Electro-Funk Pop
tagStarted 1982Peak 1983-1988Last big hit still active
Funk rebuilt from machines: TR-808/909 drum programming, fat synth bass, robotic vocoder vocals, and stabbing electronic riffs locked to a hard, syncopated groove. It keeps funk's swing and pocket but trades live horns for synthesizers and sequencers, yielding a futuristic, hook-forward dance-pop equally at home in clubs and on radio.
History
Emerged in the early 80s as funk fused with electro and synthesizer tech, sparked by Afrika Bambaataa's 'Planet Rock' (1982) and Herbie Hancock's 'Rockit' (1983). Zapp's Roger Troutman popularized the talkbox-funk template; the sound shaped 80s pop and later resurfaced in Daft Punk and the synth-funk of Chromeo and modern electro-pop.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro_(music)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funk#Electro_funk
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/electro-ma0000002590