My favorite genres would have to be:

. Progressive Rock
. Electronic
. Classic Rock
. Metal (mainly older stuff)

I'm aware that it's become somewhat of a cliché know to say that you enjoy listening to all genres of music - but as time has progressed, and as I have had access to more and more genres through the magical winders of the internet, I have found my interest in music broadening greatly. Part of this is due to the environment in which I was brought up in - both of my parents have a rather eclectic taste in music, and it seems to be something that I have inherited from them.

However, two genres stand out in my music folder: Metal, and Pop. When I say 'Pop', I'm not talking about Hannah Montana, Girls Aloud, or any other contemporary acts, but rather, older artists such as Rod Stewart, David Cassidy, Dusty Springfield, etc.

I do also enjoy the occasional bit of 'classical' music (I'm aware that I may not be using that term in the current sense here, as 'classical' actually refers to a single period of music) - however, I feel that my ear is currently untrained and unable to truly appreciate 'classical' music. Currently, my favourite piece is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

Note: In the first sentence, 'winders' should read 'wonders'.

I agree. My musical taste has grown intensively thanks to the internet. I've really grown to enjoy ambient/trip hop music, and it's probably my favorite. Music with no words expresses me better than music with words.

As null said, I also have a very eclectic taste in music. The genres that top my list, however, would be synthpunk, electro-pop and pico-pop, speedcore and happy hardcore, good grungy indie rock, and some death metal.

My fav genres would be :

-Depressive/suicidal Black metal
-Shoegaze
-Post-rock
-Post-black metal

Nintendocore, mathcore, post-hc, emo, screamo, pop-punk, punk rock. Some others I like, but those are favourites

J-pop is my favorite, followed by j-rock, then Russian pop or rock. I really like upbeat songs in pretty languages.

Momosu & Berryz Koubou=PWN




Kpop
Jrock
Jpop
Krock

that's basically it

Heaps

I don't have a genre I like best. I'm okay with most music as long as it feels good. I like music with subtlety, something that resonates with my mood, something that makes me think. It's probably my age, I don't understand music nowadays. I find it hard to digest rap and hip hop. I find it shallow.

Hip hop
chip hop
chop shop
kerplop!

Name drop!

These names! They drive me insane!
I'm old!

This got LONG. I can't help it, I'm a musician. I was raised in music. Music is the first thing I ever took completely seriously, in my life, followed by show business, which, perhaps thankfully, I didn't stay involved with too long.

My problem with this sort of question revolves around my attitude about music. Music is the most sacred thing humans do. At least, it is at its best. It is god-like, in that it is created from pure mind. It is not something we do that imitates reality, like most visual arts. It can have tremendous power to invoke emotion and mindfulness, to move us deeply. It can take us to places in our minds we may previously not even knew existed.

Rick Wakemen wrote some music with these words: "Let music evolve to guide man to his soul". This is a good way to describe how I feel. The best music of all is music that draws me in and evokes spiritually positive experience. The greatest of these can give an experience that is completely separate from what we generally call "reality", or maybe also, illustrate that reality as something which is separate from our selves.

But one artist I revere above all others. It isn't about a genre, or the artist himself. It's about the "psycho-active" properties of the music. Frankly, any music I give high status to has desirable psycho-active properties. It's about how my brain responds to music. Or doesn't, since sometimes I want music and sound, without being drawn in to it.

Most revered and honored artist is Isao Tomita. A Japanese artist who mostly takes 'classical' works and renders it in sythesizers, often adding a dose of Japanese flavor. He dates back to the 70's, and did his best work in the days of early analog synths, the kind that you had to use patch cables to set up the sounds. Best listened to with headphones, with every bit of your attention. Let the music take you away, you'll enjoy it. His very best work is a collection of the French impressionist composer (to be precise about 'genre'. You can call it classical) Claude DeBussy.

While DeBussy is usually rather minimalistic, Tomita didn't render it that way. I had never heard DeBussy before hearing Tomita do it, but even traditionally done DeBussy is breathtaking. But Tomta took that minimalism and filled in the gaps with the richest textures of sound I've ever heard anyone do. That's what analog synths do best, after all (well, they also are fabulous at bass lines). When I was 17, and first heard this music, I experienced visions. Not the first time it happened from music, Pink Floyd did that first. Tomita does it more gently.

The whole notion of "genre" has been beaten almost completely to death with absurdly subtle variations to the point where there may be very few examples of what has been granted the status of a "genre". Not that, in days gone past, there wasn't a lack of classifications. Maybe there was. When I was young (believe or not, I was, once), there were 5 kinds of music: rock, jazz, classical, show tunes, and misc old crap, with plenty of room for overlaps. Of course this minimal set of genres reflects ignorance!

Never mind that I know now that Bach is baroque, not classical. Most folks don't need to know that, and are happy calling his work classical. But even those in the know will call some modern works "classical", because it follows the format. Then take some music like "rag". It isn't "misc old crap", it's quite listenable. Must be jazz! :-/ Other music was refered to as "rock" which was really jazz or maybe fusion, because it enjoyed a popular audience. Plenty of blues tunes ended up in the rock category.

So what do I like "best"? Oh, dear. I don't have a category called best. What do I listen to the most? Probably best described as "classic rock" (I'm old). But I listen to it most because for me, it is the easiest stuff to play without it usually a big distraction (with notable exceptions, of course). It's what was playing when I was young. Yet, if I consider my "favorite band", I don't really think of their work as classic rock. For that matter, I don't even listen to them very often anymore. But they are, IMNHO, simply the best of the era. That would be, obviously, Pink Floyd.

Another very favorite, which I actually listen to more often, is Moody Blues. Both of these are extremely distracting, either because they require serious listening, or singing.

Considering PF and Tomita, it is no wonder that I fell in love with Techno, first time I heard it. Well, it's what was called "techno" to me. For me, the term "techno" refers to electronica with a dance beat. Plenty of room for "sub-genre" there, but I get lost in that mess. I think I have a handle on "trance", and adore it. Trance has energy while being relaxing at the same time. Usually this is achieved by having 2 layers. One layer is about the beat, while there is a musical layer that is much slower. Wonderful affect!

I don't know any genre that doesn't include something I like. Or maybe, the artist is usually associated with a specific genre, but has some numbers that are outside their usual (eg, Metalica I usually dislike strongly, but one tune I do like. I generally dislike metal).

Contrary to Mobius, i bloody love categorising music

Jazz Hop
Trip-Hop
Slacker Jazz/Low Rock (ie. Mark Sandman-inspired)
Stoner Rock
Doom Metal
Nu Metal (yeah, i'll admit it )
Heavy Metal
Grunge
Motown
New Wave
NWOBHM
Hard Rock
Britpop
Britrock
Vocal House

That's a general outline, but naturally there are little bits of everything that I like

Yeah, I don't mind categorizing music. I mean, metal has a million different sub-genres, but it's good to be able to find similar bands to the one you enjoy. I'm going to try not to list too many sub-sub-genres.

Progressive
Classic
Indie
Post-rock
Jazz
Avant-garde
Death Metal
Doom
Black Metal
Grindcore
Goregrind
Cybergrind
Power Violence
Punk
Crust
Hardcore
Sludge
Noise
Drone
Stoner

I like genres that mix two genres together to make a new sound.

You listen to music from the future -- music from when HikiCulture is no longer?!

This

http://www.last.fm/tag/post-hardcore

Zing!

I don't really have a favorite genre, but I think I mostly listen to alternative and rock, I'm not really that knowledgeable in music to distinguish them by genres, I don't even really listen to a huge variety of music, I listen to the same artists all the time.

I like listening to soundtracks a lot however, from films/video games, I also like music with a lot of instrumentals, sometimes I'd just loop a movie just to listen to the music.

Why do people like to make fun of me?

Chair wasn't making fun of you, he just had an idea of an awful pun but was desperate to post it anyway

Awh, OK then, I guess

I like anything that sounds good for my ears.

Reggae, Ska, Blues, Mento, Calypso, Rock Steady, Gagaku, Soundtracks and World Music in general.

New Age and OSTs.. sometimes classic.
Otherwise Goa for distraction and trying to escape.. preferably without any voices or stupid samples.
The only genre I hate is Hip Hop / Rap.