Melodigging logoMelodigging name
christian electronic dance music

Christian Electronic Dance Music

United States · 2000s
HappyDancingEpicChillSentimental

Your digging level

For this genre
0/8
🏆
Sign in, then listen to this genre to level up

Description

Christian electronic dance music (often abbreviated CEDM, Christian EDM, CDM, or Christian electronic music) blends the sonic palette and club-ready energy of mainstream EDM with explicitly Christian themes and values.

Musically, it mirrors non-religious EDM substyles—house, trance, big room, dubstep, future bass, and drum and bass—featuring four-on-the-floor grooves, drops, builds, and modern sound design. What distinguishes CEDM is its lyrical focus on worship, faith, encouragement, and testimony, alongside a culture that emphasizes sobriety, community, and a welcoming atmosphere. Performances often take place not only in clubs and festivals but also at church events and faith-centered gatherings, and CEDM is sometimes incorporated into contemporary worship services.


Sources: Spotify, Wikipedia, Discogs, Rate Your Music, MusicBrainz, and other online sources

History

Early roots (1990s–2000s)

Christian artists and DJs began experimenting with electronic dance sounds in the 1990s and early 2000s, paralleling the growth of global club culture. As EDM production tools became more accessible, Christian producers used the same techniques—sidechain compression, synthesizer leads, and club-tempo rhythms—while centering messages of faith and hope. Early releases and DJ ministry events laid the groundwork for a distinct scene.

Consolidation and visibility (2010s)

The 2010s saw a clearer identity for Christian electronic dance music as artists adopted the full spectrum of EDM subgenres (big room, progressive house, dubstep, and future bass) and released faith-forward singles and remixes. Major Christian festivals (e.g., Creation Festival, LifeLight, Lumination) began hosting DJ sets and dance stages, and churches increasingly welcomed high-production CEDM nights. The community emphasized a drug-free, inclusive culture and positive, singable hooks—often suitable for youth and worship contexts.

Worship crossover and global reach (late 2010s–2020s)

As contemporary worship evolved, EDM elements (drops, builds, and four-on-the-floor pulses) entered youth worship and church events, with some bands releasing dance remixes of worship songs. Streaming platforms helped niche artists gain international followings, while remixes, collaborative singles, and festival circuits connecting Christian and mainstream EDM aesthetics continued to expand the genre’s visibility.

Today

CEDM now encompasses both artist-centered releases (radio/streaming singles, DJ sets) and worship-facing adaptations (youth nights, conference anthems). Its defining traits—EDM sonics plus overtly Christian, uplifting messaging and a values-based live culture—continue to set it apart from secular counterparts.

How to make a track in this genre

Core rhythm and groove
•   Tempo typically ranges from 120–130 BPM for house/progressive and up to 140–150 BPM for dubstep or future bass variations. Use a solid four-on-the-floor kick for dance-friendly worship contexts. •   Employ classic EDM structures: intro, build, breakdown, drop, and outro. Create tension with risers and snare rolls leading to impactful drops.
Sound design and instrumentation
•   Use modern soft-synths (e.g., supersaw stacks, plucks, bass growls), sidechain compression against the kick, and layered percussion to achieve festival-grade dynamics. •   For worship-leaning tracks, blend pads/strings with bright leads to support congregational melodies; for club-oriented tracks, prioritize punchy drums and bold bass design.
Harmony and melody
•   Favor diatonic, uplifting progressions (I–V–vi–IV and related variants) to support hopeful lyrics and big singalong choruses. •   Craft memorable top-line hooks that translate both on stage and in congregational settings; consider call-and-response motifs.
Lyrics and message
•   Center lyrics on faith, testimony, gratitude, and encouragement. Keep language clear and positive; build refrains that can double as worship chants. •   Maintain inclusive, encouraging tone consistent with the genre’s welcoming culture.
Arrangement and performance
•   Consider “radio mix” and “worship/extended mix” versions: the former for streaming, the latter for live church events or festivals. •   In live settings, DJ/producer sets can include edits and worship remixes; ensure clean transitions and dynamics suitable for a drug-free, family-friendly environment.

Main artists

Top tracks

Locked
Share your favorite track to unlock other users’ top tracks
Influenced by
Edm
EDM (Electronic Dance Music) refers to the mainstream, festival-oriented wave of electronic dance styles that rose to global prominence in the early 2010s. It emphasizes high-energy drops, ear-catching toplines, and crowd-pleasing arrangements designed for large stages and mass audiences. Musically, EDM typically sits around 124–130 BPM with a strong four-on-the-floor kick, wide supersaw leads, bright plucks, and heavily sidechained pads and basses for a pumping feel. Tracks are structured around tension-and-release: intros and builds lead to explosive drops, followed by breakdowns that rebuild energy. Vocals and pop-style songwriting frequently appear, enabling crossover success on radio and streaming platforms.
Electronic
Electronic is a broad umbrella genre defined by the primary use of electronically generated or electronically processed sound. It encompasses music made with synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, computers, and studio/tape techniques, as well as electroacoustic manipulation of recorded or synthetic sources. The genre ranges from academic and experimental traditions to popular and dance-oriented forms. While its sonic palette is rooted in electricity and circuitry, its aesthetics span minimal and textural explorations, structured song forms, and beat-driven club permutations. Electronic emphasizes sound design, timbre, and studio-as-instrument practices as much as melody and harmony.
Progressive House
Progressive house is a melodic, long-form strain of house music known for gradual builds, evolving textures, and a strong sense of tension and release. It favors hypnotic grooves, lush pads, and emotive chord progressions over abrupt drops. Typically sitting around 122–128 BPM in 4/4 time, tracks unfold over six to nine minutes, introducing small changes every few bars to keep momentum. The sound balances club-focused punch with cinematic atmosphere, making it equally at home in late-night dancefloors and long-form DJ sets.
Big Room House
Big room house is a festival-focused strain of EDM built for massive sound systems and outdoor main stages. It typically runs around 126–132 BPM (most commonly 128), uses four-on-the-floor kick patterns, and features huge, simple lead riffs designed to be instantly memorable to large crowds. A defining trait is the contrast between cinematic, reverb-washed breakdowns and ultra-dry, percussive drops driven by a powerful kick, sub, and a few bold supersaw or horn-like synth stabs. Arrangements lean on dramatic builds with snare rolls, risers, and crowd-hyping vocal chops, culminating in drops that emphasize impact over harmonic complexity.
Dubstep
Dubstep is a bass‑centric electronic dance music genre that emerged in South London in the early 2000s. It is typically around 140 BPM and is defined by a half‑time rhythmic feel, sub‑heavy basslines, sparse yet impactful drums, and a strong emphasis on space, tension, and sound system weight. Hallmark traits include syncopated kick patterns, snares on the third beat of the bar, swung/shuffly hi‑hats inherited from UK garage, and modulated low‑frequency bass (“wobbles”) shaped with LFOs, filters, and distortion. Influences from dub reggae (echo, delay, and minimalism), jungle/drum & bass (bass science and sound system culture), and 2‑step garage (rhythmic swing and shuffles) are central. The style ranges from deep, meditative “dub” aesthetics (often called deep dubstep) to more aggressive, midrange‑driven variants that later informed brostep and festival bass. Atmosphere, negative space, and subwoofer translation are as important as melody or harmony.
Anthem
In its original and most precise musical sense, an anthem is a short sacred choral composition in the English language, created for use in the liturgy of the Church of England during and after the Reformation. Functionally akin to the Latin motet but texted in English, early anthems are typically polyphonic, devotional settings drawn from Scripture or the Book of Common Prayer. Over time, the term broadened beyond church use to mean an elevated song of celebration and collective identity. In the modern sense, “anthem” often refers to national or civic songs used as symbols of states, institutions, and teams—works designed for public ritual, commemoration, and ceremonial display.
Has influenced
Pop Worship
Pop worship is a strand of contemporary worship music that adopts the songwriting, production sheen, and hook-forward formats of mainstream pop. It is written for congregational singing yet packaged with radio-ready arrangements, memorable toplines, and modern electronic or pop-rock sonics. Stylistically, it favors anthemic choruses, simple and declarative “vertical” lyrics (addressed to God), and dynamic builds designed for collective participation. Production often includes warm pads, shimmering synths, dotted‑eighth delay guitars, four‑on‑the‑floor drums or halftime grooves, and wide, reverb‑rich vocals. Tempos typically split between mid-tempo ballads and energetic, dance-leaning tracks. The genre thrives in both church services and streaming environments, bridging the intimacy of worship with the immediacy and polish of contemporary pop.
Anthem Worship
Anthem Worship is a subgenre of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) and Praise & Worship characterized by its 'anthemic' qualities: soaring melodies, grand dynamic build-ups, and a strong emphasis on communal, congregational singing. Musically, it blends elements of pop-rock, post-rock, and arena rock, often utilizing delay-heavy electric guitars, atmospheric synthesizer pads, and driving drum rhythms to create an epic, immersive soundscape. The lyrics typically focus on vertical praise, celebrating God's attributes and greatness, designed to unify large gatherings in a shared expression of worship.
Christian Pop
Christian pop is a strand of contemporary Christian music that adopts the sounds, structures, and production values of mainstream pop while centering explicitly Christian, faith-based, and inspirational lyrics. It emphasizes catchy hooks, polished vocals, verse–chorus–bridge song forms, and radio-friendly arrangements. Sonically it ranges from soft rock and adult contemporary ballads to synth-driven, dance-pop tracks, mirroring broader pop trends while maintaining messages of hope, testimony, praise, and everyday discipleship.
Challenges
Digger Battle
Let's see who can find the best track in this genre

Download our mobile app

Get the Melodigging app and start digging for new genres on the go
© 2026 Melodigging
Legal
Melodding was created as a tribute to Every Noise at Once, which inspired us to help curious minds keep digging into music's ever-evolving genres.
Buy me a coffee for Melodigging