Go-go

Go-go is a percussion and drums dominated Funk sound with jam character. In addition, it features horns in the style of James Brown, spare keyboard parts, sampling, and call-and-response vocals and rap. The style utilized heavily syncopated rhythm and typically included three traditional congas and two shorter, 'junior' congas, a line-up virtually unique to go-go. The style's origins are in mid-1960s African American go-go (simply meaning 'music club') live events and was represented almost exclusively by artists from Washington, DC. By the mid-1970s, the sound was fully formed, the driving influence in its development being Chuck Brown (dubbed "The Godfather of Go-Go") with his band The Soul Searchers. Brown described go-go as a combination of Hispanic American Music beats, African call and chant, and American Jazz. Go-go continues to expand and influence, with 21st century groups such as TCB and XIB adopting a modern Bounce Beat style, mutating the original go-go into a new sound which is rougher and less melodic.