This article discusses the functions of continuous processes in contemporary electronic dance music (EDM), providing an analytical framework for discussing their structural and aesthetic roles in this repertoire. Continuous processes are musical gestures with continuous changes to musical parameters, rather than discrete, “step-by-step” ones. Examples include pitch slides (glissandos), crescendos, fade ins, accelerandos, and filter sweeps.Continuous processes in this repertoire are created with “continuous controllers” such as sliders and knobs, or are programmed into tracks with “automation curves.” Functionally, continuous processes often provide sonic instructions for dancers. They can be used by creators at strategic times to provide ornamentation, orientation (often accompanied by intensification or de-intensification), or disorientation (usually in breakdown sections). This article adds to existing analytical scholarship by drawing attention to the many roles of continuous processes in EDM, and showing how they contribute to the emotional waves experienced when listening to this music.

中文翻译：

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当代电子舞曲中连续过程的作用

本文讨论了当代电子舞曲（EDM）中连续过程的功能，为讨论它们在该曲目中的结构和美学作用提供了一个分析框架。连续过程是音乐参数连续变化的音乐手势，而不是离散的“逐步”的。示例包括音高幻灯片（滑音）、渐强、淡入、加速和过滤器扫描。此曲目中的连续过程是使用滑块和旋钮等“连续控制器”创建的，或者使用“自动化曲线”将其编程到轨道中。从功能上讲，连续过程通常为舞者提供声音指令。创作者可以在战略时期使用它们来提供装饰、定位（通常伴随着强化或去强化），或迷失方向（通常在故障部分）。本文通过提请注意 EDM 中连续过程的许多作用，并展示它们如何促进听这种音乐时所经历的情绪波，从而增加了现有的分析学术。