Top 10 80s Music Genres You Forgot Were AWESOME

#10: Acid Jazz

The jazz genre is one of those universal solvents, a style of music that can meld with pretty much anything to create something new and exciting. Acid Jazz was a hodgepodge genre of sorts that arose during the 1980s, a melting pot of beat-driven jazz-funk grooves alongside vocal soul melodies and electronic moves. Acid Jazz Records was a label that released a lot of well-regarded efforts from this genre, but one of its most interesting aspects is how elements that are seemingly disparate (a la disco or hip-hop) can meld just fine with old-school jazz traditionalism.

#9: Minimal Synth / Cold Wave

The influence of Germanys Kraftwerk cannot be overstated with regards to how these Krautrock legends influenced younger, independent musical spirits. Krautrocks pioneering and boundless sounds incorporated everything from hard rock and prog to sparse electronic music, and its here where Cold Wave comes into view. This genre took root in the late seventies and continued into the eighties, as younger artists fused Kraftwerk-ian motorik beats with post-punk aggression and stark creative minimalism. Its a unique amalgamation of humanitys creative soul and the throbbing pulse of a machine, with controls set to the heart of the sun.

#8: Quiet Storm

Fans of the classic sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati will likely remember Tim Reids portrayal of the nighttime radio DJ, Venus Flytrap. The latters smooth-as-silk delivery ties into our next musical genre, a romantic sub-label of R&B that became known as Quiet Storm. This genre was also popularized by a couple of radio DJs, Melvin Lindsey and Jack Shuler, while also taking its name from a Smokey Robinson album of the same name. Quiet Storm has a lot of elements in common with smooth jazz, in that it's designed for slow dancing and romance, but elements of soul, pop and even fusion can slide into its DMs. In other words: Its nighttime sexy music for adults.

#7: Neo-Prog

The predicted death of progressive rock at the end of the 1970s was greatly exaggerated. This could be seen within the rise of Neo-Prog, a new generation of musicians that were influenced by older artists, but with a contemporary spin all their own. Groups such as Pendragon and particularly Marillion were two spearheading creative voices for Neo-Prog, with the latter even earning a smash international hit with the ballad Kayleigh. Meanwhile, progressive rocks pioneering spirit lived on within the complex and often challenging musical arrangements still delivered by Neo-Progs dedicated artists.

#6: Post-Punk

Punk Rock was another genre that, depending upon who you ask, either died a quick death at the end in the early eighties or lived on within the spirit of Post-Punk. Groups from this latter genre werent merely content with aping the sounds of The Sex Pistols or Ramones, but instead pioneered fresh new sounds that incorporated everything from gothic trappings to reggae beats or hard rock. Wire, Killing Joke and Joy Division were three very different sounding bands that tend to be referred to under the banner of Post-Punk, and this is essentially why the genre is so cool and diverse. Meanwhile, legends such as The Cure also retained Post-Punk sensibilities on their earliest records, prior to taking their creative paths to new heights.

#5: Goth Rock

Diehard music fans can often be very protective of the music we love, up to and including gatekeeping of what does or does NOT constitute as authentic or true. Progenitors of goth rock blazed trails back in the 1960s and 70s, while the 90s and new millennium saw a flood of neo-goth imitators invade the local Hot Topic. The real Goth Rock classics can largely be found in the 80s, however, with groups such as The Sisters of Mercy or Fields of the Nephilim. Elsewhere, club friendly artists such as Bauhaus rubbed shoulders with arena rockers The Cult, but if were being honest? Its all pretty great stuff.

#4: Shoegaze

This musical genre is just sort of self-explanatory, featuring a moniker that describes nicely its intrinsically introspective and melancholy nature. Shoegaze gained prominence as a sub-genre of alternative rock near the tail end of the 1980s. Genre pioneers such as Slowdive, The Chameleons and My Bloody Valentine popularized a musical dynamic that frequently juxtaposed alternating bursts of loud and soft sounds. Shoegaze was a genre that could be minimalist and post-punk influenced one minute, and melodically lush and poignant the next. It wasnt quite goth, DEFINITELY indie but also one-of-a-kind.

#3: Industrial Music

There is an extremely wide creative umbrella when it comes to the genre of Industrial Music. The term can encompass everything from the noise and avant-garde pioneers of the 70s, a la Throbbing Gristle, to the electronic and guitar focused groups of the 1980s. Artists like Ministry, Skinny Puppy or even Nine Inch Nails, whose debut LP, Pretty Hate Machine, dropped in 1989. This is what essentially makes Industrial so exciting, because it can encompass such a wide variety of emotions. Aggression, love, hate, sex and power all filter in through the Industrial prism, reflecting back its composers innermost passions and desires.

#2: New Jack Swing

One of the great things about dance music is how it always finds a way to adapt with the times. Getting people out there on that dance floor has always been a primary focus for many musicians, and New Jack Swing did a great job achieving this aim back during the mid-80s. This fusion of hip-hop, soul, funk and R&B could be simultaneously retro cool and contemporarily chic, while also retaining that danceable beat. The synthesizers of the 80s often came into play, lending some New Jack Swing an of its time sort of vibe, but it never ventures into cringe territory. Instead, it just feels like a lost musical art that just might deserve a comeback.

#1: Italo Disco

One of the great things about Europe is how older musical styles never truly went away, they just lived on in a different form. Italo Disco isnt really traditional disco, nor is it pop in the way many of us view the contemporary charts. Instead, its a world of novelty weirdness. A landscape of svengali producers and studio musicians supporting the various stars of the week. Its also a place where some truly BANGER melodies lurk, however, usually delivered via an electronic delivery system thats 80s AF, with absolutely NO apologies. Italy wanted their style, and they didnt really care if it had substance or not. And its this shameless selling point that makes Italo Disco such an easy genre to love, worship and discover.

What are your favorite musical memories of the 1980s? Let us know in the comments!