Dance-Funk Rock
tagStarted 1979Peak 1981-1986Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Funk-rock retooled for the floor: programmed or live drum-machine beats, slap and synth bass, chicken-scratch guitar and stabbing synths under hooky, often chanted vocals. Sleeker and more electronic than raw funk rock, it borrows new-wave gloss and disco propulsion to keep four-on-the-floor energy high.
History
Emerged at the turn of the '80s as post-punk and new-wave acts fused funk syncopation with dance production, exemplified by Talking Heads' Afro-funk turn and Tom Tom Club. Prince, INXS and later electro-leaning bands pushed it to the charts; the dance-rock revival of the 2000s revived its skeletal groove formula.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance-rock
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/dance-rock-ma0000012264
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_Heads