| Boogie | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s, US |
| Typical instruments |
|
| Derivative forms | |
Boogie (sometimes calledpost-disco[1][2][3] andelectro-funk)[3] is arhythm and bluesgenre ofelectronicdance music with close ties to thepost-disco style, that first emerged in the United States during the late 1970s to mid-1980s. The sound of boogie is defined by bridging acoustic and electronic musical instruments with emphasis on vocals and miscellaneouseffects. It later evolved intoelectro andhouse music.[4][5][6][7][8]
Boogie, following the example of post-disco, generally lacks thefour-on-the-floor beat, the "traditional"[9] rhythm ofdisco music; instead has a strong accent on thesecond and fourth beats, and tempo generally in the 110 to 116beats-per-minute range.[2] Aside from applying certain technological and promotional aspects ofnew wave music and having been fairly exposed to its subgenre synthpop, boogie is, however,R&B-rooted[10] and predominantly draws fromfunk music. Other influences from a completely different music landscape includejazz.[6] Typical boogie tracks can be characterized by mid-tempo rhythm, prominent use ofslap bass (electric—in the early 1980s—and/orsynthetic—mid-1980s onwards), loudclapping sound, melodic chords and, obviously,synthesizers.[4][5][11][12]
The term, coined by British DJsNorman Jay and Dez Parkes, had been used oneBay to refer a specific form of early-1980s dance music ofAfrican-American origin.[4]
The first documented use of the word boogie is dated back to 1929.[nb 1] Boogie, as defined byMerriam-Webster Dictionary, is an occasion for dancing to the strongly rhythmic rock music that encourages people todance.[13] Earliest association of the word boogie was withblues and laterrock and roll androckabilly genres.
In the 1970s, the term was revitalized fordisco and laterpost-disco subcultures. The term "boogie" was used in London to describe a form ofAfrican-Americandance/funk music from the 1980s. The name boogie tended to be used as, although essentially used to describe disco records, the word disco had gained bad connotations by the early 1980s. Originally the wordboogie could be found in 1970sfunk, soul, R&B anddisco records, most notably:
Kashif called to be one of the pioneers of the genre.[18] His single "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)" from the 1983 debut albumKashif helped to define the early 1980s boogie sound.[18] Also such 1980s tracks like "Wake Up" (Bohannon), "Act Like You Know"(Fat Larry's Band), "Give Me the Night" (George Benson, 1980), "Boogie's Gonna Get Ya" (Rafael Cameron, 1981), "I'm in Love" (Evelyn King, 1981), "You're the One for Me" (D. Train, 1981), "Don't Make Me Wait" (Peech Boys, 1982) or "Break Dance – Electric Boogie" (West Street Mob, 1983) helped define the musical style of boogie.[3][4]
Throughout the 1980s, various boogie artists began experimenting with the heavy bass which anticipated the roots of house. They includeHamilton Bohannon,[19] D. Train, andSharon Redd. While some record producers, such asFrançois Kevorkian andLarry Levan, were polishing and extending the limits of urban-oriented boogie, others likeArthur Baker andJohn "Jellybean" Benitez drew their influences from European and Japanesetechnopop music. The latter approach paved the way for electro, and subsequently,freestyle music.[20]
Boogie had a popular following within London'sunderground scene, often based around nightclubs and club DJs due to a lack of mainstream radio support. Boogie records were mostly imported from the U.S. and were sometimes labeled as "electro-funk" or "disco-funk."[3]
Much later in the 2000s and early 2010s,indietronica groups and artists such asJames Pants,Juice Aleem,Sa-Ra Creative Partners had been influenced by the sounds of boogie and 1980s electronic music in general.[21][22][23]Chromeo, a Canadian duo, published a boogie-oriented album calledShe's in Control in 2004.[24]Dâm-Funk, another boogie-influenced artist hailing from Los Angeles, California, published an albumToeachizown in 2009.[25]
During the mid to late 2010s, boogie was part of the nu-disco and future funk renaissance, the former a primarily European artists-led EDM phenomenon, fusing French house with American 1970s disco and 1980s boogie, and 1980s European electronic dance music styles,[8] the latter connected to thevaporwave scene.Bruno Mars ("Uptown Funk") was one of the more mainstream 2010s artists influenced by boogie.[26]
Among electro-boogie (later shortened to electro) pioneers includeZapp,[27] D. Train,[28]Sinnamon and other post-disco/boogie musicians; especially those influenced bynew wave andsynthpop acts likeHuman League orGary Numan, combined with the R&B sound ofHerbie Hancock andGeorge Clinton.[28] As the electronic progression continued, acoustic instruments such asbass guitar were replaced by Japanese-madesynthesizers and most notably by iconic drum machines likeRoland TR-808. Early uses of thisdrum machine include severalYellow Magic Orchestra tracks in 1980–1981, the 1982 track "Planet Rock" byAfrikaa Bambaataa, and the 1982 song "Sexual Healing" byMarvin Gaye.[29]
About electro origins,Greg Wilson argues:
It was all about stretching the boundaries that had begun to stifle black music, and its influences lay not only with German technopop wizardsKraftwerk, the acknowledged forefathers of pure electro, plus British futurist acts like theHuman League andGary Numan, but also with a number of pioneering black musicians. Major artists likeMiles Davis,Sly Stone,Herbie Hancock,Stevie Wonder, legendary producerNorman Whitfield and, of course,George Clinton and his P Funk brigade, would all play their part in shaping this new sound via their innovative use of electronic instruments during the [1970s] (and as early as the late [1960s] in Miles Davis's case).[28]
Beatport is launching a new landing page, dedicated solely to the genres of "nu disco" and "indie dance". ... Nu Disco is everything that springs from the late ′70s and early ′80s (electronic) disco, boogie, cosmic, Balearic and Italo disco continuum...
"The band's -Peech Boys- ambient-tinged post-disco epics like "Don't Make Me Wait" and "Life is Something Special" are notable for their cavernous reverberance and dub-deep bass. Peech Boys were on the cutting edge of the early-1980s New York electro-funk sound like D-Train, Vicky D, Rocker's Revenge, Frances [sic] Joli, and Sharon Redd, labels like West End and Prelude, and producers like Arthur Baker, Francois Kevorkian, and John "Jellybean" Benitez.