Imaginary Sounds Mix 14: The New Dance - A Guide to Dance, Funk, Punk and the New Wave

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When dance music and disco filtered into the late-70s punk scene, it created a problem for the genre labeling critics. Punk bands began blending their art with other genres: disco, reggae, funk, jazz--the result exploded in places like New York and Bristol with the umbrella-term "post-punk." The problem was the dance influence trickled into many genres—new wave, no wave, punk, therefore went somehow ignored as a genre in itself. This mix is an attempt to bridge the dance-influenced bands of this time who seem to have more in common in terms to style than the critics would admit. Ohio's Pere Ubu paved the way for the new wave scene, while bands like the Contortions created a punk-fused take on avant-garde jazz--part of New York City's "no wave." England's Pop Group had a raucous political take--more aligned with punks roots--but just couldn't resist adding dance to the mix. I've added a few deviations: for instance the Del-Byzanteens led by now-popular indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. I've also put industrial's strange godfather Chrome in here--I'm still asking myself why (there's something dancey about it.)

1. Liquid Liquid - Optimo
from Liquid Liquid (1981)

2. ESG - You Make No Sense
from Come Away With ESG (1983)

3. James Chance & the Contortions - Design to Kill
from Buy (1979)

4. The Au Pairs - Armagh
from Playing With a Different Sex (1981)

5. A Certain Ratio - Shack Up
from The Old & the New (1986)

6. Delta 5 - Colour
from Singles and Sessions (1979-1981)

7. Pere Ubu - Modern Dance
from The Modern Dance (1978)

8. The Pop Group - We Are All Prostitutes
from We Are All Prostitutes (1978-80)

9. Bush Tetras - Too Many Creeps
from Boom in the Night

10. The Slits - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
from Cut (1979)

11. Gang of Four - Guns Before Butter (Alternate Version)
from Entertainment! (1979)

12. Killing Joke - Change (Dub)
from Killing Joke (1980)

13. Pylon - Working Is No Problem
from Gyrate (1980)

14. Bauhaus - Dancing
from Mask (1981)

15. The Del-Byzanteens - Lies To Live By
from Lies To Live By (1982)

16. Maximum Joy - Stretch
from Station MXGY (1981)

17. Chrome - TV As Eyes
from Half Machine Lip Moves (1979)

18. Blue Rondo A'La Turk - Klact-Oveeseds-Tene
from Chewing the Fat (1982)