1920s–1930s: etymology The first documented use of the word boogie is dated back to 1929. Boogie, as defined by
Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is an occasion for dancing to the strongly rhythmic rock music that encourages people to
dance. Earliest association of the word boogie was with
blues and later
rock and roll and
rockabilly genres.
1970s–1980s: current meaning In the 1970s, the term was revitalized for
disco and later
post-disco subcultures. The term "boogie" was used in London to describe a form of
African-American dance/
funk music from the 1980s. The name boogie tended to be used as, although essentially used to describe disco records, the word disco had gained bad connotations by the early 1980s. Originally the word
boogie could be found in 1970s
funk, soul, R&B and
disco records, most notably: • "
Boogie Down" (1974) by
Eddie Kendricks • "
Jungle Boogie" (1974) and "Spirit of the Boogie" (1975) by
Kool and the Gang • "The Burtha Butt Boogie" (1975) by The
Jimmy Castor Bunch • "Boogie Fever" (1976) by The Silvers • "
Boogie Nights" (1977) by
Heatwave • "
Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" (1977) by
Baccara • "I'm Your Boogie Man" (1977) and "
Boogie Shoes" (1978) by
KC and the Sunshine Band • "
Boogie Oogie Oogie" (1978) by
A Taste of Honey • "Aqua Boogie" (1978) by
Parliament • "
Blame It on the Boogie" (1978) by
The Jacksons • "
Boogie Wonderland" (1979) by
Earth, Wind & Fire His single "
I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)" from the 1983 debut album
Kashif helped to define the early 1980s boogie sound. D. Train, and
Sharon Redd. While some record producers, such as
François Kevorkian and
Larry Levan, were polishing and extending the limits of urban-oriented boogie, others like
Arthur Baker and
John "Jellybean" Benitez drew their influences from European and Japanese
technopop music. The latter approach paved the way for electro, and subsequently,
freestyle music. Boogie had a popular following within London's
underground scene, often based around nightclubs and club DJs due to a lack of mainstream radio support. Boogie records were mostly imported from the U.S. and were sometimes labeled as "electro-funk" or "disco-funk." A pioneer in this style of production was the Cameroonian-born (but Lagos-based) Nkono Teles, credited on over 100 Nigerian boogie records. Today, these recordings are characterized by their rawer or even
lo-fi sound. In South Africa, afro-boogie significantly influenced the emergence of the popular
bubblegum (or township) style of pop music.
2010s: revitalization Much later in the 2000s and early 2010s,
indietronica groups and artists such as
James Pants,
Juice Aleem,
Sa-Ra Creative Partners had been influenced by the sounds of boogie and 1980s electronic music in general.
Chromeo, a Canadian duo, published a boogie-oriented album called ''
She's in Control in 2004. Dâm-Funk, another boogie-influenced artist hailing from Los Angeles, California, published an album Toeachizown'' in 2009. During the mid to late 2010s, boogie was part of the nu-disco and future funk renaissance, the former a primarily European artists-led EDM phenomenon, fusing French house with American 1970s disco and 1980s boogie, and 1980s European electronic dance music styles, ==Electro==