Electro in r&b and hip-hop seems to come from a totally, totally different place to European electro though - I guess 80s electro like Afrika Bambaataa ties it together but I don't know much about that. But even when 00s r&b sounds not dissimilar to 00s electro, it's not nearly as informed by house and techno - which of course are the foundations for The Knife, Annie, Rachel Stevens et al. All of which is tied up with the hip-hop = macho, dance = gay thing as well. But even 'Me & U', which could totally feature on a minimal house mix without sounding out of place, seems to share that sound by accident more than design.

Also is electro r&b really such a recent development? I mean, this is what Timbaland was pioneering ten years ago, yes?