Go-go

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Go-go is a subgenre of funk which originated in the Washington, D.C. area during the mid- to late-1970s. A handful of bands contributed to the early evolution of the genre, but singer/guitarist Chuck Brown is credited with having developed most of the hallmarks of the style.^[1]

In technical terms, "[g]o-go's essential beat is characterized by a syncopated, dotted rhythm that consists of a series of quarter and eighth notes (quarter, eighth, quarter, (space/held briefly), quarter, eighth, quarter)… which is underscored most dramatically by the bass drum and snare drum, and the hi-hat… [and] is ornamented by the other percussion instruments, especially by the conga drums, timbale, and hand-held cowbells."^[2] A swing rhythm is often implied (if not explicitly stated).

Another important attribute in go-go is call-and-response with the crowd. Go-go is best known for its live performance; the music has translated well on studio recordings, however.

With few exceptions, go-go bands have seen little success outside of the Washington, D.C. area (including Northern Virginia and Maryland), yet the style lives on and continues to evolve.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 1.2 The 1980s: Go-Go's Golden Age 1.3 Modern day 2 Dodge City 3 Bought, Borrowed and Stolen 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

Go-go is one of those rare musical movements that can be definitively traced back to just one person. It couldn't have become what it is, however, without the added input of a few other bands.

Chuck Brown—a fixture on the Washington music scene with his band the Soul Searchers as far back as 1966—had, by the mid-1970s, developed a laid-back, rhythm-heavy style of funk, performed with one song blending into the next (in order to keep people on the dancefloor).

In 1976, James Funk, a young DJ who spun at clubs in between Soul Searchers sets, was inspired (and encouraged by Brown himself) to start a band—called Rare Essence (originally the Young Dynamos)—that played the same kind of music.

Experience Unlimited (a.k.a. E.U.) was more influenced by rock (their name a nod to the Jimi Hendrix Experience^[3]) that started out in 1970. After witnessing Rare Essence in the late-1970s, they modified their style to incorporate the go-go beat.

Trouble Funk had its roots in a 1960s Top 40 cover band called Trouble Band. At some point they changed their name and in the late-1970s, after seeing the light at a gig they played with Chuck Brown, they, too, adopted the go-go beat.

Go-go's first national chart action came when Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers released their "Bustin' Loose" single in late 1978; it reached the #1 spot on Billboard's R&B chart and held it for a month during February and March of 1979 (peaking at #34 on the Pop chart).

[edit] The 1980s: Go-Go's Golden Age

The 1980s held a lot of promise for go-go but only came through a few times. Trouble Funk put out a few records on New Jersey-based label Jamtu before signing with one of the more powerful independant hip-hop labels, Sugar Hill, where they released a six-track EP called Drop the Bomb in 1982, which included the minor hit "Pump Me Up."

In 1984, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell heard Chuck Brown's "We Need Some Money" on the radio in New York, which ultimately led to him signing some of the brightest stars of the go-go scene.^[4] Trouble Funk and E.U. were both signed to Island, while Chuck Brown, Mass Extension, Yuggie, Redds and the Boys and Hot, Cold, Sweat were signed through a distribution deal between T.T.E.D. and Island subsidiary 4th & B'way. As a result of this deal, Redds and the Boys had a #1 single in the UK with "Movin' and Groovin'."^{[citation needed]}

Along with the recording contracts Blackwell was handing out, he also wanted to make a go-go movie; a D.C.-based version of The Harder They Come, perhaps. The resultant film, Good to Go (or Short Fuse, as it was called on video) was plagued with problems: co-director Don Letts was let go halfway through production, the film became less about the music and more about drugs and violence, and despite the fact that most of the post-production was completed in the fall of 1985, the film was held for release until late-summer 1986. When it did poorly on release, it seemed that go-go had missed its best chance to break into the mainstream.

Icee Hott scored a gold record with their single "Hollar at Me" on EMI/Manhattan in 1985.^{[citation needed]}

The Junk Yard Band started out in 1980 as a group of kids (as young as nine) from the Barry Farms projects. Unable to afford instruments for their band, they fashioned drums out of empty buckets and traffic cones, tin cans substituted for timbales, and, in place of a brass section, they used plastic toy horns. Adding real instruments to their gear a little at a time, by 1985 they had joined the ranks of D.C.'s finest; they were scooped up by Def Jam, who released a Rick Rubin-produced single, "The Word," in 1986. Not much happened for that record—at first. However, within a year or two of its release, the flipside, "Sardines," had become (and remains to this day) the group's signature song; they even perform it in the 1988 film Tougher Than Leather.

Rare Essence signed with Mercury Records but their one single for that label—"Flipside," released in 1986—was unremarkable.

E.U. got their big break in 1986, when they were booked to play a party celebrating the release of Spike Lee's debut film, She's Gotta Have It.^[5] Lee liked what he heard, and tapped the band to perform a song in his next movie, School Daze. "Da Butt" (written for the film by Marcus Miller) made it all the way to #1 on Billboard's R&B chart (#35 Pop) and scored them a Grammy nomination (they lost out to Gladys Knight). Hoping to build on their success, in 1989 they released Livin' Large on Virgin Records. Two singles from the album ("Buck Wild" and "Taste of Your Love") made respectable showings on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart but they failed to repeat the success of "Da Butt." (The album peaked at #22 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and #158 on the Top 200.) A second Virgin release, Cold Kickin' It, came out the following year but failed to make much of an impression on the national charts.

[edit] Modern day

As time has passed, more and more of a hip-hop influence has crept into go-go. Early MCs like D.C. Scorpio gave way to DJ Kool, whose 1996 indie release, "Let Me Clear My Throat," was picked up by American Recordings and became go-go's last certifiable hit, in 1997 (#4 on Billboard's Rap singles chart, #21 on the R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart, and #30 on the Hot 100). As the hip-hop content in go-go has increased, the complexity of the musical arrangements has decreased. Where bands once featured horn sections and multiple guitarists in addition to a phalanx of percussionists, most current go-go bands have stripped down to just keyboards and percussion.

There is, however, a retro movement going back to go-go's original style of marathon sessions covering currently popular R&B songs. Bands playing in that style include Suttle Thoughts and Familiar Faces.

A new style that had branched off from go-go is called bounce beat.^{[citation needed]} Considerably faster in tempo than the original go-go, and performed on drums, timbales and keyboard, bounce beat audiences dance to it in a style called "beating your feet." Beating your feet involves moving your feet and body in a swift motion in sync with hand movements. The bounce beat is characterized by overlapping beats and repetitive talking, like "hey hey hey hey." Key bands include the Total Control Band and the Take Over Band.^{[citation needed]}

Some go-go artists have been able to transition into other areas of entertainment. Notably, Anwan "Big G" Glover—a founding member of the Backyard Band—acts, playing Slim Charles on HBO's The Wire.^[6]

[edit] Dodge City

While go-go's international profile was on the rise in the 1980s, go-go clubs in D.C. were acquiring an unfortunate reputation for violence. In some areas of Washington—even today—clubs are not permitted to play go-go or have go-go bands appear. In 1988, an all-star go-go band dubbed the Go-Go Posse recorded "D.C. Don't Stand for Dodge City," in an attempt to raise awareness and stop the violence. Suffice to say, any reduction in violence was short-lived at best.

One well-publicized venue with trouble was Club U, located inside a District-owned building at the corner of 14th and U Street NW, where numerous incidents—including murder—occurred, leading to the revocation of its liquor license,^[7] and eventual closing.^[8]

In March 2007, Jack B. Johnson, County Executive in nearby Prince George's County, Maryland, also cracked down on go-go music, announcing the indefinite closing of nine area clubs. which had seen a high frequency of police calls (many for violent incidents) in the last year.^[9] A court battle is ongoing over whether the closings were justified.

[edit] Bought, Borrowed and Stolen

There have been a number of artists who have sampled from existing go-go records (most often without crediting the original source) or put out records with a go-go beat.

• Kurtis Blow had E.U. play on "Party Time" (1983, Mercury).
• Grace Jones' "Slave to the Rhythm" (1985, ZTT) includes E.U.'s Ju Ju House on drums and percussion.
• Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five released a cover of Trouble Funk's "Pump Me Up" (1985, Sugar Hill).
• LL Cool J's "Rock the Bells" (1985, Def Jam) samples Trouble Funk's "Pump Me Up."
• Doug E. Fresh's "All the Way to Heaven" (1986, Reality) has a go-go beat.
• The Beastie Boys' "Hold It, Now Hit It" on Licensed to Ill (1986, Def Jam) samples a drum fill from "Drop the Bomb" by Trouble Funk.
• Run-D.M.C.'s "Is It Live" on Raising Hell (1986, Profile) has a go-go rhythm track (approximated on a drum machine) and samples a go-go drum fill.
• The Real Roxanne With Hitman Howie Tee's "(Bang Zoom) Let's Go Go!" (1986, Select) has a stripped-down go-go beat.
• Heavy D & the Boyz's "Mr. Big Stuff" (1986, MCA) has a go-go beat.
• M/A/R/R/S's "Pump Up the Volume" (1987, 4AD) includes a vocal sample from Trouble Funk's "Pump Me Up."
• Salt-N-Pepa's "My Mike Sounds Nice" (1987, Next Plateau) has a go-go sample.
• Salt-N-Pepa recorded "Shake Your Thing" (1988, Next Plateau) with E.U.
• Kid n' Play's "Rollin' With Kid n' Play" (1989, Select) has a go-go sample.
• Doug E. Fresh had Rare Essence play on the remix of "I'm Getting Ready" on his "D.E.F.=Doug E. Fresh" 12-inch (1989, Reality)
• Jesse Jaymes covered E.U.'s "Shake It Like a White Girl" (1991, Delicious Vinyl).
• Jill Scott's "It's Love" on her album Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (2000, Hidden Beach/Epic) has a go-go beat.
• Nelly's "Hot in Herre" (2002, Universal) is based on a sample from Chuck Brown's "Bustin' Loose."
• Producer Rich Harrison (who hails from the D.C. area) has produced a number of hit songs—including Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" (2003, Columbia) and Amerie’s "1 Thing" (2005, Columbia)—that, while not explicitly go-go, have a definite go-go feel to them (strong, funky drums with added percussion).
• Jim Jones's "My Life" on Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) (2006, Diplomat) uses the beat from "Sexy Lady" by the UnCalled 4 Experience Band.

[edit] References

1. ^ Wartofsky, Alona. "What Go-Goes Around…", Washington Post, 2001-06-03, pp. G01. Retrieved on March 30, 2007.
2. ^ Lornell, Kip; Charles C. Stephenson, Jr. (2001). The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop. Billboard, p. 12. ISBN 0823077276. 
3. ^ Lornell, Kip; Charles C. Stephenson, Jr. (2001). The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop. Billboard, 95. ISBN 0823077276. 
4. ^ Lornell, Kip; Charles C. Stephenson, Jr. (2001). The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop. Billboard, 210. ISBN 0823077276. 
5. ^ Lornell, Kip; Charles C. Stephenson, Jr. (2001). The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop. Billboard, 219. ISBN 0823077276. 
6. ^ Washington Post Going out Gurus
7. ^ Austermuhle, Martin (2005-06-29), Club U's Alcohol License Revoked
8. ^ Cauvin, Henri E.. "2 Detectives Indicted on Charges of Misconduct", Washington Post, 2007-03-22, pp. B01. Retrieved on March 30, 2007.
9. ^ Taylor, Daniel. "PG closes 9 clubs to halt violence", Washington Times, 2007-03-30. Retrieved on April 3, 2007.

[edit] See also

• Chuck Brown
• Washington Go Go Sound Attack Volume 2

[edit] External links

• Take Me Out to the Go-Go - Online magazine (est. 1996), BBS.
• GoGoRadio.com Internet go-go radio station.
• GoGo Central - BBS.
• GoGoBeat.com - Directory of go-go clubs, bands, shows, and other resources.
• Washingtonpost.com: MP3 - free MP3 downloads by a number of different go-go artists.
• DC Soul Recordings - Catalog of D.C. & Maryland soul, R&B and funk (including go-go) record labels from the 1960s through the 1980s.