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Dance-rock is a dance-infused rock genre that emerged in the early 1980s, blending elements of post-disco, pop rock, and post-punk while minimizing rhythm and blues influences. It developed following the decline of punk and disco, with early examples including Gina X’s “No G.D.M.,” Russ Ballard’s “On the Rebound,” and artists like Dinosaur L, Liquid Liquid, and Polyrock.
Defined by Michael Campbell as a “post-punk/post-disco fusion” and by Robert Christgau as part of the broader “dance-oriented rock” (DOR) category, the genre incorporates influences from Philly soul, disco, and funk, fusing them with rock and dance music. According to AllMusic, dance-rock spans both experimental funk acts like A Certain Ratio and Gang of Four and mainstream artists such as the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Duran Duran, INXS, Eurythmics, and Depeche Mode.
The Rolling Stones – Emotional Rescue Emotional Rescue is the sound of the Rolling Stones shaking off the hangover of the ’70s, throwing on a silk shirt, and wandering into the glitzy, suspicious world of early ’80s excess. It’s not their most consistent work, but it is weirdly compelling—part smirk, part swagger, part midlife crisis…