Nashville

Electronic dance music and Americana, two of today's most vibrant music forms, are moving in opposite directions. With its standardized tempos, booming beats and swooshing synthesized sounds, EDM owns the moment: Laptops and laser light shows in tow, its artists entertain in huge arenas and at massive festivals often with more than 100,000 fans in attendance. Name-brand pop stars are hiring them to work on their recordings. But in a grab for an even larger audience, EDM has become ever more predictable and increasingly...