![]() ![]() He helped set the pace for dance music as a whole and would inspire a whole new generation of new black musicians and musical movements.Īfter jazz came rhythm and blues, an infectious fusion of jazz, blues and country music which would eventually become known as Rock ‘n’ Roll. Legacy: Ellington was active from the pre-swing jazz era right up until his death in 1974. For the first time black American musicians and band leaders like Duke Ellington and his peers were able to reach a global audience. The parties only got wilder following Prohibition, resulting in the explosion of swing music which enjoyed huge radio play and record sales throughout the 30s and 40s. Outside on the streets it was another story, however, as wild jazz music also provided the soundtrack to the Harlem Renaissance – an awakening of American black culture which would inspire the civil rights movements to come. When Duke Ellington performed at Harlem’s infamous Cotton Club, alongside other jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Billie Holliday, his audience was exclusively white. What has changed, thankfully – though gradually – is the measure of inclusivity. Raucous parties and nightclubs with loud, bombastic dance music are nothing new. It goes back before the 80s, when punks learned breakdancing from the b-boys in New York while racial tensions dissolved in Britain with the advent of two-tone ska, before the 70s, when disco provided a safe space for gays to openly express themselves on racially mixed dancefloors, before the 60s, when dance music and civil rights became inextricably linked, before the 50s, when rock ‘n’ roll began tearing down long-standing racial walls… it goes back almost a century, in fact, to the roaring 20s and jazz legends, like the first artist on my list… Fashion certainly wasn’t, for one thing and, secondly, dance music’s tradition of equality goes back way further. Now don’t worry I’m not some raving grandad looking to sit you on my knee and bore you with messy substance-addled tales of how things were better in the 90s. Firstly, to show my own personal support for the movement, and second to give thanks and kudos to some of the incredible artists of colour who have been a massive influence both on me personally, as well as on the scene I love. That’s why I felt this was something I needed to write. ![]() Unfortunately, given the vitriol some artists have faced while vocally supporting the movement, it’s clear that we cannot take this for granted any more, and our first line of defence against racism and ignorance is, as always, education. ![]() Given its long-standing history of inclusivity, the dance scene’s support for equality movements like Black Lives Matter ought to be a no-brainer. It helps us to realise that we are one people, all children of the same universal mother sharing the same feelings, the same hopes, dreams and fears and, ultimately, the same common language of the groove. Colour, gender and sexuality – for me, the dancefloor dissolves these man-made boundaries. I have long taken for granted that dance music is synonymous with equality. ![]()
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