Groove Soul
tagStarted 1996Peak 2000-2008Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Rhythm-first neo-soul where the pocket is the point: thick, syncopated drum-and-bass interplay, head-nod swing and percussive Rhodes stabs lock into a deep, repeating groove. Vocals ride the rhythm rather than soar over it. Body-moving, mid-tempo and hypnotic, built for the cut more than the chorus.
History
Took shape as Soulquarian rhythm sections and Dallas-rooted singers pushed groove to the foreground, N'Dambi and Raphael Saadiq's funkier neo-soul among the keystones. Drawing on 70s soul-funk and hip-hop's loop logic, it prized live-band feel and relentless pocket through the 2000s, the most dance-leaning corner of the neo-soul family.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_soul
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Saadiq
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%27Dambi