Prompted by the coming release of the movie "Groove," today's New York Times has a comparatively well-done article on electronic music, with separate pages explaining the differences between techno, house, drum'n'bass, trance, and big beat. Admittedly, nobody here's going to learn *too* much -- that is, unless it's a revelation to you that "a skilled DJ blends records on two or three turntables simultaneously, which is called spinning." Still, there's audio/video/interview clips balancing quite a few pioneers (Larry Levan, Juan Atkins, Richie Hawtin) with the obvious commercial favorites (Basement Jaxx, Sasha, Fatboy). Check it out...
http://www.nytimes.com/library/music/031300dj-intro.html .John.