Acid Jazz
Also known as Club jazz
A London-born club genre that turned jazz-funk and soul grooves into something leaner, cooler, and made for the dance floor.
Origins and context
Documented as a London-based club and label movement in the mid- to late 1980s, emerging from rare groove DJ culture and the rediscovery of jazz-funk and soul-jazz.
The sound
Characteristics
- Groovy basslines
- Drum kit
- Electric bass
- Electric piano/organ
- Horn sections
- Sampling
- Club-oriented grooves
How to listen
Mood
- Warm, polished, late-night, and rhythm-first
Best for
- Dance-floor listening
- Smooth background energy
- Fans of jazz-funk and soul-driven club music
History
Acid jazz emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid- to late 1980s, tied closely to London’s rare groove and club scenes. Contemporary accounts and later genre histories describe it as a dance-floor update to rediscovered jazz-funk and soul-jazz, with Acid Jazz Records helping to define and name the movement. The label’s early orbit included artists such as The Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai, and the style became one of the UK’s most visible crossover club sounds before spreading more widely. It also fed into later scenes that borrowed its blend of live musicianship, sampling, and club-friendly momentum. (acidjazz.co.uk)
Notable artists
- JJamiroquai
- TBThe Brand New Heavies
- IIncognito
- JTJames Taylor Quartet
- UUs3
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
- 3
