Phoenix was a pioneer in popular music in Romania in the second half of the 20th century. The band members explored numerous subgenres of rock. The band ' s stylistic path started from beat music, evolving towards psychedelic rock and from there towards hard rock, with a number of progressive rock experiments. In the 1970s, the effects of political changes in the country on cultural life led to the breakup of many bands of the genre. Among those that continued by adopting a new style, Phoenix had one of the most unexpected developments, giving birth to the rock subgenre called ethno rock, inspired by authentic Romanian folklore.