Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Timeline
Disco (Mid 1970s)
House (Early 1980s)
Electro (Early 1980s)
Garage House (Early-Mid 1980s)
Techno (Mid 1980s)
Funky House (Mid 1980s)
Acid House (Mid – Late 1980s)
Breakbeat Hardcore (Oldskool Rave) (Late 1980s)
Drum & Bass/ Jungle (Early 1990s)
Trance (Early 1990s)
Goa Trance (Early 1990s)
Trip Hop (Early –Mid 1990s)
Big Beat (Early –Mid 1990s)
UK Garage (Mid 1990s)
Grime (Early 2000s)
Dubstep (Late 2000s)
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Disco
Performance & Arrangement
• Disco shares many of the characteristics of funk
• Four-To-The-Floor kick drum patterns (1/4 beats)
• 16th or 8th note hi hat patterns and often open hi-hats on the off beat
• Syncopated electric bass, sometimes consisting of octaves.
• Prominent and soulful vocals
• Most disco tracks featured lush strings, horns, electric piano and electric rhythm guitar
• Lead guitar less frequent than rock music
• Orchestral instruments such a flute and strings used for solo melodies
• More harmonic movement
• Many disco songs employ the use of synthesisers
• Lyrics concentrated on themes of relationships and dancing
• As disco progressed acoustic instruments were replaced by by synthesized instruments
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Disco
Key Facts & Terminology
• Started in the late 1960s and the early 1970s as a development of soul, especially the
Motown Sound and Philly Soul that used lavish percussion and lush string arrangements
• Originally played in black, Latino and gay clubs
• From 1974 to 1977 disco increased in popularity with chart hits such as
‘That’s The Way I Like It’ (1975) by KC & The Sunshine Band, ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ (1974) by
Carl Douglas , ‘You Should Be Dancing’ (1976) by the Bee Gees and ‘Lady Marmalade’ by
LaBelle
• In 1977 the film ‘Saturday Night Fever’ was released
• Staring John Travolta and based on disco culture, the film broadened disco’s popularity
beyond gay, black and latin audiences.
• Disco’s popularity led to non disco artist to produce disco inspired songs.
• Italo Disco began being produced in Italy. It was a sparse, more electronic form of disco
• In 1977 Donna Summer released ‘I Feel Love’.
•Produced by Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder, it utilised purely electronic
instruments instead of acoustic instruments or a hybrid of both.
• It would pave the way for purely electronic club dance music, or techno.
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Disco
‘I Feel Love’

“One day in Berlin ... Eno came running in and said, 'I have heard the
sound of the future.' ... he puts on 'I Feel Love', by Donna Summer ... He
said, 'This is it, look no further. This single is going to change the sound of
club music for the next fifteen years.' Which was more or less right”
David Bowie
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Disco
‘I Feel Love’

The track was created using a Studer 16 track tape machine, a

Minimoog , a Harrison mixing desk, a Neumann U87 for vocals and
reverb and compression. All drum sounds were synthesized and the
Moog was sync’ed using a groundbreaking technique: A reference pulse
would be recorded on track 16 of the tape machine and played back
through the control voltage of the Moog.

Read more http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct09/articles/classictracks_1009.htm

 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Disco
Key Facts & Terminology
• Because record sales became dependant on floor
play in clubs, popular DJ’s became very influential.
The most influential became music producers.
• One DJ turned producer Tom Moulton pioneered
the remix and 12 inch single specifically for the
floors of the discothèques
• By the late 1970s high profile nightclubs would
become hangouts for the rich and famous. The
most well known nightclub was Studio 54.
• Disco became known for it’s shallow hedonism
and political apathy causing causing hostility from
the punk subculture that had developed in the UK
and US.
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

House
Instruments
• Turntables
• Sampler
• Drum Machine (Often a Roland TR909 or TR808)
• Synthesizer
• Sequencer (Korg M1, Roland TB303)
• Computer
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

House
Instruments

What early 80s technology was allowing

these instruments to stay in sync?
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

House
Instruments

visit
http://audiotoo
l.com
for working
replicas of
TR909, TR808
and TB303 in a
flash sequencer
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

House
Performance & Arrangement
• Mid Tempo, generally ranging from 115 to 135 bpm
• The tempo tended to be slower in the earlier years of house
• Heavy four-to-the-floor kick pattern produced by a drum machine or sampler.
• Augmented by percussion fills and extended dropouts
• Snares and claps on beats 2 and 4
• Use of repeated ostinatos in the bass
• ‘Close Harmony’ Piano chords.
• Reversing crashes
• Soulful vocals
• Bass sounds in house range from real bass to sequenced synth bass
• Famous bass sounds include the Korg M1 Organ Bass as heard here, Roland SH-101 and
TB303
• Early house tended to be quite sparse with heavy emphasis on the beat and bass line
• Early sampling technology allowed producers to take loops and snippets from other
records
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

House
Key Facts & Terminology
• In the early 1980s, Frankie Knuckles was DJ’ing in the Warehouse Club, Chicago
• He played a mixture of disco hits, soul and funk, adding a Roland TR909 drum machine to
emphasise and fatten the four-to-the-floor bass drum on disco tracks.
• As the audience became accustomed to the music he began to remix records and add
more of his own sounds over the top.
• The resulting style was supposedly named after the club that he worked at.
• As the style took off, other DJ’s tried their hand at production
• House music first centred around Chicago and Detroit and then later moved to New York
• House music first major hit was ‘Move Your Body’ by Marshall Jefferson
• Crossing the Atlantic and to the UK in the early to mid 80’s, house had its first number 1
with ‘Jack Your Body’ by Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley in 1986
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

House
Listening Log

Listen to ‘Jack Your Body’ by Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley

Describe the relationship between the kick and the open hat in the intro

Identify any effects that you hear

How was the stuttering vocal effect achieved on the ‘Jack Your Body’ phrase at
4’45’’
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Acid House
Performance & Arrangement
• Extensive use of the Roland TB303
• Repetitive, hypnotic loops
• Minimal use of vocals
• Usually four-to-the-floor beats
• Common use of the Roland TR909 and TR808 drum machines
• The use of processing synths and drum loops through guitar effects is common
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Roland TB303
Bass Synthesizer: Released in 1982

Victor Romeo – Acid Rain (1988)

Josh Wink – Higher State Of Consciousness (1995) : From 1.05

Fatboy Slim – Everybody Needs A 303 (1996) : From 2.00
Daft Punk – Da Funk (1995) : From 2.27
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Acid House
Key Facts & Terminology
• Acid House is a sub-genre of House music that became very popular in the late 1980’s and
its influence is still felt in modern dance music styles.
• It originated in Chicago during the mid 1980s as producers and DJ’s began to experiment
with the Roland TB303 bass synthesizer
• The Roland had a very distinctive squelchy sound that occurred when the user
manipulated the cutoff and resonance
• Acid house became the most popular club dance style in the UK during 1988 to 1990
• 1988 is sometimes referred to as the second summer of love due to the scene
• Clubs like the Haçienda in Manchester became a Mecca for clubbers
• It gathered bad press due to the clubbers use of LSD and MDMA
• Police began to clampdown on Raves due to bad press and drug concerns
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Trance
Performance & Arrangement
• Between 125 and 150 BPM
• Four-To-The-Floor
• It is characterized by beautiful melodies or long, repetitive hypnotic beats (hence the name
trance) and has an ancient-ethereal-tribal or churchy feel
• Slow harmonic , melodic and dynamic progressions
• Relied on a build-tension-release formula.
• More melodic than Acid House
• Extensive use of string like pad sounds
• Extensive use of arpeggios
• Extensive use of the breakdown
• Single hooks, repeated throughout often switching between timbres
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Trance
Key Facts & Terminology
• Trance music is a subgenre within dance/electronic music. It is characterized by beautiful
melodies or long, repetitive hypnotic beats (hence the name trance) and has an ancient-
ethereal-tribal or churchy feel
• Early trance was closely related to the techno and acid scenes. However, it soon began to
be more melodic and vocal, using strings, pianos, etc., and relied on a build-tension-release
formula.
• Popular in European clubs
• Became popular during the early 1990s although is still a popular genre today
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

LISTENING LOG:

Listen to ‘Cream’ by Blank & Jones (1999)

FEATURE
Dynamic
Harmony
Melody
Effects
Drum Rhythm
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Breakbeat Hardcore
Key Facts & Terminology
• Popular in the UK during the early 1990s
• 125/135 BPM
• Combined Four-To-The-Floor with sampled breakbeats (similar to hip-hop)
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Breakbeat Hardcore
Key Facts & Terminology
• Popular in the UK during the early 1990s
• 125/135 BPM
• Combined Four-To-The-Floor with sampled breakbeats (similar to hip-hop)
• Other genres that use the breakbeat are: Hip-hop, Big Beat, Jungle/Drum & Bass
• It would later be known, simply as ‘Rave’ and now is referred to as ‘Old Skool’
• Raves would take place illegally, especially popular around the M25 circular
• Fast, syncopated piano chords in a style later known as Rave Piano
• The earliest Prodigy album is a good example of Breakbeat Hardcore
• Developed into Jungle/ Drum & Bass
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

LISTENING LOG:

Listen to ‘Charley’ by Prodigy (1991)

FEATURE
Dynamic
Harmony
Melody
Effects
Drum Rhythm
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Breakbeat Hardcore
Key Facts & Terminology
• Popular in the UK during the early 1990s
• 125/135 BPM
• Combined Four-To-The-Floor with sampled breakbeats (similar to hip-hop)
• Other genres that use the breakbeat are: Hip-hop, Big Beat, Jungle/Drum & Bass
• It would later be known, simply as ‘Rave’ and now is referred to as ‘Old Skool’
• Raves would take place illegally, especially popular around the M25 circular
• Fast, syncopated piano chords in a style later known as Rave Piano
• The earliest Prodigy album is a good example of Breakbeat Hardcore
• Developed into Jungle/ Drum & Bass
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Drum & Bass

Performance and Arrangement
• Characterised by fast breakbeats and pitched down drum machine hits
• Tempo between 160 and 180 bpm
• Dub and Reggae influence
• Hip hop influence
• Heavy bass and sub bass lines
• MC chants and toasts
• Heavy use of syncopation
• Use of samples
• Use of aggressive synth sounds
• Some softer drum and bass would use double bass
• Heavily edited breaks and beats
• Stadium Drum & Bass combined live drums and heavy distorted guitars
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

LISTENING LOG:

Listen to ‘Saint Angel’ by Goldie (1995)

INDENTIFY AS MANY FEATURES AS POSSIBLE

????????
????????
????????
????????
????????
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

LISTENING LOG:

Listen to ‘Dirty Beats’ by Roni Size Reprazent (2000)

INDENTIFY AS MANY FEATURES AS POSSIBLE

???????
???????
???????
???????
???????
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Drum & Bass

Key Facts & Terminology
• Began to emerge during the mid 1990s
• Sometimes referred to as Jungle though some would argue they are different sub-genres
• Grew from the breakbeat hardcore scene
• Grew in popularity due to illegal pirate radio stations
• ‘Timeless’ (1995) by Goldie is though to be a landmark release
• Roni Size’s ‘New Forms’ won critical acclaim and the Mercury Music Prize in 1997
• Modern drum and bass found crossover success with rock audiences (Pendulum)
• Chart success with acts such as Chase & Status
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Big Beat
Performance and Arrangement
• Slower tempo than Jungle/ Drum & Bass
• Heavy syncopated Breakbeats
• Hybrid combination of house
• Psychedelic influence
• Effects such as flanging, cut-off and phase
• Use of soul, jazz and hip-hop sample
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Big Beat
Key Facts & Terminology
• Began to emerge during the mid 1990s
• Music Press labeled a new wave of British electronica Big Beat
• Eclectic genre with various influences
• Cross-over appeal with alternative music fans
• Artist such as Fatboy Slim, Prodigy and Chemical Brothers are all associated with Big Beat
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

LISTENING LOG:

Listen to ‘Chemical Beats’ by Chemical Brothers (1995)

INDENTIFY AS MANY FEATURES AS POSSIBLE

???????
???????
???????
???????
???????
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

LISTENING LOG:

Listen to ‘The Rockafeller Skank’ by Fatboy Slim (1997)

INDENTIFY AS MANY FEATURES AS POSSIBLE

???????
???????
???????
???????
???????
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Mash Up
Performance and Arrangement
• A mashup or bootleg (also mesh, mash up, mash-up, blend and bastard pop/rock) is a song
or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying
the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another

•Popular around 2000 onwards

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzHHKhsUBzY&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl85yq_k0V0
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXGSBpMHcpA
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Mash Up
Performance and Arrangement
• A mashup or bootleg (also mesh, mash up, mash-up, blend and bastard pop/rock) is a song
or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying
the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another

•Popular around 2000 onwards

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzHHKhsUBzY&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl85yq_k0V0
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXGSBpMHcpA
 Area Of Study 2: Pop Music Styles Since 1910

Club Dance

Homework:
I want you to create a “mix-tape” featuring a song from all the following sub genres:

Disco (Mid 1970s)

House (Early 1980s)
Electro (Early 1980s)
Acid House (Mid – Late 1980s)
Breakbeat Hardcore (Oldskool Rave) (Late 1980s)
Drum & Bass/ Jungle (Early 1990s)
Trance (Early 1990s)
Trip Hop (Early –Mid 1990s)
Big Beat (Early –Mid 1990s)
UK Garage (Mid 1990s)
Grime (Early 2000s)
Dubstep (Late 2000s)

Create a blog post with a link to YouTube/ Spotify/ Soundcloud.

Track 1: Disco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8TBmeK9Abg