Sign in
Music of the 1970s
44 OffStereo shows from the 1970s. Among them: Kendrick's Grammy: Justice on Stage, Washington DC go-go.
Kendrick's Grammy: Justice on Stage
Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" and "HiiiPoWeR" carry hip-hop's legacy of Black liberation, from N.W.A.'s "Fuck tha Police" to 2Pac's "Changes," into a new era of protest.
Answers: How did Kendrick Lamar's 2016 Grammy performance make a statement?
Washington DC go-go
From Chuck Brown's 1970s D.C. grooves to E.U.'s national hit "Da Butt," go-go defines a city and lays the rhythmic foundation for modern Black music.
Answers: what should I listen to to understand D.C. go-go?
Explore the vibrant intersections of
Protoje's 2015 album Ancient Future bridges 1970s reggae roots with 90s hip-hop, defining the Reggae Revival and pushing the genre forward.
Answers: What is Protoje's album Ancient Future known for?
Nine Inch Nails: Industrial Evolution
Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails forged a sound of industrial aggression and raw vulnerability, building on Gary Numan's electronics and David Bowie's experiments to define a generation of rock.
Answers: What artists influenced Trent Reznor?
Dublin's Post-Punk Genesis
Amidst 70s Dublin's economic void, punk's raw energy and post-punk's experimental edge, from The Radiators From Space to U2 and The Virgin Prunes, forge a defiant scene.
Answers: How did U2's early sound differ from other bands?
Flash FM — Vice City's Pop Station
The glossy, synth-driven pop of the mid-80s, from Aneka to Laura Branigan, defines Vice City's Miami, capturing its hopeful outlook and MTV-era cultural fusion.
Answers: what kind of music defined the mid-80s Miami vibe?
808: The Beat That Built Worlds
Deemed 'unrealistic' in 1980, the Roland TR-808's synthetic pulse became Detroit's engine, shaping Juan Atkins' techno, Inner City's dance, and J Dilla's hip-hop.
Answers: What was the Roland TR-808's initial commercial reception?
Levan's Garage: Sound, Soul, & House
Larry Levan's Paradise Garage (1977-87) creates a communal sanctuary, where his eclectic, dub-heavy sets, from Loose Joints to NYC Peech Boys, birth the New York house sound.
Answers: What was Larry Levan's DJing style?
Nigeria's Silent Synth Prophet
William Onyeabor's reclusive genius and independent synth-funk pioneered Nigeria's 70s and 80s electro-boogie, a sound now rediscovered with Steve Monite and Goddy Oku.
Answers: Who was William Onyeabor?
Bill Withers: The Everyman's Soul
Bill Withers' 1971 debut proved plainspoken soul could turn personal truths into universal anthems, connecting like James Taylor and Donny Hathaway, even as Al Green soared.
Answers: What did Bill Withers do before he became a musician?
Wave 103 — Vice City's New Wave Station
Wave 103 archived the sleek, synth-driven European sound of 80s new wave, from Gary Numan's 'Cars' to Blondie's 'Atomic', reintroducing its stylish rebellion to a new generation.
Answers: Why was A Flock of Seagulls' 'I Ran' so successful in America?
Fourth World's Trumpet Architect
Jon Hassell’s 1977 Vernal Equinox unveils the "Fourth World" sound, blending global styles and electronics, influencing Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads, even amidst appropriation by Eno and Byrne.
Answers: what is the 'Fourth World' sound?
NYC Disco: Rooms & Revolutions
From David Mancuso's Loft to Larry Levan's Paradise Garage, NYC's 70s DJs built inclusive dancefloors that made hits like Loleatta Holloway's 'Hit And Run' and birthed Garage House.
Answers: Who were the pioneering DJs of the early NYC disco scene?
Fever 105 — Vice City's Funk & Soul Station
Fever 105's 80s funk and quiet storm, from Evelyn "Champagne" King to Kool & The Gang, defines Vice City's seductive Miami nights and brings its world to life.
Answers: what is quiet storm music?
Born to Lose You: A Sample Lineage
Ecstasy, Passion & Pain's 1974 soul classic "Born to Lose You" provides the enduring emotional core for hip-hop, from MC Lyte's early cuts to Mobb Deep's grit and Captain Murphy's experimental sound.
Answers: Which artists have sampled 'Born to Lose You' by Ecstasy, Passion & Pain?
Bezawork's Ethio-Soul Legacy
From Mahmoud Ahmed's 70s grooves to Mulatu Astatqé's Ethio-jazz, Bezawork Asfaw's powerful voice carries the 'Tizita' sound through decades of Ethiopian soul.
Answers: who is Bezawork Asfaw?
Fela's Afrobeat: Electronic Roots
Fela Kuti's Afrobeat, powered by Tony Allen's polyrhythms, forges a revolutionary sound in Lagos that becomes a rhythmic blueprint for electronic music and a global influence.
Answers: What genres did Fela Kuti combine to create Afrobeat?
Disco's Fiery Night, Unsilenced
Comiskey Park in July 1979 claimed disco was creatively dead, but Chic, Michael Jackson, and Blondie's chart-toppers prove the genre was thriving, evolving, and defying its critics.
Answers: what happened at comiskey park on july 12 1979?
Alice Coltrane: Harp's Divine Journey
Alice Coltrane's spiritual journey, from her groundbreaking harp on Journey in Satchidananda to her sacred ashram recordings, forges a unique language of universal consciousness that reshapes spiritual jazz.
Answers: Who influenced Alice Coltrane's harp playing?
Dilla's Unquantized Legacy
From sampling Kool & The Gang to his unquantized beats with Slum Village, J Dilla's radical sound on Welcome 2 Detroit shapes hip-hop's future, from Kanye West to Larry June.
Answers: what is unquantized beat-making?
MFSB: Soul's Hidden Architects
MFSB, Philadelphia International's house band, crafts the sophisticated Philly Soul sound that defines 70s R&B, backing hits like "Love Train" and igniting disco with "Love Is The Message."
Answers: what does MFSB stand for?
Withers: Hip-Hop's Soul Foundation
Bill Withers' soulful catalog is a quiet load-bearing wall for hip-hop, with Kanye West, 2Pac, and Kendrick Lamar building their sound on his timeless grooves.
Answers: Which hip-hop artists sampled Bill Withers?
Brazil's Punk Awakening
Brazil's late 70s punk awakening in São Paulo, pioneered by Restos de Nada and Lixomania, forged a defiant sound against military rule, later echoing in Brasília with Plebe Rude.
Answers: what was early brazilian punk a response to?
Film Scores, Funk & Diggers
The 1970s sees Italian composers like Riz Ortolani and Piero Umiliani fuse funk, psychedelia, and early electronics, creating film and library music that pioneered sounds from proto-house to techno.
Answers: What kind of music did Italian film composers make in the 1970s?
Hailu Mergia: Taxi Tapes & Ethio-Jazz
From 1970s Addis Ababa with The Walias Band to a D.C. taxi, Hailu Mergia's 'Lala Belu' comeback redefines Ethio-jazz, fusing traditional melodies with modern sounds.
Answers: what did hailu mergia do for a living in the US?
Chickenhead's Soulful Roots
Project Pat's 2001 hit "Chickenhead" anchors the dirty-south sound in Willie Hutch's 1973 soul, a Memphis blueprint from Three 6 Mafia.
Answers: what song is sampled in Project Pat's Chickenhead?
Hayes' Soul, Tricky's Shadow
Tricky's Maxinquaye transforms Isaac Hayes's 1971 soul samples into dark, gritty trip-hop, a sound that defines Bristol's mid-90s scene alongside Massive Attack and Portishead.
Answers: what song did tricky sample for 'hell is round the corner'?
New Orleans Funk: Meters' Groove
The Meters codified New Orleans funk with second-line rhythms and a deep pocket, a sound that defines artists from Dr. John to Galactic and Tank and the Bangas.
Answers: How did The Meters influence modern New Orleans artists?
Copper, Fuzz, & Zamrock's Rebirth
Zambia's 70s copper boom birthed Zamrock, a heavy psych sound from W.I.T.C.H. and Amanaz that fuses local rhythms with global Black struggles, now rediscovered and reissued.
Answers: what is zamrock?
Stronger: Funk to Future
Kanye West's "Stronger" bridges his soulful sampling past with an electronic future, connecting Edwin Birdsong's 1979 funk to Daft Punk and reshaping hip-hop.
Answers: what did Kanye West sample for the song Stronger?
The Cure's Dark Statement
Robert Smith pushes The Cure into the dark, embracing influences from Siouxsie and the Banshees to The Velvet Underground, cementing their artistic integrity over commercial appeal.
Answers: How did Robert Smith's time with Siouxsie and the Banshees change The Cure's sound?
Wigan Casino: Keep The Faith
Northern Soul in 1970s Northern England builds a working-class escape, obsessing over rare American soul like Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You" and Gloria Jones's "Tainted Love" to shape UK club culture.
Answers: what kind of music was played at wigan casino?
Jazz DNA in Larry June
Larry June's smooth, unhurried cadence and luxe sound trace a direct lineage from Donald Byrd's jazz grooves to J Dilla's samples, MF DOOM's production, and Dom Kennedy's West Coast cool.
Answers: what are larry june's influences?
Nas: The Sample Lineage
Nas's iconic sound transforms jazz, soul, and funk samples, from Joe Chambers' "Mind Rain" on Illmatic to Kurtis Blow's hook and Michael Jackson's synth on It Was Written.
Answers: Where did the piano sample in Nas's "N.Y. State of Mind" come from?
House Rises: Disco's Revenge
From Disco Demolition Night in 1979, Chicago house pioneers like Jesse Saunders and Frankie Knuckles forge a new sound, with Marshall Jefferson and Phuture pushing its boundaries from the Warehouse to the world.
Answers: What event inadvertently ignited Chicago's underground dance scene?
Trainspotting's Narrative Rhythms
Trainspotting's soundtrack uses Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and New Order to ironically underscore Renton's chaotic life and the film's bleak British hedonism.
Answers: How does Iggy Pop's 'Lust for Life' set the tone for Trainspotting?
Raindrop Redux: Missy's Flip
Missy Elliott and Timbaland transform Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain" into "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," forging a futuristic hip-hop aesthetic from Memphis soul in the late 90s.
Answers: what song did missy elliott sample for 'the rain'?
Mixing Board as Instrument
King Tubby's dub innovations in Jamaica turned the mixing board into an instrument, birthing remix culture and shaping disco, hip-hop, and ambient sounds from Grandmaster Flash to Burial.
Answers: who pioneered using the mixing board as an instrument?
Rap's Radio Door: Theft or Translation?
New York City park jams, fueled by Chic and Incredible Bongo Band breaks, ignite rap's commercial explosion with The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" and Kurtis Blow's "Christmas Rappin'."
Answers: When was "Rapper's Delight" released?
Wild Side, New Groove
Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" bassline and outsider narratives lay the groundwork for A Tribe Called Quest's jazz-infused hip-hop, transforming rock's melancholic origins for the 90s.
Answers: What song did A Tribe Called Quest sample for 'Can I Kick It?
Bowie's Ziggy Exit: Controlled Reinvention
David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust persona, from 1972 to 1973, was a controlled spectacle, revealing his strategic genius in shaping his own reinventions and influencing artists like Mott the Hoople and Lou Reed.
Answers: why did david bowie stop being ziggy stardust?
The Breaks: Gold Rush
Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks" going gold in 1980 sparks hip-hop's leap from the South Bronx's raw energy to a commercial force, evolving its sound with pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa and Sha-Rock.
Answers: what was hip-hop's first gold record?
Tines, Tones, & Timeless Samples
The Fender Rhodes' unique dynamic range, from its jazz fusion origins with Herbie Hancock to Donny Hathaway's soulful growl, transforms into the sampled, buttery sound of A Tribe Called Quest's hip-hop.
Answers: why does an electric piano sound warmer than a synthesizer?
Steely Dan: Soul or Science?
Steely Dan's relentless studio craft, from "Doctor Wu" to "Glamour Profession," forges an intricate, unreplicable sound where precision becomes its own profound soul.
Answers: what makes the steely dan sound so hard to fake?