Swingbeat
tagStarted 1988Peak 1989-1992Last big hit 1994From United States
Located in 1 route
The British/international name for new jack swing's groove engine: the hard swung shuffle of programmed hip-hop drums under R&B vocals, emphasizing the 'swing' in the snare and hi-hat triplets. Tight, bouncy and percussive, it foregrounds the rhythmic feel — the bounce between straight and swung sixteenths that defines the style.
History
As Teddy Riley's sound crossed the Atlantic, UK media and acts adopted 'swingbeat' as the umbrella term. Producers like Riley, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and groups including Bell Biv DeVoe and Today drove the feel; the swung-snare programming became the rhythmic backbone copied across late-80s and early-90s urban radio worldwide.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_jack_swing
- https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/poison-bell-biv-devoe-turns-30-675442/
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/new-jack-swing-ma0000012042