Top 10 Forgotten Music Trends

#10: Jazz Fusion

It was seen by some jazz purists as heresy. The combination of rock rhythms with electrified instrumentation, and an eye for complexity. The roots of jazz fusion can be traced back to the late sixties, particularly with artists like Miles Davis and his LPs Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way. Herbie Hancock and Weather Report were there, too, as well as a slew of other artists that rode the jazz-rock fusion train to chart success. The bubble essentially burst upon jazz fusions reputation for forward-thinking progression, however, as the genre became more slick and evolved into whats now known as smooth jazz. Still, that didnt stop artists like Chuck Mangione from achieving massive crossover popularity with fusion hits like Feels So Good.

#9: Doo-Wop & Motown

The 1950s, 60s and 70s were halcyon periods for soulful vocal music to permeate cultural landscapes around the world. Doo-wop was there at the beginning, too, gaining early popularity in the 40s, and progressing with full band arrangements through the subsequent decades. Meanwhile, the sound of Motown advertised itself as The Sound of Young America, and they werent wrong. Doo-Wop and Motown soul music would go on to influence countless artists, including modern chart-toppers like Bruno Mars and the much-missed Amy Winehouse. However, the warm and analog sound of 60s and 70s soul doesnt show up with much authenticity these days, and this just might mean that the traditional sound made popular by artists like James Brown is ripe for a pop-chart comeback.

#8: Shoegaze

Shoegaze is difficult to pin down, but music fans know it when they hear it. The genre gained prominence as part of the early alternative rock music movement near the tail end of the 1980s. Shoegaze pioneers like Slowdive, The Chameleons and My Bloody Valentine popularized the loud/soft dynamic of the genres volume attack. This was a genre that could be simultaneously hypnotic, beautiful and boisterous, and shoegaze stuck out from much of the pop, metal and rock styles of its heyday. Today, however, youre more likely to see shoegaze-influenced artists like Frances Alcest than the real thing. That said, The Chameleons were touring North America as recently as 2024, so maybe dont close the book on traditional shoegaze just yet.

#7: Skiffle

Music archaeologists in the modern day are probably most familiar with the genre of skiffle via its connections to The Beatles. The Fab Four famously started out performing this type of rhythm & blues-influenced folk music prior to their emergence as international pop icons. Elsewhere, the U.K. blues boom of the 1960s and 70s saw artists like Irelands Rory Gallagher claiming skiffle roots prior to adopting their heavier sound. It doesnt feel unfair to label skiffle as the DNA from which classic rock n roll was born, only tempered with more traditional, vintage instrumentation. That said, contemporary skiffle artists are scarce, although diehard fans still exist to this day.

#6: Psychedelic Folk

The term psychedelic is a huge musical umbrella that encompasses scores of interesting subgenres. Variants of psych still exist today, as do contemporary folk artists, but true psychedelic folk saw its biggest crossover successes in the 1960s and 70s. This, too, was a genre full of different sounds, from the heady progressive sounds of Comus to Donovans pop icon status. The Freak Folk subgenre did rise up out of the 1990s to remind music fans of psych-folks musical heyday, while those longing for those hippie days of yore can easily find reissues today of vintage classics. That said, the Billboard hit charts dont necessarily find themselves saddled with many takes on Mellow Yellow these days.

#5: Seapunk

This Tumblr-generated subculture proves that not every forgotten music trend necessarily needs to reside within the 20th century. Seapunk took off thanks to the accessibility of the internet, as well as its intrinsically electronic nature. This made it easy for homegrown, bedroom seapunk artists to create this sort of R&B influenced electronic dance music. Unfortunately, the internets notoriously short attention span also meant that a new trend was almost certainly destined to rise up and take seapunks place. This occurred after the genres peak years of popularity, around 2011, although seapunk-adjacent genres like Vaporwave keep this intriguing style of music alive within the hearts of fans.

#4: Ragtime/Vaudeville

Its interesting to see how certain styles of music become phased out as a generation ages. For every seemingly evergreen artist such as The Beatles or Pink Floyd, theres genres such as ragtime and entertainment styles like Vaudeville. The latters association with problematic make-up and cultural insensitivity has severely diminished its impact with younger generations. Meanwhile, ragtime musics jaunty nature did see something of a retro-appreciation back in the 1970s, but is largely ignored today. The latter can lend its thanks to the 1973 Robert Redford hit The Sting, and its usage of Scott Joplins The Entertainer. That said, its been a long time since The Sting, and there doesnt seem to be much modern clamour for a ragtime renaissance. Or is there?

#3: Italo-Disco

It all depends on where you look when it comes to our next musical genre, Italo-Disco. This synthesized and heavily processed style of electronic dance music never really went away in Europe. That said, areas like North America saw their Italo-Disco fascination pinpointed within the 1980s, which was almost certainly the genres creative peak. This producer driven style was fashion-focused and gaudy, performed without a shred of irony and tons of fun. Italo-Disco also enjoyed a number of international smash hits, including Tarzan Boy by Baltimora or Ryan Paris Dolce Vita. Even members of prog rock groups like Italys Goblin would craft Italo-Disco songs to make a little cash, although Stateside interest in the genre would largely wane by the 1990s.

#2: Dubstep/Brostep

Electronic music is a fluid genre, able to be molded by any number of creative musicians into something new and exciting. And dubstep definitely brought that excitement to its drum n bass origins, a more aggressive attack that fueled dance parties during the 2000s and beyond. Brostep would take this approach even further, with artists like Skrillex pushing boundaries with regards to intensity and rhythm. Its difficult to say whether or not these genres truly ever went away, because theyve been largely internalized by modern synthwave and darksynth groups like GosT, Carpenter Brut and Perturbator. That said, the success of dubstep remains a curious anomaly within the pop music sphere of influence.

#1: Swing & Big Band

Its unclear at the time of this writing whether or not well see another swing revival similar to the one that rode a wave of popularity back in the 90s. One things for sure, traditional swing and big band music exist within our aforementioned musical generation gap. Old school swing was hugely important to dance culture within the 1930s and 40s, and this has helped keep swing alive in schools and on the stage. Meanwhile, big band jazz evolved from this world and progressed along with jazz-rock and fusion artists as the fifties gave way to the sixties and seventies. So, will we see new groups start name checking artists like Glenn Miller or Duke Ellington, preferably while doing the Lindy Hop? Perhaps we should?

Are you still holding on to your Pure Moods CD or Gregorian Chants cassettes? Do you still bust out The Forbidden Dance? Let us know in the comments!