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Dance-punk is a subgenre of post-punk that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements. The genre, which began originally as disco-punk or punk funk, is characterized by the incorporation of the angularity and syncopation of funk and the upbeat, danceable rhythms of disco into post-punk, art punk and more general punk rock. Its development is closely related to avant-funk, originally known as mutant disco. It was most prominent in punk in New York City, overlapping into the no wave movement.

History

Many groups in the post-punk era adopted a more danceable style, with dance-punk emerging as a compromised genre originally referred to as "disco-punk" or "punk funk". Its first wave emerged from a communal and alternative scene as a critique of social standards. New York City bands who were core to this wave were ESG, Liquid Liquid, James Chance and the Contortions, Defunkt, Lizzy Mercier Descloux and Material. In addition, the Slits contributed to the genre in Britain, emphasizing the influence of reggae. These bands were influenced strongly by funk, avant-funk trends, disco, dub reggae, ska, new wave, and other dance music forms popular at the time.

More culturally prominent acts from the late 1970s into the 1980s included Talking Heads, Public Image Ltd., New Order and Gang of Four. Emerging from the convergence of disco and punk influences, dance-punk exhibits a strong affiliation with urban environments, particularly in the way they are romanticized and portrayed. These spaces, whether they exist in the realm of imagination or reality, conjure up a sense of cosmopolitanism, artistic liberation, and a spirit of defiance against the confines of conventional mainstream culture. As a subgenre emerging from the broader post-punk movement, dance-punk shares several common features. These features include "dour (male) vocals with erudite or self-conscious lyrics, accompanied by metallic-sounding, distorted electric guitars playing texturally, not melodically; an accelerated disco beat or dance groove; a melodic bass line; and echoing sound effects borrowed from dub-reggae."

Dance-punk revival

Although dance-punk faded with the rise of new pop 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. New York acts such as LCD Soundsystem, Liars, and the Rapture would be described as "Brooklyn dance-punk". Other notable acts included Clinic, Death from Above 1979, !!!, Hockey, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Hot Heat, Foals, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Le Tigre, Bloc Party, Kasabian, You Say Party, Electric Six, the Faint, Shout Out Out Out Out, and Radio 4, joined by dance-oriented acts who adopted rock sounds such as Out Hud.

In the early 2000s Washington, D.C. had a popular and notable punk-funk scene, inspired by Fugazi, post-punk, and go-go acts like Trouble Funk and Rare Essence, including bands like Q and Not U, Black Eyes, and Baltimore's Oxes, 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 including Trash Fashion, New Young Pony Club, Hadouken!, Late of the Pier, Test Icicles, and Shitdisco

See also

  • List of dance-punk artists
  • 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.