If you listen, you can hear it. Coming out of dance clubs, headphones and passing car stereos, you can hear the pounding rhythm of electronic music.

Long popular in urban areas and Europe, electronic music is becoming more visible in central Iowa. Boheme, The M-Shop, Lumpy’s and Lost and Found Lounge have all provided a local forum for DJs to spin their magic.

Still, for many people, electronic music is nothing new.

Eric McAndrew, electronic music director for KURE, says that while electronic music has its roots in the tape music of the 1940s and ’50s, it has only existed in its present form since the dawn of the polyphonic synthesizer in the ’70s.

McAndrew says artists have been pioneering the use of the synthesizer in recording since the 1960s.

“A guy who had a sex change, Wendy or Walter Carlos, had a record called ‘Hooked on Bach,'” McAndrew says. “It was Bach done on synthesizers. [The synthesizers] were only able to play one note, so he had to record over the top [several] times. That was the first commercial electronic record.”

McAndrew credits rock acts like Pink Floyd with making contributions to electronic music, but he feels electronic music didn’t come into it’s own until the more recent age of groups like the Chemical Brothers and the Crystal Method.

More and more, rock musicians seem to be incorporating elements of electronic music. McAndrew points to bands like Fear Factory and The Refused as examples of rock with an electronic component. In addition, bands like Orbital seamlessly combine electronica with a live, rock feel.

Electronic music takes many different forms, from acid jazz, which may use primarily live instrumentation with samples and break beats, to industrial and techno, which may use no live instrumentation. At the core of an electronic record are samplers, synthesizers, turntables, mixers and just about anything else that can be plugged in.

Probably the most striking feature of the electronic music explosion is its association with dance. Since the first kiss between ’80s synth pop and urban hip-hop, electronic music has been the choice du jour for dance clubs.

For proof-positive of the electronic dance craze, look no further than Boheme. Last January, “Lock, Stock,and 4 Smokin’ DJ’s” packed the house and sent a line of eager ravers out into the street.

John Solarz, junior in architecture, was one of the “Smokin’ DJ’s.” Along with Al Shaw, Solarz has continued to DJ at Boheme every other Thursday night.

Growing up, Solarz listened to a wide variety of music. He credits a number of influences with making him a better DJ.

“I’ve been into music all my life; I used to play the drums and piano,” Solarz says. “That’s been a big help [with] understanding how samples fit together. It’s what I think of when I play in front of people.”

Solarz spent last summer working to buy himself a pair of turntables and a mixer. Eager to begin spinning, Solarz bought himself some starter equipment before that.

“I call them my Fisher-Price turntables,” Solarz says. “They were made of plastic; really cheap. I just couldn’t wait so I bought those off my buddy.”

Armed with adequate equipment, Solarz began spinning live last November at Lumpy’s.

“The bartenders didn’t like us and neither did the regulars,” Solarz says. “It was my first chance to spin for people, [which is] much different.

“Looking out and seeing the people smiling, it’s cool,” Solarz adds. “I can tell that people are having a good time.”

Solarz was at Lumpy’s where he met Shaw, who Solarz calls his partner in crime. The pair are the two regular DJs at Boheme, but regularly bring in guest DJ’s from across the Midwest.

“We’ve had guys from Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, so everyone doesn’t get tired of listening to us all the time,” Solarz says.

While dance music may be the most accessible form of electronic music, McAndrew thinks people may be missing out on more complex styles.

“Ambient and noise [electronic music] take a lot more concentration to enjoy,” McAndrew says. “It takes a lot less attention to like dance music.”

Solarz also enjoys electronic music that goes beyond the thumping 4/4 rhythm of dance music.

“There’s a lot of tracks that are down-tempo or have no beat,” Solarz says. “So much stuff out of the West Coast has got a real good instrumental feel. They’re using instruments differently than the same old industrial and electronic.”

The misconceptions about electronic music are almost as abundant as the high school rave kids.

McAndrew says on top of believing electronic is merely dance music, there are a host of other prejudices.

One common complaint is the frequent lack of vocals in electronic music.

“I have friends who are into loud rock who describe electronic as Pantera or Metallica without vocals,” McAndrew says. “I’ve never really understood that, but a lot of people are turned off by it.”

Anti-electronic types also criticize the music for simply being the product of computers.

“A lot of people see electronic as machine rock,” McAndrew says. “It comes off as cold and non-human.”

Electronic artists will contend that there is much more to the music than punching buttons on the computer.

Jeff Blanchard, junior in English, is a member of Cleo’s Apartment, a Des Moines based acid jazz band. Blanchard says it takes a lot of skill to make an electronic record.

“[People think] all [electronic] consists of is programming notes into a keyboard,” Blanchard says. “You have to juggle a lot of elements to make a final composition. I think it takes more time to make an electronic piece of music than a strictly instrument or acoustic based.”

Criticisms seem to be falling by the wayside as more and more Iowans embrace electronic music. The M-Shop’s periodic “Techno Injections,” as well as the Thursday night Boheme shows continue to draw overflowing crowds.

Response at the Boheme has been so strong that Solarz says a show for the Saturday night of Veishea is in the works. There would be several guest DJs, and the all-ages show would go until 4 a.m.

McAndrew notes some irony in the recent enthusiasm for electronic music in central Iowa.

“Two years ago, students complained after the Veishea committee booked the Crystal Method,” McAndrew says. “Now students line up in hundreds to pay five bucks to get into the Boheme to hear the same [thing].”

With questions abounding over whether or not the Veishea committee will even find a band for “Rock Veishea,” it seems entirely possible that the best show in town that night might be an electronic show at Boheme.

Things have certainly changed.