About Go-Go Music

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About Go-Go Music Go-Go music is a sub-genre of funk and the official music of Washington DC. It was created in the early 1970’s by the "Godfather of Go-Go" Chuck Brown, whose aim was to keep audiences on the dance floor by never stopping the beat. To truly understand its appeal, go-go needs to be experienced live. Its main feature is live swinging polyrhythm and audience participation. The beat is bass heavy and percussive; with a fusion of African, jazz, funk, and R&B stylings. DC fans have grown up, lived, worked, and thrived on the infectious, never ending, undeniable beat. It serves as an anthem to get the party started and keep it going. It is an anthem to spread news about what was going on in its neighborhoods. It was an anthem for change and justice. Most importantly, it is an anthem for its people – that is, its mostly African American fans. Bands like Trouble Funk, Rare Essence, and the legendary Chuck Brown are staples. In 2003, go-go band TCB created a new more straight and aggressive “bounce beat” go-go that became popular with a younger generation of fans. With that came a new kind of dance called “Beat Ya Feet,” most prominently represented by dance group Da Originalz. As time went on, go-go music experienced a rise and fall in local popularity largely because of local governments actively silencing the genre due to perceived associated violence. Bars, clubs and any place that played go-go music routinely got shut down. Go-go’s biggest selling point is the live performances; and without the ability to perform, listenership saw a drastic decline. Gentrification has been changing the landscape of the city, and movements like “#dontmutedc,” whose street protests such as “Moechella” call for keeping go-go alive, have gained mainstream media attention. This has led to a recent resurgence in and respect for the genre; with the Washington DC government declaring go-go as DC’s official music, and the Kennedy Center programming more go-go bands. .

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