SIS FOR … SLAP & POP
1984 was as epochal in the eyes of pop fans as it was in those of George Orwell, we all know that. And one of the iconic moments of the year was Chaka Khan’s breakthrough, Prince-penned No.1 single. While most people remember the two main lines of the chorus – “I feel for you, I think I love you” – it’s the third, a descending slap & pop bassline, that did it for me.
Does such playing have a place in pop, or is it a rare asteroid hitting our universe from planet funk? I’d argue that, more than having a place, slap & pop can be found at pivotal moments in every chapter of the classic pop story: disco, new wave, post-punk, sophisti-pop and even synth-pop…