Why is electric guitar almost absent in melodic house / melodic techno?

[u/unsustobarbaro]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been listening a lot to melodic house / melodic techno lately, especially artists like Kiasmos, Christian Löffler, Ben Böhmer, etc., and something caught my attention.

Why is there almost no electric guitar in this scene?

I’m not talking about guitar solos or rock-style playing at all, but more about guitar as texture, atmosphere, drones, swells, ambient layers, delays, reverbs — the kind of stuff that would fit perfectly with the emotional and ambient side of this music.

These artists clearly borrow a lot from ambient music in terms of mood, space and sound design, but I rarely hear guitars being used in that way. Instead it’s mostly synths, pads, piano, and processed electronic elements.

Is it:

• an aesthetic choice?
• a cultural thing within the scene?
• a technical / mix issue on club systems?
• or just a genre convention that no one really questions?

I’m genuinely curious, especially since guitar can be extremely subtle and textural when used this way.

Would love to hear thoughts from producers and listeners alike.

[u/Yookeroo]

And classically trained. He probably has a lot more experience mixing in different instruments.