A wave of diverse acts

Electronica was made possible by advancements in music technology, especially electronic musical instruments, synthesizers, music sequencers, drum machines, digital audio workstations^{[citation needed]}. Early forms of electronic music required large amounts of complex equipment and multiple operators for live performances, and multiple engineers to record the music at high quality.^{[citation needed]} As the technology developed, it became possible for individuals or smaller groups to produce electronic songs and recordings in smaller studios, even in project studios. At the same time, computers facilitated the use of music "samples" and "loops" as construction kits for sonic compositions. ^[7] This led to a period of creative experimentation and the development of new forms, some of which became known as electronica. ^[5][8]

In the mid-1990s, electronica began to be used by MTV and major record labels to describe mainstream electronic dance music made by such artists as Orbital (who had previously been described as ambient) and The Prodigy.^{[citation needed]} It is currently used to describe a wide variety of musical acts and styles, linked by a penchant for overtly electronic production; ^[9] a range which includes more popular acts such as Björk, Goldfrapp and Braindance artists such as Autechre, Aphex Twin, and Boards of Canada^[3] to dub-oriented downtempo, downbeat, and trip-hop. Madonna and Björk are said to be responsible for electronica's thrust into mainstream culture, with their albums Ray of Light (Madonna),^[6] Post and Homogenic (Björk). Electronica artists that would later become commercially successful began to record in this early 1990s period, before the term had come into common usage, including for example Fatboy Slim, Fœtus, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, Moby, and Underworld. ^[10] A focus on "songs", a fusion of styles and a combination of traditional and electronic instruments often sets apart musicians working in electronic-styles over more straight-ahead styles of house, techno and trance.^{[citation needed]} Electronica composers often create alternate versions of their compositions, known as "remixes"; this practice also occurs in related musical forms such as ambient, jungle, and electronic dance music. ^[11] Wide ranges of influences, both sonic and compositional, are combined in electronica recordings.