Post-Disco R&B
tagStarted 1980Peak 1981-1984Last big hit 1985
Located in 1 route
Disco's lushness re-tooled for a leaner electronic age: live and synthetic bass locked to crisp drum machines, glassy keyboard chords, sparse orchestral flourishes and assured soul leads. Tempos relax slightly from peak disco, the groove tightens, and the production turns sleek, modern and unmistakably radio-built.
History
After the 1979 disco backlash, R&B producers stripped the genre down rather than abandoning it. Acts like Change (with a young Luther Vandross on lead) and the Jam & Lewis-produced S.O.S. Band bridged orchestral soul and the coming synth era, keeping dancefloor R&B on the charts as it morphed toward boogie and electro-funk.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-disco
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_S.O.S._Band
- https://www.discogs.com/style/boogie