Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk, punk-funk or techno-punk) is a
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
,
post-disco and
new wave movements.
[Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984. Simon Reynolds.Faber and Faber Ltd, April 2005, (U.S. Edition: Penguin, February 2006, )]
Predecessors
Many groups in the
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
era adopted a more danceable style. These bands were influenced by
funk,
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
,
new wave, and other
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
popular at the time (as well as being anticipated by some artists from 1970s including
Sparks and
Iggy Pop). Influential bands from the 1980s included
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talki ...](_blank)
,
Public Image Ltd.
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...
,
[Swaminathan, Nikhil (25 December 2003) â€]
Dance-punk ends scenester dormancy
New Order,
Gang of Four,
,
the Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
,
the Pop Group,
Maximum Joy
Maximum Joy are an English post-punk band from Bristol, England,Strong, Martin C.: ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', 1999, Canongate, formed in 1981 and reunited in 2015.
'' Pitchfork'' compared their sound to "one of the Slits ...
,
Minutemen, and
Red Hot Chili Peppers.
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
dance-punk included
Defunkt
Defunkt is an American musical group founded by the trombonist and singer Joseph Bowie in 1978 in New York City. Their music touches on elements of punk rock, funk, and jazz.
Career
Joseph Bowie is the brother of big band musician Byron Bow ...
,
Material
Material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geolo ...
,
James Chance and the Contortions,
,
Bush Tetras,
ESG, and
Liquid Liquid.
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
punk singer
Nina Hagen
Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the punk and new wave movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is known as ...
had an underground dance hit in 1983 with "
New York / N.Y.", which mixed her searing punk (and
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
) vocals with disco beats.
Contemporary dance-punk
Although dance-punk faded with the rise of
New wave music
New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. Lat ...
in the early 1980s, it made a comeback in the late 1990s and early 2000s as part of the
post-punk revival. Dance-punk bands emerged from the
pop-punk and
garage rock revivals of the late 1990s. Well-known are acts such as
LCD Soundsystem,
Clinic
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...
,
Death from Above 1979,
!!!,
Hockey,
Liars,
Franz Ferdinand,
Hot Hot Heat,
Foals,
Yeah Yeah Yeahs,
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Louise Bartle ...
,
Kasabian
Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Ka ...
,
You Say Party,
the Faint,
Arctic Monkeys,
the Rapture
The rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the c ...
,
Shout Out Out Out Out
Shout Out Out Out Out was a Canadian dance-punk/ electro group from Edmonton, Alberta. The band's lineup is unusual in that it includes multiple drummers and bassists, as well as vintage synthesizer equipment.
History
Shout Out Out Out Out was f ...
, and
Radio 4, joined by dance-oriented acts who adopted rock sounds such as
Out Hud
Out Hud was an American electronic band formed in 1996 in the Bay Area of California and later based in New York City. The band consisted of guitarist Nic Offer, bassist Tyler Pope, cellist Molly Schnick, vocalist/drummer Phyllis Forbes and m ...
.
[M. Wood, "Review: Out Hud: S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.", ''New Music'', 107, November 2002, p. 70.] In the early 2000s
Washington, D.C. had a popular and notable punk-funk scene, inspired by
Fugazi,
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
, and
go-go acts like
Trouble Funk and
Rare Essence, including bands like
Q and Not U,
Black Eyes, and Baltimore's
Oxes
OXES is an American instrumental rock band from Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
'OXES' is a part of what is known as "The Baltimore Rowdy Collective" which stages practical jokes, usually involving a confrontational and outlandish racket i ...
,
Double Dagger, and
Dope Body. In Britain the combination of indie with dance-punk was dubbed
new rave in publicity for
Klaxons and the term was picked up and applied by the ''
NME'' to bands
[K. Empire]
"Rousing rave from the grave"
''The Observer'', 5 October 2006, retrieved 9 January 2008. including
Trash Fashion
Trash Fashion are a four-piece band made up of brothers Tom Marsh and Ben Marsh (lead vocals and lead guitar, respectively) joined by Matt Emerson (as drummer) and Jim Ready (as bassist). Their current UK record label is Propaganda Records an ...
,
[P. Flynn]
"Here We Glo Again"
''Times Online'', 12 November 2006, retrieved 13 February 2009. New Young Pony Club,
[ J. Harris]
"New Rave? Old Rubbish"
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', 13 October 2006, retrieved 31 March 2007. Hadouken!,
Late of the Pier
Late of the Pier was an English four-piece dance-punk band from Castle Donington, England, signed to Parlophone. Their debut album '' Fantasy Black Channel'', produced by Erol Alkan was released on 11 August 2008 by Parlophone.
History Form ...
,
Test Icicles
Test Icicles were a short-lived rock band that formed in England, primarily influenced by post-hardcore, dance-punk and indie rock but containing musical elements from a variety of genres (notably dance, hip hop, crossover thrash, and punk). T ...
,
[O. Adams]
"Music: Rave On, Just Don't Call It 'New Rave'"
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', 5 January 2007, retrieved 2 September 2008. and
Shitdisco
Shitdisco were a dance-punk band from Glasgow, Scotland. They formed in 2003 while studying at the Glasgow School of Art, consisting of
Joel Stone (bass, guitar, vocals), Joe Reeves (bass, guitar, vocals), Jan Lee (keyboards, backing vocals) ...
forming a scene with a similar visual aesthetic to earlier
raves.
[P. Robinson]
"The future's bright..."
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', 3 February 2007, retrieved 31 March 2007.
See also
*
List of dance-punk artists
*
Art punk
Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spiri ...
*
Electropunk
*
Electronic rock
References
Bibliography
*Reynolds, Simon. "Mutant Disco and Punk-Funk: Crosstown Traffic in Early Eighties New York (and Beyond ...)." ''Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-punk 1978–84''. London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 2005.
{{Boogierock
Post-disco
Fusion music genres
American rock music genres
American styles of music
English styles of music
British rock music genres