The Melody Web what each genre heard, and what it passed on

heard passed on Click or tap a node to recenter. Use a connecting line, or Influence, for the story.

Heard

Funk genre · 1965–

Electro is funk with the band replaced by machines and the dance kept.

Influence
Hip-hop genre · 1973–

Electro is the machine 12-inch of early-1980s hip-hop: same party, breaking, and MC, a new grid.

Influence
Krautrock genre · 1968–1975

Electro takes Kraftwerk’s machine pulse, vocoder, and sequencer hook onto an 808 hip-hop floor.

Influence

Electro

genre · 1982–

Also called electro-funk, electro hop

Early-1980s machine-funk: 808, vocoder, and a broken or even sixteenth-note grid for breaking and clubs (Bambaataa, Cybotron, Hashim). It hears Funk for the riff logic, Hip-hop for the party, and Krautrock (Kraftwerk) for the machine grid. Miami bass and Techno are named afterlives; the 808 kit also returns into Hip-hop and colors early House. Electro-funk stays on this node. Electroclash, freestyle, and electro house remain leftover bins. Italo is a house crate, not this file’s parent.

Listen

  1. Planet Rock Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force (1982) YouTube · Spotify
  2. Clear Cybotron (1983) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  3. Al-Naafiysh (The Soul) Hashim (1983) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  4. Nunk Warp 9 (1982) YouTube
  5. Pack Jam Jonzun Crew (1983) YouTube · Spotify

Passed on

Hip-hop genre · 1973–

Mid-1980s hip-hop takes electro’s 808 kit and machine programming as studio drum language.

Influence
House genre · 1984–

Early Chicago house borrows electro’s 808 grid and vocoder machine grain while keeping a four-on-the-floor disco job.

Influence
Miami bass style · 1985–

Miami bass keeps electro’s 808 machine grid and turns the kick into the product.

Influence
Techno genre · 1985–

Detroit techno keeps electro’s synth-and-808 futurism and drops the hip-hop breaking 12-inch as the law.

Influence

Funk → Electro

meter and grooveperformance practicetimbre and productionstrength: highwell documented1982–1986recordingoral

Mechanism

Electro is funk with the band replaced by machines and the dance kept. Strength high. Bambaataa and the 808 take Brown/Clinton riff logic; Kraftwerk and hip-hop hops wait on the electro node.

Evidence

Planet Rock and the early-1980s 12-inch wave; Chang on Bambaataa’s funk-plus-machine program.

Debate

Whether electro is a hip-hop child rather than a funk child. Both parents are real; this hop is the groove parent.

Mediators

artist: Afrika Bambaataa; artist: George Clinton

Hip-hop → Electro

performance practicefunction and contextform and structurestrength: highwell documented1982–1986oralrecordingdance

Mechanism

Electro is the machine 12-inch of early-1980s hip-hop: same party, breaking, and MC, a new grid. Strength high. Funk is the other parent (funk electro).

Evidence

Planet Rock and the Soulsonic / Tommy Boy wave; Chang on Bambaataa.

Debate

Whether electro is a sibling rather than a child. It is a named 1980s hip-hop style with a funk parent beside this hop.

Mediators

artist: Afrika Bambaataa

Krautrock → Electro

timbre and productionmeter and groovemelodystrength: highwell documented1982–1984recording

Mechanism

Electro takes Kraftwerk’s machine pulse, vocoder, and sequencer hook onto an 808 hip-hop floor. Strength high. Funk and hip-hop remain the other parents; this hop is the German machine share.

Evidence

Planet Rock against Trans-Europe Express / Numbers; Chang on Bambaataa’s crate.

Debate

Whether Kraftwerk is already a second node. They sit on this krautrock school for the electro hop; a dedicated Kraftwerk-pop node is not filed.

Mediators

artist: Kraftwerk; artist: Afrika Bambaataa

Electro → Hip-hop

timbre and productionmeter and grooveinstrumentationstrength: mediumscholarly consensus1983–1988recordingoral

Mechanism

Mid-1980s hip-hop takes electro’s 808 kit and machine programming as studio drum language. Strength medium. hip hop electro is the earlier party-to-electro hop; this one is the machine returning into rap records. Funk breaks remain the sample parent.

Evidence

Mantronix and allied 808 rap sides against electro 12-inches (Chang, Grove).

Debate

Whether the 808 is already hip-hop’s. The broken electro grid is electro’s; the rap verse over it is hip-hop’s.

Mediators

artist: Mantronix

Electro → House

timbre and productionmeter and groovestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1985–1988recordingdance

Mechanism

Early Chicago house borrows electro’s 808 grid and vocoder machine grain while keeping a four-on-the-floor disco job. Strength medium. Disco is still the pulse parent; this hop is the hip-hop/electro machine share.

Evidence

Farley and Trax-era sides against Planet Rock machine practice (Grove, Starr).

Debate

Whether house is only disco slowed onto machines. The four is disco’s; the 808/vocoder kit is electro’s.

Mediators

artist: Farley "Jackmaster" Funk

Electro → Miami bass

meter and groovetimbre and productionfunction and contextstrength: highwell documented1985–1990recordingoraldance

Mechanism

Miami bass keeps electro’s 808 machine grid and turns the kick into the product. Strength high. Hip-hop hops wait on the bass node.

Evidence

Mid-1980s Miami 12-inches against NY/Detroit electro; Grove on the named style.

Debate

Whether this is only hip-hop. The machine parent is electro; the MC job is hip-hop.

Mediators

artist: 2 Live Crew

Electro → Techno

timbre and productionmeter and grooveinstrumentationstrength: highwell documented1985–1988oralrecording

Mechanism

Detroit techno keeps electro’s synth-and-808 futurism and drops the hip-hop breaking 12-inch as the law. Strength high. Cybotron / Atkins is the hinge. House hops wait on the techno node.

Evidence

Clear into Model 500; Grove on that succession.

Debate

Whether techno is a house child. House is a Chicago sibling; this hop is the Detroit electro parent.

Mediators

artist: Juan Atkins; artist: Cybotron