Decades Context Table

1960s	JAMES BROWN - FUNK CHORDS	Building 7th chords is just like building triads only you keep stacking thirds Funk derives from blues, which is based on african rhythms and harmonies rather than the western diatonic scheme. Their use makes the sound a lot more different In Western music, these chords are generally dominant chords which are used to resolve harmonic and melodic structures. They are really heard as the “1” (tonic) chord in a sequence. In funk they are.
1960s	JAMES BROWN - FUNK RHYTHMS	Subdivision of the pulse (eg. into 16th notes or semiquavers.) Rhythmic dissonance (conflict between rhythmic figures based on different ways of organising the subdivisions.) Funk music’s birth resulted from a cultural revolution happening in the Afro-American community based on ideas of “Afrocentrism”, black nationalism, and civil rights. While Western music may consider rhythmic elaboration as no more than “mere ornament”, African music considers it vital to the process.
1970s	STEVIE WONDER – SYNTHS	Stevie wonder explored a new sound with the TONTO synth. It gave a grittier and edgier sound than traditional instruments A lot of people don’t consider the Moog an instrument, in a sense, and they feel it’s gonna take a lot of work away from musicians and all that. But I feel it is an instrument and is a way to directly express what comes from your mind. It gives you so much of a sound in the broader sense.
1970s	STEVIE WONDER - VOCAL MELISMA	Melisma is a repetition of one single syllable whilst gliding between notes. such as the ‘whooaww’ in superstition It creates a funky vibe to the song. Although it maybe be that we believe it is funky because Stevie Wonder popularised it in the scene so much
1980s	KATE BUSH – 1980s DIGITAL STUDIO TECHNOLOGY	The CMI synth was the first to use a computer and store memory of sounds within it Kate Bush was one of the first artists use the Fairlight The Fairlight CMI was a synthesiser, sampler and digital audio workstation all in one and was described as the crown jewel of 80s electronic music production
1980s	KATE BUSH – THE CONCEPT ALBUM AND THE LONG-FORM SONG TRADITION	A concept album is a selection of thematically linked housed in one package with an unifying cover Frank Sinatra initially popularised the idea of a concept album with his “Wee Small Hours” Kate Bush’s second side of her album “Hounds of Love” is a concept album. The general concept is based on her lifelong attraction to water but in detail the concept is complex.
THE 1990s	SUB-BASS – THEORY AND PRACTICE; THE USE OF SAMPLING	in Public Enemy, The looped drum break has extra sub-bass frequencies applied to the kick drum. This emphasizes its immersive quality and suggests an element of threat or pressure that could be said to reflect the urban environment from which the music sprang.