Have you ever been to the Nationals Capital, see the monuments, and wonder what else is could this beautiful city possibly offer the world? Well, there is something out there for you, Go-go music. The native indigenous music to Washington, DC. The heavily percussive style of music that got its hype during the “chocolate city “era of Washington DC. BUT to understand this kind of music will take more than a little bit of knowledge, we have to tell you the History- present and the impact it has on the people of Dc and it culture its self.
Chuck Brown is known as “The Godfather of Go-Go” and his influence in gogo music is unmatched, but Go-go is movement that cannot be pinned down to one single person, as there were so many bands that were booming during the beginning of this era (1970s-1980s) that they collectively created the sound that is recognized as Go-Go of today. Groups such as The Young Senators, Black Heat, Aggression, Brute and The Echos, Tommy Vann & the Professionals, The Mixed Breed, Scacy & the Sound Service, 95th Congress, 100 Years time, BlackStone, Experience Unlimited (E.U.), Sound Extended, Spectrum, 2000 A.D., Lead Head, Symba, Distance, Ashante, Kalidescope, The NoWhere Men, Free Form Experience, The Jaguars, The Corvettes, The Epsilons, The New Breed, Lawrence & the Arabians, Sir Joe & the Free Souls, The Mighty Ascots, Ray Johnson’s Esquires, Sons of Nature, and The Fathers Children, are just a few of the bands that played great music during the infancy of Go-go. In the mid-60s, “go-go” was the word for a music club in the local urban community. The common phrase “going to a gogo” popularized by a million-selling hit song called, “Going to the gogo” by The Miracles. In 1965 The Young Senators (later known as “The Emperors of Go-Go”), were formed and there began a fierce competition with Chuck Brown and Black Heat on the local club circuit, they later became known for their hit “Jungle”. In 1976, James Funk, a young DJ who spun at clubs in between Soul Searchers sets, was inspired (and encouraged by Brown himself) to start a band—called Rare Essence (originally the Young Dynamos). Experience Unlimited (also known as simply E.U.) was a Washington, D.C.-based go-go band that was at its height of in the 1980s and early 1990s in the Gogo music scene. Fronted by lead singer/bassist Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliot, the group has had a shifting membership over the years, but they have maintained a loyal following. In 1984, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell heard Chuck Brown’s “We Need Some Money” on the radio in New York, which ultimately led to him signing some of the brightest stars of go-go. Trouble Funk and E.U. were both signed to Island, while Chuck Brown, Mass Extinction, Yuggie, Redds and the Boys and Hot, Cold, Sweat were signed through a distribution deal between T.T.E.D. and Island subsidiary 4th & B’way. In 2003 TCB, a DC-based go-go band created a sub-genre of go-go called Bounce Beat. Bounce beat is a Heavier version of go-go, it consists of Timbales, drums, and keyboards, and bass. At first, the old groups didn’t like the bounce beat, thinking that it was a rejection of what they have created, but it was a shift. Instead of paying homage and copying them, they wanted to create something new on the foundation they created. Mostly the younger generation liked the bounce beat. If the swing sound carried a generation of Washingtonians through the rough ’70s and ’80s, a time when funk, jazz, and soul was a much-needed salve, bounce grounded them in the ’00s and ’10s, helped them keep their bearings at a time of shifting city demographics, when go-go’s epicenter realigned as the sound of black Washington, at least from the ’70s onward, was pushed to the suburbs. With its pummeling tone and tempo, bounce beat remains a perfect musical metaphor for what young people have experienced as they’ve watched their city be slowly replaced by something unrecognizable. In the 11 years since its creation, bounce bands have flooded the area: Reaction, TOB, New Impressionz, ABM, XIB, Allstarz, UEB, HQB, AAO, Gameova, Dreamteam, Drama Squad, Main Attraction, Heavy Impact, All Jokes Aside Band, A2C, and many more.
Now a day’s go-go music is a lot more mainstream than most people think. Bands like Rare Essence, Junk Yard Band, Back Yard band and more are playing in different states, getting the music of the nation’s capital out to the rest of the US. Some of these bands are taking the DC culture and putting it on their backs as they give people want they want and need. Even starting as far back as Chuck Brown, and as young as perfection band, all kinds of people dance and enjoy go-go music. Go-go music in itself is the breakbeat that Dj’s would play, just more elaborate. It was made to compete with Djs as a crowd mover and attention grabber. Chuck Brown would say to keep people on the dance floor keep playing that beat. Go-go usually takes a song and makes a cover over it or complete remixes songs. Sometimes even creating completely new arrangements. “Old School” go-go would take funk, and soul songs a create this really mellowed out but danceable kind of music. “New School” go-go makes more of the covers and has a more of a brash, and hard-hitting beat. In most DC High School Marching Bands, they have a portion of their music/ cadence that will incorporate the “Crank”/ “Break beat” of go-go. Some mainstream artist Wale, and Goldlink even put go-go beats in their music or even their performances. People like 3 oh black, and up and coming hip-hop artist in DC, used to be go-go performers in his own band. Go-go music has opened pathways to street performers of all kinds to play music on the streets of DC, most have at least one go-go song in their repertoire.
Even though go-go music is a Washington, DC staple, in the city it’s starting to die down, due to gentrification, pushing those people how to make the music outside of the city, and those who consume it too. At the height of go-go music in the 70s/ 80s, DC was known as the “Chocolate City”. Only parts of the city actually claim go-go music and most people who visit the city don’t even what go-go music is. “Go-go remains really entirely and African American music form,” says GW Professor Kip Lornell, co-author of “The beat: Go-Go Music from Washington DC”. The DC government wanted to legislate go-go music out of Washington, DC because it was “too black and dangerous. “It’s an expression of a hyper-segregated environment,” Hopkinson says. “D.C. is the Chocolate City because of the history of slavery in D.C., so it’s relationship is close with decision makers in the city, both nationally and locally. Since go-go is associated with black, working-class culture, it’s marginalized. Even though it seems as something potentially dangerous, politicians know that it can sway voters to their side and make them vote by using go-go music as a push, or deterrent, depending on the demographic they want to approach and what time of the election cycle they’re in. Outside after go-go parties, there would be all kind of violence, so law enforcement would go in and try to control the violence, which only made it worse because trying to stop violence with violence doesn’t work, and this has been proven time and time again yet law enforcement will continue to try and “re-invent the wheel”, but that’s another topic for another day. “If go-go didn’t exist and going to the skating rinks was the most popular thing, the violence would’ve been happening there, wherever the people are, the violence, and the violence and dram draw attention”. Gentrification and fear are the biggest antagonists against go-go music, some club owners would fire there Djs if they played go-go music, and would refuse to have go-go bands, most of the clubs in DC won’t allow go-go music in their clubs. The drop in African Americans in DC is directly correlated to the “boom” of go-go music, in 2011 the population of African Americans was under 50 percent for the first time in 50+ years. Not just the gentrification and club closing but the internet and rap/ trap music. Go-go bands need at least 10 members to be in a band “Now if I want to be an artist can just use pro tools, I don’t need no band”.
Though go-go music is clearly in a steep decline, in the past couple of years you can see the resurgence of go-go, more bands are adapting to the 21st century, touring the country, getting the music out all kinds of people from different areas of the states, and they love it. In the city of itself, go-go bands are coming back from almost out of nowhere, taking over clubs in the Pg. county and other parts of Maryland, and slowly pushing its way back into DC. You can’t take the essence out of the people. That’s one thing I realize. Go-go is never gonna die”.