80s Contemporary R&B
tagStarted 1983Peak 1985-1989Last big hit 1990
Located in 1 route
Mid-to-late-80s urban R&B built on LinnDrum and DMX machines, glassy DX7 electric pianos, gated reverb and synth-bass, before the swung hip-hop snare took over. Crisp, digital and uptown-glossy, balancing punchy dance cuts with plush quiet-storm-adjacent balladry, all sung with polished, melismatic soul phrasing.
History
As drum machines and digital synths replaced live bands, producers like Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (for the SOS Band, Janet Jackson), Babyface and L.A. Reid (the Deele) modernized R&B for the MTV era. This sleek, programmed sound bridged post-disco soul and the harder new jack swing that grew directly out of it late in the decade.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_R%26B
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Jam_and_Terry_Lewis
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/urban-ma0000002809