coverage, and the booking patterns that show when a sound is actually rising versus when it just feels like it is. The full trend and data archive is part of the Industry & Business section.