Sophisti-pop

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Sophisti-pop is a pop music subgenre that developed during the mid-1980s out of the British new wave era. [1] It originated with acts who blended elements of jazz, soul, and pop with lavish production. [2] [3] The term "sophisti-pop" was coined only after the genre's peak in the mid-late 1980s. [4]

Contents

Characteristics

Sophisti-pop is characterized by its extensive use of electronic keyboards, synthesizers and polished arrangements. [2] Artists also utilized cutting-edge studio technology and perfectionist recording methods. [5] The genre has been described as mellow, romantic, and atmospheric, [5] with artists often adopting a sharp, well-dressed and well-groomed visual presentation.

History

Stylus Magazine suggested that acts had been influenced by the work of Roxy Music (such as 1982's Avalon , often cited as the first sophisti-pop album [5] ) and Bryan Ferry's Bête Noire (1987) and Boys and Girls (1985). [6]

Sweetwater named major artists in the genre as including the Blue Nile, Prefab Sprout, the Style Council, Scritti Politti, Everything but the Girl, and Danny Wilson. [5] AllMusic added Simply Red, Sade, Basia, and Swing Out Sister. [2] Writer Iain Munn added to the list Level 42, the Blow Monkeys, and Joe Jackson's 1984 album Body and Soul . [7]

Its popularity declined in the 1990s along with other synth-pop sub-genres. [1]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">American rock</span> Overview of rock music in the United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">British rock music</span> Rock music from the United Kingdom

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Progressive pop is pop music that attempts to break with the genre's standard formula, or an offshoot of the progressive rock genre that was commonly heard on AM radio in the 1970s and 1980s. It was originally termed for the early progressive rock of the 1960s. Some stylistic features of progressive pop include hooks and earworms, unorthodox or colorful instrumentation, changes in key and rhythm, experiments with larger forms, and unexpected, disruptive, or ironic treatments of past conventions.

Progressive soul is a type of African-American music that uses a progressive approach, particularly in the context of the soul and funk genres. It developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s through the recordings of innovative black musicians who pushed the structural and stylistic boundaries of those genres. Among their influences were musical forms that arose from rhythm and blues music's transformation into rock, such as Motown, progressive rock, psychedelic soul, and jazz fusion.

References

  1. 1 2 Terich, Jeff; Blyweiss, Adam; Bossenger, A.T.; Prickett, Sam (24 April 2014). "10 Essential Sophisti-pop albums". Treble. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pop/Rock » Punk/New Wave » Sophisti-Pop". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  3. "9 different music genres in the internet age – 2/10 – Sophisti-Pop". The Economic Times . 7 September 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  4. Kirkham, Neil (2017). "Polluting young minds? Smash Hits and 'high Thatcherism'". Journal of European Popular Culture. 8 (2): 139–152. doi:10.1386/jepc.8.2.139_1 . Retrieved 13 December 2018. 'Sophisti-pop' (Inskeep and Soto 2007) is a term now used, retrospectively, to describe a collection of 'intelligent', lavishly produced British pop acts of the mid–late 1980s.[ dead link ]
  5. 1 2 3 4 Jenkins, Jake (30 July 2021). "Sophisti-pop: The '80s' Most Elegant Genre". Sweetwater. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  6. Inskeep, Thomas; Soto, Alfred (22 February 2007). "The Bluffer's Guide – Sophisti-Pop". Stylus . Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  7. Munn, Iain (2011) [1996]. Mr. Cool's Dream: The Complete History of The Style Council. Wholepoint. p. 23. ISBN   9780955144318.

Further reading