80's Groove
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80's Groove is a term used to describe soul and rhythm and blues music popular in nightclubs in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1980s, after the demise of disco but before the emergence of house music. Another term used is 80's Soul.
The term appears to have been first used by the specialist dance music label Mastercuts for their 1993 compilation album "Classic 80's Groove". Two more volumes followed in 1995 and 1997 with an anthems compilation in 1999. The term has subsequently been adopted by other UK record labels wishing to reissue early 1980s dance music on compact disc.
The style is largely producer-led, often with a prevalence of drum machines and synthesizers. It is a loose term that embraces other music genres such as disco (with Indeep's "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life") and electro (such as Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's "I Wonder If I Take You Home"). There is a notable lack of commercial artists such as Michael Jackson or Lionel Richie. However, some acts associated with the term who enjoyed commercial success are Imagination, Loose Ends, Shalamar, Cameo, Luther Vandross and The SOS Band.
Other tracks often associated with the term are D Train's "You're the One for Me" from 1981, Raw Silk's "Do It to the Music" from 1982 and Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots" also from 1982.
1980s DJs associated with the scene were Steve Walsh (who enjoyed success with his own version of the Fatback Band's "I Found Lovin'"), Robbie Vincent (who had a Sunday evening show on BBC Radio 1), Greg Edwards and Jeff Young.
