Minneapolis Funk
tagStarted 1978Peak 1982-1989Last big hit 1991From Minneapolis, United States
Located in 2 routes
Synth-forward funk rock where keyboards and Linn drum machines replace horn sections, paired with hard rock-guitar bursts, slapping bass and sleek new-wave pop hooks. Cold, programmed and sexy, it swaps the live band's warmth for stark, layered electronics and stacked vocal harmonies over a stiff, snapping backbeat.
History
Pioneered in Minneapolis by Prince and André Cymone in the late '70s, then spread through Prince's stable. He assembled The Time with Morris Day, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; Jam & Lewis went on to produce widely. The sound defined the '80s R&B charts and still echoes in Janelle Monáe, Bruno Mars and others decades later.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_sound
- https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/thing/minneapolis-sound-music-genre
- https://hennepinhistory.org/prince-and-the-music-formerly-known-as-the-minneapolis-sound/