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| Acid jazz | |
|---|---|
| Name | Acid jazz |
| Cultural origins | 1980s London, England |
| Instruments | Saxophone, trumpet, guitar, bass guitar, Hammond organ, Rhodes piano, turntables, drum kit, sampler |
| Popularity | 1980s–1990s; ongoing niche scenes worldwide |
Acid jazz is a musical style that emerged in the mid-1980s combining elements of funk, soul music, jazz, disco, and hip hop. Originating in London club culture, it was shaped by DJs, bands, and record labels that mined 1960s and 1970s grooves while embracing contemporary production techniques and remix culture. The movement produced crossover success in the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan and fostered a global network of clubs, festivals, and independent labels. Acid jazz influenced subsequent scenes including nu jazz, broken beat, and trip hop.
The scene grew from late-1970s and 1980s collector culture around collectors and DJs such as Chris Bangs, DJ Gilles Peterson, Paul Oakenfold, Danny Krivit, Francis Grasso, and Norman Jay who curated sets at venues like The Wag Club, Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, The Jazz Café, The Ministry of Sound, and The Hacienda. Early progenitors drew on recordings by James Brown, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, and Grant Green as well as groove-driven productions from Stax Records, Impulse! Records, Blue Note Records, and Motown Records. The club environment intersected with street-level scenes around Notting Hill Carnival, Carnaby Street, Camden Town, and radio shows on BBC Radio 1 and Kiss FM that promoted cross-genre mixing. Technological influences included the sampler pioneered by Fairlight and production techniques popularized at studios like Power Plant Studios and Sarm Studios.
Acid jazz emphasizes groove-based arrangements featuring electric bass lines influenced by Larry Graham, horn sections recalling Tower of Power, keyboard textures akin to Jimmy Smith and Ray Charles, and rhythmic approaches derived from James Brown funk patterns and Sly and the Family Stone. Tracks commonly incorporate extended instrumental solos inspired by Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans while using DJ techniques associated with Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. Production frequently combines live performance with sampling and sequencing methods developed by producers linked to 808 State, The Chemical Brothers, and William Orbit. Vocal styles range from soulful delivery in the manner of Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin to spoken-word approaches akin to Gil Scott-Heron and Kate Tempest.
Prominent figures include bands and artists who blended live playing with DJ culture: Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Incognito (band), Us3, Young Disciples, Mother Earth (band), James Taylor Quartet, Gilles Peterson-affiliated acts, Angelique Kidjo collaborations, and artists like Lauren Hill who later crossed genres. Producers and DJs central to the sound include Adrian Gibson, Chris Bangs, Alex Gifford, Dego (musician), Rashad Smith, and remixers associated with David Morales, François Kevorkian, Satoshi Tomiie, and Paul van Dyk. International contributors from Tokyo and Osaka scenes such as Toshinori Kondo and Hiroshi Fujiwara expanded the style, while American jazz-funk artists like Roy Ayers and Quincy Jones provided enduring touchstones.
Independent labels and imprints propelled distribution and identity, including Acid Jazz Records, Talkin' Loud, Warp Records, Blue Note Records reissues, Luaka Bop, Ninja Tune, Island Records spin-offs, 4AD linked projects, ZTT Records contemporaries, and specialist imprints like Bruton Music. Clubs and venues central to the movement included The Jazz Café, The Wag Club, Ministry of Sound, Fabric (club), Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, The Hacienda, Notting Hill Carnival stages, and European festivals such as Glastonbury Festival and Montreux Jazz Festival where acid jazz artists appeared alongside mainstream acts. Radio support from personalities on BBC Radio 1, Kiss FM, NTS Radio, and Capital FM helped cultivate audiences.
Acid jazz contributed to a broader acceptance of hybrid genres and influenced fashion, visual art, and film soundtracks through collaborations with filmmakers and designers associated with Baz Luhrmann, Michel Gondry, Spike Lee, Helmut Lang, Vivienne Westwood, and photographers who worked for Time Out (magazine). The scene's DJ-driven approach informed later movements including nu jazz, broken beat, electro-soul, and producers within Hip hop sampling cultures who referenced records from labels like Stax Records, Blue Note Records, and Verve Records. Academic interest emerged in departments at Goldsmiths, University of London, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge exploring urban musicology and popular music studies. Festivals and retrospectives at institutions such as Southbank Centre and Royal Festival Hall have revisited acid jazz repertoires.
Critics debated authenticity and appropriation, with commentators in publications like The Guardian, NME, Melody Maker, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times questioning commercialism and the balance between live musicianship and sampling. Legal disputes over uncleared samples involved parties connected to Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 litigation and lawsuits referencing precedents from Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc. and sampling cases in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Debates within scenes in London and New York City pitted purists favoring straight-ahead jazz performance traditions tied to institutions like Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music against proponents of DJ-led hybridization exemplified by nights at 1990s clubs and collectives such as those organized by Gilles Peterson and Norman Jay.
Category:Music genres