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Rare groove

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Rare grooveis music that is very hard to source or relatively obscure.[citation needed]Raregrooveis primarily associated withfunk,R&Bandjazz funk,but is also connected to subgenres includingjazz rock,reggae,Latin jazz,soul,rock music,northern soul,anddisco.[1]Vinyl recordsthat fall into this category generally have high re-sale prices. Rare groove records have been sought by not onlycollectorsand lovers of this type of music, but also byhip hopartists and producers.[2]

Online music retailers sell a wide selection of rare groove at more affordable prices, offering fast downloads indigitalformat.[3]This availability and ease of access has brought about a resurgence of the genre in recent years.[3]

History and development[edit]

Collecting rare vinyl records is an important aspect of the rare groove scene.

In the UK, the term 'rare groove' was originally coined by the BritishDJNorman Jay,[4]after hisThe Original Rare Groove Showonpirate radiostation Kiss 94 FM (the progenitor ofKiss 100 London).[5]While Norman Jay was actually a witness to, and participant in, the 1970s underground sub-culture of American obscure import music, the person who actually gave rise to the genre (some even credit him with the revival ofJames Brown's career), although there was no name for it at the time, was underground DJBarrie Sharpe[6][7][8]and Lascelles Gordon (previously withthe Brand New Heavies). Both played that brand of obscure American import records, 7 "and albums (" looking back retrospectively "), that they had in their collection. These were bought from such specialist import record shops such as Moondogs in East Ham, and Contempo record shop at 42 Hanway Street in the West end of London, owned by John Abbey, founder ofBlues & Soulmagazine. The magazine also had their own record label (also called Contempo), releasing music from the 1970s which, starting in 1984, played at a club previously known as Whisky-A-Go-Go, founded by Rene Gelston inWardour Street,Soho (which would later become known as The Wag).

Norman Jay's show was a collaboration with DJJudge Julesand featured a mainly urban soundtrack from the 1970s and 1980s mixed with earlyhouse music.[5]Tracks similar to "rare grooves" had begun to see a following in the 1970sNorthern soulmovement, which curated a collection of rare and obscure soul records for play in dance clubs.

The rare groove scene began when DJs presented an eclectic mix of music, that placed a particular emphasis on politically articulate dance-funk recordings, connected to the USBlack Powermovement.[9]Pirate radio stations and DJs participated in a "recovery, repackaging and retrieval" of obscure music that reflected, related to or translated inequalities of race and gender and the struggles of thecivil rights movement.Music that had failed to gain acceptance in a previous time was given a "new lease on life" by DJs on pirate radio stations. Rare groove also provided a musical space where the "symbolic capital" of the music became very important.[10]Northern soul is a part of the rare groove scene since the term was first given by deep soul collectorDave Godinfrom the record shop Soul City inCovent Garden,London. The scene has many record collectors and DJs who pay large sums of money for rare songs from the 1960s/'70s/'80s/'90s that are original copies.

In America,DJ Kool Herc,[11]Grandmaster FlashandAfrica Bambaataa[12]played 70s rare groove records. James Brown,Jimmy Castor Bunch,andIncredible Bongo Band[13]were on their playlists. Popular breakbeats source was bootleg seriesUltimate Breaks and Beats.The longest-running rare groove radio show in the United States isSoul PoweronWWOZ90.7 FM (New Orleans) and wwoz.org, and is hosted by DJ Soul Sister, who is cited as the "queen of rare groove". The show began in 1996.

Sampling[edit]

Samplingis one of the biggest aspects of hip hop and rap, and these types of records providebreaksfor artists to use in their songs.[14]Examples of rare groove samples, such asEazy-E's "Eazy Duz It"[15](which samplesthe Detroit Emeralds,Bootsy Collins,Funkadelic,Isley Brothers,Sly and the Family Stone,the Temptationsand evenRichard Pryor), can be found in modern hip hop (notablyG-funk's heavy sampling ofFunkadelic).

Schoolly Dused samples such as James Brown,Lyn Collins,the J.B.'s,andMaceo & the Mackson albumAm I Black Enough for You(1989).[16]DJ Chuck Chilloutused samples such asKool & the Gang,Cameo,Cymande,Talking Headsand Incredible Bongo Band.[17]Stezo also used Lyn Collins,George Clinton,Kool & the Gang andSpoonie Gee.

After the 1970s disco boom was over, many musicians (Bee Gees,Donna Summer,Village People,etc.) who had fame and spotlight in the genre's heyday faded away. Much of the obscure music rediscovered as samples in newer house or hip-hop tracks is labeled "rare groove" retroactively.[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Heller, Jason (17 April 1998)."There's a whole lotta rhythm goin' down".The Yale Herald.XXV(12). New Haven, CT: Yale University.Retrieved28 December2010.
  2. ^Schloss, Joseph G. (2004).Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip Hop.Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press.ISBN0-8195-6696-9.
  3. ^abcLynskey, Dorian (7 April 2006)."Dorian Lynskey meets the vinyl collectors".The Guardian.London:GMG.ISSN0261-3077.OCLC60623878.Retrieved11 June2013.
  4. ^Partridge, Eric; Tom Dalzell; Terry Victor.The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English,p. 530. Psychology Press, 2008.ISBN978-0-415-21259-5
  5. ^ab"Profile".Official website of Norman Jay MBE and the Good Times Sound System.n.d.Retrieved21 June2009.
  6. ^Huffpost, Barrie Sharpe: The Man Behind 'The Masterplan'
  7. ^The Daily Telegraph,"Whatever happened to Duffer of St George?"
  8. ^Red Bull Music Academy Daily The Dancers: In Their Own WordsAn oral history of the forgotten dancers that set London on fire in the late 1970s
  9. ^Gilroy, Paul(1987).There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack.London: Hutchinson, p. 40.
  10. ^Bakare-Yusuf, Bibi,"Raregrooves and Raregroovers – a matter of taste, difference and identity", inHeidi Safia Mirza(ed.),Black British Feminism: A Reader,Routledge, 1982, Chapter 10.
  11. ^Hermes, Will."All Rise for the National Anthem of Hip-Hop",The New York Times,October 29, 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  12. ^"Africa Bambaataa".AllMusic.Retrieved28 August2020.
  13. ^"Incredible Bongo Band".AllMusic.Retrieved28 August2020.
  14. ^Schloss, Joseph G. (2004).Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip Hop.Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press.ISBN0-8195-6696-9
  15. ^The Black Dot (2005). Hip Hop Decoded: From Its Ancient Origin to Its Modern Day Matrix. MOME Publishing. p. 100.ISBN0-9772357-0-X.
  16. ^"Am I Black Enough for You".AllMusic.Retrieved29 August2020.
  17. ^"DJ Chuck Chillout".AllMusic.Retrieved31 August2020.

External links[edit]

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