Record Review: Let the Music Play

Title: Let the Music Play
Artist: Shannon
Label: Emergency Records
Year: September 1983
Writer: Chris Barbosa, Ed Chisolm
Produced: Chris Barbosa, Mark Liggett, Rod Hui
Mixed: Chris Barbosa, Nelson Cruz
Instruments: Rob Kilgore

Chart Positions (Billboard unless indicated otherwise):
#8 Hot 100
#2 R&B (2 weeks)
#1 Dance (6 weeks)
#32 Dance (as "Let the Music Play 2000")
#14 UK

Seminal. Critically acclaimed. The most famous, influential and biggest freestyle record ever. Shannon's classic "Let the Music Play" signaled another new direction in post-disco dance music of the '80s. In the record's wake were a slew of "Shannonesque" records, a trend noted by magazines such as Billboard. It's no surprise that such a trend occurred, given that Shannon crooned soulfully over a heavily syncopated rhythm complemented by Latin percussion that marked a distinction from the electro funk sounds that dominated hip hop at the time.

"Let the Music Play" sold over a million copies and propelled the album of the same name to hit status on both the pop and R&B charts. The song has proven to be durable over the years, still garnering airplay, undergoing remix duties, and is featured on numerous compilations, and the video itself is a classic. Several artists covered the song including dance artists such as Georgia Jones, BBG, Beatbox, Carroll Thompson, and Mary Kiani, the latter who scored a #19 UK hit with it in 1996. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince sampled this record on their track "Jazzy's Groove." No '80s dance list is complete without this record - it is an immortal track that has endured as a landmark crossover freestyle anthem.

Let the Music Play...First Freestyle Record?

What is the first freestyle music record?

Many sources cite Shannon's 1983 record "Let the Music Play" as the first true freestyle record, differentiating from the purely electro funk of Afrika Bambaataa's & The Soul Sonic Force's "Planet Rock." The record accented Latin American rhythms and a heavy syncopated drum sound that redefined electro.

However, other records following in the wake of "Planet Rock" have also been listed as freestyle music.

One More Shot - C-Bank (1982)
Play At Your Own Risk - Planet Patrol (1982)
Situation - Yaz (1982)
Don't Go - Yaz (1982)
Get Wet - C-Bank (1983)
I.O.U. - Freeez (1983)
Pop Goes My Love - Freeez (1983)
Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight - Dominatrix (1983)
White Lines (Don't Do it) - Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel (1983)
Din Daa Daa (Der Trommeltanz) - George Kranz (1983)

Freestyle Roots

Electronic music was really being experimented mid-20th century by classical musicians. In the '60s, synthesizers were starting to come into vogue with rockers and jazz musicians alike, but a pivotal point was when classical musician Wendy Carlos released the landmark album Switched-On Back in 1968.

In the '70s, synthesizers were being commonly utilized as through works by important rockers such as Stevie Wonder and The Who's Pete Townshend, in funk music, and ultimately with disco, namely Euro-disco as pioneered by artists such as Giorgio Moroder.

Disco music in particular provided the relentless 4/4 groove that eventually became synthesized as early as the late '70s. New Wave music and Industrial music of that same period also began to rely heavily on the use of experimental effects and mechanized rhythms.

Krautrock, birthed in the late '60s, spawned off highly influential experimental rockers such as Can, Tangerine Dream, and Kraftwerk. The latter group would become the most influential purely electronic artists of all time and hence be given the title "Fathers of Electronic Music".

Kraftwerk's landmark 1974 record "Autobahn" became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic and was an important step in the mainstreaming of electronic music. In 1977, disco queen Donna Summer released another turning point in electronic music with her massive hit "I Feel Love," which several pinpoint as the first true house music record. During that same year, Kraftwerk released "Trans Europe Express," another groundbreaking effort in their canon.

In early 1982, hip hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa and his group The Soul Sonic Force released "Planet Rock," a record that primarily sampled "Trans Europe Express" but added a unique blend of drum machine, vocoder, and breakbeats that would pave the way to electro-funk, Miami Bass, and freestyle music.

Welcome and Introduction

Latin freestyle, Latin hip hop, freestyle music. What is freestyle music as it is commonly known?

Freestyle music is a form of hip hop/electronic dance that is heavily influenced by Latin American culture. It originated in New York in the early 1980s, the main root being Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force's seminal 1982 record "Planet Rock." It peaked in the mid to late '80s and early '90s, but has remained relatively underground ever since.

Freestyle music has been popular not only with Latinos but with African Americans and to a certain extent with Italians as well. Along the way, freestyle music spread from New York City to Miami and eventually to other American cities with strong Hispanic populations before splintering off to countries such as Canada, Brazil and Germany.

This blog is one of the main authorities on freestyle music and hopes to keep the music genre alive by being informative and entertaining.

As Shannon sang, "Let the Music Play!"