Sophisti-Pop
tagStarted 1982Peak 1985-1990Last big hit still activeFrom United Kingdom
Located in 4 routes
A smooth, jazz-inflected British pop style of the mid-1980s: lush electric pianos and synths, tasteful saxophone and horn lines, clean DI bass, crisp understated drums and cool, intimate vocals. Cross-listed with funk- and disco-pop, it borrows soul and jazz polish with Steely Dan and Roxy Music sophistication - urbane, perfectionist and effortlessly elegant.
History
Coined retrospectively, sophisti-pop describes a wave of mostly British acts who blended jazz, soul and adult-contemporary into glossy post-new-wave pop between roughly 1983 and 1990. Sade, the Style Council, Prefab Sprout, Swing Out Sister and the early Everything But the Girl led it, exploiting cutting-edge studio gear for an immaculate, grown-up sheen.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophisti-pop
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/sophisti-pop-ma0000011994
- https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/sophisti-pop-the-most-elegant-genre/