Tag Archives: Clubbers’ Decktionary

Chillwave, aka glo fi, proper noun Generally down-tempo to mid-tempo (i.e. 80-120 bpm) danceable American indie/electro-pop style; usually made by solo artists with a laptop or small outfits; predominantly influenced by Eighties analogue and electronica, late Eighties/early Nineties shoegaze (hence the ‘nu … Continue reading

Cosmic (disco), adj/proper noun, aka Afro Cosmic, also Space Disco Originally an highly eclectic, down-tempo (90-105 BPM) style, which nowadays generally exhibits a lot of space, reverb and echo/delay in the production, bubbling synths, delicate keys, langurous guitars and percussion instruments more often found … Continue reading

Footwork, proper noun, aka [Chicago] Juke (see also [Detroit] Jit, Shangaan electro) So-called because of the associated dance crazes – essentially a contemporary form of break dance; wildly uptempo (140 – 170 BPM), characterised by syncopated beats laced with manically looped, pitched up … Continue reading

Moombahton (moom-bar-tonn), proper noun, also Moombahsoul, Moombahcore, Moombahstep Midtempo style (105 – 115 BPM), characterised by the same shuffling rhythms (or ‘riddims’) of reggaeton, cumbia and dancehall with heavy bass and beats, plus electro/rave motifs such as build-ups and break-downs, electronic stabs, horns, … Continue reading

Krautrock, proper noun Eclectic style, originally German, mostly instrumental and usually combining a traditional rock band line-up (guitars, bass, drums) with electronic instruments; often characterised by a four-four time signature and stripped-back productions with the emphasis on the rhythm section employing mechanical, propulsive drum … Continue reading

B-more or Bmore, adjective, aka B-more Club Uptempo (120 – 140 BPM) hip hop / breaks originally from Baltimore, with an 8/4 time signature, using short, repetitive vocal samples – often call-and-response-style raps or chants – over old school drum breaks, staccato snares/ claps … Continue reading

  Balearic, or Balearic beat, adjective Spanish origin but formally cultivated by British DJs, Balearic came to be identified with a certain kind of mid-tempo (i.e. 100 – 120 BPM) dance music. Origins: Pioneered in the late-Eighties by certain key DJs on … Continue reading

Clubbers’ Decktionary: EBM

15 November 2011

EBM, proper noun, aka electronic body music, also industrial dance European, characterised by minimal composition, synthesised sound, metallic tones, socialist realist and sexual aesthetics and often a lot of irony, c. 1978 – 1987; heavily influenced by (and usually classified with) industrial; some cross … Continue reading

  UK Funky, proper noun, aka funky British, characterised by syncopated, African rhythms, R ‘n’ B-style vocalising, MCs and a four-four beat, c. 2006 – present day; influenced by (and often classified with) UK garage, grime, dubstep, jungle, rave, Afrobeat, broken beat, reggaeton/ dancehall, … Continue reading

  Lovers Rock, adjective Romantic style of reggae music cultivated on the London reggae scene, c.1975-1985. While contemporary strands of reggae (dub, roots, rocksteady etc) were becoming increasingly politicised and serious, Lovers Rock maintained a clearer focus on more lightweight, … Continue reading