There have been momentous changes in the 30 years since electronically produced dance music first broke away from disco and pop. A list published by BBC last month attempts to trace the lineage of the dance music genre over the last 30 years. Their reason? 2018 marks 30 years since the “Second Summer of Love,” a movement that took the UK by storm in 1988, hearkening back to the original movement in the ’60s. The list of influential tracks spans the gambit, from early artists like A Guy Called Gerald to the more recent sounds of Peggy Gou.
One of the coolest elements about the list is the opportunity to see the mutual influence between American and European dance music. Inner City’s Big Fun appears early on the list, representing the pervasive influence that Detroit techno had on the UK style. Much later, Daft Punk’s One More Time makes its inevitable appearance, and the list of the influenced artists includes American pop superstars Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.
Various genres are also present on the list. It identifies Aphex Twin as the progenitors of the IDM movement, credits Disclosure and Sam Smith with bringing Chicago house to a new audience, and Orbital’s Belfast is identified as the track that spurred a “trance revolution.”
The list is well worth browsing (and listening) through for any dance music history buff. The post also includes playlists from 6 Music’s 30th anniversary celebration of the Second Summer of Love, providing plenty of music for the eager listener.
What early dance music tracks influenced your own tastes? Let us know!
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